A reflection by Muddassar Raja. Religious texts are quoted here for their religious significance. They are not medical claims.
Today I would like to talk briefly about the event of Al-Isra, the Night Journey of the Prophet ﷺ, which was very significant in shaping our worship. In the Quran it is mentioned:
“Glory be to Him Who took His servant by night from Al-Masjid Al-Haram to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” (Al-Isra 17:1)
On that night the Prophet ﷺ was taken from the Ka’bah to the mosque in Jerusalem, where he led the other Prophets in prayer. He was then taken through the heavens and met several great Prophets. It was also on this night that the five daily prayers were set, reduced from fifty.
There is another significance to this night that is spoken of less often: Hijama. Hijama is a well-known Sunnah. It is narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“I did not pass by any group of angels on the night of Al-Isra’, except that they said to me: ‘O Muhammad, tell your nation to do cupping.’” (Ibn Majah 3477)
It is also narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet ﷺ said that cupping is among the best things people use. (Sahih al-Bukhari)
Imagine something so significant, and yet most of us do not know it. Do we have a responsibility to revive this Sunnah? One way to establish a forgotten Sunnah is to study it properly and, for those who wish, to take it up as a profession, and to do so with knowledge, safety and good character.
Wa-salam,
Muddassar