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Our HijamaPlus blog aims to inspire you to create new healthier habits, giving you insights into different natural therapies, remedies, vitamins and minerals that have healing properties and abilities to help you prevent health issues and/or help improve any health conditions , pains or aches you may have.

Hijama through the ages

Cupping therapy is known as Hijama in Arabic, Toobin in Somali and Singa or Shinga in Asian languages.

This therapy was known to tribal societies, the Pharaohs, the Chinese and other civilisations. Hijama was established over 1400 years ago, during the advent of Islam in Saudi Arabia. During this time of our beloved Prophet (Saw) advocated and regularly performed Hijama as He (Saw) was ordered to perform cupping. The Messenger Pbuh said, “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.” [Saheeh Sunan ibn Maajah (3477)].

Our Beloved Messenger of Allah (Saw) would regularly have his hijama done for a number of reasons such as for headaches, pains and aches, magic, poisoning and detoxification.

The primary equipment used were animal horns that are naturally shaped as cups. Later all kinds of materials were used to form cups such as; metal, clay, glass and bamboo. Today most often plastic cups and a suction pump are used as equipment. This way there is no risk of blood to blood contamination, because everything is thrown away after the treatment is done.

Hijama was used in Western hospitals from early times and was performed by highly skilled doctors and surgeons. The founder of today’s Royal Free and Royal Marsden Hospitals in London, surgeon William Marsden (1796-1867) employed paid cuppers during the 1830s. European and American doctors and surgeons were employing cupping therapy to treat a variety of conditions up to the late 1860s. After 1860 the interest declined as wet cupping decreased in popularity and the focus of the medical world shifted towards producing patented medicine and the world’s first factory for producing only medicines opened in 1859.

In the past two decades hijama has enjoyed a huge revival in the Muslim world as well as in the West. Research has been carried out into the benefits and effectivity of hijama therapy in recent years; arthritic conditions are among the most thoroughly researched, showing marked improvement in mobility and pain management.