Assalaamualaikum
warehmatullahe wabarqatahu.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Medical advantages of Sajda (Prostration)
Got
a excuse to leave namaaz.. click here..
Sajda
(Prostration) is a unique position or stance in the regular
prayers, which a Muslim is supposed to offer at least five times
a day. Although the basic purpose of obligatory prayers is not
to provide an exercise for people yet it is being increasingly
recognized that it has plenty of medical advantages for the
human body.
Here
it is worth mentioning that Holy Prophet Muhammed (peace be
upon him) has mentioned in a hadith in Ibn Maja:' That prayer
is a cure for many diseases'. The position of Sajda in which
the forehead touches the ground is exclusively associated with
the Muslim form of prayer. It is the climax of a Muslim's prayer
and as mentioned in a Hadith a Muslim is nearest to Allah in
this position.
The
messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said: "The
nearest a servant comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating
himself, so make supplication' (in this state)" In a Hadith
narrated by Anas bin Malik (R.A.) Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him) advised Muslims to perform Rukuu (bowing) and Sajda(prostration)
properly.
In
another Hadith he sallallahu alaihi wa sallam advised to perform
Sajda(Prostration) and Bowing calmly and to get up only when
the body has come to ease. Hence the first positive effect upon
a person who prostrates or does Sajda(Prostration) is that he
comes nearest to Allah and hence in that condition he can supplicate.
Psychological advantage:
This is a great psychological advantage and it gives relief
to the person concerned as life is full of worries and in this
position he gets at least a transient refuge from the agonizing
problems.
When
a person goes to the position of Sajda (Prostration), his whole
body is in active motion. This position can be considered as
a mini dive as the musalli (one who offers prayer) goes to rest
his forehead on the ground while his hands are placed at the
sides. This brings most of the body muscles if not all in active
motion and serves to give them some exercise. The hands are
then specifically stretched out and thence the forearm as well
as arm muscles are supposed to bear the weight in the Sajda
(Prostration) position. It gives good exercise to the muscles
of the upper limb. The Prophet (peace be upon him) in a hadith
advised not to put the forearms flatly on the ground but to
keep them elevated above ground and this is better for the forearm
and arm muscles.
Sajda
(Prostration) is a unique position as this is the only position
in which brain (or head) becomes lower than the heart and hence
for the first time the blood gushes towards the brain with full
force whereas in all other positions (even when lying) brain
is above the heart when it has to work against gravity to send
blood to the brain. In the position of Sajda (Prostration) due
to the increased blood supply the brain receive more nourishment
and it has good effect upon memory, vision, hearing, concentration,
psyche and all other cognitive abilities.
People
who offer their prayers regularly have more will power and can
cope with the difficulties of life in a much better manner.
They
have less incidence of headaches, psychological problems and
other defects of cognitive function. In the unique position
of Sajda(Prostration) the neck muscles get best exercise. They
have to bear the load when the forehead lies at the ground hence
the neck muscles become stronger. One can note the tense pressure
at the neck muscles in the position of Sajda(Prostration) specially
the active motion of the neck and the facial muscles when the
head is being lifted. (e.g. one inch above the ground) and it
will be noticed that they are in a very active motion.
More
strong cervical muscles mean the cervical vertebra will be better
protected. Strength of cervical muscles is important as the
head rests upon cervical vertebra supported by cervical musculature.
In fact head performs rotator movements over the cervical vertebra.
In any accident cervical neck examination is especially important
to the physicians because of its extraordinary importance. It
is uncommon that a person who offers his prayers regularly will
get the usual neck myalgias or cervical spondylosis as the neck
muscles particularly become very strong due to the 34 sajdas(Prostrations)
offered daily in five prayers.
The
unique position of Sajda (Prostration) also has positive effects
upon the back muscles as while going into Sajda and getting
up from it the back muscle contract actively and they become
stronger. Probably it is because of this reason that a person
who is regular in prayers will (rarely) get backache.
Finally
it must be reminded that (even though) prayer is not meant to
be an exercise, there are a lot of medical advantages associated
with it.. Still the best blessing is the peace of mind, which
a person derives by the accomplishment of his duty to Allah
by fulfilling an obligation.
|