Prophetic Medicine – Cupping – Hijama

The Prophet peace and blessings be upon him had Hijaama performed upon him and ordered others to have Hijaama performed upon them, he said in an authentic hadeeth:

‘Cure/treatment for my Ummah is in the incision made by the one who performs Hijaama , by drinking honey or cauterisation but I do not like to be cauterised.’

It was well-known that the purpose of Hijaama was to extract blood which is harmful to the body. Hijaama is mentioned because in hot countries blood rises to the surface of the body and so Hijaama removes that blood.

As for cold countries, the blood seeps into the veins and so the vein needs to be cut by performing venesection (opening/dissecting a vein for bloodletting). This matter is well known from experience and from observation.

In cold periods, internally, the body warms up and, externally, it cools down. So, as similar things attract each other, a cold wind cools down what it meets from bodies and the earth so that the heat which is present escapes from the cold which opposes it, moving to the inside and heating up the inside of the earth. Similarly, heat escapes the cold and moves to the inner core of animals ( internal systems) , so animals therefore seek shelter in warmer places.

In winter and in cold countries, due to the heat in his body, a person eats more than the one who eats in the summer or in hot countries because body heat helps to digest and utilise food. Also, underground spring water in winter is warmed due to the warmth of the inside of the earth.

In such cases, warm blood is found inside veins and not at the surface of the skin and so in cold weather a person such as this, having Hijaama performed on them will not benefit from it, in fact, they could be harmed by it.

In the summer and in hot countries, the surface warms up and the core cools down. Therefore, food is not digested in this condition in the way it is digested in the winter.

Also spring water is colder due to the core of the earth being colder, causing animals to go out to the desert and open lands due to the heat of the wind. So, for people such as these (in warm climates), venesection may not benefit them, rather it could even harm them, and so Hijaama is more beneficial for them.’

[Taken from Majmoo’ Fatawa V.17/486 ]