For the
believer, who submits voluntary to the divine will and accepts
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as the last messenger of the Almighty, the
performance of the five daily prayers constitutes a solemn duty
towards God, as the following verse of the Quran says: “For such
Prayers are enjoined on Believers at stated times”1.
In a well
known tradition2, reported both by Bukhari and Muslim, the five daily
prayers are described as one of the pillar of Islam, the declaration
of faith in one God and in the mission of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
being the first one.
In a
wider sense, according to the teachings of Islam, all human life can
be considered as a form of prayer, when the believer acts in
submission to the divine will. In fact, man has been created to
actualize worship in all his life, as the following verse of the Holy
Quran says: “I have only created Jinns and Men, that they may serve
Me”3. In fact, every good action, even the most mundane, if
performed with sincerity and the right intention, trying only to obey
the divine law, is considered a form of worship in Islam. To feed
the poor, to help the needy, to work to improve the life conditions
of the individuals and the society, can be all considered forms of
prayer, if performed seeking the divine approval.
Roger
du Pasquier observes: “Worship, the corollary of acceptance of
belief finds its principal expression in the ritual prayer (Salāt),
the second pillar of Islam. This is an indispensable and fundamental
religious duty which constitutes the only real liturgy of Muslim
worship. Its performance imposes a strict and relatively exacting
discipline which marks all of live with its sacred rhythm and, from
dawn to night, brings the believer before God and prevents him from
being submerged in material and worldly concerns. (…) in a Muslim
society which remains sufficient traditional, prayer is not only
integrated into life, but defines its whole rhythm”4.
One
of the main purposes of the prayers, both obligatory and voluntary-
the believers are asked to offer voluntary prayers before or after
the obligatory ones on different occasions, is to remember God even
in the middle of the daily activities, since the prayers, performed
correctly and with a pure intention protect man from unjust and
immoral actions. The Quran, referring to the act of performing
prayer, uses the expression Iqāmat salāt which means something very
different from the simple reading or recitation of the sacred text.
The
Holy Quran says: “Verily, I am Allah: There is no god but I: so
serve thou Me (only), and establish regular prayer for celebrating My
praise”5; “Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee
and establish Regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and
unjust deeds, and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in
life).”6
In
the original Arabic text the keywords of this verse are respectively
Iqāmat salāt and Dhikr. The expression Iqāmat salāt suggests the
act of establishing the connection in a stable and lasting way. In
this case, the relation which needs to be established
is that one between the creature and the Creator. The best way to
reach this aim is the ritual prayer, which is also a way of promoting
the remembrance of God, in Arabic Dhikr.
Since God
created both the body and the soul, it is natural that human beings
offer their prayers with sincerity, concentration and simultaneously
with precise movements of the body. In fact, when the believer, after
the ablution, stands in front of God, bows, prostrates and recites
the prescribed prayers, is actually performing an harmonic form of
worship, in which both the body and the soul participate, showing
their obedience to God in the truest and humblest form.
When the
believer prays five times a day during all his life, he feels that
God is closer to him than his jugular vein as the following Quranic
verse says: “It was We Who created man, and we know what dark
suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than
(his) jugular vein”7.
The
human being, according to the Quranic teachings, doesn’t need any
intermediary to get closer to God, since Salāt and Dhikr, the prayer
and the memory, are two very powerful means to reach this aim. This
is the message brought by all the Prophets during the course of human
history:
the human beings are called to lead their life in the remembrance of
God, transforming every action of their existence in a act of
worship- in Arabic Ibadah- in order that their whole existence would
be spend in Islam. Islam, interpreted as a voluntary submission to
the divine will, doesn’t have a passive meaning, it rather implies
a harmonious relation with God and the surrounding environment.
However,
an external observer, who doesn’t know the interior spirit of
Islamic prayer, might think that it is constituted only by mechanical
movements without any spiritual meaning. In reality, when a Muslim
prays, he thanks God and submits completely to His will in his whole
existence both physical and spiritual, purifying both the body and
the soul, and thus reaching the highest form of serenity.
Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh), in fact, clearly stated that the believer should
pray as he thought he sees God, because, even when he doesn’t see
the Almighty, He sees him. When the believer has got the sensation
that God can see him wherever he is and whatever he is doing, his
heart sets purified and he is able to reach the mental and emotional
peace, including also the moral excellence. In other words, when a
Muslim submits completely to the divine will, he becomes a free human
being both in spiritual and emotional aspects, since he has accepted
only God as his Master.
The five
daily prayers help the believer to reach the moral excellence and the
best human qualities, because the way to be successful in this world
and in the next one is the love of God and the obedience to His
commandments, as it has been revealed in the Holy Quran, when the
believer follows the Sunna of the Prophet (pbuh) become worthy of the
love of God: “If ye do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you
and forgive you your sins; for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful”8.
Islamic
prayer is not an exclusive moment in the life of a Muslim, since the
time of the prayer, even when it can be interpreted as sacred,
is
fully integrated with what follows and what proceeds in the
believer’s life. In fact, in the Islamic understanding, the
relationship with the divine is not reached in a preferential way in
the solitude of contemplative life, but rather in the ceaseless
action in the different spatial and temporal spheres of one’s
existence.
Through
the Salāt, the believer not only can try to rebuild the lost bond
with the Creator, but can live also in harmony with his environment
both at physical and psychological levels. This is the reason why it
is important to study and explain the medical benefits of the Salāt,
in accordance with the holistic point of view of the Quran which
interprets the human being as a complex psychophysical entity, whose
health relies on both physical and psychological factors, and it can
be also secured through the harmony within
him and the surrounding environment. This is an extraordinary modern
perspective and reflects the principles of disciplines which only in
the contemporary age are becoming an integral part of both medical
research and practise. It is perhaps, apt to think about the newborn
science known as psycho-neuro-immunology, which studies the
connections between psychological suffering, physical disturbance,
and the changes of the chemistry of human organism.
In the
Islamic perspective the spiritual well-being is necessarily connected
with the physical one and they cannot exist without each other. The
soul and the body, in fact, are involved in a relation of mutual
influence and the wellbeing of the former is deeply involved with the
health of the latter. This point of view, far from expressing a
materialistic perspective of human beings, instead, is very modern in
its character. In fact, human beings are interpreted as
psychophysical entities, while the body and the soul are related in a
complex and deep way since every change happening in the soul affects
the body and vice versa.
The
distinction between the material and spiritual components of human
being, useful for logical demands and explanation, is not as clear as
it seems from a dualistic point of view. Since in Islam the body and
the soul, the matter and the spirit, are involved in a deep relation
which can be better expressed in the language of modern science than
in the light of the classical philosophical anthropology.
This
book will discuss how every parts of Islamic prayer: ablution, body
movements and Quranic recitation can be beneficial from both the
physical and psychological point of view. First of all, it is not
possible for the believer to perform prayer without being in a
condition of ritual purity. The ritual purity, in Arabic Tahārah,
means a specific condition involving both the body and the soul, and
for this reason cannot be adequately translated in an European
language.
The
ablution is a preparatory act to the prayer and from a medical point
of view can be regarded as an effective way of preventing
disturbances of different systems of human body: skin, breath and
hearing. Through the ablutions, in fact, it is possible to reduce the
risk of contracting several diseases, as for examples, different
types of dermatitis, and they also slow down the process of aging of
the skin. Ablutions are also a useful way of preventing particular
illnesses, some times also serious, of the breathing system like, for
example, allergies, colds, rhinitis and sinusitis. In fact, medical
researches demonstrated that the nasal irrigation, which is actually
part of the ablution, is a valid help in preventing the manifestation
of several breathing disturbances and in reducing the allergic
symptoms.
The act
of performing the gargles at least five times a day is also a valid
method of preventing infections of the larynx, pharynx, through the
removal of germs and bacteria which gather on the surface of oral
mucous membrane. Besides, through the ablutions it is possible to
reduce some disturbances affecting the mucous of the mouth, as bad
breath, gums infection and tooth decay. Through the washing of the
outer ear, it is also possible to remove the ear-wax before the
formation of heaps, which provoke infection and body imbalance of
chronic nature. Besides, to maintain clean the external ear by
removing germs and bacteria is a useful way to prevent several forms
of ear infections.
However,
from the medical and psychological point of view the major benefits
can be found in the movements performed during the prayer.
The
Salāt, in fact, is constituted by four types of physical positions:
Qiyām, Rukū, Sujūd and Jalsa. Each of these positions constitutes
a physical exercise which brings medical benefits to different organs
and systems of human body. Then, when all these movements are
performed consequently as happen in the Salāt, the whole organs
benefit from this aerobic body exercise which, according to
independent medical studies, brings the same medical benefits of a
moderate and constant physical exercise.
From
a general point of view the movements performed during Salāt
strengthens first of all the muscle-skeletal system. The straight
position during the Qiyām helps the spine to remain straight
keeping a correct posture. Besides, during the Rukū and the Sujūd
the spine is stretched and this improves the flexibility of joints
and the oxygenation of cartilages. The cartilaginous tissue, since it
is not reached by blood vessels, receives oxygen only through the
movements of the joints. This is the reason why the chondrocites need
frequent mechanical stimulations in order to produce proteoglycans,
which give flexibility and shape to the cartilage. The different
movements involved in the Salāt also strengthen the muscles of the
back, the stomach, the legs and the cervix and constitute some
important exercises for the prevention of several disturbances
provoked by the sedentary life as, for example, muscular cramps and
weakening of blood vessels.
The
moderate physical activity performed during the prayer in fact helps
in maintaining the walls of blood vessels flexible, particularly the
arteries, improving the blood flow and the oxygenation of the
different body tissues. Besides, the organ which, from this point of
view, benefits from the position of Sujūd is the brain. In fact,
while the believer is in the position of Sujūd, the heart is placed
higher than the brain and the latter receives a better oxygenation
both in the central and peripheral areas preventing several diseases
related to the inadequate oxygenation as, for example, also some
forms of psycho-physical depression.
Also,
recent scientific researches have been successful in demonstrating
that the recitation of the Holy Quran is beneficial for the health of
the organism. During the recitation of the sacred text, while in the
position of Qiyām, several very important physical modifications
happen: the heartbeat decreases, the cerebrum produces alpha-waves
and the pituitary gland secretes beta-endorphines. All these physical
modifica tions are the signs of a general relaxation of the organism,
consequent to a feeling of psycho-physical wellbeing.
Other
researches, conducted by both Muslim and non-Muslim scientists and
physicians, revealed that patients suffering from psycho-physical
diseases as, for example, depression, insomnia and anxiety,
experienced a clear improvement of their condition through the
meditation and prayer. The first studies lead by Dr. Herbert Benson9
in the Harvard University demonstrated that the religious meditation,
accompanied by the recitation or reading of a Sacred Text,
constitutes a sound remedy for the treatment of depressive symptoms
and psychosomatic disturbs related to a condition of chronic stress
and lack of emotional balance.
Islamic
prayer has to be performed also at appointed times of the day and the
night following the natural rhythm of the rise and the fall of the
sun. Every Muslim, while respecting this fundamental feature of the
Islamic worship, can at the same time establish a harmonious relation
with nature and the surroundings. The times of the five daily
prayers, in fact, allow the believer to organize the day
productively, following the natural rhythms of the organism, known as
circadian rhythms.
The
morning prayer, performed before the dawn breaks, allows us to employ
the first hours of the day in the best possible way; this is the time
of the maximum secretion of cortisol, an hormone which is helpful in
avoiding stress for the organism in a natural way. In fact, some
medical researches underline as to follow the rhythm of the secretion
of this hormone, during the daily activities, is a good way to avoid
stress dangerous and harmful for the health.
The
timing of the five daily Salāt helps greatly in maintaining the
right balance between working activities and worship. The prayer
after Fajr is the Zuhr, the Salāt of the midday. During the time
between Fajr and Zuhr the believer is free to be engage in the daily
activity in a con-dition of the best psycho-physical balance. In the
morning, in fact, the level of cortisol in the blood reaches its
peak, while the midday is the time of the best cardio-circulation
efficiency. After the midday, instead, the body functions decrease
and every organism experiences a feeling of tiredness. The level of
cortisol, in fact, decreases during the afternoon, until it reaches
the minimum level between the sunset and the evening. The last three
daily prayers are performed exactly between the firs part of the
afternoon (Asr) and the evening (Ishā), allowing the tired organism
to find through the prayer rest and refreshment both from the
physical and psychological points of view.
Notes:
1-The Holy
Quran 4:103.
2-Kitab
al-Iman, Muslim, Bukhari.
3-The Holy
Quran 51:56.
4-Cfr. Roger
du Pasquier, Unveiling Islam, 80-81, Lahore 2001.
5-The Holy
Quran 20:14.
6-The Holy
Quran 29:45.
7-The Holy
Quran 50:16.
8-The Holy
Quran 3:31.
9-Benson H.,
Beyond the Relaxation Response: How to Harness the Healing Power of
Your Personal Beliefs, New York, 1985.
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