In addition to the regular medicine that many people are used to, there are also various forms of alternative medicine that can be used. A millennia-old alternative form of medicine is cupping. A vacuum is created above the skin using cups. This form of medicine was mainly used by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. It is still used in East Asia and Islamic countries. There are two forms of cupping, namely dry cupping and wet cupping. Wet cupping is also called Hijama or Hijama cupping. The Islamic method of cupping is therefore Hijama. The Islamic method of cupping will mainly be discussed, but dry cupping will also be discussed.
What is cupping?
Cupping is a treatment method that uses balls / cups. You could basically call it vacuum therapy. With cupping, a vacuum is created above the skin by means of balls on the body. Nowadays people mainly use a vacuum pump to pull all the air out of the bulb, but in the past fire was mainly used to create a vacuum on the skin. Hijama is basically done in the same way as dry cupping, but with Hijama cupping tiny scratches will be made on the body.
The usual procedure for this is as follows. With Hijama cupping, cups will be placed in the desired places on the body. These cups will then pull all the air out of the bulb. Subsequently, at some point, the heads will be removed from the skin and tiny scratches will be made on the body. Finally, the cups will be placed back on the body, releasing blood through the vacuum. Through this blood loss, the body will get rid of waste products and other toxins.
As you can certainly understand, dry cupping will not cause any blood loss because no tiny scratches are made on the body. You should not be alarmed if you find purple or red prints on your body after your treatment. This is a common phenomenon after a dry cupping or wet cupping treatment.
The purpose of Hijama
The primary purpose of cupping is to remove the various waste products that are in our body. We would ingest these toxins through various factors. Consider, for example, stress, medicines or environmental pollution. Cupping could reduce pain and could even cure or prevent various diseases or ailments. There are various ailments for which Hijama cupping or dry cupping could be considered. However, one must keep in mind that Hijama cannot cure everything. This may include congenital and genetic diseases or serious damage to the body.
Hijama could help you with, among other things:
- Injuries
- Hernia
- Migraine
- Cellulite
- Arthrosis
- Depression
- Allergy
- Insomnia
- Diabetes
- Hemorrhoids
- Heart complaints
- Impotence
- Low back problems
- Herpes zoster
In addition, one should not forget that Hijama also has religious undertones. Hijama appears several times in the various Hadith collections. It is a Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), so one can receive hassanaat by performing this act. Sunnah actions are actions recommended or obligated by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Hassanaat, on the other hand, are rewards one can receive for good deeds.
“Healing lies in three things: drinking honey, cutting by the one who performs Hijama (the mihjaam) and burning with fire (al-kaj), but I forbid my community al-kaj.” Saheeh Bukhari (5269)
When is the best time to undergo a Hijama treatment?
The best days to schedule an appointment for a Hijama treatment are the 17th, 19th or 21st day of each month. This refers to the Islamic calendar. This can be read in book 28 of the Sunan Abu Dawud in Hadith number 3861. According to another Hadith, namely Hadith number 3488 in the Hadith collection Sahih Sunan ibn Maajah, it is best to undergo a Hijama treatment on a Monday or a Tuesday. Undergoing treatment on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday is not recommended. Nothing is mentioned about Thursday, so in principle you can also schedule an appointment on a Thursday. If the 17th, 19th or 21st coincides with a Monday or Tuesday, that would be the best choice in terms of Hijama.
Hijama treatment
There are several Hijama clinics spread across the Netherlands and Belgium where you can go for treatment. In principle, anyone could undergo a Hijama treatment, but if you are pregnant, have a certain condition or have something else that makes you unsure whether you can undergo treatment, it is best to contact the clinics or your GP. It is best to take a warm shower on the day of your appointment. What you can also take into account is that it is Islamically recommended to undergo the treatment on an empty stomach (Sahih Sunan ibn Maajah, Hadith number 3478).
Not a Muslim: what now?
If you are not Muslim, this does not mean that you cannot undergo Hijama treatment. It just won’t have the same religious overtones. There are several non-Muslim minorities in Islamic countries who also use Hijama.
