Things You Should Know About Hijama Cupping Therapy

The Best of Medicines

Hijama was declared the best of medicines by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, alongside the Quran.

He ﷺ said: “Hijama cupping is the most helpful procedure for human beings to cure themselves.” (Al Bukhari # 5357)

Other Cultures Practice Cupping Therapy Too

The Cupping therapy has been practiced for centuries globally. The first documented medical text was found in 1550 BC in Egypt. Cupping was also discovered in China over 5,000 years ago and is still practiced to this day. It was commonly practiced in the Roman Empire, Islamic Empire, Europe, Russia, Central Asia, South Asia and USA. It was very popular during the middle ages and 18th and 19th Centuries in Europe. Right now it is most popular in China, Finland and Russia and many Islamic countries.

Cupping Therapy vs. Hijama Cupping Therapy

Cupping therapy is the name of the actual procedure itself. A vacuum is created in a cup 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 Cupping or Blood Cupping.”

But what differentiates hijama is the religious and spiritual aspect of the practice. “Hijama” is the Islamic version of cupping therapy. 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.