Why we should offer namaz and How namaz is related to our self existence - A psychological perspective
In childhood we've been told that Skipping namaz is a "gunaah" and offering namaz is "sawaab" which is quite true though. But as we grow old, it's important to know if namaz has anything to do more than just "gunaah - sawaab"
As we all know that God sent us here in this world for a small amount of time and then we'll surely return to him. But as we begin our life in this world and when we grow, this idea is somewhere lost or if not lost then atleast get faded. By receiving uncontrolled heavy dose of stimulus from society day and night we tend to forget the reality. The idea of our reality as a divine soul then transforms into a personality. We start to see ourselves as personality who has overwhelming burden to achieve high success in this world to prove its worth to others.
It's human nature to impress those to whom he has attached himself to. For example, a lover is willing to do anything for his beloved, so an ambitious employee to his boss, so is parents to its family, so is people in general to society. Well, pursuit of pleasing and impressing others has never been a peaceful deal. In this desire of being inline with societal norms and our desire to achieve something beyond our limits often results in lots of disappointments. In this effort, we slightly start to loose ourselves. We get too much involved in these socially constructed realities that we often tend to forget ultimate reality.
At the time of identity crisis, i.e. a period of uncertainty and confusion in which our identity becomes insecure, typically due to a change in their expected aims or role in society, namaz plays a crucial role in reminding us our reality that we are a greater creation and were not created just to get used by the world to satisfy its norms. As Iqbal said :
_"Na tu Zameen ke liye hai, Na Aasman ke liye
Jahaan hai Tere liye, Tu nahi Jahaan ke liye"_
But when we start loosing namaz or taking it as just a custom, we start getting far from our reality and eventually loosing ourselves. How merciful is God that he made it obligatory to offer namaz at their fixed hour so that somehow we manage to make time for it and ultimately not loose ourselves.
The beauty of namaz is that it continuously keeps to remind us our reality that why we are sent to this world and what's our destination. As iqbal said :
_"Isi Roz o Shab me Ulajh kar na reh ja,
Ke tere Zamaan o Makaa'n aur bhi hain"_
No matter how happy we're, it reminds us that we're soon going to stand in front of our lord and will be held accountable for our deeds. Namaz never lets us fell into ignorance or heedless from our actions.
No matter how broken we're, it reminds us that there's already existing a beautiful and eternal place whose just once glance is enough to made us forgot about all our worries. Namaz never let us down even when the whole world seems against us.
It reminds us that it doesn't matter what the world thinks of us or calls us. It's all going to vanish soon, and it's only our intention and deeds which is going to play important role in our final destination.
It reminds us that, we need not to be puppet of our boss as he is not the source of our provision, we need not to beg for attention from our beloved mate every then and now as he/she is not the source of our comfort, we need not follow every unethical norms of society as our society is not the source of our respect. They are only means, but in reality it's only God who's capable of giving us everything we ever need or desire. As iqbal said :
_"Wo Ek Sajda jise tu gira'n samjhta hai,
Hazaar sajdo'n se deta hai Aadmi ko Najaat"_
As namaz has immense benefits so it's also important to offer namaz properly to claim more of its benefits i.e. offering namaz in a way that atleast we know the meaning of what we're reciting in it. A very basic knowledge of arabic can add a huge value to our namaz. Then it becomes more like an interesting conversation rather just a duty.
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