# Is hijama (cupping) a sunnah I should practise? *Is hijama an Islamic practice?* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/tr4-gh0qez4/s/17/ - Date: 2020-08-04 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth #176 *Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted!* 🤣 (1:24:29–1:27:28) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR4-gh0qEZ4&t=5069s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/tr4-gh0qez4/ **Topics:** Medical questions; Sunnah versus hadith **Question as asked:** What are your views on hijama? **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth says hijama is an Arab custom rather than an Islamic practice, and nothing about it is proven scientifically. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says that hijama to him is not something Islamic. **Evidence, his words at 1:24:29:** “hijama is uh you see hijama to me is not something Islamic but it was being practiced not only by ancient Arabs in the medieval times it was a huge Christian thing” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR4-gh0qEZ4&t=5069s) ## Longer summary Asked for his views on hijama, Mufti Abu Layth says that to him it is not something Islamic: it was practised by the ancient Arabs and was a huge Christian practice in medieval Christendom, where monks often practised bloodletting. Mufti says it existed in early Islam but was not something the Prophet invented or presented as from God; it was a custom of the Arabs, and if one finds it works, alhamdulillah. Mufti says nothing is proven scientifically and describes a doctor who has appeared on his Mind Trap show telling him of a study of about sixty to seventy participants that did not show the extracted blood carrying more toxins, its dark look being due to coagulation. ## Sources and names cited - hijama (cupping) ## Transcript (machine tier, 1:24:29–1:27:28) [1:24:01] But I as a person I do respect Mustafa uh Taji. He's like what the only HT person that I know that I have on a p as a person I have respect for otherwise the others I don't respect them at all and I do have respect for him as a person. He has a great personality, very hospitable, very friendly, very kind of he's always shown me as a person so much love. [1:24:29] Uh so I will reach out to him. I'm happy to you know have that discussion right so what is going on peopleles people what are your views on hijama right hijama is uh you see hijama to me is not something Islamic but it was being practiced not only by ancient Arabs in the medieval times it was a huge Christian thing. [1:25:01] In fact, if you read up the history on bloodletting, um it was something often practiced by the monks, especially throughout medieval uh christrysendom. So when um [clears throat] when um we find a lot of this being promoted, it is really this huge culture of it I feel kind of reverberates back through the Christians. [1:25:33] I feel I could be wrong. It definitely existed in early Islam, but I don't think they were that obsessed as they've become later on when this kind of grew in the medieval times. Now, in the prophet's time, this wasn't something the prophet invented. It wasn't something the prophet said, "This is what God has told us." It was just what the Arabs did and other people did. [1:25:56] So, and other people write that look, this is not an Islamic practice. This is just a a custom of the Arabs. It's what they would medicate by. If you in time realize it works, then alhamdulillah. If you realize it don't, it doesn't work, then you know, you don't need to think this is something God has told you to do. So, and and that's how I would say that today scientifically, there's nothing proven. [1:26:22] And in fact, um, Dr. Imran Khan, Doc from Metrof Metroflex, doing it, Doc, you're doing it. uh who I've had on Mind Trap. I am hoping to maybe get him again this week on MindTrap. Now he if I recall correctly has done a study with I I think was it between 60 to 70 participants and the blood that is extracted uh a sample of it to see does it actually extract more toxins and it doesn't seem to demonstrate that it's actually bringing out more toxins but it's just the way it kind of sucks the blood out that it the kind of coagulation [1:27:02] makes the blood appear so dark and so so to assume that because this blood doesn't look natural, it must be so dirty and full of toxins and but it's actually not. Um, that's what he he was telling me his study found as well. Akad Akad is that Akad? You're doing it. [1:27:27] Thoughts on Boyer Road Masid? What's your local? All right. Boy Mo Road. Boyer Road is uh a very popular road in Alamrock, Birmingham, which is known to the locals as Bavia Road. [laughter] So if you call it boy road I mean now people may but there was a time where people wouldn't even know what you're talking about. You have to say bavia road then they go ah bavia road aacha this one over here but it has a masid there called yaquran uh an amazing masid all done up amazing and it's it's a very wellestablished ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment TR4-gh0qEZ4/s/17. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/tr4-gh0qez4/s/17/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.