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