Benefits of Prayer: Giving it a shot

The other day while listening to a lecture in the mosque near my house, the imam mentioned a hadith I had never heard before. It states: “Whoever offered Salat for forty days in congregation, catching up the first Takbir, he is freed from two things – Hell-fire and hypocrisy” (Al-Tirmidhi). My first inclination was to question the level of authenticity of the hadith, that is whether it was authentic, acceptable or weak. So I searched, found it and and in that process I discovered a really nice article written on the benefits of prayer.

Among the benefits of prayer that were listed along with the above are those commented on by Ibn al-Qayyim (a famous medieval scholar of Islam) in his book Zaad al-Maad:

The daily prayers:
· Improves health.
· Staves off harm.
· Keeps away diseases.
· Strengthens the heart.
· Brightens the face.
· Delights the soul.
· Takes away laziness.
· Invigorates the organs.
· Replenishes energies.
· Refreshes the heart.
· Nurtures the spirit.
· Enlightens the mind.
· Preserves the boon.
· Prevents adversity – Punishment.
· Brings the blessings.
· Drives away Satan.
· Draws closer to the Almighty Allah.

In thinking about these benefits, I am reminded that Allah never gives us a commandment except that there is wisdom and benefit in it for us.

EDIT: My title for this post, as I’m realizing, was not expounded upon in the article. My intention here was to say, I have seen these things come to fruition for many people. Prayer changes lives, straight up and down. So the point is, these are not things that might happen. They are guaranteed for those who pray to Allah sincerely.

The original article from kalamullah.com is quite comprehensive and is worthy of a read. Take a look here.

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