The Salah (Namaz or mulsim prayer) - that muslims DO NOT offer

The Salah (Namaz or mulsim prayer) - that muslims DO NOT offer

By: Khurshid Imam
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A. Introduction

I have seen "pious" youngsters debating endless on "The correct way of offering Salah".
I have seen young people with long beards spending great amount of time in proving that their way of offering salah is the best and other ways being absolutely wrong.
I have heard muslims saying that Salah will not be accepted behind certain aqeeda imam.
I have witnessed night long debate between Salafi and Sunni regarding correct method of offering Salah.
I have seen youngsters posting photos in facebook describing the "correct way of offering salah" and the subsequent counter arguments.

"One need to put his hand at this position else salah will not be valid"
"If you put your hand as the way you are putting then your salah is waste"
"If you offer salah behind that imam then you salah is invalid"
"Sahi tareeqa"    ......     "correct way of offering Salah"    .......    "Salah as per sunnah"..........
......................................................
Note: In this article terms "Salah" OR "Namaz" OR "prayer" will be used interchangeably.
Also we are not going to talk about various postures of salah, positioning of various parts in salah etc. In short we are not discussing about the "body" of salah, rather "soul" of salah!

B. What was the purpose of Salah

إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ

Indeed Prayer prevents from the immorality and evil deeds. Quran, Surah An kabut 29:45 

Almighty God says: Salah prevents one from immorality and evil deeds.
But we see many muslims who offer prayer regularly; indulging in so many wrong things. We see many of them ly-ing; many of them cheating; grabbing land, giving false witness; backbiting others; disturbing peace in the society; creating mischief in the land; giving lustful eyes to womenfolk; lending money on interest; oppressing people; disrespecting their parents.

What does it mean??
What was the purpose of Salah? The purpose was that Salah WILL prevent you from indulging in shameful and bad deeds. Allah is not telling that "if you offer salah then have shame and do not indulge in wrong things". Please mark the difference between these statements.

Quran is NOT telling "if you offer salah then have shame and do not indulge in wrong things".
Quran is telling "Salah prevents one from shameful and bad deeds". It means if you will offer SALAH then it WILL prevent you from bad things.
Did you get the difference?

Quran is saying that Salah will prevent you from doing shameful and bad deeds.
Muslims are saying that they offer salah - yet we find them indulging in shameful and bad deeds.
What does it indicate? It indicate: Either Muslims are NOT offering the Salah commanded by Allah .... OR..... Word of allah is wrong !!!!!
Choice is yours. Which one you find to be true?

Case A. Word of Allah is wrong? Is Quran wrong when it is saying that "Salah will prevent you from doing shameful and bad deeds"? Still muslims - who claim to be offering salah with khushu and khuzu - are indulging in shameful and bad deeds.
.....
OR
......
Case B. These muslims are NOT offering the salah commanded as by Allah!!!!!!

C. Soul of Salah is lost

Instruction of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was that when you stand for prayer; try to imagine that Allah is seeing you.

To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is looking at you.

‏"‏ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ ‏"‏‏
(Bukhari, Book #60, book of tafseer; Hadith #300)
(Bukhari, Book #2, Book of belief; Hadith #47)

Salah (Namaz or prayer) is one of the most important form of worship. For offering salah we were given instruction that at least we need to:
: Try to feel the presence of Almighty God.
: Assume that Almighty God is seeing me; he is well aware what i am doing now.

Why this instruction was given?

In salah we must strive to develop this consciousness that Allah is seeing me. Allah is seeing me. When i m in qiyam (standing), in ruku (bowing), in sajda (prostration) - every moment Allah is seeing me.
If we practice this during the 5-10 minutes of one time salah then gradually we will develop God consciousness. 5 times a day of salah offered with the concentration that Allah is seeing me will soon result in increased God consciousness. With continuous practice of this way of salah; Allah will be more in our consciousness and even when we are not in salah, we are busy in our day to day activity then also we will have the consciousness that Allah is seeing me.
With the increased level of God consciousness it will be really very easy to abstain from shameful and evil acts. How? Read carefully -

When you started learning how to drive a car;
Then you are taught about functionalities of break, gear, clutch, steering etc. You are taught that to start car you need to make ignition ON, then gradually press the accelerator and release the clutch. When there is need to stop or slow down then you need to apply break and change gear and press clutch, release accelerator at the same time.....You need to focus on these things in order to drive. You can not drive car initially without consciously doing all these things. At this stage you are driving car with conscious mind.
These things are taught in the beginning to one who wants to drive car. For some days he practice in the prescribed manner and with the constant practice he is able to drive smoothly.

After 1-2 months
You would be driving car while talking on mobile, looking outside also and you will not even realize how many times you changed gears, how many times you had to suddenly apply break - because you are so well versed in driving that things are automatically happening. Now you will not think one by one what to do to stop the car. Things are stored in your mind and you are doing things perfectly. While driving at high speed if suddenly a dog comes to road, immediately your body will react to apply break, change gear and press the clutch without much difficulty. At this stage you are driving car with subconscious mind.

What is the conscious mind?
The conscious mind is the part of your mind that is responsible for logic and reasoning. If i asked you about the sum of one plus one; it's your conscious mind that is going to be used to make that addition.
The conscious mind also controls all the actions that you do on intention while being conscious.The conscious mind is also known to be the gate keeper for the mind. If someone tried to present you with a belief that doesn't match your belief system then your conscious mind will filter that belief.

What is the subconscious mind?
The subconscious mind is the part of your mind responsible for all of your involuntary actions. Your breathing rate and heart beats are controlled by your subconscious mind.

If you started to control your breath on intention then know that your conscious mind took charge while if you were breathing without being conscious of the breathing process then know that your subconscious mind is in charge.Your emotions are also controlled by your subconscious mind. That's why you sometimes might feel afraid, anxious or down without wanting to experience such a feeling.
Your subconscious mind is also the place where your beliefs and memories are stored. That's why affirmations make no sense and can never improve your beliefs. Affirmations are done on a conscious level and are always filtered by the subconscious mind because they usually don't match your belief system.

When u were learning car then you were doing everything with conscious mind. Gradually - with constant practice and repetition - things started moving from conscious mind to sub conscious mind. When things are stored in subconscious mind then it will happen involuntarily. Then you do not need to think and do; rather it will happen involuntarily.

If good deeds, bad deeds, shameful and evil deeds along with their islamic rulings are stored in our subconscious mind then it will become extremely easy to abstain from evil and shameful deeds. Because then we need not to voluntarily abstain from bad deeds rather our subconscious mind would be programmed in such a way that it will automatically react as per ruling of Quran.

Programming your subconscious can be done through hypnosis. Salah or Namaz is probably the best form of hypnosis.

Trance
The state of hypnosis is exactly the same as the state you experience when you stay in bed just before you fall asleep. Its the state of being half awake. This state is called trance state,during the trance state the conscious mind becomes a little dormant .The subconscious gains more control and thus makes you receptive to suggestions because the conscious mind no longer filters data. Salah should be offered in a manner that through trance a devotee fills his subconscious mind with Quranic teachings.
....Here. Here is the crux of the article.

You may be guessing why i am being psychologist? Namaz or Salah has to do lot with these things. Salah is a programming to store more information in subconscious mind.

D. How Salah  prevents from the immorality and evil deeds?

In the beginning it would be difficult but with passage of time the following practice would make a person really offer salah in a way prescribed by Allah. With constant practice the salah would really prevent shameful and evil deeds.

A. Offering a Salah will take around 5-10 minutes time. Five times salah in a day will make 30-40 minutes.

B. Salah need to be offered with the concentration that Allah is seeing me.

C. Devotee is trying to empty his mind. He is preventing any other thought to enter his brain.

D. In the silence; Recitation of Quran is going on (either by the imam or the devotee himself). Devotee understands the meaning of ayah recited.

E. A situation of trance is created wherein ayah of Quran - that is recited in salah - is being received in subconscious mind. It is the subconscious mind that is storing information from the Quran. If the person understand arabic then he will store information in his subconscious mind that:
1. Alcohol is prohibited. If recitation of Quran, 5:90 was going on.

2. All doors for shameful activities are closed for a believer. he should not approach anything that may lead to immorality. If recitation of Quran, 17:32; 24:2 or 6:151 was going on.

3. Killing of innocents is absolutely forbidden. If recitation of Quran, 5:32 was going on.

4. One MUST respect his parents and should not express any word of disrespect. If recitation of Quran, 17:23 was going on.

5. One MUST stand for justice. If recitation of Quran, 11:112 was going on.
 
6. One MUST abstain from gambling. If recitation of Quran, 5:90-91 was going on.

7. One MUST not indulge in lending money on interest. If recitation of Quran, 2:278 was going on.

8. One MUST not steal. If recitation of Quran, 5:38 was going on.
 
9. One MUST not LIE. If recitation of Quran, 6:24 was going on.

10. One MUST not bribe.If recitation of Quran, 2:188 was going on.

11.One MUST guard his/her modesty. If recitation of Quran, 24:30-31 was going on.
........
and so on...

When a person has REALLY offered salah with the above understanding and practice (Please keep in mind - he is developing God consciousness also by imagining that Allah is seeing him.) then it will become extremely easy for him to abstain from shameful and evil things.

1. When someone will offer him wine then he will NOT think with conscious mind whether i should drink alcohol or not rather his subconscious mind will tell him that alcohol is prohibited for a believer in God. Automatically he will reject the offer.

2. When he would glance at attractive, beautiful girl then he will NOT think with conscious mind whether i should continue looking at girl or not. Rather his subconscious mind will take away his gaze. This will happen automatically.

3. When someone offered him bribe then he will NOT think with conscious mind whether i should accept it or not rather his subconscious mind will automatically make him reject it.

4. When he has to decide or judge in a matter involving his relative and neighbor then he will NOT think with conscious mind that he should favor his relative; rather his subconscious mind will make him do justice.

5. When someone will allure him for giving false witness in court then again subconscious mind will automatically reject it.

This is how "Indeed Prayer prevents from the immorality and evil deeds. Quran, Surah An kabut 29:45"

D. Best form of meditation is Salah or Namaz

Voluntarily prayer or nafil salah:
Instruction of the Prophet Muhammad was that one need to offer nafil salah at home. In mosque when imam is reciting Quran then subconscious minds of those offering Salah is being filled with Quranic commandments. This is practice of hypnosis is in congregation. The same practise of hypnosis need to be done alone by an individual. Nafil salah was the best way for it and muslims were supposed to program themselves through nafil salah individually.

When it is said about some devotees of God, some sufia-e-ekraam (Respected soofees) that they "saw" God everywhere - that does not mean they were actually seeing God. Rather, these sufia-e-ekraam had developed such a great level of God consciousness that every time they could FEEL the presence of God. Through Salah and other ibadat (worship) they developed God consciousness to such a level that every time they had the feeling that God is seeing them and God is just their with them. No one ever claimed to see God.

Lot of importance is given on meditation in Hinduism. Through meditation our Hindu brethren want to achieve peace of mind and good qualities in their life. As explained above - Namaz or Salah is the best form of meditation. It contains many asan or postures as prescribed in meditation. Many sects in Hinduism has upheld this methodology of concentration, hypnosis, trance etc. Brahmakumaris - one of the sect of Hinduism - is the best example for it. At their center they also achieve it through rajyog. If one go into detail then one will find it perfectly on line with salah. Details of this is beyond the scope of article.

However, through salah or namaz one achieve a higher level of God consciousness. Teachings of God are more imbibed in the subconscious mind and one will attain real peace and happiness. My request to Non muslims! Give a chance to it.

E. Conclusion

1. Salah or namaz or prayer is one of the most important aspect of islam.

2. Unfortunately most of us do not give its due importance to salah. We argue and fight on trivial issue over salah.

3. The soul of salah is lost, concentration is more on the body of salah.

4. The purpose of salah was "Indeed Prayer prevents from the immorality and evil deeds. Quran, Surah An kabut 29:45". However we see many muslims offering 5 times "salah" and yet indulging in so many sinful activities. It means either muslims are not offering the salah required by Allah or quran is wrong when it claims that if you offer salah then you will be prevented from doing wrong things.

5. One need to offer salah with the imagination that Allah is seeing him. The Quran being recited should go to his subconscious mind.

6. When things are stored in subconscious mind then automatically person will respond accordingly.

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