What is "Hijama"?
“Hijama” (حِجَمَة) is an arabic word and it is means “sucking”. In the Arabian Gulf, Hijamah was used not only for treatment but also for prophylaxis against diseases. The pearl divers in the Arabian Gulf used to undergo “Hijama” before the diving season in the belief that the procedure will prevent diseases during the 3 months at sea. It was thought to be very effective against dizziness.
“Hijama” is the process of removing the diseased blood by making small cuts to the skin then applied the small cups by removing the air inside the cups to form a vacuum to the various points on the body (Abdalmutakkabir,2009). The cups are placed over the patient's skin – the location depends on the treatment – and the vacuum effect of the suction draws the skin up into the cup. The resulting pressure is not painful, but it's strong enough to bring blood, toxins and impurities to the surface of the skin.
It is believed that “Hijama” has a detoxifying effect on the skin and circulatory system. The detoxification effect cannot be seen with only one treatment, but after three to five treatments. There will be a noticeable improvement in the color of one’s complexion.
Hijamah in Islamic Tradition and Hadith
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught that cupping was both a cure and a blessing. Early Muslims used bloodletting to treat numerous afflictions including headaches, stomach problems, poison, magic, bruising, pain, skin sores and more. Hijamah continues to be practiced by Muslims today.
Many Islamic narrations (hadith) cite the importance of hijamah, including:
- "Healing is in three things: in the incision of the cupper, in drinking honey, and in cauterizing with fire, but I forbid my nation from cauterization with fire." ~ Saheeh al-Bukhaaree
- "Cupping (hijamah) on an empty stomach is best. In it is a cure and a blessing. It improves the intellect and the memory." ~ Saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah
- "Indeed the best of remedies you have is cupping (hijamah)." ~ Saheeh al-Bukhaaree
Muslims therefore regard hijamah as an important and effective treatment for a variety of conditions. However, credit for any cure must go to Allah (God), as He enables a treatment to work. In the Qur'an, Allah says:"And if Allah tests you with affliction, there is none who can remove it but He." (Qur'an 10:107)
History of "Hijama"
According to Naveed (2010), cupping therapy is an incredibly ancient and universal practice that spans both East and West. In the primitive shamanistic practices of all the world's indigenous peoples, there were certain shamans who specialized in the sucking out of illness and infirmity from the body.
Naveed (2010) also wrote that in the East, the Chinese have been practicing the art of cupping for at least three thousand years. Along with Tui Na massage, acupuncture and moxibustion, cupping forms part of the traditional bodywork or physiotherapy system of TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine. Cupping is applied to the acupuncture points to relieve the stagnation of Qi and blood, both locally and in the organ(s) activated by the point.
In the West, cupping therapy had its birth in Egypt. The Ebers Papyrus, written around 1550 B.C.E., states that bleeding by wet cupping removes foreign matter from the body. In cupping, the ancient Egyptians saw the remedy for just about every disorder.
ShbabNahda (2010) wrote that the ancient Egyptians passed the art of cupping on to the ancient Greeks. Both Hippocrates and Galen were staunch advocates and users of cupping therapy. Galen once condemned Erasistratus, a noted physician in Alexandria, for not using cupping. Herodotus, a famous Greek historian and physician, wrote, in 413 B.C.:
"Scarification with Cupping possesses the power of evacuating offending matter from the head; of diminishing pain of the same part; of lessening inflammation; of restoring the appetite; of strengthening a weak stomach; of removing vertigo and a tendency to faint; of drawing deep-seated offending matter towards the surface; of drying up fluxions; checking hemorrhages; promoting menstrual evacuations; arresting the tendency to putrefaction in fevers; allaying rigors; accelerating and moderating the crisis of diseases; removing a propensity to somnolence; conciliating natural repose; removing heaviness. These, and many analogous maladies, are relieved by the judicious application of the Cucurbits (Cups), dry or bloody."
From the ancient Greeks and Romans, through the Alexandrians and Byzantines, cupping therapy was passed on to the Muslim Arabs and Persians. The Prophet Mohammed even sanctioned the use of cupping. Cupping is now an important and popular therapeutic modality of Unani Medicine.
In the West, cupping remained an important part of medicine and therapy, both conventional, alternative, and folk-based, until the early 20th century. The surgeon Charles Kennedy wrote, in 1826:
"The art of cupping has been so well-known, and the benefits arising from it so long experienced, that it is quite unnecessary to bring forward testimonials in favor of what has received not only the approbation of modern times, but also the sanction of remotest antiquity."
After fallingout of favor with medicine in the modern era, cupping therapy is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, promoted by acupuncturists and other holistic healthcare practitioners. New and exciting variations on this ancient technique, like cupping massage, are also being developed.
One secret of cupping's perennial popularity is its great ability to promote a state of deep pleasure and profound relaxation (ShbabNahda, 2010).
