Salah as a Path to Well-Being for Muslim Students: A Review

Abstract

Contemplative practices have gained considerable attention for their potential in promoting overall well-being. Among Muslims, Prayer (Salah) serves as the main source of contemplative practice, and it has been shown to have multiple mental health benefits. Despite being deeply rooted in the daily life of Muslims, the impact of Prayer (Salah) on the well-being of Muslim students in higher education remains underexplored, highlighting a clear gap in the literature, particularly regarding longitudinal, cross-cultural, and experimental evidence of the distinct psychological effects of Prayer (Salah). This review aims to examine the role of Prayer (Salah) in enhancing the well-being of Muslim students by synthesizing insights from recent empirical research, using the literature review methodology. The findings indicate that Prayer (Salah), as a faith-based contemplative practice, plays a significant role in the well-being of Muslim students by enhancing emotional regulation, subjective well-being, optimism, mindfulness, stress management, and resilience. Moreover, Prayer (Salah) functions as both a spiritual practice and as an effective coping mechanism, supporting holistic mental health. This review underscores the practical implications for integrating Prayer (Salah) with evidence-based mental health interventions and recommends future research employing rigorous methodologies, mediation and moderation analyses, and standardized measures to deepen understanding of Prayer’s influence on student well-being.