A review of the literature on the health benefits of Salat (Islamic prayer).

INTRODUCTION Recent studies explored the association between health and religious practice/spirituality. Several studies revealed that religious commitment and spirituality are generally associated with better health outcomes. Throughout the world, millions of Muslims perform salat (prayer) regularly five times a day. Salat is not only a physical activity but involves recitations of various Quranic verses and performance of certain postural positions. Several studies showed that salat does have positive effects on health status. This review aims to investigate the effects of Islamic salat on general health. METHODS A series of searches were conducted of Medline databases published in English between 1966 and October 2020 with the following keywords: Prayer, salat, health, and Islam. RESULTS Several positive effects of salat on health were identified. These include: psychological, neurological, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal effects. CONCLUSION Salat is a non-pharmacological intervention and resource, and may be included in the holistic care and rehabilitation program aimed at the well-being of patients.