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If speech is blessed by sending blessings upon the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) how could Madeenah not have been blessed during his days, while he inhabited it; he, who refreshed its breeze, perfumed its atmosphere and renewed its fragrance; whose scent preceded him to wherever he went and remained after he had left. It was he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) who was the one by whom Taybah (another name for Madeenah) was blessed in his life, and still is after his death.

Here is Anas ibn Maalik  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him saying, "I have never smelled any ambergris, musk nor anything [that is] more pleasant than the smell of the Messenger of Allaah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention )." Small wonder, for Umm Sulaym  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her would collect the sweat of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) in a flask and use it as a perfume. In an authentic narration, the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) had a siesta in their house (that of Umm Sulaym  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her), and he sweated; so she brought a bottle and kept extracting his sweat into her bottle. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) then awakened and asked her: "What are you doing, O Umm Sulaym?" She answered, "This is your sweat, we take it as perfume to us, and it is from the best perfumes." By Allaah, Umm Sulaym was truthful; for this was indeed the best of perfumes.

Despite the scent that was in his honored body, the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) would perfume himself with the best perfume he could find. ‘Aa'ishah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  her also perfumed him with the best of she could find, to the extent that the shine of perfume was seen in his hair and beard.

The life of the beloved Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) was between two kinds of perfume; a moral perfume, which he carried in his heart and that flowed in his blood, which was the perfume of the revelation, the Sunnah (Prophetic tradition) and the Da’wah (call) to worshipping Allaah The Almighty. The second was a tangible perfume that emanated from his body and clothes. One wonders: where are those who are morally and tangibly perfumed today? Where are those who are outwardly and inwardly, and secretly and openly imitators and followers of our beloved Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention )?

The best of the creatures of Allaah The Almighty on earth is Prophet Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) whom Allaah The Almighty made an example and guide to people. Thus, he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is an excellent role-model in all things, even in the simplest matters, and he taught those around him without affectation.

Among the things the Companions  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  them learnt from the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) and acted upon was his care for perfume. He  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) always had a fragrant smell about him, which corresponded with his pleasant speech, that the companion may associate and be pleased with him, the straying be guided by him, the ignorant and the seeker of knowledge learn from him, and the seeker of guidance be enlightened by him.

Why would the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) not perfume himself, when perfume was among the beloved things to him? Wasn’t he the one who said: "Endeared to me of your worldly life [are] women and perfume." The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) was good and liked what was good, and he paid special care to perfume. He had a vessel from which he perfumed himself, and it is said that it was a mixed perfume combined from several materials. It had a strong smell to the extent that if the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  saThe word hijaamah (cupping) comes from the word hajm which means sucking, as in the phrase hajama al-sabiy thadya ummihi (the infant suckled his mother's breast). Al-Hajjaam means the cupper, hijaamah is the profession of cupping, and the word mihjam is used to describe the vessel in which the blood is collected and the lancet used by the cupper.)

In fiqh (Jurisprudence) terminology, the word hijaamah is applied by some scholars to the extraction of blood from the nape of the neck by means of cupping after making an incision with the lancet. Al-Zarqaani  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him stated that cupping is not limited to the nape of the neck, rather it may be done on any part of the body. This was also the view of al-Khattaabi  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him.

In conclusion, hijaam refers to the extraction of blood from the body by means of cupping using a suitable vessel or whatever modern equipment serves the same purpose.

Cupping was known since ancient times. It was known to the Chinese, the Babylonians and the Pharaohs. Their relics and carved images indicate that they used cupping to treat some diseases. At first they used metal cups or bulls' horns, from which they would remove the air by sucking it out after placing the cup on the skin. Then they used glass cups from which they would remove the air by burning a piece of cotton or wool inside the cup.

Virtues of cupping:

Al-Bukhaari  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him narrated from Sa'eed Ibn Jubayr from Ibn 'Abbaas  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said: 'Healing is in three things: drinking honey, the incision of a cupper, and cauterizing with fire, but I forbid my Nation to use cauterizing.'

Al-Bukhaari and Muslim  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  them narrated that Anas Ibn Maalik  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him was asked about the earnings of the cupper, and he said:

The Messenger of Allaah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) was treated with cupping by Abu Taybah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him. He  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) ordered that he (Abu Taybah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him) should be given two saa' (quantity unit) of food, and he spoke with his masters so that they reduced what they used to take from his earnings. And he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said: 'The best medicine with which you treat yourselves is cupping, or it is one of the best of your medicines.'

It was narrated that Jaabir Ibn 'Abdillaah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu alyhi wa sallam say: 'If there is anything good in the medicines with which you treat yourselves, it is in the incision of the cupper, or a drink of honey or cauterization with fire, but I do not like to be cauterized.' (Al-Bukhaari, Muslim).

Benefits of cupping:

Cupping has real benefits in treating many diseases, past and present. The diseases which have been treated by cupping and for which it has been of benefit by Allaah's Leave include the following:

1-     Circulatory diseases

2-     Treating blood pressure and infection of the heart muscle

3-     Diseases of the chest and trachea

4-     Headache and pains in the eyes

5-     Pain in the neck and stomach, and rheumatic pain in the muscles

6-     Some diseases of the heart and chest, and pain in the joints

In addition, cupping may offer a unique treatment which may reduce pain, and it does not have any side-effects. For more information on the benefits of cupping see Zaad al-Ma'aad by Ibn Al-Qayyim  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him.

How cupping is done:

The mouth of the cupping vessel (nowadays they use glass vessels) is placed on the skin at the site chosen for cupping. Then the cupper rarefies the air inside the vessel by burning a small piece of paper or cotton inside the vessel (the old method), so that the mouth of the vessel will cling to the skin. Sometimes a machine is used instead of the method described above. The vessel clings to the skin and is left for a period of three to ten minutes.

Then it is lifted off and a very small incision is made in the skin using a clean sharp instrument such as a razor blade or the like. Then the cup is put back in the same manner as described above, until it is filled with the bad blood that comes out of the veins. Then it is taken off, and may be put back once more if needed. When it is finished and the cup is taken away, a dry dressing is placed over the site of the incision.

Before ending we should point out that no one should undertake cupping except one who can do it well, because of the harm that may result if it is done by one who is incompetent.llam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) passed by a road in Madeenah, people would say, "The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) passed from here”, due to the effect of his perfume.

Although he was busy with the affairs of Muslims and in Jihaad (struggle) with word and sword, the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) did not neglect to speak about perfume and what is the best of it. He  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said: "The best perfume is musk." His care to be perfumed was not in vain, but as he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) was commanded to perform Da’wah (calling to Islam), one of his main duties was to seek to impress himself in the hearts of people and to be pleasing and appealing in their eyes. This was so that they would not despise him and turn away from him and the truth he came with, and is very important for every scholar who concerns himself with conveying the truth to people.

Another cause of the Prophet's  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) laying importance on perfume may be that he sat with the angels and communicated with Allaah The Almighty several times in prayer. This was all the more reason for him to perfume himself, as it was revealed to him (what means): {O children of Aadam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.} [Quran 7:31]

http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/articles/136048/what-is-hijaamah-cupping