How Muslim Women are Leading the Prophetic Tradition of Hijama Cupping
Umm Amaar tells AMT how her institute helps stay-at-home moms reconnect with their faith through cupping therapy
Hijama Nation Academy (HNA) is an online training institute that prides itself on continuing the tradition of holistic therapy prescribed by Prophet Muhammed, in the 7th century.
Co-Founder of U.K.-based Hijama Nation, Umm Amaar studied natural therapies and was curious about Islamic medicine. She is a holistic therapies practitioner and life coach. After seeing positive results using cupping on family and friends, Umm Amaar and her husband, Muddassar Raja, started their own business.
“We focus on holistic Hijama cupping therapy and looking at the mind, body and soul as we're all about general well-being and incorporating sunnah health and sunnah medicine into our daily lifestyle,” said Umm Amaar.
Raja, who is a Business & IT consultant, helped his wife pursue a career in healing and start training others to become Hijama practitioners. He is also a Hijama Practitioner and life coach with a background in e-commerce and real estate investing. The British couple started with small clinics and after gaining popularity then expanded into Canada and the U.S.
Hijama is the ancient form of Cupping Therapy that has been elevated to a divine recommendation since the revered founder of Islam was a proponent. Also referred to as “wet cupping”, small punctures are made in the skin, single-use cups are placed over the area, and suction is applied.
Wet cupping is said to extract toxins such as lactic acid, lymphatic fluids and deformed red blood cells. After negative pressure is applied, weak capillaries rupture and regenerate from pre-existing blood vessels in a process called angiogenesis.
“I found that Hijama cupping therapy was the most powerful out of all of them because it gets to the root of the problem when it's dealing with your body on a cellular level and it's actually drawing out the toxic blood which is causing the disease or discomfort or inflammation in the body, it’s the quickest healing method,” said Umm Amaar.
As a stay-at-home mom herself, Umm Amaar used her own experience to model the training courses to fit any lifestyle and help women feel empowered through education and faith. Hijama Nation wanted to ensure the courses are self-paced and provide flexibility.
The Institute says 70 percent of its practitioners are female, although Umm Amaar reveals many couples and families enroll together as a way to empower themselves and further connect spiritually.
“The best thing for me as a Muslim is that I'm able to help empower other sisters and brothers as well, but particularly the sisters, especially ones who feel like they missed out on their education or they’re housewives now, and they want that sense of achievement,” said Umm Amaar.
In the West, cupping came to the public's attention through Hollywood. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow appeared at the 2004 premiere of "Anchorman" showing off the signature circular marks on her back which created a huge media attention, with publications across the world writing about the practice, mostly focusing on the Asian tradition and not the Islamic practice.
Dry cupping dates back to 300 AD when Chinese herbalist Ge Hong established it in “A Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies”. This more commonly known form of cupping therapy has appeared in movies such as “The Karate Kid” when the main character needs to heal his muscles to keep fighting.
It’s also gained popularity in the sporting world, with US swimmers Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin among the athletes who were known to be practicing cupping therapy, seen at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Within dry cupping, there are two options, stationary or gliding. The stationary method is done by lighting a cotton ball soaked in alcohol on fire, inserting it into the cup for 1-2 seconds, then applying the cup to the affected area. The gliding method is used to cover larger areas of the body, by applying oil and then gently pushing the cups along the back or thighs.
Dry cupping therapy is often used to treat various conditions, including muscle pain, joint pain, respiratory issues and digestive problems. It is important to note that dry cupping therapy should only be performed by a qualified healthcare professional, as improper use of the cups can result in bruising, skin irritation, and other complications.
The main difference between the cupping methods is that Hijama has a spiritual aspect as it is mentioned in hadiths, the sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad.
“We base it on religious therapy grounds when we're practicing because the Prophet (swt) used to have the Hijama cupping therapy done on himself for various conditions,” said Umm Amaar.
HNA’s co-founder says she hopes to continue helping women become business owners who are able to create their own flexible work hours while at the same time growing spiritually.
