Virtues of Salah – Spiritual & Physical benefits – Part One

Salaam and a very good morning, today we are observing the 17th of Ramadan Alhamdulillah. Today we are going to see a very spiritual topic about “salah”. I know you all must be knowing what is salah, why we do and everything but as always my blogs have a small twist and Inshallah it will enlighten all my readers on something better, as there are many muslims out there who may or may not know as much as the others who are aware about the imporatnce of salah.

Spiritual significance of Salah

“Salah” the second pillar of Islam,is the form of worship performed after “Adhaan”‘ the call for prayer / call for success it is performed with different postures complied in a series of systemic repetition called “Rakats” or “rakah”. Salah is prayed 5 times a day and it is said to establish a connection between Allah (swt) and the individual. It is a very simple concept for eg. 1) you meet a person and you wish to befriend him, what do you do ? we try to get their contact call them , meet them , spend time with them to know them better and to strengthen your friendship. 2) you meet a new client for your business how do you gain his trust and get the deal? it is by meeting him frequently you improve the ties and gain face value , get the client to know your company and you better , you find his weaknesses and strength. Salah is also based on same concept of meeting your creator Allah (swt) 5 times in a day and work on increasing your face value and strengtheing the friendship. I call this freindship because it is always a friend to whom we turn to in time of need, Allah (swt) is that friend who knows all the deepestest darkest secrests and thoughts of our heart and mind, He knows what is our past,present and future , and you can confess anything to him at anytime He is always listening and He will not let you down in front of others if you have asked for forgivness with a pure heart.

Allah says in the Holy Quran” O ye who believe! seek help with patient perseverance and prayer; for Allah is with those who patiently persevere”.[2:153]. There are five separate daily prayers which are to be performed at given times, along with their blessings is mentioned below:

• Fajr – this is performed before sunrise – There is glow (noor) in your face
• Zohr – this is performed midday -There is blessing in your income
• Asr – this is performed between Zohr and sunset – There is strength in your body
• Maghrib – this is performed at sunset – There comes beauty in your iman ( faith)
• Isha – this is performed between Maghrib and midnight – There is peace in your sleep.

Fajr – The Dawn Prayer

Fajr prayer comprises of 2 rakahs of Fard (obligatory) and 2 rakahs of Sunnah( act by Prophet Muhammed (saw)) . Its a wonderful feeling to pray the Fajr prayers when everything around you is calm and quite, one can really feel the spiritual connection being established. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “Whoever offers the Morning Prayer, he is under the protection of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime”(Ibn Majah). Fajr prayer ensures that we begin our day with a good vibe & positivity .

Zohr – The Noon Prayer

Zohr prayer comprises of 4 rakahs of Sunnah, 4 rakahs of Fard, 2 rakas of Sunnah and 2 rakas of Nafil (optional) .A call for success in the middle of working hours, how important is that call hence the blessing will be seen in your income Inshallah. It is that time of the day wen the gates of heavens are open and it is very important to perform good deeds during this period.

Asr – The Afternoon Prayer

It is considered as the most important prayer of the day it filled with blessings from Allah (swt). It comprises of 4 rakas of Sunnah and 4 rakas of Fard. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “He who performs Salat (prayers) before the rising of the sun and before its setting, will not enter the Hell.” (Muslim). “This prayer (salat ul Asr) was ever obliged to the people before you, but they wasted it. So whoever keeps this prayer, hence for him the reward is doubled “ (Muslim). Offering Asr prayer will give you success in life as well as in the Hereafter.

Maghrib – The Sunset Prayer

The Maghrib salah is comprised of 3 Fard rakahs, 2 Sunnah rakahs and 2 Nafil rakahs. Prophet Muhammed (SAW) said, “And the time of Maghrib salah extends so long as there is some glow left on the (western) horizon.” (Muslim). Salamah ibn Akwah (RA) has said, “The Messenger (SAW) used to perform the Maghrib salah immediately after the sun has set, when its upper side would disappear.” (Abu Dawood). It is advised by the Prophet Muhammed (saw) to stay indoors during maghrib time , He says “Do not let your animals and children go out when the sun has set, until the first part of the night is over, for the devils come out when the sun sets until the first part of the night is over.” (Muslim) . We can rightly understand how important it is to perform maghrib salah on time and increae the beauty of out iman.

Isha – The Night Prayer

The last prayer of the day comprises of 4 rakahs of Sunnah , 4 rakahs of Fard, 2 rakahs of Sunnah and 2 rakahs of Nafil. 3 rakahs of Witr are performed separatly it’s not a part of Isha salah. Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: “Whoever offers Isha salah in jama’ah it is as though he spent half the night in worship. And whoever offers fajr salah in jama’ah it is as though he spent the entire night in worship.” (Muslim), such is the greatness of Isha salah. Offering the prayer before going to sleep will benefit one to have a peaceful sleep.

So these were the fundamental spiritual benefits of salah. Inshallah in part two we will see on how the procedure of performing salah is beneficial to us both spiritually and physically.

Arabic words of the day

Adhaan – call for prayer

Salah – form of worship

Noor – glow

Iman – faith

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Stay Blessed.