What is salat?

One of the most well-known Muslim practice is salat. All those who visited Istambul, Cairo or any muslim country, were shocked to hear a loud and melodious voice called the adan. It is a call to salat, and undoubtedly to reaffirm the spiritual beliefs of Islamic faith followers. The Irish actor Liam Nelson described the adan with these words: He said: "The Call to Prayer happens five times a day and for the first week it drives you crazy, and then it just gets into your spirit and it's the most beautiful, beautiful thing".

But what exactly is the salat?

The term salat is commonly used to refer to the five daily salat .Salat is one of the five pillars on which the structure of Islam stands, so one of the five primary obligations that each Muslim must fulfill in his or her lifetime. It is the practice of formal worship, a precise full range of physical movements, or postures ccompanied by an appropriate set of recitations performed in the language of the Koran with full submission, concentration, fear, devotion and dedication.

 Salat is prescribed as a duty at its fixed time in the Koran and developed by the prophet Muhammad for his earliest followers. So, all muslims take after the Prophet Muhammad as ordained in the Koran.

 Salat has to be performed facing the direction of Qibla (towards the Kaaba in Mecca), without shoes, and in a state of ritual purity. It can be done anywhere, except a place regarded as unclean, but is ideally done in a group such as in a public mosque, because it carries special merit.

So Muslims are expected to pray at five specific times throughout each day. The times are determined essentially by the position of the Sun in the sky, so salat times change with the seasons and are different for each city and each location in the world.

Salat should not be missed unless there are circumstances beyond one's capacity.

Under such exceptional circumstances as illness, a journey, menstruation, pregnancy, and post-partum bleeding war, there are many ways to modify the positions or duration of salat.

.Friday Salat

Once a week, Muslims congregate in a mosque for the Friday Salat, which replaces the salat Ad-Duhr performed on the other six days of the week. It is a duty upon every Muslim. Women have a section that is separated from men.

The leader of the salat, or the Imam is supposed to deliver a speech for all before performing salat, so to give them guidance in Islamic teachings or advices on urgent matters that face them.

The Friday Prayer is not obligatory upon women, travelers, the sick, or the blind. It is enough for them to perform salat Ad-Duhr.

Before salat, Muslims must be in a state of ritual purity, which is mainly achieved by ritual cleanliness or wudu, ritually washing the face, hands, and feet.

. Benefits of salat

Salat for a muslim involves uniting and harmonising mind, soul, and body in worship of Allah. It is a practical sign of obedience to the commands of God. And through a faithful practice of salat, many goals can be achieved such as a complete purification and qualifying for eternal rewards in the afterlife.

There is no hierarchical clerical authority in Islam, no priests or clergypersons as an intermediary. So Muslims pray direct to God, as if standing in His presence. The significance of salat lies in one's maintaining a continuous link to God five times a day. According to the Koran, the main purpose of salat is "the rememberance of God". But salat is something amazing,carrying it out is not only highly spiritual but has a good impact on health . On one hand, every time, a muslim renews his commitments to Allah touching the ground with his forehead at least 34 times a day and he is able to rid himself from all worldly pressures, and on the other hand salat is a natural exercise, it works as a work-out to maintain a healthy body, as well by the postural changes between, bowing, standing sitting and prostrating.

The Friday salat, performed every friday contributes to a strong sense of community, equality, brotherhood and sisterhood. Friday salat is also a demonstration that all humanity is one, and all are equal in the sight of Allah.

Muslims, by performing salat five times a day, they continuously reprogram their subconscious mind, and the thoughts are kept fresh in the mind. The link between them and god is continuous, there is no time to be motivated by temptations and becomes extremely influential in reducing negative behaviour, and a practical guide to shaping Muslim’s day-to-day intra and inter-personal moral character.

The myth that speaking Arabic is always the most crucial factor in discovering Islam is still alive in many naive minds. Even the Koran is written in Arabic. The four countries with largest Muslim population are not Arabic (Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh).Yet, the language may be a tool but not the trump card, and many non Arabic Muslims worry about the meaning of recitation in salat.

On one hand, even in Arabic countries, many people who recite perfectly the Koran don´t understand the meaning of many recitations, on the other hand, most of the non Arabic converted to Islam become better Muslims than those who were born in Muslim background.

Salat can be made only in Arabic, the language of the Koran, because the most important aspect of salat is the recitation of the Koran.

Making salat in a language that one does not understand seems to be quite unusual and unnatural when looking at it superficially. But if we consider it from another outlook, the survival of a religion in its original form and spirit depends mostly upon preservation of its original teachings in their original language. The words of Allah have to conserve their full spirit and comprehensive meaning. Translation can never be equivalent to the original, and no words in any language will have the effect as compared to words of Allah.

.Time of the five daily salat

  Salat Al-Fajr:

     When the second dawn rises, and that is the lateral whiteness on the horizon.The end of its time is as long as the sun has not risen.

    Salat Ad-Duhr :

     When the sun declines The end of its time is when an object's shadow equals it in size

    Salat Al-Asr:

     When the time for Ad-Duhr departs, according to both views.The end of its time is as long as the sun has not set.

  Salat Al-Maghrib:

    When the sun has set.  The end of its time is as long as the twilight has not disappeared.

  Salat Al-Isha:

    When the twilight has disappeared.  The end of its time is as long as the dawn has not yet risen.