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Muslims offer Salah as a religious practice and obligation. Every Muslim is aware of the rewards and benefits of Salah that it brings a person closer to his Creator and this practice can lead him to the better place in the next world too.

Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) said, ,

“The key to Paradise is prayer” (Musnad Ahmad)

The above hadith tells us the rewards Muslims will get hereafter. Similarly Salah has many worldly and scientific benefits too. The primary objective of Muslims to offer Salah is to obey religious obligation and to stay connected with Allah, however, now science has enabled people to see the physical benefits of Salah too and Muslims also offer Salah with the secondary objective of keeping them physically healthy.

Few major scientific benefits of Salah are,

• Salah helps to improve blood circulation. Many people have issues with their blood pressure where their blood flow is either too high or too low. In such cases movements during Salah helps a lot to flow the blood perfectly in different parts of the body.

• Salah helps to improve body postures. Bad body posture is one of the common things people are having, which highly affects their personality. Bad body posture can be due to various reasons such as the way person sits, the way person walks, or the kind of work a person does. When a Muslim performs Salah he or she is having an improved body posture. The feet of a person are evenly apart, the body is firm and straight, the straight position during qayam helps the backbone aligned and straight and the position of the head is looking downwards that also allows the body to loosen while being in a firm position. Thus, in such a posture the brain as well as the body is at ease and when such a portion is practiced multiple times every day, then it will definitely improve the body positions.

• Qayam during Salah also helps in the secretion of glands. During Qayam a Muslim recites Surah Fatiha that contains almost all the long vowels, the sound vibrations which give the signals to the mind to increase the secretion of glands like pituitary gland, thyroid gland, in addition this also helps to improve the condition of lungs as well.

• According to researches Salah also helps in the digestion of food in the body. Such as in the quood state the posture is such that it enables and facilitates digestion. It improves liver functions and relaxes the intestines, which in turn facilitates bowel movement in the body.

• Salah relieves back pain and joint pain. The position of the body during prostration and bowing helps open up and ease the joints. Regular movement of joints during Salah keeps them healthy and functioning. Moreover, the position of the Ruku helps in alleviating pain in the lower back by relaxing the ligaments and muscles (as in yoga). It also helps ease the pain in the spinal cord and the hip joints. Overall, Salah helps in the relaxation of shoulder joints, spinal cord, elbows, knees, and other joints of the body.

• Cardiovascular health is also positively affected by Salah. Salah is a kind of exercise which increase person’s metabolism, which ultimately improves a person’s overall cardiovascular health. Daily five time prayer improves the overall functioning of the organs and the blood flow in the body.

• The healthiest exercise according to modern science is yoga and it has been found that the movements during Salah resemble the movements found in yoga. Yoga therapy aims to bring harmony in a person’s life by bringing together all aspects of his/her life including physical, social, spiritual, psychological etc. and creating a full circle of harmony. This is precisely what the Salah aims to do; bring about utter and complete harmony and peace within an individual. Salah also serves as a substitute for stress and anxiety, which yoga also combats.

• The most obvious and important benefit of Salah is Cleanliness and hygiene. In this regard Allah says in Quran in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 222:

“Cleanliness is half the faith (Emaan).” [Sahih Muslim]

A Muslim performs Wudu before every prayer that helps clean the outer surface of the body which is the best thing that can happen for the skin. It cleanses the mouth, nose, face, ears, neck, hands, arms and feet.

So, Salah helps us to stay clean and cleanliness can save us from so many diseases.