Cleansing effect of prayers

Nasima Akter takes off her shoes at the door and briskly walks into a big white building with blue tiles on a Saturday afternoon, just in time to perform the second Islamic prayer of the day.

The building is the Islamic Center of the East Valley in Chandler, and the prayer she and her fellow people of the Islamic faith are about to perform is among five prayers they say in a day.

The five collectively are the salat, and they are meant to be a constant reminder to Muslims of the presence of Allah, their term for God, and to build their relationship with him.

''Praying is one of the foundations of the Islamic religion, so if I am not praying, I am not fulfilling my duty as a Muslim. It means a lot to me and gives me a chance to connect with Allah,'' she said.

Salina Imam, a friend of Atker’s, says she also believes that praying is an important part of the Islamic religion.

''Wherever I go, I pray there. I always try to find time. It’s on my priority list,'' said Imam.

There are five specific times the prayers must be performed, known as Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha.

Akter is devoted enough to the salat that she will do what she needs to do in order to pray on time, even if she is busy working at her job at a Tempe Fry’s Marketplace.

''I use a back room in the meat department when it is time to pray while working. I keep my hijab (hair covering) and my prayer mat in there so I am always ready,'' she said.

Most people who practice salat also perform the Islamic ritual of wudu, the act of a person washing their hands, face, arms and feet before praying each time. It is meant to purify the person who will be praying so that they can stand before God in a pure state.

Wafaa Hagar, the wife of the preacher at the Islamic Center of the East Valley, practices salat and wudu.

''Wudu is a really important part of praying. We have to do it up to five times a day. It helps keep you clean and you get rewarded for doing it by Allah,'' said Hagar.

Along with having a clean body before doing any of the prayers in the salat, the person praying has to make sure the space used for prayer is also clean and purified. The person must also pray toward Ka’bah, which is the most holy mosque in Mecca.

When Atker finishes wudu and following the pre-prayer guidelines, she kneels on one of the many small mismatched rugs scattered about the room in the Islamic Center and begins the afternoon prayer, Zuhr.

When Atker finishes praying she looks refreshed and has a smile that stretches from one side of her face to the other.

''I feel very pure, like a newborn baby after I pray. It cleanses me emotionally and physically,'' said Atker.

Source: Islamiclife