Islamic prayers are ROBOTIC, devoid of any spirituality or meaning. It's just the same robotic movements each time. If there was a creator for this universe why the hell would he demand such a boring repetition to get closer to him?
Anyhow, Islamic preachers claim that 5 times daily prayers bring a lot of benefits with it.
But contrary to this claim, there is no doubt that 5 times daily prayer causes mental stress.
All ex-Muslims could confirm it to you with certainty, especially those, who were very religious and used to offer their 5 times daily prayers regularly.
Islamic preachers claim that prayer is like exercise for a human body
Muslims claim that sit-ups and prostration in prayer are like exercise and it makes the flow of blood faster. But this Muslim claim is not correct while:
- Only that exercise benefits the human body, which is done at the right time. But if you take your meal, and then start doing sit-ups and prostration, then it will only harm the body instead of benefiting it.
- Instead of wasting many hours in the congregational 5 times daily prayers, if a person goes out for walking for 15 to 20 minutes in the fresh air, then it will cause many times more blood flow as compared to 5 times daily prayers.
- Other proper body exercises and Yoga could also increase the blood flow many times more than the sit-ups of the 5 times daily prayers.
- That is why people in Western countries are fitter, while they go out for walks in the fresh air and do proper exercises in the gym. People in atheist countries like China and Japan live much longer than people in Islamic countries while they go out for walks and do other effective exercises, that had been developed by humans themselves.
Muslim Claim: 5 times daily prayer helps in Meditation
This claim is also not correct, while the first rule of meditation is to sit in a comfortable position, without any movements, and to concentrate fully on meditation. You will never see any person meditating while standing and doing sit-ups. All these movements in prayer cause an end to any meditation.
Most Muslims are non-Arabs. Therefore, they don’t even understand what they recite during the prayers. While in order to do the meditation, you have to give instructions to your mind in your mother language.
Wastage of Time due to the 5 times daily Prayers
If you go to the mosques 5 times daily, and then do “Wudu” (i.e. Ablution), and then attend the congregational prayers, and then offer your Sunnat and Nafl and Witr prayers too, and then ask Duas (your wishes) from Allah after every prayer, then you are losing about 2 hours daily for your 5 times prayers.
As a student, you are losing a lot of time. You hear Adhan, and your concentration ends from your studies, and now you are under stress to run to the mosque for the congregational prayer.
And if you are a worker in a factory or office, again you are going to waste the time of factor/office for your congregational prayer in the mosque.
Although there is full religious liberty in the West, but still when Muslim workers waste time in factories/offices in the name of 5 daily prayers, then it causes a lot of anger while Islam is such a non-practical religion.
Muslim Claim: They feel calmer after offering the prayer
Again, this claim of becoming calmer after prayer is not true.
The reality is this, when I was a Muslim, then I always got stressed after hearing the voice of Adhan that I had to run towards the mosque at the right time, in order to get the congregational prayer. And I feared if I didn’t plan it correctly, then I would miss my prayer, and I would have to pray it later as a Qadha prayer, but Allah doesn't allow Qadha prayer without very serious reasons etc.
All that planning and fear caused a lot of mental stress every time I heard the voice of Adhan. And that mental stress didn’t go away till I finished my prayer. And once I had finished with my prayer, I felt calmer.
Therefore, prayer itself didn’t provide any tranquillity on its own, but in reality, that calming effect is felt while after offering the prayer, that mental stress goes away which has been caused by the prayer itself.
Prayers are like TASKS, and till the time task has not been achieved, you could not come to a state of peace.
Therefore, after leaving Islam, there was absolutely no mental stress there, and I feel peace and calm all the time.
Sleep disturbances due to morning prayer
Often people are unable to get enough sleep due to the morning prayers.
Especially in summer, they had to get up as early as 4 o’clock and then run towards the mosque for congregational prayer.
If you don’t get enough sleep, then you will be in a bad mood all day long.
Less time for the family in the evening
A person works all day long. But in the evening, he again has to leave his family twice and to run towards the mosque firstly for the Maghrib prayer, and then later for the 'Isha prayer.
Sexual life is also affected
According to Islam, if you have sex with your wife, then you have to take a whole body bath before the prayer. This often becomes a problem. For example, you have to calculate the time in the noon for Dhuhr and 'Asr prayers (i.e. when congregational prayer takes place in the mosque. You have to finish enjoying the sex at the right time to take a bath afterwards and then to run to the mosque for the prayers).
Sex life in the evening and at night is disturbed by Maghrib and 'Isha prayer.
But the biggest problems are faced in the morning sex. It is very difficult to get up so early in the morning to have sex, and then to take a bath, and then to run towards the mosque and join the congregational prayer at the right time.
And even if you return to your bed after you have offered your morning prayer, then there is no guarantee that you will feel that same sex desire anymore.
Hassan Radwan