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.