The Power of Prayer Research Project: A Study of Prayer

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Tariq Mahmood, Toronto, Canada

As depression and anxiety levels continue to skyrocket across the world, opinions fly forth from all directions in an effort to solve the issue of mental health. There are some who propose that physical health is the answer to spiritual health, while others argue that meditation might lead one out of the pitfalls of depression, not to mention the seemingly endless alternatives.

Experts will often propose a combination of different habits, but the crux of the issue still plagues us: we find ourselves living in a world of endless distractions; a world where the 21^st-century human may search for ‘Steps towards good mental health’ and find thousands of videos, hundreds of best-sellers, and countless philosophies that claim they outshine the rest. However, for thousands of years, every major religion has proposed the exact same solution: a solution which combines mindful meditation with physical exercise and wilful action:

Prayer.

The Power of Prayer Research Project

It was in pursuit of this very method’s veracity that that a team of researchers in Australia came together to ascertain the efficacy of prayer, specifically regarding depression, anxiety, and stress. The project, led by Dr Bushra Nasir of the University of Queensland, aimed to ‘explore the many facets of Dhikr-ullah, the Islamic method of remembrance of Allah, with a special emphasis on the Islamic formal prayer known as Salat, and how it can contribute to the overall wellbeing of an individual.’ 

In cooperation with Imam Atae Rabbi Hadi of Queensland, Australia, the project was launched with seven participants. The experiment was conducted in the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan. Although Muslims observe Ramadan as usual during these last ten days, they can opt into a special spiritual retreat known as I’tikaf. During this optional event, a Muslim must live in the mosque, maintain minimal contact with their relatives, and must dedicatedly focus on their relationship with God Almighty.

A Look into the Study

The seven participants of the ‘Power of Prayer Research Project’ arrived the day before I’tikaf with their hearts on their sleeves, ready to give whatever they had. In pre-project reports, they experienced ‘mild to moderate levels of stress, depression, and anxiety prior to participating.’ (In essence, they reported elevated levels of these three markers.)

They shared real examples of this during recording sessions. One participant shared an all-too-familiar feeling before this I’tikaf. He explained how he convinces himself that he’ll perform an action after he scrolls social media for five minutes: ‘After what only feels like minutes, I realise that I’ve spent hours wasting time on my phone and being unproductive.’

Dr Bushra elucidates this dangerous habit, 

‘We can also become victims of unconscious living…when we lose the ability to think consciously and remain mindful of our thoughts, our emotions and actions, because we’re so caught up chasing materialistic pursuits and following our daily lives…We end up living on autopilot.’

In reality, unconscious living continues to deplete the pleasure and satisfaction that humans would typically feel in life, and replaces it with powerful, yet very negative, feelings. These stresses come to people as they lie awake at night due to financial problems, or as they scroll videos to distract themselves from tomorrow’s exam. The constant feeling of anxiety creeps up on parents as they strive to control their anger with their kids, and sits atop the shoulders of employees as they struggle to meet deadlines.

The Effects of Prayer

So, what happens to individuals who channel all their depression, anxiety, and stress into prayer? The results showed that ‘All participants demonstrated normal levels of stress, depression, and anxiety immediately after this intervention, demonstrating its impact. Despite a slight increase over time, participants did not return to the levels of depression, anxiety and stress experienced prior to the intervention.’

As the ten-day retreat yielded spectacular benefits, every participant recounted his own unique experience. Contrasting his stress before and after this project, one participant says,

‘Before the experience, sometimes my stress would get so high that it would cripple me. I would be so stressed, I just sit on the spot and I just don’t know what to do…There’s so much on my mind; I just don’t know what to take care of first. But because of this experience, I’ve learned that I can always rely on Allah.’

Whereas this participant spoke about the ability to cope with stress, another spoke about mindfulness and conscious living:

‘I’tikaf has really helped me definitely with…cutting off all the external distractions and focusing on being mindful, praying…pondering over your life, contemplating on where you were wrong and what you could do better…It really has helped me put my life and my mindset in perspective of what I actually want to do with my life, where I want to be, what I want to achieve, and what mindset I want to have now.’

This introspection afforded by prayer has shown to be a great method of decreasing stress. Many participants described meaningful epiphanies and realisations, which are otherwise very hard to coax out of humans. 

Above all, many participants reported a much stronger connection with God Almighty. As one participant notes,

‘My frequency in prayer has improved Alhamdulillah [all praise belongs to Allah], not from compulsion but a fundamental understanding that there exists in prayer the benefits required for the continued sustenance of man and depriving the self of that is a retrograde digression.’ 

Another participant outlined how he relapsed back into old habits right after returning home but quickly regained control. He attributed this discipline to the knowledge he gained from the Imam and the reading material during the project, thus showcasing the importance of knowledge, so that one may act upon it. 

These participants experience the bright future that any individual could have if they decided to change their lives with prayer. Every person looks for a moment in their lives when they can heal their wounds, strengthen their discipline and achieve their goals, but most simply don’t know how. This study offered a glimpse into the power of prayer when one asks the Lord of the universe for help, and receives an answer. They gain mastery over the art of mental health and become bastions of positivity for others.

We as humans must always set our sights on this lofty goal, in hopes that we might prevail over the darkest recesses of our own minds, and may one day achieve both mental fortitude and spiritual strength. This project gives us insight into how we too may launch our own action plan within the month of Ramadan, and how we can bring about the single most important change within our lives: a change which will allow us to love ourselves, others, and our Creator.

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About the Author: Tariq Mahmood is an Imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Canada and serves on the editorial board of The Review of Religions.

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