‘Sunnah Remedies’ – Black seed(Nigella Sativa) , Honey -Hijamah (Cupping) –

Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron.” Surah Ar-Rad(13):11

Do you know that looking after ourselves is so important….our bodies are an amanah & we should look after them the best possible way. Alhamdulillah Islam is so beautiful that for evrey problem there is a solution & for every disease there is a cure :-
Our beloved Prophet said: “For every disease there is a remedy and when the remedy is made apparent, and then the disease is cured by the permission of Allah Almighty'”. [Muslim]


He also said  said: “He who has put diseases on the earth, has also put its remedy there”. [Tirmidi]

Some of the useful remedies for certain ailments whose effectiveness is mentioned in many hadith are stated below. …..Please remember shifaa (cure) is from Allah SWT  but it is from the sunnah to seek & take the remedy .As Muslims we must acknowledge and accept that Allah & His Prophet (peace be upon him), know better and have revealed the truth.

 

 Black seed(Nigella Sativa) – This is also known as Al-Habbat ul sawda, black caraway &  Kulunji.
This has been around for a long time & has been used since antiquity by Asian herbalists and pharmacists, and was used by the Romans for culinary purposes.

 

Subhanallah read the following hadith carefully as it highlights the inmportance of this seed:-
Aisha RA said that she heard the Messenger PBUH say, “This black seed is a cure for every disease except death.” (Bukhaari).
This has many benefits as it provides nutritional support for the body’s defense system.

Ibnul Qaiyum (may Allah have mercy upon him) said, “The black seed helps against all types of cold ailments… when ground, blended with honey and drunk with some water, it will dissolve the stones that appear in the kidney and the prostate…it increases the flow during menstruation and the production of milk if it is drunk for several days… When it is heated with vinegar and placed on the stomach it will eliminate worms. It also clears up, decomposes and relieves cold symptoms when it is ground, placed in a rag and inhaled through the nose on a regular basis until the ailment is cured. Black seed oil… when twenty-five grams of it is drunk with water, it will help against gasping and hard breathing…”[Translated ‘Medicine of the Prophet’ by Ibnul Qaiyum (may Allah have mercy upon him)

 

To sum up this seed is good for many things such as diabetes, good for allergies, for arthritis, improves kidney function, promotes regulation of blood pressure, promotes detoxification of th eliver, promotes digestion & elimination etc……need I say more….it’s so good to take this on a daily basis for general well being….just like we brush our teeth daily to keep them clean & healthy the same way we should take at least a spoon of black seeds….you can get it in oil form which works just as well.

Honey – Subhamnallah what does the Quran tell us about this remedy. Allah SWT says:
‘And thy Lord taught the bee to build its cells in hills, on trees and in (men’s) habitations….. there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colours, wherein is healing for mankind. Verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought’. (16:68-69)

Also The prophet PBUH said ‘Honey is a remedy for every illness and the Qur’an is a remedy for all illness of the mind, therefore I recommend to you both remedies, the Qur’an and honey.’ (Bukhari)

Honey is the natural nectar and concentrated sweetness of flowers converted by bees to a golden rich syrup. The sour of nectar the honey is made from determines its color and flavor, and the best is the light-colored variety of honey.

Honey contains 35% protein (one-half of all the amino acids), and is considered to be a complete food. It is highly concentrated source of essential nutrients, containing large amounts of carbohydrates (sugars), the B-complex vitamins, vitamins C, D, and E, and some minerals. It is used to promote energy and healing. It is a great immunity system builder & is a natural remedy for many ailments  such as sore throats, cuts & burns…..it is widely believed that Manuka honey from New Zealand is the preferred honey for wound dressing due to its strong antibacterial property.

It is also great for when you are feeling run down……again we should make this part of our daily diet due to its many healing properties & the biggest reason for having even a teaspoon daily is simply for the fact that Allah SWT has referred to honey as shifaa in the Gloriouis Quran.

HijamahThe 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.  (Cupping) – Hijama (cupping) is one the strongest sunnahs of the Prophet but how many of us even think of it as a cure for our diseases? How many of us even know that something like hijama exists?

 

Hijama’ in arabic is derived from ‘hajm’ which means ‘sucking’. It is the process of applying cups to various points on the body by removing the air inside the cups to form a vacuum. This vacuum sucks out the diseased blood which is then poured into the cups by making small cuts to the skin and then disposed.
When performed properly, this is a safe process and there are no health risks in the process (unlike acupuncture, for example). The Prophet PBUH got hijama on his head, on his foot [Ibn Majah], on his neck [Abi Dawud], on his hip [Abi Dawud], etc.
Jaabir ibn Abdullah RA reported that the Prophet PBUH said, “Indeed in cupping there is a cure.” [Muslim ].
Cupping was recommended to our beloved Prophet PBUH even by the angels:-
Abdullah ibn Abbas RA reported that the Prophet PBUH said, “I did not pass by an angel from the angels on the night journey except that they all said to me: upon you is cupping, O Muhammad.” [ibn Maajah ].

Abdullah ibn Abbas RA reported that the Prophet PBUH said, “Healing is in three things: in the incision of the cupper, in drinking honey, and in cauterizing with fire, but I forbid my Ummah (nation) from cauterization (branding with fire).” [Bukhaaree, ibn Maajah ].



Getting yourself cupped sounds painful but believe me its not at all like that….you may feel just a tingle or a slight prick….the advantages of having it done outweight the uneasiness that you feel. It surely helped me…..first just the feeling of knowing that I revived a sunnah made me feel great as the Prophet PBUH said “Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward” Secondly health wise it did wonders for me!
So given hijama’s importance, its benefits & that it’s  aproven sunnah of the Prophet PBUH we must revive this sunnah in our lives by finding practitioners of hijama and get it performed on us.