Namaz - The Islamic Prayer

Namaz:

Namaz is Islamic Prayer for Muslims. Namaz is Obligatory. The prayer is order by Allah to the Prophet Mohammad. Every Muslim has to pray five times a day facing mecca with complete humility.

Cultural beliefs:

According to the Quran (Holy Book for Muslims), Namaz is remembering Allah to gain knowledge,peace and patience through recitation of the scripture.

The Quran contains instructions ordering as to do certain things and not to do certain things. According to the will of Allah Muslims has to obey the orders demonstrated by Prophet Muhammad. The instructions and deeds are called as ‘Hadis’.

Namaz Timings:

The following periods has to be followed for namaz as per the holy Quran:

• Fajar- just before sunrise.
• Zuhar: this is at afternoon. Mostly Followed on Fridays.
• Asar-   till just before sun set.
• Maghrib- After the sun sets and till the light disappears in the sky.         
• Isha: This is offered before midnight.
• Tahajud – This is offered at midnight(getting from sleep)         

Namaz is restricted during the following periods :

Immediately before sun rise, sunset and noon for about 5 to 7 minutes.

Namaz types:

1. Farz : farz means duty and is compulsory and cannot  be avoided. This is divided into two sub-divisions as Farziayn (mandatory for all expect for the people who offer namaz five times a day and fasting furind ramzan)  and Farzikifayah (the responsibility of Muslim group cab be fulfilled if done in a group and isnot mandatory for all).
2. Wajib : Wajib means necessary and is next to Farz in importance. A person who performs wajib will get the reward and the one who does not perform it is a sinner and is punished.
3. Sunnath : Sunnath means what Prophet Muhammed did. There are two types of sunnaths namely Sunnathimuakkadah(Prophet Muhammed used to do and ordered his followers to do )and  Sunnath-i-ghair muakkadah(Prophet Muhammed used to do occasionally and is optional for followers)
4. Nafil: Nafil means extra. A person who performs nafil will get the reward and the one who does not perform it is a sinner and is punished.

Interesting Facts:

• Sajda is the unique postion for the regular prayers in Namaz.
• Namaz is of rakaats,each rakaat is  series of seven postures. Each Muslim has to perform 119 postures in a day.
• A Muslim has to practice namaz strictly and properly, he will be automatically fit and sound spiritually, physically and mentally.
• Namaz is preferably performed at mosque but in case of any abnormal conditions like severe cold and heavy rains or illness we can do at home, but in any case we should not miss.
• For women and girls Namaz is offered at home.

 Scientific Reasons:

• Sajda(rest his forehead on the ground while the hands are placed at the sides ) is an exercise for people to cure medical problems for the human body. The advantage of Namaz psychologically is to give physical and mental relief to the person.
• The position of prostration in Namaz makes the whole body in active motion. The hands are stretched
• Specifically out and the forearm and arm muscles bear the weight. This is a good exercise for the muscles of upper limb.
• Namaz is the postion in which the head becomes lower than the heart, so for the first time the blood flows towards the brain with full force whereas in other positions brain will be above the heart so it has to work against gravity to send blood to the brain. So the postion of namaz will increase the blood supply and has good effect on memory, hearing, concentration and vision.
• People doing namaz regularly will have more will power and will cope the difficulties of life easily. Headaches and other defects will be less for them. The neck muscles will have the best exercise as they bear the load when the forehead lies on the ground.
• The cervical muscles are important as the head rests on the cervical vertebra supported by cervical musculature. The head is rotated so the cervical vertebra is initiated. This is very important because the neck muscles will become strong due to the 34 sajdas offered in the prayers.
• The position of Namaz has positive effects on the back muscles while doing namaz person will get up and get down so the back muscle will become stronger , so a person who offers regular prayers will rarely get backache.