Physical Benefits of Salah/Prayer – Part 1
You Will Naturally Be Blessed With the Physical Benefits If You Perform Salah with the Goal of Worshiping Allah
Main
Points:
1. The Salah
gives spiritual and physical benefits to the believers who perform them
regularly.
2. Islam places
a premium on heart health, both spiritually and physically.
3. Cholesterol
can be dissolved before freezing by the five daily prayers.
-----
By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
4 June 2022
Islam
places a premium on heart health, both spiritually and physically. The Qur'an
uses the terms 'Qalb Saleem' (sound heart) and 'Qalb Mutmainna'
(contended heart) to describe the characteristics of a healthy heart. A similar
query was answered by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him): “Beware, in the
body, there is a piece of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound and if
it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt, and hearken it is the heart.” (Sahih
Muslim, Book 22, Hadith 133). That is why, in its teachings and instructions,
Islam places a strong focus on the prevention of heart disease. Salah or Prayer
is the most significant and fundamental aspect of Islam and it is a very
efficient spiritual and physical way of protection against ailments, particularly
heart diseases.
Salah
combines spiritual meditation with physical motions, causing the muscular
system of the human body to become active without being fatigued and generating
serenity in both the body and the mind. Salah is supposed to aid in the preservation
of lower-limb performance by enhancing balance, equilibrium, and joint
flexibility.
Many health
professionals, on the other hand, are unaware that performing Salah offers a
variety of physical benefits that might be utilised to prescribe dynamic
exercise.
Salah
promotes emotional and physical well-being. Salah is a collection of postures
and actions that include standing, kneeling, prostration, and sitting in that
order. Each posture requires the movement of different parts of the human body
in order to improve health and fitness. Each stance has its own set of
benefits, such as:
(1)When you
stand up straight, your spine should be in a neutral position. (2) Bowing at a
straight angle allows energy to pass from the pituitary gland at the back of the
head. (3) The act of prostration (lying your head on the ground) allows a large
amount of blood to enter the brain. (4) Sitting with the back straight and
focusing all of one's attention on the right finger while moving it can help
with concentration.
There is no
other gentle and continuous exercise that compares to the Salah. According to
physiotherapists, exercising without consistency or doing so much that the body
feels exhausted is pointless. God, the Lord of Glory, has bestowed upon us the
practice of exercise and physiotherapy in practically all postures of the
Salah.
While a
believer's prayers provide him with a comprehensive package of spiritual and
physical advantages, hypocrites are known for praying with apathy and sloth.
Allah, the All-Powerful, says:
“Surely the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah,
but He outwits them. When they stand up for prayer, they do it lazily only
showing [themselves to] the people and not remembering Allah except a little.” (4:142)
Without Taadeel-e-Arkaan
(performing the principles (Rukns) of Salah properly), there is no
spiritual or physical advantage to prayer in a calm manner, whereas praying
properly is a permanent and balanced strategy to keep cholesterol under
control.
This
wonderful hadith of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) clarifies this fact:
“Of certainly, the Salah has the power to heal” (2/390, Ahmad ibn Hanbal,
Al-Musnad)
According
to a recent scientific study, fat that builds up in our arteries narrows them
over time, resulting in catastrophic conditions like high blood pressure, heart
disease, and stroke.
Cholesterol
levels in the human body typically range from 150 to 250 milligrammes. The
amount of cholesterol in our blood rises rapidly after a meal. Allah Almighty
has provided a simple and natural approach to dissolving cholesterol before
freezing in the form of five daily prayers.
Muslims are
required to perform five daily prayers. Fajr, Asr, and Maghrib
are three prayers that are conducted while the human stomach is normally empty.
These three prayers have brief Rak'ats. After a meal, the Zuhr
and Isha prayers are frequently offered. Their rak'ahs are twelve and
seventeen, respectively, and this reduces cholesterol levels.
During
Ramadan, cholesterol levels in the body rise abnormally due to the massive
amounts of food and beverages ingested after Iftar. Muslims are required to
conduct twenty rakats of Taraweeh prayers in addition to the seventeen rak'ahs
of Isha prayers during Ramadan, which helps to lower cholesterol.
The wisdom
of Salah to keep cholesterol levels under control has not only been discovered
via modern research but is also supported by a hadith from the Holy Prophet.
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said on the authority of Hazrat Ayesha
Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her):
"Solve
your food (cholesterol) by remembering Allah and performing Salah."
(Tabarani, Al-Mujam al-Awsat 4949)
There is no
part of the body that does not benefit from light exercise provided we say the
five daily prayers at the appointed times, in accordance with the instructions
and actions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)
But the
most important thing to keep in mind is that we perform the Salah in order to
worship Allah and attain His pleasure. We do not perform the Salah with the
intention of physical health. Yes, it is the grace of Allah that by doing so,
we are automatically blessed with physical benefits.
...
Kaniz
Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/physical-salah-prayer-part-1/d/127170
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism