Hijama in Manchester and Blackburn, England - by Zahid MalikThe following is a guest blog-post in the form of a written interview by Zahid Malik, a male cupping therapist from Manchester, England.
Please give us a short introduction about yourself, and in particular how you ended up being a hijama therapist?My early experience came initially working as an employee for various organizations, in the accounts & finance sector, as I had many years experience and had learnt accounting from my father, who had passed away in 1999. His cause of death was brain hemorrhage; in short it means a blood clot in the head that had spread. For which many people develop over the years as waste builds up within the body. He was a man that used to work hard & look after his family well, Alhamdulilah. Though I was young, I could see that he often looked stressed due to work & other family matters, as with anyone. We all know that over 70% of illnesses are caused by stress & would then develop into something more serious, i.e. anxiety, depression, etc. Ever since he passed away, his cause of death was playing on my mind, ‘what if my father had tried other alternative medicine? Acupuncture, Homeopathic medicine, etc,’ it may have helped!
A few years later, I was in the local masjid & I read a narration of The Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) that I’d never come across before:
Abdullah Ibn Abbas reported that the Messenger (pbuh) said, "Healing is in three things:
1) In the incisions of the cupper
2) In drinking honey
3) Cauterizing with fire, but I forbid my Ummah (nation) from cauterization (branding with fire)."
I asked the Imam, to explain this narration, as I’d never heard of, ‘a cupper’ or ‘cauterization’. After listening to his words of wisdom, I was intrigued and thought to myself, ‘yes, this is what my father should have had, as hijama removes old stagnated blood from the body, including blood clots’. I wanted to get myself treated, but was unsuccessful as there were not any practitioners available in the UK. The Imam said to me, ‘if you ever go to Saudi, you’ll find this treatment everywhere & you should have this done as it will bring you great benefit’. He said the treatment; hijama was predominantly available in Saudi Arabia, so I simply put it to the back of my mind.
I carried on with life as normal, working in accounts, tried different things in life i.e. businesses, working in different sectors & industries, etc. Though I got to a stage in which I wanted to explore the meaning of life and to bring my life to a higher level, filtering through many different avenues searching for something with great credibility. My aim was to start fresh, to free my mind, so I decided to go on The Great Pilgrimage, Hajj, for the very first time.
On my final tawaaf of the Kabah, I prayed for a new beginning, a new career, a new start as my beloved wife was expecting our first child, and we were both very eager for Allah (SWT) to shower us with His Infinite Blessings & Mercy. After a few days, we had travelled to Madina. I was introduced to a hijama specialist with great experience & knowledge but most importantly he was a very pious man, almost like an angel, Subhanallah. I was blessed with my initial training & knowledge from him, Sheikh Mohammed Abdallah Elkholy. He realised my sincerity to the deen or must have noticed something about myself that I could help others, so he strongly urged me to do formal training to help benefit the humanity in the West, especially the UK.
After returning back to the UK, I enrolled on a Hijama course, with Natural Health Natures Finest (NHNF), with a well renowned teacher & practitioner Anisa Kisoon. Mashallah the course was well put together, incorporating health & lifestyle, antimony, science, history, Islamic medicine, holistic/alternative medicine & much more, exactly what I wanted. I qualified with NHNF in June 2010 & as soon as I had qualified, I took the steps towards setting up my own clinic, in Manchester. Nargis Akhtar (CMA) who had also qualified with NHNF for hijama, was also in the process of setting up her clinic in the heart of Blackburn. So we decided to work together.
Men are treated by myself, Zahid Malik (CMA) on a weekly basis in Blackburn & a daily basis in Manchester. Women are treated by Nargis on daily basis in Blackburn, vice-versa, Nargis has her surgery in Manchester on a weekly basis to treat women. Might sound confusing, but it works well, Alhamdulillah.
What particular illnesses/ conditions (if any), do you specialise / had the most experience in?My greatest experience is in applying dry & wet cupping as one treatment. I have treated patients with all types of medical issues & have successfully treated over 500 people in just several months. I find that this particular method (dry & wet cupping) is excellent as it can gather the waste in and around the area & then letting the waste & toxins to be released. Many people come to The Therapy Clinic with all types of conditions & illnesses. Illnesses can vary from aces & pains to physiological illnesses. However, a vast amount of people simply want to follow the forgotten sunnah (general wellbeing).
And do you find that in your experience, the conditions/illnesses that you have come across respond well to cupping (hijama) therapy? And if so, what are they?Praise be to Our Creator! We have found that in many cases that people have found the treatment beneficial & a great success. At The Therapy Clinic, we have treated many illnesses ranging from general pains to multiple conditions. There are many different responses as to how hijama has benefited individuals. Though many people have mentioned they feel lighter, more relaxed, purified & more energetic. Best of all they feel more spiritually empowered and there are simply no side effects at all, which is fantastic. There is also mentioning from existing patients that headaches in particular being reduced due to the hijama treatment. Very occasionally patients who have the treatment, cry with tears of joy, why? The joy of being relieved of their pain & knowing the fact that there is a treatment out there in the world that can actually help with their particular illness. As many people really do give up hope from their local GP/hospitals. Hijama really is the best treatment for anyone & literally is a miracle from Our Lord, as it was not simply advised by Allah, but this was a STRONG COMMAND! to The Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) to have done & to tell others.
People often mention to me that they feel very comfortable & open. This is one of my strengths as a person and I assure my patients that everything is strictly confidential. Many patients often mention to me that as I’m from the UK (from birth), that they feel a lot more relaxed & confident with me as the doors of communication are open which helps a lot, especially when explaining how & why hijama would help the individual’s case.
Do you have any interesting case-studies that you can briefly share with us from your hijama treatments?There is one specific case study of a middle aged gentleman, in his late 50’s. He was an individual who had visited, The Therapy Clinic for hijama treatment with many illnesses, suffering and ranging from immobility to strong muscular pains all around his body. He was someone who has tried Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) cupping and other related treatments. Unfortunately they had not had such a significant impact on his conditions as compared to hijama, He was relieved from all his aces & pains, most of illness’s cleared, including cholesterol & high blood pressure, Alhamdulillah.
Besides that there was an account of an individual who after his first hijama session, he had forgot his walking stick in our clinic! I had to chase after him down the busy streets of Manchester with his walking stick waving in the air. When I gave him the walking stick, he said to me, ‘Jazakallah, but I don’t need this stick anymore’. Since then, the individual has come on numerous occasions and has never required his walking stick again. Indicating some of the immediate responses people have had after experiencing hijama, Mashallah.
Also what would you say about using cupping as a general preventative therapy and how often would you recommend this (once a month? once/twice a year?)Hijama/Cupping is an excellent preventative therapy, traditionally used to treat all ailments and diseases. With great regret & as strange as it sounds, it’s the lost sunnah & we strongly urge all Muslims to revive this sunnah to help make a real positive impact on the world at large. Hijama is a deep, direct detox, which helps tackle illnesses head on. A very blunt treatment to say the least & that it’s absolutely faultless in every shape way & form. The treatment is used to help dispel stagnation, stagnant blood and lymph, helping improve blood flow. Therefore it’s recommended for the ill person to be treated once or twice a month, whilst the one who is generally healthy can be treated once or twice every three months as our blood is regenerated every three months in our bodies.
As a hijama therapist, how often do you get hijama done yourself, and what for (if any specific condition) and who do you go to get it done (since it is not an easy therapy to self-administer)?Personally, I get hijama treated on myself usually every month or when ever in need of relief due to pain or discomfort by another practitioner, who is also a good friend of mine. I don’t get it done for any specific reason though some times for aches, pains, fatigue and general well- being, knowing it has preventative qualities.
What is the overall prevalence of hijama therapy in your Manchester & Blackburn? Is it available in hospitals and clinics as a valid alternative / sunnah therapy? On a general level hijama is a therapy is unknown to the West. Hospitals do not provide hijama or cupping as a valid alternative therapy…yet! However I understand that some leading practitioners of Hijama are currently in talks with the NHS system to help key recognition up & down the country. Clinics have also not made available hijama due to the lack of knowledge surrounding it. Although there is a growing awareness with regards to its benefits. With regret the Muslim community as a whole does not practice it, neither have it done. Many Muslims know or have heard of it as a sunnah, which the Last Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) has strongly recommended to al to have donel. Some may have experienced the treatment when they may go abroad i.e. Saudi Arabia, Middle East, China, Asia, etc. Perhaps the treatment is not known to many people, because those who do practice it, may not do so on a professionally level, therefore people can be very wary about the procedure, cleanliness & hygiene. At The Therapy Clinic, hygiene & cleanliness is at the for front and we make every effort to make one feel welcome & at ease.
Many people in the West are also inclined to use orthodox medicine/treatment in the initial instance but they don’t realize the effects that it has on the body from the side effects of these drugs which in the UK alone, is a billion pound industry per year. Just some of the side effects can include drowsiness, restrict mobility, water retention, etc. A very important matter to note is that, the NHS provides a free service to all patients, and usually offer free pharmaceutical drugs to help only control the patient’s condition, but they do not help relieve the problem. A person should realise, that if an individual or a company is giving you something for free, the chances that it’s not going to be that great! Hence why they give it for free! If a person wants REAL RESULTS and REAL RELIEF, then generally, a person would have to pay for it i.e. private health care, Al-Hijama is the answer.
Whereabouts is your clinic or practice located and what services do you offer?Alhamdulillah, we have 2 clinics in the UK. One is based in Central Manchester and the other clinic is based in heart of Blackburn. We also offer a mobile home service to those with mobility problems or maybe house bound.
1) The Therapy Clinic
702 Burnage Lane, 1st Floor,
Manchester,
M19 1NA
We offer:
- Hijama/Cupping
- Dry Massage Cupping
- Relaxing Full Body Massage
- Sports & Rehabilitation Massage
- Deep Tissue Massage
- Indian head Massage
- Hopi Ear candle treatment
- Hopi Ear candles (retail & wholesale)
- General Health Supplements
Cupping Sets – 12, 18 & 24
Gift vouchers & Much more…
2) 7 Saint Andrews Street,
Blackburn,
BB1 8AE
We offer:
- Hijama/Cupping
- Dry Massage Cupping
- Far Infra Red Sauna
- Ceragem Bed
- Power plate
- General Health Supplements
Is there anything else you would like to add?• At The Therapy Clinic, we have a dynamic & professional clinic set up.
• We have been established in Manchester & Blackburn since Spring 2010 & looking to expand further in 2011
• We are the most up & coming clinics in the private health sector
• We offer excellent before & aftercare advise to achieve the best results from your treatment
• We also offer the great facilities for the patient to test their blood pressure, cholesterol & diabetes to be carried out throughout the course of their treatment/s, so that one is able to see scientific results & real result…!
• Everything discussed in consultations will be strictly confidential & private
• Our work & methodology is based on Islamic principles
• Fully qualified & insured
• Qualified first aiders through Saint John Ambulance
• Blood & other waste is correctly disposed of in accordance with Health & Safety
• Disposable fresh equipment is used for every person
FEATURED HIJAMA THERAPIST:
Br Zahid Malik CMA
Founder & hijama practitioner of The Therapy Clinic)
PRACTICE LOCATION:
The Therapy Clinic
702 Burnage Lane, 1st Floor,
Manchester,
M19 1NA
CONTACT DETAILS:
Email:
thetherapyclinic@hotmail.co.ukWebsite:
www.thetherapyclinic.info (currently under construction)
Our thanks to Zahid Malik for sharing the above post. If you have any questions for him, or if you have a patient of his and want to leave him a testimonial, then please leave a comment* below.
If you are a hijama therapist or patient and are happy to share your knowledge or experience via a guest blog-post like the one above, please send me an email to:
hijama.mail@gmail.com.
*Comments are moderated to prevent spamming so may take some time to appear
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