Basics of Islam:Why do Muslims Pray Five Times a Day?

In this post, I'm going to discuss the many reasons why Muslims pray five times a day and the significance of prayer in Islam. Learning how to perform prayer, which we refer to as "salah" is a very important step for anyone converting to Islam, and was actually one of the first things that intrigued me to begin learning about the religion! Not only is it important to learn about the proper etiquette for performing salah, but it's equally important to learn the reasons behind offering salah and how to use it for your spiritual and physical well-being!

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Different Types of Prayer: Salah and Dua

Salah: In Islam, Muslims have a daily prayer which we refer to as "salah", also referred to as "namaz". Salah is a ritualistic sort of prayer that has a proper form and etiquette and is performed five times daily. Praying salah is also one of the Five Pillars of Islam. When we pray salah, there are specific times, movements, and words that we recite in Arabic.

When we complete each salah, it is highly encouraged to stay on our janamaz (praying mat) and make dua, which I will describe next!

Dua: Another type of prayer that we have in Islam is referred to as "dua". Dua is a type of supplication or intimate conversation that we have with Allah, any time of the day or night, anywhere, in any language. Dua is basically a conversation that we have with Allah when we want to express our concerns, gratitude, fears, or desires. It is strongly encouraged to constantly make dua although it is not mandatory throughout the day like salah. For making dua, we simply raise our hands in front of us, in the motion of reaching out in a plea towards Allah. I will discuss the power of Dua in a different post, along with proper etiquette of dua and the ways in which we can use it to change our lives! Both salah and dua are extremely important in Islam, and are practices which allow relief from our mental, spiritual, physical, and intellectual challenges that we face throughout our lives

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Etiquette of Salah

When to Pray Salah Throughout the Day

Our five daily prayers consist of Fajr (dawn), Zuhr or Dhuhr (midday), Asr (the late part of the afternoon), Maghrib (just after sunset), and Isha (between sunset and midnight). We follow the position of the sun, and as the year progresses, the times of each prayer change in accordance to the position of the sun in the sky. There are plenty of apps that are available to use that will help notify you the specific time for each prayer! I I use a free app called "Athan: Prayer Times, Azan, Al Quran & Qibla Finder" and I've found it to be super helpful!

Performing Absolution Before Each Prayer

Before we begin each prayer, all Muslims perform "wudu", which is a type of absolution that we do to ensure that we are in a state of purity from not only physical impurities, but spiritual impurities as well. We use water to clean our mouth, ears, face, hands, wrists and arms up to the elbows, and our feet. We also use water to rinse ourselves every time we use the restroom to maintain cleanliness throughout the day. While using the water to take away any physical impurities on our bodies, such as dirt or sweat, it is also important to have the intention in our minds that we are using the water to purify yourself spiritually as well. When you maintain a constant state of physical cleanliness and purity, a clean mind and soul will follow. Overall, wudu is an action of spiritually and physically cleansing ourselves so we can begin our prayer in a state of cleanliness and purity.

Putting Intention into the Prayer

Before beginning each prayer for salah, it's very important to express your intention, referred to as "niyyah" in Arabic. The intentions behind our actions is an important theme throughout Islam. For example, if we do a virtuous act such as charity, but the intention behind the charity is not to help others but instead to improve your self image and make yourself look good, the intention of your actions is not pure and the goodness is taken out of your deed. If you make a mistake but your intentions were not spiteful or seeking to purposely trying to hurt someone, you should forgive yourself and not feel ashamed! In order to put intention behind your salah, remember and think of the reasoning for performing salah in your heart and be aware of what prayer you're offering at which specific time. When you put intention into your actions, it brings you into the present moment and helps makes everything you do more fulfilling and meaningful!

Facing Mecca

If you have seen Muslims pray before, you will notice that everyone is standing shoulder to shoulder, facing in the same direction. The reason for this is because when offering salah, we are required to face in the direction of the Kaaba, a large black stone structure in the middle of the Grand Mosque which is considered the most sacred place of worship in Islamic tradition. We do not worship the Kaaba, but it represents a metaphorical house of God and the oneness of God in Islam.

Positions and Recitations in Salah

Performing salah has precise movements and recitations which all following Muslims globally perform in the same manner. The prayers include reciting the Qur'an in Arabic, and a certain number of repetitive movements which we refer to as "rakat". Each rakat consists of certain actions including standing, bowing, prostrating, and sitting. Performing salah and flowing through the movements brings me a sense of tranquility and peacefulness similar to what I experienced when performing yoga. The movements of salah promote many health benefits such as improved balance, joint flexibility, and blood flow to the brain. While I still practice yoga as a form of exercise, offering salah gives me a sense of spiritual connection with God I had never experienced before Islam.

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Benefits of Praying Salah

Praying Salah is Not for Allah's Ego: Before converting to Islam, I viewed praying five times a day as something that Allah needed from Muslims, and a form of worshipping that only served the purpose of pleasing Allah. I then realized that Allah does not need nor is dependent upon our worship, nor does salah carry the purpose of satisfying Allah's ego, which I had believed prior to learning about Islam. Instead, Muslims are called upon to pray five times throughout the day solely because of the benefits it brings to our lives.It offers us multiple opportunities to nourish our spirit and seek relief from mental or physical challenges we often encounter throughout the day by turning to Allah. We do not hurt Allah by missing our prayers but only ourselves because we are missing out on the chances we are given to silent our minds and turn to Allah throughout the day. It's a constant reminder not to steer away from our spiritual path. Similar to meditation, when performing salah, it's very important to block out any external noise or internal dialogue going on inside your mind.Anyone who prays salah knows how difficult it is to focus solely on the prayer and not let our thoughts distract us! Praying salah offers the chance to practice controlling your thoughts, and bring you completely into the present moment.

Self-Discipline: Improving self-discipline is another extremely important benefit of praying salah multiple times a day. I can speak from personal experiences that it takes an extreme amount of self-control and discipline to stop what you're doing multiple times throughout the day to go pray salah. I personally struggle with this continuously and I think that many Muslims will agree! When we are carrying out our daily duties of school, work, or hanging out with friends and family, it's extremely easy to become distracted and veer away from your spiritual duties. Although it's difficult, the struggle is intentional to make you prioritize your spiritual well-being and practice completing the goals that you set out for yourself. I always find it helpful to set the intention for my day every morning when I wake up. This includes many things, but at the top of my list is completing my five daily prayers. When my day has finished and I have completed my prayers, I feel proud of myself and relaxed, knowing that I achieved my goals for the day!

Don't View Salah as a Chore: Another important part of becoming better at salah is having a positive point of view instead of looking at it as a mandatory chore given to you from Allah. When you view salah as something positive that was meant to help you benefit yourself spiritually and mentally, you will be more inclined and motivated to do it multiple times a day. Start looking forward to praying salah and giving your full attention to your prayers and you will see how much easier it is to get yourself up to pray!

Although it's difficult, it's very important not to be too hard on ourselves and keep trying even if we miss a prayer. We are required to make up our prayers that we've missed, and far too often I find myself cramming in all the prayers that I missed throughout the day and I feel discouraged and disappointed with myself. We have to remind ourselves that we are human, and making mistakes is not something to be ashamed of. Just set new goals for yourself again the following day and try again! I can say with confidence that throughout my journey with Islam, I have gotten much better at praying salah at the correct times throughout the day but I'm still far from where I want to be. I fully believe part of our reason for being on Earth is to improve ourselves to become the best versions of ourselves. If we were perfect, Allah wouldn't call upon us to pray in order to strengthen our faith and spiritual discipline. So take it step by step and be kind to yourself!