Why Do Muslims Pray?!
Does It make sense?!
All praise be to God, the One and Only Creator of this world.
In order to answer such question, we need to explain what prayer is and shed the light on some of its facts:
The fixed obligatory prayer in Islam is referred to as “Salat“. They are observed five times a day: reciting verses from the Qur’an, praising God, the Exalted, and seeking His guidance and mercy. It constitutes the second most important pillar in Islam. Muslims pray directly to God, The Exalted, without any intercession.
Is prayer a new Islamic practice?!
Actually, prayer is not a new practice performed by Muslims; it goes back to the early prophets, and this is written in the bible itself:
1-“Abraham fell face down” Genesis 17:3
2-” Moses and Aron…fell upon their faces” Numbers 20:6
3-“Jesus…fell on his face to the ground and prayed” Mathew 26:39
This means that prayer is not invented by Muslims, rather it’s a ritual that practiced by many prophets.
What do Muslims do during prayer?
During prayer, Muslims move from a position into another: they stand upright, reciting verses from the Qur’an, bow, and prostrate more than one time.
But do these movements make sense?!
We, the Muslims, believe that whenever God, the Exalted, prescribes something for us, there MUST be a great wisdom behind such prescription. And it has lately been discovered that prayer has many benefits.
Miracles in Prayer:
1- Physical Benefits:
It has been proven that the different positions offered during prayer have many physical benefits.
To name few, during prostration, the extra blood flow to brain has a positive effect on memory, vision, hearing, concentration and the psyche. Those who offer their prayers regularly have more will power and have fewer incidences of headaches and psychological problems.
The increased blood flow to the face drains the sinuses, decreasing the chance of inflammation of that area. Prostration also reduces the possibility of developing hemorrhoids. Moreover, in the unique position of prostration, the back and neck muscles are exercised and therefore both areas are strengthened.
Bowing, prostrating and getting up all activate numerous muscles in the body increasing physical well-being. Even the final sitting position has a soothing and calming effect on body and mind.
2- Spiritual Aspects
In addition, prayer is a way of life for it keeps us to the spiritual aspect of the soul. It helps a person to turn away from all that’s frivolous; through the course of the day, we may be harsh or neglectful towards the elderly, children, employees, environment…etc.
Each time a person approaches prayer, it serves controlling negative and immoral actions and impulses; to be mindful and merciful towards those around him, and above all to be aware of God, the Exalted, who watches over all what we do.
“…behold prayer restrains from loathsome deeds and from all that runs encounter to reason…”(Qur’an 29:45).
3- Social conditions:
Prayer improves the social conditions: the congregational prayer increases brotherhood, fraternity, unity and is an example of equality among the people of the one community.
Solidarity increases; when the people of a community meet each other in prayer love and affection between them are increased.
Prayers are recited in the original language of the Last Revelation, which is Arabic, this also fastens unity as Muslims united in prayers; and not divided by language.
Muslims pray facing the Ka’ba in the city of Makah because it’s an order from God, the Almighty. The Ka’ba does not represent an object of worship, rather it provides a central unity point of worship for Muslims wherever they are in the world.
To conclude, prayer is a gift from God to Muslims: to submit themselves to Him, seek His pardon and support, be relieved from burdens and hardships in this life, and above all it’s a sign that we the Muslims fulfill God’s commandments, whatever they are, for we know that it’s for our good.
May God guide us all to His Right Path.
By: Ragiah
