Does the Prayer (Salah) Avert Calamaties?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Does the prayer (salah) avert calamaties?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

All obedience to Allah Most High is a protection from harm. The obligatory acts, such as prayer, fasting, and zakat, are especially profound means of protection.

Allah Most High says, “Seek assistance through patience and prayer…” [Quran; 2:45]

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) said, “I never came to the mosque early except that I would find the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) praying. He prayed and then said, “Does your stomach bother you?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “Stand and prayer. For indeed, there is a cure in prayer.” [Ahmad]

Imam al-Munawi (Allah be pleased with him) said regarding this narration that (the prayer is a cure) from spiritual and physical sicknesses, worries, and anxieties… For this reason, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) would hasten to the prayer whenever a matter would concern him. The prayer is a means of receiving provisions, preserving health, averting harms, preventing sickness, strengthening the hearts, bring joy to the soul, removing laziness, invigorating the limbs, increasing strength, expanding the heart, nourishing the spirit, illuminating the heart, radiating the face, preserving blessings, averting tribulations, procuring blessing, casting away Satan, drawing near to the Merciful. In summary, prayer has an amazing effect in preserving the health of the heart and body… The secret is that it is a connection between the servant and his Lord to the extent of that connection goodness and blessings are opened upon them and tribulation is averted. [Munawi, Faid al-Qadir]

Hope this helps

Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.