Besides being one of the five pillars of Islam and an obligation on every muslim, why do we observe the 5 daily salah?

Every muslim knows that Allah s.w.t is free of need. He does not need us to pray to Him. So why did He prescribe 5 daily prayers for us? One of the names of Allah is Most Merciful, like everything else He has asked us to do, salah is one of is mercies towards his slaves and has many benefits for us.

1. Mental benefits

Mental wellness has been in the news and the topic of discussion everywhere nowadays. I think, as species, we have recognized the fact that human beings are vulnerable to many mental illness; And it doesn't matter if someone is rich or poor, married or not, is surrounded by people or is alone, anyone can be susceptible to depression and anxiety.

anxiety is defined as: "a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome."

and depression is defined as: "feelings of severe despondency (a state of low spirits caused by loss of hope or courage.) and dejection (a sad and depressed state; low spirits)."

Keeping these definitions in mind, Allah s.w.t has asked us 5 times a day to give him all our worries. He has reminded us in the Quran to ask him for help and he will respond.

Just focusing on the prayer and paying attention to the verses of the quran we read during salah takes our mind away from any problems we might be facing. Allah s.w.t has truly blessed us with the daily prayers.

2. Health benefits

Secondly, let's look at the health problems that comes with being inactive. We are increasingly pushed away from physical work and most of us today work in an office environment. We get little to no activity, be it at the office or at home. Science is very clear about the health detriments of inactivity. Here are a few examples:

• Obesity
• Heart diseases, including coronary artery disease and heart attack
  
• High blood pressure and high cholesterol
  
• Stroke
• Type 2 diabetes
  
• Certain cancers, including colon, breast, and uterine cancers
  
• Osteoporosis
  
• increased feelings of depression and anxiety
  

The 5 daily prayers are spread out throughout the day on specific times. The process of wudu (The Islamic procedure for cleansing parts of the body - ablution.) and then going through the motions of praying. Which requires the entire body movements multiple times during each salah, actually breaks our inactivity patterns and makes sure that we stay active throughout the day.

in conclusion, Allah's mercy is evident everywhere we look, but the five daily prayers is one of the strongest arguments for His Mercy.

May Allah grant all of us understanding and He knows best.