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. ------- 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. ------ 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 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