Is the Salat physical?
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I repsect anyones right to practice whatever faith they want as long as it doesnt infringe on my freedom or the freedom of others or cause harm...
ps; also,remember,you or anyone else dont have a monopoly on the interpretations or on the truth... ) -
Peace Phoenix1,
Have a look at two books written by a Dr Herbert Benson, "The relaxation response" and "Beyond the relaxation response". In these two books he demonstrates satisfactorily using scientific studies the benefits of Meditation, and in the second book he further demonstrates that ritual prayers are even more powerful to achieve long lasting changes in an individual.
May I also add that any prayer will only have beneficial effects if it is approached in the right frame of mind and mood.
I am very aware that within the muslim community people pray ritually just to be seen by their brethren as doing it, this defeats the purpose of it.
They might probably not even pray in private... -
Peace be upon you Noble,
Let me state that the power of BELIEF is indeed very powerful and can certainly make changes. Thats why there are some people in all "religions" that are successful, but it is Hit or Miss because they dont really understand the SCIENCE of behavior shaping. They just have times where one emotion is so strong that it allows them to change. Meditation is a system that one can cultivate to make the changes happen everytime, not hit or miss.
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Peace be upon you idolfree1,
I use meditation and have used it for over thirty years. The way the ritual Salat is conducted adds a physical dimension to it, not unlike tai chi.
May I also remind you that dhikr is meditation, where you use as mentra some scriptural wording which you repeat over and over, it is indeed very meditative in nature.
Allah has left it for us to decide what is most appropriate in our circumstances (as far as non ritual prayer is concerned).
In any event I have never seen someone approaching meditation who is not ready for a change...
You have to be ready for a change to be able to change. Like the alcoholic, if he does not acknowledge he has a problem, he will never be able to do something about it.
As for the ritual prayer, so many people have been brought up with it, so look at it as an imposition, so no wonder they will resist it.
They do not look at it as a device to get closer to their Creator, furthermore they do not know much about their Creator as they do not read the Quran...
Have a nice life dude -
I though only allah was master in islam mister!
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Peace be upon you Noble,
I use meditation and have used it for over thirty years.
Excellent. However many people when they speak of meditation only speak of going into a deep trance state for relaxation, lower blood pressure, etc. Most do not enter that state , then use the verbal thinking and imagination to run through scenarios that will change the automatic responses.
The way the ritual Salat is conducted adds a physical dimension to it, not unlike tai chi.
I wont disagree to that, but the God wants us to be STILL, because that will get us to the deepest trance. Thats why in emergencey when can do it while moving(walking , riding) , but ordinarilly we must be STILL. We cannot relax totally if we are still in motion.
May I also remind you that dhikr is mediation, where you use as mentra some scriptural wording which you repeat over and over, it is indeed very meditative in nature.
I agree.
Allah has left it for us to decide what is most appropriate in our circumstances (as far as non ritual prayer is concerned).
In any event I have never seen someone approaching meditation who is not ready for a change...
You have to be ready for a change to be able to change. Like the alcoholic, if he does not acknowledge he has a problem, he will never be able to do something about it.
As for the ritual prayer, so many people have been brought up with it, so look at it as an imposition, so no wonder they will resist it.
They do not look at it as a device to get closer to their Creator, furthermore they do not know much about their Creator as they do not read the Quran...
Have a nice life dudeI didnt understand what you were saying here at the end. It is not necessary to keep ending posts with "have a nice life" if we would not be talking anymore. Please refrain from getting angry, this is only a discussion between us to see if we can come to a better understanding. As moderator I had to give you a warning about he words you were using. Do not let that build a barrier between us where we cant continue to discuss.