Spiritual Benefits of Salah/Prayer/Namaz – Part 2
Namaz: A Means of Eradicating All Anxiety, Protecting
Oneself from Immorality, and Strengthening One's Connection to God Almighty
Main Points:
·
Namaaz has the spiritual power to dispel all kinds of troubles, problems,
sorrows, hassles, confusions, illnesses, and clouds of melancholy and boredom.
·
Allah said in the Qur'an that Namaaz guards
against immorality and bad things.
·
Namaaz must be completed in full respect of all internal and external rights.
·
By reciting the Namaz, one is purified and
their relationship with Allah is enhanced. Namaaz makes amends for minor
sins.
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By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
1 October 2022
When a man is plagued by problems, aches, concerns,
confusions, and illnesses, the shadows of death start to hang over his head; he
feels as though the world is hard and constricting around him, and clouds of
fear and panic seem to be floating over his head from all sides. There is just
one solution for each of these problems and that is Namaaz.
Turn your attention to your Creator and away from
everyone else. Prostrate before your Lord and admit your flaws and sins,
confessing to him that, "O my Lord, I have harmed my soul," and “that
I did not convert to your worship in the world while I was in good health and
youth. Now, I shall undoubtedly be counted among the losers if You do not show
me pity and pardon my misdeeds”.
You should immediately turn to your Lord in these
situations when you are overwhelmed by dread, grief, or worries. Come to the Namaz
(Salah) which will soothe and comfort your heart as well as provide peace
and comfort to your soul.
Namaz has the spiritual power to dispel all kinds of troubles, problems,
sorrows, hassles, confusions, illnesses, and clouds of melancholy and boredom.
This is because the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) would always turn to his
Lord in a state of prayer whenever he had a serious problem, as well as use
prayer to relax his eyes and make all of his worries better.
Today, despite the fact that we face a variety of
difficulties—psychological, physical, mental, social, and other—we chose
material resources rather than relying on Allah for patience and tranquilly by
following the Prophet's advice. While there is only one way to find peace and a
cure for all of these worries, and that is to kneel and bow down in prayer
before one's Creator and Lord.
After accepting the belief that there is no deity but
Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, Namaz is the most exalted
obligatory act. Allah Almighty and His Messenger (peace be upon him) refer to
it as the boundary between belief and disbelief. Everyone in Islam is obligated
to pray, regardless of their status or gender, power or weakness. No one is exempt
from this.
A higher form of worship than others is the Namaz.
Anyone can perform it, regardless of their financial situation, level of
physical fitness, or other factors. However, only those who are wealthy and
have access to the necessary resources are required to carry out other
mandatory acts like the Zakat and the Hajj. The Namaz, which forms the
cornerstone of all other forms of worship, is the greatest approach for
believers to get closer to God Almighty.
The holy Quran mentions the Namaz more than 90
times. Below, I've mentioned a few verses of the Quran and Ahadith that discuss
the worth and significance of Namaz, so that Muslims may take heed to
the commands of their Creator Almighty and His Messenger in this regard.
“And establish prayer (Namaz) and
give Zakah and bow with those who bow [in worship and obedience].” (2:43)
“Maintain with care the [obligatory]
prayers and [in particular] the middle prayer and stand before Allah, devoutly
obedient.” (2:238)
“And seek help through patience and
prayer (Namaz), and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive
[to Allah]” (2:45)
“So, affliction unto those
worshippers who are neglectful of their Namaz” (107:4-5)
It is reported in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim from
Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah said, ‘The foundation of Islam is
established on five Pillars. (1) To bear testimony that there is none truly
worthy of worship besides Allah and Muhammad
is the chosen servant and Prophet of Allah, 2) To establish Namaz ,
3) To give Zakat 4) To perform Hajj and 5) To Fast in the month of Ramadan.’
[Mishkaat al-Masaabih, pg.12]
Imam Ahmed, Tirmizi and Ibn Majah report
that Hazrat Mu’az says, ‘I asked the Holy Prophet to inform me regarding
that practice which will take me into the Paradise and save me from Hell. He
said, ‘Worship Allah and do not associate any partner with Him, and establish Namaz
and give Zakaat, and Fast in the month of Ramadan, and make Hajj of
the House of Allah (Kaaba).’ In the Hadith, it has been stated that Namaz
is a Pillar of Islam. [Mishkaat al-Masaabih, pg.14]
God has commanded Namaz, and piety is attained
through following His command. Namaaz becomes a tool for getting closer
to God in this way. Allah said in the Qur'an that Namaaz guards against
immorality and bad things. When a person is delivered from evil and starts
acting in a positive way, they are tranquil mentally and emotionally.
By reciting the Namaz, one is purified and
their relationship with Allah is enhanced. Namaaz makes amends for minor
sins. By performing the Zuhr prayer, sins committed from Fajr to Zuhr
are forgiven. By praying at Asr, you can atone for the sins you committed from Zuhr
to Asr. By performing the Maghrib Namaz, sins from Asr
to that time are forgiven. It is believed that the Isha Namaz atones
for sins done between Isha and Fajr. Being a human, there is a
strong likelihood that you may make mistakes throughout the day; therefore,
Allah (SWT) created the prayer to atone for these errors.
Namaaz must be completed in full respect of all internal and external rights.
The exterior rights of the Namaaz include doing them consistently at the
proper times, adhering to their obligations, Sunna, and Mustahabb,
and refraining from all faults and abominations. However, in order to exercise
one's internal rights under the Namaaz, one must empty their mind of all
ideas other than those of Allah and lose themselves in prayer before Allah
Almighty.
Namaaz is very taxing on hearts that are overflowing with sins and desires, but
it is not taxing on hearts that are overflowing with love and fear of God;
rather, it is a source of joy and spiritual and emotional growth for them.
The stillness, tranquilly, and humility gained through
profound meditation are essential elements of Namaaz. Allah says in the
Quran:
“Successful indeed are the believers, those who humble
themselves in their prayers.” (Quran 23:1-2)
The Namaaz serves more than just a ceremonial
function. The prayer must be offered passionately in order to be accepted.
Focus on any Quranic passages you intend to repeat as well as the Arabic
terms used in the prayer after learning their meanings. Accept that Allah is
aware of your prayers and responds to them. Fix your sight on the region where
you are prostrating, or close your eyes if something nearby is distracting you
and you are unable to concentrate otherwise.
One can improve their presence of mind during the
prayer by focusing on the words of the prayer recited in various postures, by
increasing their awareness of being in front of Allah, by selecting a pleasant,
clean area with no distractions, and by doing these things.
Clear your mind of distractions, focus on Allah's
blessings in life, and admit your sinfulness before the Creator. As a result,
you'll experience less stress, concern, and anxiety. The prayer is calming and
can help you rediscover your life's direction. Prayer is a soul-healing
activity. But for your Namaz to become thus focused, perseverance,
practise, and begging for Allah's help are all required. It matters how you
stand when you pray. For example, while in prostration, the believer is closest
to Allah, thus he should take advantage of this proximity and supplicate even
more.
It takes a lot of effort and difficulty to do Namaaz
with extreme focus and humility. Even though there will be challenging
times, Namaaz should never be abandoned. Remember! You are linked to
your Creator through Namaaz. You don't just pray because you think it
will help you and be simple to do, though. Zeal often increases when one first
starts practising Namaaz. When the true test arrives, one finds it
difficult to pray. Continue performing Namaaz, and you will experience
spiritual blessings.
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Kaniz Fatma is a
classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam.
Part One of the Article: Physical
Benefits of Salah/Prayer – Part 1
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/spiritual-salah-prayer-namaz-part-2/d/128075
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