The hikmah of SUJUD

As the azan from the masjids echoes in the sky, the faithful make their way to answer to the call to prayer. Wuduk is taken and they congregates in obedience to perform the obligatory daily prayers or solat.

Every movement of the solat from the takbir, ruku’ and sujud are carefully recorded by the malaikat or angels surrounding each mukminin and mukminat. The ones who benefit most from these prayers are the ones who dutifully and sincerely perform them.

The sujud or prostration is the action most focused upon by many of the ulamak for it signifies 2 things – the physical aspect of sujud which is done in prayer as well as the spiritual act of recognizing the Oneness of Allah.

It is said that the time of sujud is the best time of supplication for it is at this point when the person is closest to his Creator. It is also at this juncture where the slave feels humble in front of the Almighty and all forms of arrogance and pride are diminished. This is the reason why Rasulullah himself made lengthy prostrations which his sahabah observed and followed suit.

At the time of the sujud, while reciting "SUHANA RABBIYAL A'ALA WA BIHAMDIH" (How Perfect My Lord Is, The Most High, And I Praise You) one experiences calmness of the self as the oxygen and the blood supply to the brain increases.

Medical records have also proven that prostration is the only physical act where every part of our brain receives a maximal supply of blood. Thus, it refreshes one’s mind and helps to activate the brain cells.

Now you know why the ulamak have the sharpest minds and strongest memory to store all the knowledge that has been passed down to them. Other hikmah of sujud include :

• Helping to improve the respiratory system and clear the lungs from excessive fluids
• Strengthening the pelvic bones as well as the uterus
• Being a natural analgesic (painkiller) for it eases pain especially for those who are slowly recovering from appendicitis
• The rhythmic movements of going down to sujud and sitting upright again relaxes the muscles around the shoulders, chest, neck as well as the stomach, helping to strengthen them and improve their elasticity
• Studies have shown that the act itself helps breakdown fat in the body especially in the stomach
• Inducing sleep

Mathematically speaking : Each Muslims performs the 5 obligatory solat/day (not counting the solat sunnat which is encouraged but not obligatory). And each solat has various number of rakaat with Subuh 2 rakaat, Dzohor 4 rakaat, Asar 4 rakaat, Maghrib 3 rakaat and Isyak 4 rakaat, which totals up to 17 rakaat/day. If there’re 2 sujud for each rakaat, then multiplying 17 by 2 = 34 sujuds/day.

Of course, the most important issue of all when it comes to sujud is concentration, and complete submission to Allah, not just how many times you sujud per day. The intention should always be to perform it solely for the sake of Allah and not for any other purpose.

As with other ibadah, everything that has been ordained in the Quran and Sunnah has tremendous benefit if we do it sincerely. The next time your forehead touches the prayer mat, remember the immense goodness sujud brings us in this world as well as in the Hereafter.

It is said that the place of sujud will be raised up with us on the Day of Judgement as proof of our humbleness to the One who is Almighty, Most High and Most Powerful.