Salaam Minara Family,
The world is always moving. Fact. Flickering screens, racing hearts, humming notifications against our palms.
And even when we stand to pray, we carry that restlessness with us: rushing from bowing to standing, from sujood to salaam - as if the faster we finish, the sooner we can return to our hurry.
Oh the irony!
But the Prophet ﷺ taught us a different pace - the gentle art of tuma’ninah.
طمأنينة
Let your gaze linger awhile on the Arabic - we think there is such softness to it!
When the Prophet ﷺ prayed, his companions [Allah be pleased with them] said he was so tranquil that each position seemed to have its own heartbeat. He would pause in ruku’ long enough for the praise to take root. He would stand after bowing until every muscle returned to its place. He would rest between prostrations, as if tasting the sweetness of surrender before moving again.
“Pray as you have seen me pray,” he said.
And he ﷺ called this stillness - this beautifully unhurried pause - not an embellishment, but an essential part of Salah.
Now imagine what might happen if we reclaimed it.
Just imagine…
If, instead of racing through the motions, we allowed each position to be a refuge.
We savoured each moment as one to breathe, to meet Allah without haste, to let the body and soul arrive fully together.
no running here!
This is tuma’ninah: a sunnah that truly slows time.
A bit of a longer hadith but it’s a good one!
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Once the Prophet ﷺ entered the mosque, a man came in, offered the prayer and greeted the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ returned his greeting and said to him, "Go back and pray again for you have not prayed."
So the man offered the prayer again, returned and once again greeted the Prophet ﷺ.
The Prophet ﷺ said to him for third time, "Go back and pray again for you have not prayed."
Confused, the man replied, "By Him Who has sent you with the truth! I do not know a better way of praying. Kindly teach me how to pray."
He ﷺ advised, "When you stand for the prayer, say Takbir and then recite from the Qur'an what you know and then bow with calmness till you feel at ease, then rise from bowing till you stand straight. Next, prostrate calmly till you feel at ease and then raise (your head) and sit with calmness till you feel at ease and then prostrate with calmness till you feel at ease in prostration and do the same in the whole of your prayer."
This week, when you stand for prayer, try it:
After ruku’, pause. Feel your spine rise like a tree finding the sky.
Between the two sujood, linger. Let your breath catch up with your heart.
When you sit before the closing salaam, rest in the hope of the validity of your prayer.
Let’s Not Get All Neuroscience-ical About it!
No, actually. Let’s!
Modern neuroscience proves what the Prophet ﷺ taught centuries ago: that moments of intentional stillness [case in point: tuma’ninah] not only calm the spirit but literally rewire the brain.
When you pause between movements in prayer, you’re engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for your body’s “rest and digest” response. Studies have shown that slowing your breath and holding still - even for a few seconds - reduces levels of cortisol, the stress hormone that keeps us in a state of hypervigilance.
Psychologists also speak of micro-moments of mindfulness: small, deliberate pauses in the day when we fully attend to the present moment. Research from Harvard and other institutions suggests that these micro-moments can:
Lower heart rate and blood pressure
Improve emotional regulation
Increase activity in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for focus and decision-making
Reduce rumination, the cycle of overthinking and worry
When we practice stillness in Salah, we are creating these micro-moments of mindfulness, except they are suffused with spiritual intention [niyyah] and the remembrance of Allah [dhikr]. No ordinary relaxation here folks; this is relaxation in the luxury package!
From a psychological perspective, tuma’ninah also engages interoception - the ability to sense what’s happening inside our bodies. By pausing and feeling your heart slow, your lungs expand, your muscles settle, you are re-anchoring your awareness in the body instead of letting your thoughts scatter. For people living in the constant overstimulation of modern life, this embodied awareness can be profoundly healing.
One could say that the stillness between the movements is like an active neural reset. A chance to shift from reactivity to receptivity, from mental noise to sacred attention.
In the end, salah becomes a sanctuary of mind; a laboratory for reconditioning the heart and mind to dwell in calm trust rather than anxious striving.
This is your reminder for the week: slowing down is not a waste of time - it is a return to the fitrah, the natural state of presence and connection to Allah.
Action Point:
This week, choose one of your daily prayers - like Maghreb or ‘Isha - and make it your “stillness prayer.”
In each position (ruku’, sujood, sitting), pause just long enough to feel completely settled before moving on.
Ask yourself: “Am I at ease?” If not, breathe, soften your shoulders, and wait another moment.
Focus on tuma’ninah - the calmness the Prophet ﷺ described - as an essential part of your prayer, not an extra.
Try this for a few days and notice how it transforms both your focus and your sense of peace.
And as always, stay blessed friends 🤍.
Love and du’as,
The Minara Team
