Islamic Salat – Physical and Spiritual Connection

One unique characteristic of salat, the obligatory form of prayer in Islam, is that it incorporates “spiritual” (faith, mindfulness) with physical elements – the body language of bowing and prostration + the time/space elements of astronomical prayer times and a very specific geophysical direction of prayer. This prayer form grounds the believer’s worship, making a connection between this temporary earthly life and Allah’s Divine eternal presence. This key connection in our lives is in that sense like the Quran: a timeless message sent down in time. So our salat connects our time/space “world” – in this case the “world” of our lives – to the timeless and unbounded “NOW” of Allah. Below is an aya referring to time, 55:26, followed by an aya referring to eternity or timelessness, 55:27.

55:26 All that lives on earth or in the heavens is bound to pass away

55:27 but forever will abide the Face of your Lord, full of majesty and glory

Prostration in Islamic Salat Creates Alpha Waves

We are enjoined in the Quran to “establish salat,” the canonical (obligatory) form of Islamic prayer, as a daily practice. Scientists have found that the meaningful position of prostration also has powerful side benefits.

The Power of Prostration by a Convert/Revert to Islam

This short video is a powerful portrayal of how Islam both confirms “what is in the previous scriptures” and the importance and meaning of prostration. What is especially wonderful is how no one actually told him about Islam except his preacher, who spoke of it in a derogatory way, and this alone raised questions in the man’s mind. Which led him to the Quran and Islam. (Side note: Basically I dislike the word “revert” referring to converts to Islam – in English it has a definite negative connotation like “going backwards to something inferior”, and the logic of its use, that children are born Muslim, skirts the issue of how one doesn’t really “own” this or any religion until maturity, in which case one wasn’t “Muslim” except in innocence whereas Islam is a choice. The good side of its use is it expresses there is no original sin and that Islam is not an invented dogma, but simply the truth.)

Wonderful and succinct presentation of the power of prostration.

Al-Fatiha: The Blueprint

Continuing from Day 1 of Ramadan with al-Fatiha, we shall begin to look at the structure of this Sura, guided by its unique significance and characteristics.