Giving blood in Ramadan
Many people stop giving in Ramadan, and stocks fall. Here is what Imam Malik said, and when and where to give in the evening.
Does giving blood break the fast?
لاَ تُكْرَهُ الْحِجَامَةُ لِلصَّائِمِ إِلاَّ خَشْيَةً مِنْ أَنْ يَضْعُفَ وَلَوْلاَ ذَلِكَ لَمْ تُكْرَهْ
Imam Malik, al-Muwatta, Book of Fasting, chapter on cupping for the fasting personIn al-Muwatta, Imam Malik says cupping (hijama) is only disliked for a fasting person out of fear they become weak, and that someone cupped in Ramadan who keeps their fast until evening owes nothing, not even a day to make up. The president of the local council of ulema of Skhirat-Temara told SNRT that the fast of someone who gives blood stays valid, with nothing to make up. Other schools hold a different view on cupping; the simplest is to give after breaking the fast.
Was the Prophet ﷺ cupped while fasting?
احْتَجَمَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ صَائِمٌ
Sahih al-Bukhari 1939, from Ibn Abbasأَكُنْتُمْ تَكْرَهُونَ الْحِجَامَةَ لِلصَّائِمِ؟ قَالَ: لاَ، إِلاَّ مِنْ أَجْلِ الضَّعْفِ
Sahih al-Bukhari 1940: a question put to Anas ibn MalikYes, as al-Bukhari reports from Ibn Abbas. And when Anas ibn Malik was asked whether they disliked cupping for a fasting person, he said: no, only because of weakness.
When should I give in Ramadan?
يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ
Quran, Surah al-Baqarah (2), verse 185After breaking the fast, so you never have to choose between fasting and giving. Mosque drives start after Isha or Tarawih, around 20:00, in 70 to 80 mosques in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra in 2026. Meaning of the verse: God wants ease for you, not hardship.
Who runs the mosque drives?
A partnership between the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Social Works of Religious Officials, the Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs and the Supreme Council of Ulema, overseen by the Moroccan Agency for Blood and its Derivatives. Imams and religious officials raise awareness in the mosques. In 2017, mosque drives brought about 25% of the year's donations, according to the national blood transfusion centre.
Do the councils of ulema take part?
Yes. In January 2025, the local council of ulema of Mohammedia joined a drive at Assounna mosque that collected 160 bags. Its announcement called the drive an act of social solidarity (takaful) and of the values of mutual help Moroccans are known for.
Why does Ramadan matter for stocks?
Because donations drop. In 2021 the Casablanca-Settat regional centre supplied 500 to 600 bags a day, and on the first day of Ramadan only 5 or 6 donors came. Stocks fall to 2 to 5 days in Ramadan and summer, against a target of 7.
Faraj gives no fatwa. Verses and hadith are quoted in Arabic, word for word, with their reference; the English gives the meaning. For a religious question, ask the local council of ulema in your city.
- Blood donation in IslamAuthentic verses and hadith on saving lives and helping each other, and what scholars say about giving blood, in Morocco's religious tradition.
- Stories and values: selflessness and solidarityGiving blood is a modern act, but its values are old: selflessness (ithar), solidarity (takaful) and charity. Here are authentic stories from the Sunna.
The doctor at the centre decides whether you can give. This page sums up the press and the law; it is not medical advice.