Prayer/Salat

Introduction:
Salah is the second pillar upon which rests the edifice of Islam, the first pillar being the
testimony of faith. Islam stresses this act of worship and sternly warns against neglecting it. It is
the key to Paradise and the first matter to be accounted for on the Day of Judgment. It is also
the first of the religious obligations brought by the Prophets after faith in Allah. The Qur’an uses
the term ‘Salat’ for Salah which stands for serving or worshipping Allah or praying to or seeking
nearness to Him. Islam has prescribed performance of Salah five time a day as an obligatory
duty of every Muslim, whether he is a male or a female, free or slave, rich or poor, healthy or
sick, at home or on journey.

Definition
Secular:
The act or practice of praying to God or a god.
Islamic:
Compulsory ritualized Islamic practice in which Muslims pray to God 5 times a
day.
Salat is an Arabic word for prayer whose basic meaning is “bowing, homage, or
worship”.
Personal prayer or supplication is called Dua (Invocation).
Lexicology: (swad laam wao: Bonding or stretching)

Significance:
Importance in Quran:
“These are they on whom Allah bestowed favours, from among the Messengers,
of the seed of Adam, and of those whom we carried with Noah, and of the seed
of Abraham and Israel. When the messages of the Benificient were recited to
them, they fell down in submission, weeping.”
“Establish regular Salat at the declining of the sun to the paling of the sun, on
the darkness of the night and the Salat of Fajr, verily the recitation of the Quran
at; the salat of Fajr is borne witness (by angels).”
“And be steadfast in prayer, pay regular charity, and bow down your heads with
those who bow down.”
“O you who believe! Seek assistance through patience and prayer.”

Importance in Hadith:
“He who deliberately neglects an obligatory prayer, Allah is absolved of him.”
“Verily, it is prayer which separates man and disbelief to polytheism.”
“Prayer is Miraj for the believers.”
“That prayer is the key to paradise.”

Farz Wajib Sunnat Nafl Others

(Compulsory) (Obligatory (Voluntary)
)
Fajr (2 Rakat) Jummah Moakkadah Tahajjud Farz Kifaya
(Practiced by (After Isha (Namaz-e-Janazah)
Prophet on regular and before
basis) Fajr)
Zuhr (4 Rakat) Eid-ul-Adha Ghair Moakkadah Istikhara
(Practiced by
Prophet on semi-
regular basis)
Asr (4 Rakat) Eid-ul-Fitr Tauba
Maghrib (3 Rakat) Witr Hajat
Isha (4 Rakat) Kasoof and Khasoof
(Solar and Lunar
Eclipse respectively)
Also called five Ishraq and Chasht
daily prayers. (20-45 min after
sunrise AND after
1/3rd day has
passed)
Impacts on individual
Spiritual Impacts:
1) Closeness to God/ Fear of God
Islam removes any intermediaries for communicating with God thus Salat
becomes a direct means of contacting and communicating with God. The
Farz Salat brings believer close to God and he can become even closer the
more nafl Salat he offers.
“A slave is nearer to Allah in prostration.” (Sahih Muslim)

Prayer also inculcates the fear of God which is necessary to be kept alive in
the heart. It creates a sense of accountability in the man and deters him
from committing anymore sins and makes him aware of the ones he has
already committed.
“Salah prevents man from evil and lewdness.” (29:45)

2) Obedience and Following

Salat teaches us to be obedient to Allah and to follow Allah’s pleasure. It
makes the human being more submissive before Allah and to put his heart
out to his creator. Salat is what teaches man to be thankful for God’s
countless bounties.

3) Taharat (Purification)
“Surely Allah loves those who turn much to Him, and He loves those who
purify themselves.”
“In it are men who love to purify themselves, and Allah loves those who
purify themselves.”
Prayer is also a source of eradicating past sins and staying clear from future
ones as the Prophet (PBUH) said:
“Sins commited after a prayer are expiated by the following prayer.”
In a parable Prophet (PBUH) asks the companions:
“’If someone bathed in the river five times everyday, would he still be
dirty?’ No, They replied. He said ’This is prayer which is the means by
which God expiates sins’”
 4) Patience and Perseverance
Salat develops in man such qualities as patience, endurance, contentment
and perseverance. God advises man to seek help in times of hardship
through sabr and Salat. The word “sabr” signifies strength of will, firmness
of determination and organization of desires of self.

“Nay, seek God’s help with patience, perseverance and prayer.” (2:45)

5) Hope
Moral Impacts:
1) Punctuality and sensitivity to the value of time:
“Establish regular prayer, for the prayer is enjoined upon you at stated
times.” (4:103)

Salat trains man’s biological clock and makes him punctual which has
transcendent effect on his entire life and routine. Five Salats prescribed at
different times of the day keeps man watchful and sensitive of the time be
it early morning or late at night Salat acts as a constant reminder of brevity
and importance of time.

2) Prayer inculcates watchfulness and seriousness:

Salat is not merely a physical act of standing and sitting down but rather an
active practice of remembrance of God.
“And establish prayer for My remembrance.”

Believer must be fully aware of what he/she is reciting and must

understand the purpose behind each posture and supplication, God
prohibited prayer until:
“till you know that which you utter.”

If these conditions are not fulfilled then Salat becomes a mere burden as
Prophet (PBUH) said:
 “Many are those who obtain nothing from their prayers except
exhaustion and fatigue.”
As prayer requires vigilance it effects man’s behavior in all tasks of life and
inculcates watchfulness and seriousness in demeanor.

3) Sense of duty and responsibility

Salat increases in man the sense of duty and responsibility as man knows
that he has to perform the Salat five times a day no matter what. This
prompts man to get closer to God and hence submitting himself to the
complete will of God. This enhances his desire to appease God and to do as
He commands. This makes the man more responsible towards the people
and his family and relatives and all other responsibilities enjoined by God.

4) Humility
Prayer also generates in man a sense of modesty and humbleness. Believer
never becomes proud, haughty or arrogant. The boisterous pride of power,
wealth and worth can have no room in his heart, because he knows that
whatever he possesses has been given to him by God, and that God can
take away just as He can give. And Verily God gives to whom he wishes
(Quran). The act of prostration to God humbles him in front of God.
“And prayer, indeed, is hard except to those who bring a lowly spirit, who
bear in mind the certainty that they are to meet their Lord, and that they
are to return to Him.”

5) Increase honour and independence

While at prayer the believer experiences total freedom. He feels proud as
he is in intimate communication with God and has to rely on no one to do
so. This dignifies man with honour and independence as the Quran states:
“In truth, all honour belongs to Allah and to His messenger and the
believers.” (63:8)
 When a believer has a sense of pride in his worship he does not accept any
subjugation in life and for this reason he fights to liberate his land and mind
from all forms of aggression.

Physical Impacts:
1) Physical cleanliness:
Washing five times a day ensures that the body of the person is always
cleansed. Frequent washing of hands, face and mouth minimizes any
contact with germs and harmful bacteria.
“O you who believe! When you rise up to prayer, wash your faces and
your hands as far as the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet to the
ankles;”

2) Mental Satisfaction: Namaz therapy a modern technique for psychological

treatment
“Verily it is in the remembrance of Allah that the heart of believers find
peace.”

3) Physical Health:
Regular movement involves in Salah will help to decrease the stiffness in
joints and lower limb stretches prevent muscle injuries. It also increases the
strength of the muscles, in order to improve physical fitness. Prevents
diseases like osteoporosis.
Also prostration and different postures stimulate blood flow in the body.
 Exercise
 Break from hectic routine
 Healthy sleep cycle (Early to bed-early to rise [fajr])

An ergonomic study of bodymotions during muslim prayers using digital

human modelling in the ‘International Journal of Industrial and Systems
Engineering’. The research used computer-generated models of people in
 pryer positions and analyzed the decreased stress on lower-back and
decreasing pain. Comparable to similar Yoga positions that claim to
engage all seven Chakras.
Neurological and Cardiovascular benefits: Group performing Islamic
prayer regimes were having statistically significantly better dynamic
balance and autonomic nervous activity than the non-practicing healthy
subjects.
Psychological Benefits: The EMG showed more significant decrease and
relaxation compared with non-training tasks of clients. ( Research Paper:
Muslim Prayer-A New Form of Physical Activity: A Narrative Review)

Social Impacts
1) Formation of righteous society:
Prayer stands as a barrier in the face of abominable and obscene acts. Since
the believers are conscious that they have to stand in front of God five
times a day the individuals and the society as a whole becomes moral and
righteous. i.e crime-rate
“Surely prayer forbids indecency and evil.” (29:45)
2) Increased social strength, mutual cooperation and consultation:
The Prophet ordered his followers to pray Salat collectively. He used to
urge his followers to pray collectively as it has more reward then praying in
seldom. The reward compared to praying in seldom is twenty-seven (27)
times more than praying alone.

 Elimination of mutual differences:

Another benefit of the Salat is that it leads to unity. Even while we pray
salat, we stand together as a single unit without looking at who is standing
next to us i.e. Rich and poor, White or black. This creates cohesion and
unity. This is another reason why the Prophet ordained us to pray together.

 Masjid as a community center:

Socially, the Salat makes people to meet other people. This way the people
interact and get to know each other. They develop mutual understanding
and know when a person is in need and whom to look for when one is in
 need of help. This develops a social interaction in the society leading to
more knowing of their surroundings
 Teaches to follow collective timetable:

3) Disciplined, organized and law-abiding society:

The act of following an imam in unison and performing same actions as
your fellow being inculcates in the society:
 Helpful in establishing government under one leadership
 Help to follow given pattern and law collectively
 Helps establish order and discipline in society

4) National Unity:
Namaz acts as a tool for social cohesion and masjids can be used to raise
important matters of national importance and bring them to the attention
of the masses. Political change has been facilitated in the past through this.
 Iranian revolution (1979) occurred due to the role of Masjids and religious
clergy.
 Revolution in Egypt
 Friday prayers and khutba used as weekly platform

5) Global Unity
Ibn-e-khaldun coined the word mutabiqa which means conformity. Muslim
ummah throughout the world perform salat in the same way and directed
towards the same place – Kaabah.
Unity of muslims (Ikhwan-ul-muslimeen)
Namaz serves as an evidence for the muslim brotherhood created 1400
years ago in Madina.
6) Economic benefits
Salat provides much needed respite from work. Modern research has
shown and many companies have inculcated breaks in the 9-5 routine to
increase productivity. Muslim communities naturally take breaks for Zuhr
and Asr during the 9-5 routine.
Scholars on Salat
Imam Ghazali
“He allows his servants to converse with Him intimately in their Prayers, under all
circumstances, be they in Congregation or in isolation. Not merely allowing, indeed, He gently
urges and invites.”

Ibn e Arabi
“How many a one praying experiences nothing of his prayer save stress, exertion and a view
of the mihrâb,
While another is constantly blessed with intimate divine converse, even though he seems to
be simply fulfilling his ordinary religious duties. ”

Prerequisites
Cleanliness
Fraidh of Wudu (Shower) Faaraidh of Ghusl (Taking bath)
1. Washing face 5. To gargle out; to wash mouth
2. Washing hands as far as elbows with water.
3. Wiping head 6. To wash inside of nose with
4. Washing feat to ankles water.
7. To wash body from head to feet
once.
Note: Rules relating to Tayammum are prescribed in Maidah (5:6) and Nisa (4:43)
whereby muslims have been asked to wipe face and hands to get purified in case
water is not available.

Covering of Satr
Facing in the direction of Qibla
Making Niyat or Intention for prayer