The Arabic word for prayer ( ‫ص اَلة‬

َّ ‫ ٱل‬: As-Salah) is derived from root

words – ‫ ص ل و‬which means – prayer, supplication, follow closely,
walk/follow behind closely, to remain attached.
In a horse race, when the second horse follows the first one so closely
that its head always overlaps the first horse’s body that horse is
called AL-MUSSALLI (the one who follows closely / remains attached).

“Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity

except Me, so worship Me and establish
prayer for My remembrance.” [Quran, 20:14]

Salah, is an obligatory connection with Allah for all sane Muslims,

whether rich or poor, male or female, black or white, strong or weak.
This spiritual practice allows the believer to draw closer to Allah and
take a pause from this fast-paced world 5 times a day facing the
Ka’bah in Makkah (known as Qibla).

“Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the

believers at fixed hours.” [Quran 4:103]

Salah is the 2nd most important pillar of Islam, and is the most regular
compulsory action in a Muslim’s life. We fast just 1 month (in Ramadan)
a year; we give Zakah once a year; and Hajj is an obligation only
once a life time (for those who are able). However, prayer is the one
act that must be fulfilled at least 5 times a day. You may shorten it
(while travelling), you may sit down to pray (if not well) – or even lie
down (if you can’t even sit), but you can’t leave Salah. In fact, Allah
asked the Muslims to pray during the battle as well in [Quran, 2:238-239].
 Benefits of Salah (Prayer) in This World
1. It is a direct connection with Allah which brings peace to
our heart and mindfulness in our lives

“Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do

hearts find rest.” [Quran; 13:28]

Salah is a direct connection with Allah. It shows us how religion is a

(practical) part of our daily life. Praying repeatedly throughout the
day and interrupting the daily activities brings about the realization
that our life’s focal point is Allah.

The Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬said: “The

closest that a person can be to his Lord,
the Mighty and Sublime, is when he is
prostrating, so increase in supplication
then.” [Nasa’i 1137]

The Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬said: “Allah

(SWT) continues to look upon His slave
while he is praying, so long as he does
not turn away…” [Nasa’i 1195]
 2. It is a strong identity of a Muslim and unites the Ummah

Actions will reflect what is in your heart. Prophet Muhammad (peace

be upon him) was regular in his prayers and none of us have a
cleaner heart than him.

Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬said: “The

covenant between us and them is the
Salat, so whoever abandons it he has
committed disbelief.” [Tirmidhi 2621]

Prayer in congregation cultivates brotherhood, equality and humility

between Muslims. The worshipers stand in rows, shoulder to shoulder,
without any distinction of race, nationality, colour, wealth, family or
status, and all pray together as one body. This act of unity helps
demolish all barriers which stand between them.

Abu Huraira said, “I heard Allah’s

Messenger (‫ )ﷺ‬saying, ‘The reward of a
prayer in congregation is 25 times
greater than that of a prayer offered by
a person alone. The angels of the night
and the angels of the day gather at the
time of Fajr prayer.’…” [Bukhari 648]
 3. It keeps us away from bad deeds and Satan away from us

“…Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality

and wrongdoing, and the remembrance
of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that
which you do.” [Quran, 29:45]

When I told the following hadith to kids, they all started their karate
gestures on how they will fight Shaitaan through Salah.

The Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬said: When the

Mu’adhdhin calls to prayer, Satan runs
back vehemently.” [Muslim 389 b]

4. It brings more barakah (blessings)

“And enjoin prayer upon your family and

be steadfast therein. We ask you not for
provision; We provide for you, and the
outcome is for righteousness.” [Quran, 20:132]
 5. It rids us of laziness & improves our mental / physical health

Salah involves continuous gentle muscle contraction and relaxation

with perfect harmony and balance. The body goes through a unique
exercise routine during the Salah therefore these postures help to
maintain fitness in the healthy individuals, leading to improved
flexibility, muscle strength (ability of muscle to exert force) and muscle
endurance (refers to the ability to perform many repetition). UMMC
Cardiology Consultant Specialist Prof Dr Wan Azman stated that “12
‘Rakʿah’ (unit for a set of actions in a prayer) equaled to 30 minutes
of light exercises daily as recommended by health experts.” Other
beneficial activities can be combined with prayer, such as walking to
the local mosque.

“The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said: ‘If the

people knew what (reward) there is in
the ‘Isha’ prayer and fajr prayer, they
would come even if they had to crawl.'”
[Ibn Majah 796]

Ruk’u strengthens the back, extends the spine and increases the
flexibility of hips and hamstrings. It relieve the stiffness at spine, neck,
and back and help to improves posture as well as balance and co-
ordination. According to industrial engineering Prof. Muhammad
Khasawneh et al: “the complex physical movements of the ritual can
reduce lower-back pain if performed regularly and properly. In some
cases of chronic low back pain, as part of exercise plan, I often
advise my Muslim patient to prolong the Ruku’u position every time
they Pray for a few more seconds in order get the effective sustain
stretch.”

Al- Gazal (2006) and Ayad (2008) stated that prostration (sajdah) is
the only position in which the head is in a position lower than the
heart and therefore, receives increased blood supply to the brain,
stimulates the brain’s frontal cortex. This reduces the chances of brain
hemorrhage and headache, helps to reduces high blood pressure.
This surge in blood supply also has a positive effect on memory,
concentration, and other cognitive abilities.

“When anything distressed the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬,

he prayed.” [Abi Dawud 1319]

In Salah, a Muslim is required to focus during prayers and leave out all
life distractions and connect with Allah during that time. The individual
is fully awake and alert, but the mind is not focused on the external
world or on the events taking place around the individual.

Prayer movements have many physical and physiological benefits, but

we, as Muslims, pray out of love for Allah and as an obligation – not
to gain physical fitness (which is just an added benefit from the
bounties of Allah alhamdulillah).
 6. It teaches us discipline and time management

Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said,…”if…you are

always busy in remembrance (of Allah),
the angels will shake hands with you in
your beds and in your roads; but…time
should be devoted (to the worldly affairs)
and time should be devoted (to prayer)”.
He ‫ ﷺ‬said this thrice. [Riyad as-Salihin 151]

As Taimiyyah Zubair beautifully said: “Salah is not an interruption, it is a

break. In the daily grind we get so preoccupied with work that we
begin to neglect ourselves. We ignore the pleas of our bodies
because we falsely believe that what we are doing at the moment is
of utmost importance and cannot be delayed by a second even. Or
we are unable to tend to our needs because of the demands of
people. We constantly bear the stress on our shoulders, worrying, and
working away. Salah rescues us from this madness. It extracts us from
the grip that people have over us, and from the endless work that is
consuming us and reminds us that no human being, no work, nothing is
more important than Allah. It teaches us to say no. To set boundaries
with people. And that people must learn to respect those boundaries.
It teaches us that we matter. It forces us to disconnect from everything,
even our thoughts, and to connect with Allah, and by extension with
ourselves. Salah is self-care.”
 7. It cleanses us and provides protection from Allah

Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said: “Whoever offers the

morning prayer, he is under the
protection of Allah, the Mighty and
Sublime.” [Ibn Majah 3946]

Prayer provides a means of repentance and is a restrainer from bad

deeds. Just as the body requires physical needs such as food and
water, the soul has spiritual needs. The needs of the soul are provided
by acts of worship, the most important of which is prayer.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with

him) reported: I heard the Messenger of
Allah ‫ ﷺ‬saying, “Say, if there were a river
at the door of one of you in which he
takes a bath five times a day, would any
soiling remain on him?” They replied, “No
soiling would left on him.” He (‫ )ﷺ‬said, ”
That is the five (obligatory) Salat
(prayers). Allah obliterates all sins as a
result of performing them.” [Riyad as-Salihin 1042]
 8. It is a powerful medium to seek help and thank Allah for His
blessings

“And seek help through patience and

prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except
for the humbly submissive .” [Quran 2:45]

The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬stood (in prayer at night)

until his feet swelled up, and it was said
to him: Allah has forgiven your past and
future sins. He said: “Should I not be a
thankful slave?'” [Nasa’i 1644]
Benefits of Salah (Prayer) in The Hereafter

9. It will be the first deed to be accountable for in aakhirah

The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said, “The first

thing for which a person will be brought
to account will be his Salah. If it is
complete (all well and good), otherwise
Allah will say: ‘Look and see if My slave
did any voluntary prayer.’ If he is found
to have done voluntary prayers, his
obligatory prayers will be completed
therewith.” [Nasa’i 467]
 10. It will result in multiple rewards

Anas bin Malik narrated: “On the Night of

Isra, fifty prayers were made obligatory
upon the Prophet. Then it was decreased
until it was made five. Then it was called
out: ‘O Muhammad! Indeed My Word does
not change; these five prayers will be
recorded for you as fifty.'” [Tirmidhi 213]

‘Uthman bin ‘Affan (May Allah be pleased

with him) reported: I heard the
Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬saying: “One who
performs ‘Isha’ prayer in congregation,
is as if he has performed Salat for half
of the night. And one who performs the
Fajr prayer in congregation, is as if he
has performed Salat the whole night.”
[Riyad as-Salihin 1071]
 11. It will be a means to be under the shade of Allah

The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said, “Allah will give shade,

to seven, on the Day when there will be
no shade but His. (of which are)…a youth
who has been brought up in the worship
of Allah (worships Allah sincerely from
childhood), a man whose heart is
attached to the mosques (i.e. to pray the
compulsory prayers in the mosque in
congregation),…and a person who
remembers Allah in seclusion and his
eyes are flooded with tears.” [Bukhari 660]

12. Special gate of Jannah for those who pray

The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said, “…one who

is constant in Salat, will be called from
the Gate of Salat…” [Riyad as-Salihin 1216]
13. It will be a means to be recognized by Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬
in the Hereafter

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that

the Prophet ‫…ﷺ‬said:… “You are my
Companions. My brothers are those who
will come after me. I will reach the
Cistern ahead of you.” They (the
companions – may Allah be pleased with
them) said: “O Messenger of Allah, how
will you recognize those of your nation
who have not yet come?” He said: “If a
man has a horse with a blaze on its
forehead and white feet, don’t you think
that he will recognize it among horses
that are deep black in color?” They said:
“Of course.” He said: “On the Day of
Resurrection they will come with
radiant faces, hands, and feet, because
of the traces of ablution.” [Ibn Majah 4306]
 14. It is a means for admission in Jannah

“And they who carefully maintain their

prayers – Those are the inheritors. Who
will inherit al-Firdaus. They will abide
therein eternally.” [Quran, 23: 9-11]

15. It is a means to see Allah

Jarir bin ‘Abdullah Al-Bajali (May Allah be

pleased with him) reported: We were
sitting with the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬
when he looked at the full moon and
observed, “You will see your Rubb in the
Hereafter as you see this moon having
no difficulty in seeing it. So try your
best to perform the prayers before the
rising of the sun and that before its
setting.” [Riyad as-Salihin 1051]
 Conclusion

Allah is not in need of our Salah, we are!

“And We had certainly given Luqman

wisdom , “Be grateful to Allah .” And
whoever is grateful is grateful for
himself. And whoever denies –
then indeed, Allah is Free of need and
Praiseworthy.” [Quran 31:12]

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