Journal of - International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine

M. Manzar ALAM, A. MANNAN, Misbahuddin SIDDIQUE
and Ahsan ILAHI
Hijamah (Cupping): A Graeco-Islamic Perspective Therapy
هيلع هللا ىلص Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet
cupping. said: The best medical treatment you apply is ملسو
of his foot because of a pain in it while he was in the sacred
state (wearing Ihram).
روصنم نب ىلعملا انثدح ةبيش يبأ نب ركب وبأ انثدحو (71
نع ةمقلع يبأ نب ةمقلع نع “ لالب نب ناميلس انثدح
هللا ىلص يبنلا نأ ةنيحب نبا نع جرعألا نمحرلا دبع
‏.هسأر طسو مرحم وهو ةكم قيرطب مجتحا ملسو هيلع
نبا ينعي ىيحي انثدح يقشمدلا ريزولا نب دمحم انثدح (12
دئاف انثدح يلاوملا يبأ نب نمحرلا دبع انثدح ناسح
ديبع هالوم نع عفار يبأ نب يلع نب هللا ديبع ىلوم
لوسر مداخ ىملس هتدج نع عفار يبأ نب يلع نب هللا
ىلإ يكتشي دحأ ناك ام تلاق ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص هللا
لاق الإ هسأر يف اعجو ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص هللا لوسر
‏.امهبضخا لاق الإ هيلجر يف اعجو الو مجتحا
Narrated Salmah: The maid-servant of the Apostle of
Allah ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said: No one complained to the
Apostle of Allah ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص of a headache but he
told him to get himself cupped, or of a pain in his legs but
he told him to dye them with henna.
ديبع نب ريثكو يقشمدلا ميهاربإ نب نمحرلا دبع انثدح (13
ةشبك يبأ نع هيبأ نع نابوث نبا نع ديلولا انثدح الاق
هيلع هللا ىلص يبنلا نأ هثدح هنإ ريثك لاق يراصنألا
نم لوقي وهو هيفتك نيبو هتماه ىلع مجتحي ناك ملسو
‏.ءيشل ءيشب ىوادتي ال نأ هرضي الف ءامدلا هذه نم قارهأ
Narrated Abu-Kabshah al-Ansari: The Apostle of Allah
used to have himself cupped on the ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص
top of his head and between his shoulders, and that he used
to say: If anyone pours out any of his blood, he will not suffer
if he applies no medical treatment for anything.
دبع نب ديعس انثدح عفان نب عيبرلا ةبوت وبأ انثدح (14
لاق لاق ةريره يبأ نع هيبأ نع ليهس نع يحمجلا نمحرلا
ةرشع عبسب مجتحا نم ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص هللا لوسر
‏.ءاد لك نم ءافش ناك نيرشعو ىدحإو ةرشع عستو
هيلع هللا ىلص)‏ Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet
said: If anyone has himself cupped on the 17th, 19th ‏(ملسو
and 21st it will be a remedy for every disease.
نب راكب ةركب وبأ ينربخأ ليعمسإ نب ىسوم انثدح (15
لاقو ةركب يبأ تنب ةسيك يتمع ينتربخأ زيزعلا دبع
هلهأ ىهني ناك اهابأ نأ ةركب يبأ تنب ةسيك ىسوم ريغ
هللا ىلص هللا لوسر نع معزيو ءاثالثلا موي ةماجحلا نع
‏.أقري ال ةعاس هيفو مدلا موي ءاثالثلا موي نأ ملسو هيلع
Narrated Kabshah daughter of Abu Bakrah: (The narrator
other than Musa said that Kayyisah daughter of Abu
Bakrah) She said that her father used to forbid his family to
have themselves cupped on a Tuesday, and used to assert
هيلع هللا ىلص)‏ on the authority of the Apostle of Allah
that Tuesday is the day of blood in which there is an ‏(ملسو
hour when it does not stop.
نع رمعم انربخأ قازرلا دبع انثدح لبنح نب دمحأ انثدح (61
مجتحا ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص هللا لوسر نأ سنأ نع ةداتق
‏.هب ناك عجو نم مدقلا رهظ ىلع مرحم وهو
ىلص)‏ Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The Apostle of Allah
had himself cupped on the dorsum surface ‏(ملسو هيلع هللا
ىلص Ibn Buhaina reported that the Apostle of Allah
got himself cupped in the middle of his ملسو هيلع هللا
head on his way to Mecca.
Classification of cupping
Depending upon the method of the application of hijamah
it is classified into two types such as:-
A. Hijamah-Bila-shurt (Non-invasive cupping or Dry cupping)
B. Hijamah-Bil-Shurt (invasive cupping or wet cupping or
cupping with scarification) [6,9-11].
Non invasive cupping is characterized by application of
cups without making an incision (Pachhna). Invasive cupping
is indicated after making an incision on the included
area.
Both of these types are further classified into two types:-
i. Mahjama Nari (Cupping with fire)
ii. Mahjama Ghair Nari (Cupping without fire) [11-14]
Such type of cupping in which any inflammable thing
is placed in the cup to produce fire which creates negative
pressure and thus helps in attachment of the cups at the
surface of the included area is known as Mahjama Nari. In
Mahjama Ghair Nari flame is not used to create the negative
pressure, i.e. vacuum is created by any means other
than flame (mostly by vacuum pressure pumps) [1,6,9-
11,13-14].
The following two types of Hijamah-Bil-Shurt were also
described by some Unani scholars [10,14]:
a) Zaroori Hijamah (Essential Cupping)
b) lkhtyari Hijamah (Voluntary cupping)
Few specific rules for voluntary cupping
1. It should be done in the middle of the Qamri (Lunar)
month. Again few Ahadith-e-Nabvi from Al-Kutub-al-
ىلص)‏ Sittah [8] reemphasized here that, The Prophet
said: If anyone has himself cupped on ‏(ملسو هيلع هللا
the 17th, 19th and 21st it will be a remedy for every
disease.
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ISHIM 2011-2012