As mentioned earlier, Islam is a prescription for a complete and balanced way of life, hence, Salah besides being an act of worship doubles as a holistic health tonic. The concept of specifically activating these nerve centers through Salah or yoga is like the chiropractic therapy. The major steps in salah have been associated with the nerve pathways or chakras in a broad sense. The standing position or Qiyaam is said to be similar to the mountain pose in yoga, which has a bearing on self-awareness. The folding of hands above the navel in this position are said to activate the solar plexus.
The position of bowing or Ruku is equated with the forward bend position in yoga. The crowning glory of salah is the prostration or sujood. During this movement, the crown chakra related to the person's spirituality is stimulated. Bending movements during sujood also activate the base chakra and the sacral chakra toning up the lymphatic, skeletal and reproductive systems at large.
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Completion of the salah is done by salutation and turning of the head to the right and then to the left side of the body. This is said to activate the throat chakra. Unification of mind and body is brought about by the intention of Salah and focus on the recitation whereby mental distractions and stress are relieved and the physical body yields itself to the positive entrainment through the movements.
In yoga, activation of all the seven energy levels at least once in a day is advocated to realize the true potential of the practice. Since salah is procedurally less complex than yoga and is practiced ritually five times in a day without requiring any formal training it is a boon to the Muslims that they get to tune the energy chakras effortlessly integrating the practice with their daily routine. Nonetheless, combining several aspects of Yoga with salah could be able to catalyze the many more folds of advantages of activating energy chakras.
Present day psychotherapists in the predominantly urban setup find themselves confounded with issues arising from clients with intense religious sentiments and intervention in such cases is nothing short of a challenge. The technique used in therapy, therefore, should be based on accepting and acknowledging that many religious, spiritual, and ethnic clients believe that God is the central part of understanding themselves, their core values, and being part of the solution for their worldly problems. If professional counselors, operating in predominantly Muslim areas, are equipped with a reasonable proficiency in the religious prescriptions, their chances of success in building a better rapport with their clients and thereby rendering effective services will considerably improve.
Recently, countries like Malaysia[ 20 ] and Indonesia[ 21 ] have looked at yoga suspiciously as infringing into Islamic monotheistic principles since yoga is mainly a practice of the polytheistic Hindu religion. Issuance of Fatwa — the Islamic religious Rulings against the practice of yoga by members of the Muslim community in South-East Asia at large has reemphasized the need for carefully approaching the matter of employing heterogeneous cross cultural techniques in therapy.
Such confrontations and lack of basic understanding of the finer sensibilities of these religions compounded with the under preparedness of a therapist would only aid in escalating the conflict in patient's mind. The way forward for the psychotherapists operating in multi religious and multicultural setups, therefore, is to integrate the positive and possible aspects of the Yoga, mainstream western counseling with the spiritual aspects of Islam to develop a combined psycho-spiritual methodology. Multiple methods of intervention drawn from diverse sources may well be incorporated in such practice, such as the use of hatha yoga or power yoga with adequate patient education on the neutrality of these techniques to enhance its efficacy.
National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List Indian J Psychiatry v. Shabbir Ahmed Sayeed and Anand Prakash 1. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Box , Jeddah , Saudi Arabia. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3. Abstract Religion and its practices have been duly implicated in treating not only problems related to medical health, rather, intervening and preventing such problems as well.
Islam, mental health, salah, yoga. Ablution — The purification and preparation Any act of worship in Islam requires the devotee to make an intention and perform physical cleansing and ready himself spiritually. Niyyah — The intention Expression of intention called Niyyah in Arabic to perform the salat is an essential precondition and is usually done within one's heart appropriately for the Salah of the time. Salah — The formal prayer The five mandatory salat are spread over various parts of the day in such a way that the devotee is not only in contact with the Creator frequently and receives peace and blessings as his reward but also experiences physical well-being that has now been scientifically confirmed.
Congregational prayers Although prayers like the noon prayer of Friday, Eid festival prayers of Ramadan and Day of Sacrifice and funeral prayers must only be offered in congregation, all Muslim men are strongly encouraged to perform the five obligatory prayers in congregation in a mosque in the vicinity.
Salah in practice It is important to inspect the act of salat in close detail as each of the positions and moves hold significance to the worshiper musalli both from physiological and psychological points of view. Health benefits of salah The physical and physiological benefits of salah are multiple to say the least.
Religion Vs. Culture: Where does Islam fit?
Yogic intervention in mental health The techniques and practices of mental healthcare in Yoga are: Asanas and Mudras are various types of physical postures of yoga to catalyze the psychic energies. Pranayam implies pause in breathing. It is a breathing act controlling the breath and vital forces of the body of which there are several kinds e.
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It is a kind of sublimation through the psychic behavior for which high level of command over the previous stages is essential. Dharna is steadiness of mind which needs discipline and preparation for practicing properly. It is seen when mind concentrates on a stable object. It aims at making the period of steadiness longer by ongoing practice and decreasing distraction of mind. The way forward Present day psychotherapists in the predominantly urban setup find themselves confounded with issues arising from clients with intense religious sentiments and intervention in such cases is nothing short of a challenge.
Footnotes Source of Support: Nil Conflict of Interest: Religious Therapies of Personality and Psychotherapy: The Islamic Foundation; Is religion good for your health. God for thest Century.
Templeton Foundation Press; The Psychology of Religion and Coping. Mardiyono MA, Songwathana P. Spiritual medicine in the history of islamic medicine. J Int soc History Islamic Med. Dzikir penyembuhan ala Haryono Zikr healing as Haryono's method Jakarta: Genaralized anxiety disorder GAD from islamic and western perspectives. World J Islamic History Civilization. EEG spectral analysis on Muslim prayers. Healing body and soul. International Islamic Publishing House; Advances in Psychology Research. Nova Science Publishers; What were the important regional dynasties, and how did they interact with the Abbasid caliphate?
How did his teachings differ from those of Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah? How was Islam able to adapt to such varied cultural settings and what was its appeal for such a diverse range of peoples? Have students report on the history and legacy of the Christian Crusades through maps and stories. Using the myriad resources on the Web, have students report on the ritual practices, teachings and poetry of Sufi masters like Ibn al-Arabi and Jalal ud-Din Rumi.
In order to trace the geographical spread and cultural diversity of Islamdom, divide students into groups and have them create maps and present reports on the regional dynasties of the tenth century: Islam Triumphant focuses on the return of absolute monarchy under three Islamic gunpowder empires: In Iran, Shah Abbas I d. From their majestic capital in Isfahan, the Safavids expanded their empire while patronizing artists and scholars.
The mystical philosopher, Mulla Sadra d. In South Asia, the Moghals ruled an efficient and expansive dynasty within the heartland of Hinduism. Conservative scholars like Ahmad Sirhindi d. From the capital of Istanbul, Suleiman the Magnificent d. Centralized, bureaucratized and militarized, the age of Imperial Islam 16thth century marked the apex of Muslim political power, sanctioned by Shariah.
What was the relationship between political and religious power in these empires? How did other Muslims respond to his legacy? A multi-media tour of the city of Isfahan, for example, would bring Safavid culture to life. Create a dialogue or debate between Akbar and Aurangzebe. How did each of these Moghal emperors define Islamic orthodoxy? How did each of them interact with the majority Hindu communities of South Asia?
Drawing on the Web, create a multi-media collage of the artistic legacy of Suleiman the Magnificent: Exploring Orientalist novels, travelogues, and paintings, have students research how Europeans viewed Islam and Muslims in the age of empire. Islam Agonistes considers the profound impact of colonization and, along with it, the ideology and institutions of modernity on the Muslim world. In the face of European hegemony, Muslims turned inward, reflecting on their own history for answers to this crisis of identity. The ulama , for the most part, became increasingly insular, falling back on their traditions of piety and learning even as they were stripped of power and prestige.
Others, however, argued that the times demanded a more proactive response. Inspired by the outspoken Iranian activist, Jamal al-Din al Afghani d. Islamic fundamentalism usuliyyah , by contrast, viewed the West as morally bankrupt, the abode of barbarism and ignorance jahiliyya. From the Sunni ideologues Mawdudi d. Rejecting nationalism, they called for the strict implementation of Shariah and the creation of an Islamic state.
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During their short-lived reign in Afghanistan, the Taliban embraced an extremist version of this activist ideology. Is Islam compatible with democracy? Are there alternative paradigms for political reform more in keeping with Islamic traditions? Have students create maps and historical timelines to trace the spread and impact of European colonialism throughout the Muslim world. Have students examine how various Muslim groups ulama , modernists, fundamentalists have responded to the challenges of modernity and then present their research in class presentations or debates.
Drawing on multiple resources—the Quran, Web pages, the writings of Muslim women—have students examine the longstanding debates over gender.
Religion Vs. Culture: Where does Islam fit?
What is the history of the practice of veiling? What is the role of women in various Muslim countries today? The Contemporary Muslim World: In order to document the immense changes in the Muslim world in the twentieth century, have students create maps and reports on modern Muslim countries. What are the current demographics and cultural characteristics of these countries? What are some of the issues that both divide and unite the modern Muslim world?
With rare exception, the modern Muslim world is portrayed as a fossilized monolith: Arab, patriarchal, rigid, militant and utterly at odds with modernity. In the eyes of many, Islam and the West are on a perilous collision course. Across the globe, the vast majority of Muslims have responded to the September apocalypse with horror and disgust.
The terrorist attacks carried out by the radical followers of Osama bin Laden are seen as a violation of the most sacred tenets of the faith. In this global age of shrinking boundaries we must foster mutual understanding and open dialogue if we are to avoid a future of endemic bigotry, injustice and violence. These songs can be heard in gatherings across the world today, and have impacted countless lives, mine included. I think that one aspect of the Diwan that people should realize is that the words are universal, but the melodies are not necessarily, and the words can really be put to many melodies, in many musical styles.
However, in Algeria for example, they will use many local tunes as well, appropriate to the verse metre. There seem to be new Muslim musical artists popping up daily, and some are even crossing the threshold into the mainstream. It is entirely possible to see this on a larger scale in the years to come, but I hope that being Muslim, and Islam in general, do not become the external-facing gimmick that is stamped on typical pop music, hedonistic themes and all. Stylistically, the current trends among Muslim musical acts are somewhat limited.
I grew up on many different styles of music, but I have been a fan of rock music, and music performed on instruments since I can remember.