Importance and Role of Salah in The Lives of Muslim Men and Women

Namaz is one of the most essential pillars of Islam and Muslims pray five times a day. It is a Muslim's responsibility to offer Salah, and a Muslim should make no excuses for not doing so. Salah, in addition to reflecting Muslims' surrender to Allah, provides other advantages that are greatly valued by every Muslim. The formation of Salah is one of the key subjects upon which the Quran has placed the most emphasis. In the Quran, Allah Almighty has accentuated the importance of Muslims learning to pray Salah on a daily basis, and also the advantages of doing so. It is clearly stated in a Hadith that Thauban (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

Names & Timings of Obligatory Namaz

Muslims must offer Salah five times a day on different timings. The first question would be of Namaz on the Day of Judgement. It takes very little time to perform Namaz. Therefore, Muslims should not skip any of the five Namaz. Here are the names and timings of Namaz prescribed by Islam:

1. Fajar – it is performed before sunrise
2. Zohar – it is performed in a midday
3. Asr – it is performed after Zohar and before sunset
4. Maghrib – it is performed after sunset
5. Isha – it is performed after Maghrib at midnight

How to Perform Salah?

Salah is indeed the most important activity that all Muslims must conduct five times a day in a systematic way. Namaz is the biggest things that makes a man Muslim. It also makes them different from non-believers.

There are some rituals of performing Salah that a person has to follow.

Ablution

Wudu (ablution) is a method of cleaning yourself that formally qualifies you to conduct Salah. It is necessary to do wudhu prior to every prayer; else, your prayer will not get accepted. Here’s a brief guide to perform ablution:

Make A Clear Intention and Say Tasmia

Because Niyyah is the foundation of all deeds in Islam, you must first make the intent to perform wudu. Prepare yourself both spiritually and verbally. Then recite Tasmia.

Wash Hands and Rinse Mouth

Wash your hands three times thoroughly. Then take water in your hand and gargle thrice. Moreover, it is Sunnah to clean your teeth with miswaak.

Clean Your Nose, Wash Your Face and Arms

Use your right hand to rinse your nose thrice. Then, using your left hand, wipe out any pollutants in your nose. Clean your entire face three times with both hands. Then run down water from your right arm to elbow three times. Repeat the same procedure with the left one as well.

Perform Masah

Wet your hands and lay them on your hairline in order to touch your ears, then wipe your head to the back of your neck with them. After this, clean your ears.

Cleanse Your Feet

Watch your feet thrice. First the right one and then the left one.

Salah for Men

Here are some of the focus points for men to perform Salah:

• Men's bodies should be covered from the navel to the knee
• Do the Niyyah for your prayer while standing straight towards the Qiblah
• Raise your palms to your ears and recite "Allahu Akbar" before saying Takbir
• Do Qiyam with your hands on your chest, right hand over the left hand, staring slightly downward at the point where your foreheads will connect in Sujood.
• Say the Sanaa, Taawudh, and Taamiyah.
• Then, in the condition of Qiyam, read Surah Fatiha, following another Surah from the Holy Quran.
• Continue with Ruku by kneeling down, placing your hands on your knees, and chanting “SubhanaRabbiyalAdhim” three times.
• Start standing up in Qiyam and pray the Tasbeeh and Tahmeed.
• Recite "Allahu Akbar" three times, then bow on the floor into Sujood and recite Sajdah three times.
• Return to a sitting or Jalsa posture and replicate the Sajdah.
• Straighten up to enter Qiyam and resume steps 5-9.
• Continue to Jalsa and chant Tashahhud, then Assalatul-Ibrahimyyah and Dua.
• Tasleem should be performed as the final step.

Salah for Women

Besides a couple of small differences, the method is generally the same for men and women. Listed below are some of the changes mentioned:

• With the exception of their face and hands, women must hide their whole bodies.
• When practicing Niyyah, the hands must be properly covered and lifted only to the shoulders.
• Hands must be placed across the chest while doing Qiyam.
• Ruku is performed with the arms well linked to the sides and the ankles of both feet simultaneously bending till the hands touch the knees.
• The woman must be as near as feasible while performing Sujood. Put your body weight on the left buttock and the legs to the right during the second Sajdah.

Everything else would be performed the same as men. Namaz is not a complicated procedure so Muslim men and women must perform it in order to get the infinite blessings of Allah Almighty.

Benefits of Performing Salah On Regular Basis

Salah holds great importance in the lives of Muslims. Performing it can save you from a lot of problems in your life and Allah (SWT) grants you more and more. given below are some of the life-changing benefits of performing Salah for both men and women:

Invoking Allah Almighty

Though there are no restrictions about how a Muslim can invoke Allah Almighty. Prayer, on the other hand, is the recommended method because when Muslims worship Allah, they build a relationship with Allah. As a result, any prayer made inside or after that linkage is much more likely to be approved by Allah than invocation made in any other scenario. A believer should pray as a means of seeking Allah's (SWT) assistance.  It is mentioned in the Quran that:

Protection from Evil

Man has been made weak, and it will be difficult to avoid evil without soliciting Allah's assistance. There is no question that the one who deliberately comes in front of Allah will be distinguished from the one who does not. It is stated in the Quran that:

Augments Your Mind and Soul

Man is careless, particularly in today's fast-paced world. Prayer nourishes our inner desire to communicate with our Lord. This brings serenity and pleasure to the soul. Quran says that:

Prayer Makes Us Humble

Humbleness is among the characteristics linked with prosperity by Allah. Man is humbled and freed from ignorance and arrogance when he realizes Allah's grandeur and our dependency on Him. During the prayer, Muslims bow down to Allah Almighty claiming that only He is superior. Prayer is a source of being humble and modest. Quran says:

A Cure of Our Problems

Man is besieged by a slew of hardships and tribulations. When we concentrate on building our connection with Allah, He, the All-Powerful, will certainly solve our problems and concerns. Allah (SWT) says in the Quran:

In Essence,

Performing Salah makes us pure and also washes away our sins. It changes our lives drastically and turns them towards the right path of success. It not only strengthens your relationship with Allah Almighty but also saves you from Hellfire on the Day of judgment.