What is Hijama?
What is Hijama or Cupping
“There is a remedy for every disease and when
the remedy is applied to the disease it is cured with the permission of Allah
the Exalted.” (Muslim.)
Hijama or Cupping is a safe, non-invasive way
of curing and preventing many diseases, that is backed and supported by the
Sunnah of Nabiyu Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).
In Arabic the word ‘Hijama’ means
to ‘drawing out’.
It is a non-surgical procedure in which, toxic
or ‘bad’ blood
is drawn out from the body from specified Hijama points on the body.
At selected points, blood is encouraged to
accumulate on the surface of the skin where minute incisions are introduced on
the skin and then sucked out from the incisions.
Hijama is now recognized as an alternative
medicine and Islamic medicine in most parts of the world. It is also a fast-growing
alternative in ways of treating different diseases and bodily disorders, it is
worthy to note that modern medical science now endorses the various benefits of
Hijama and even encourages its practice in treating certain diseases.
Hijama (Cupping) therapy has been practiced
for centuries globally, discovered to have been in China for over 5,000 years
and is still in practice to this day, with documented medical texts dated
as far as1550 BC also in Egypt and before that in China.
During the Night Journey & Ascension
(Laylatu’l-Isra’ wa’l-Mir’aj), our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) experienced many profoundly significant events, with the
significance of hijama emphasized, as seen from hadith.
“I did not pass by an Angel from the Angels on
the Night Journey except that they all said to me; ‘Upon you is cupping
(hijama), O Muhammad’”(Sahih; Sunan Ibn Majah 3477)
Hijama was declared the best of medicines
by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), alongside the Quran.
Nabiyu Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him) said: “Cupping is the most helpful procedure for human beings to cure
themselves.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5357)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
said: “The best treatment is Hijama cupping; it removes blood, lightens the
back and sharpens the eyesight.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 3053)
The importance of Hijama cannot overemphasized
nor can the need to incorporate it into treatment plans.
Most often we find the term Cupping is
interchanged with the term Hijama therapy, cupping is the name of the actual
procedure itself.
A vacuum is created in a cup using
fire (fire cupping) or suction (suction cupping) and placed on the body. This
vacuum causes a negative pressure and pulls the muscles into the cup and
therefore, draws the blood to the cupped area.
This is known as “dry cupping”. Then you remove
the cup in order to make small, shallow incisions in that same area, before
putting the cup back on. This pulls out the toxic blood, acids and excess
fluids from the body. This is known as wet, or blood cupping.
What makes hijama different is the religious
and spiritual aspect of the practice. “Hijama” is the Islamic version of Cupping
therapy, in Hausa it is called “Kaho”.
Muslims practice Hijama cupping therapy, in
accordance to the way of the Prophet ﷺ.
It means that the patient and Hijama practitioner should have done their
ablutions (wudu) and should recite Quran during the hijama procedure.
Hijama therapy is an excellent form of
preventative and curative therapy, it is found to be of great help to wellness in
many ways inclusive of;
- Boosting the circulatory and immune systems
- Cleansing and detoxifing the body
- Treating illnesses and relaxing the patient
- Pain relief
- Fertility
- Treating of many muscular, skeletal, neurological, immune, cardio-vascular, respiratory, digestive and urinary issues.
Some of its benefits were highlighted by Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him):
Ibn Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Hijama cupping on an empty stomach is
best. It increases the intellect and improves the memory. It improves the
memory of the one memorizing….” (Sahih; Sunan Ibn Majah 3488).
Traditional sunnah points for
hijama therapy essentially target the heart, lungs, brain and spine. All of
which are major foundations for optimal health.
“Hijama cupping on the back of the neck treat
seventy-two illnesses” (Collected by al-Tabarani)
Hijama serves to cleanse and unblock the major
arteries and veins.
Anas narrated that the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) used to have Hijama cupping done on the veins on the
side of the neck and the upper back. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi)
Having a Hijama detox is a recommended step to
general wellness, after which it is advisable to then use Hijama as a form of
maintenance 2-4 times a year if you are healthy. If you have serious medical
conditions, it can be performed more often, as recommended by the Hijama therapy
practitioner.
Having Hijama performed on the “Sunnah Days”
has added benefits according to hadith:
“Whoever performs Hijama cupping in the 17th,
19th and 21st day (of the Islamic Lunar month), then it is a cure for every
disease”. (Sahih; Sunan Ibn Majah 3861).
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
said: “If there is anything good in the medicines with which you treat yourselves,
it is in the incision of the Hijama therapist, or a drink of honey….”
(Muslim 2205)
Walid Shawkey Moukarim
TMP, IPHM2305
on twitter @ShifahHolisticC
on Facebook page @walidsmoukarim
Shifah Holistic Heaalth Care
+2348099331855
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