hijamah

The word hijamah (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-Hajjam means the cupper, hijamah 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. (See Lisan al-‘Arab). 

Technical meaning of cupping

In fiqh terminology the word hijamah 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-Zarqani 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-Khattabi. 

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