Khushu' (Concentration) in Salaah

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What is Khushu?

 

Khushūʿ is one of the actions of the heart. Linguistically, khushūʿ means to sink, to be low, to be subservient and to be still. Technically, it refers to the heart that stands with complete humility, lowliness and full concentration towards Allah. Khushūʿ resides within the heart and is manifested through the limbs and organs.

With khushūʿ your heart softens, becomes still, and humbles itself to its Lord. Your heart submits and focuses on Allah to such a degree that everything else retreats into insignificance. Your limbs and organs then follow the heart and they too are humbled. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “There is a lump of flesh in the body: if it is sound, the whole body will be sound but if it is corrupt, the whole body will be corrupt. Truly, it is the heart” (Bukhārī).

A humble heart results in the humbling of the ears, eyes, head and face. This is why the Prophet ﷺ would say in his rukūʿ, “My hearing, sight, mind, bones, and nerves are humbled to You” (Muslim). Your hearing submits to Allah and you only listen to what He has permitted. Your eyes do not glance at the ḥarām. Every interior and exterior part of your body humbles itself and obeys its Creator.

Khushūʿ extinguishes the ‘fires’ of lust and desire, and illuminates your heart with the ‘light’ of Allah’s greatness. You become fully aware that Allah is looking at you, and this fills your heart with His reverence.

Khushu: In and Outside Your Salah

Although the focus of this series is khushūʿ within ṣalāh, it is important to note that you should also strive to experience khushūʿ outside of ṣalāh. Imām al-Ghazālī (raḥimahullāh) described khushūʿ as the fruit of īmān and the result of a firm conviction in the greatness of Allah. If you are blessed with this, you will enjoy khushūʿ in and outside of ṣalāh – even when alone and away from others. Continuously remembering that Allah sees you, being in awe of His greatness, and recognising your own deficiencies will lead to a constant state of khushūʿ.

Khushūʿ is a state in which you constantly weigh up your sins against the greatness of Allah, leaving you overwhelmed with humility and a desperate need for Him.

Khushūʿ magnifies and multiplies the rewards of good deeds. Ibn Taymiyyah (raḥimahullāh) explains that even though there is a great reward in reciting Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ (as it equates to one third of the Qur’ān), if one was to read any other āyah with khushūʿ, the reward of it would be greater.

The Quickest Route to Allah’s Pleasure

Khushūʿ is one of the easiest and quickest routes to attaining the pleasure of Allah. One of the pious predecessors said, “I have tried coming closer to Allah by entering all the doors of worship. But every time I came close to a door, I found that it was crowded with people; thus, I was unable to enter until I approached the door of humility and desperate need for Him. I found that it was in fact the nearest and widest of all doors to Allāh; there were not any crowds at it nor were there any barriers. As soon as I placed my foot inside, He took my hand and admitted me inside.”

“Khushūʿ is the humility of the heart and the subservience of the limbs and organs.”

[ʿAṭā’ al-Khurāsānī (raḥimahullāh)]

Source

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The Importance of Khushu in Salah

 

Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā) says:

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ، الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى صَلَاتِهِمْ خَـٰشِعُونَ

“Successful indeed are the believers, who are humble in their ṣalāh…” (23:1-2).

The above āyāt mark the beginning of Sūrah al-Mu’minūn. In these āyāt, Allah describes the qualities of the successful believers. The passage starts off by mentioning those ‘who are humble in their ṣalah’, and ends with the ninth āyah mentioning those ‘who consistently maintain their prayers’. Thus, ṣalāḥ features in both the beginning and the end of the list, demonstrating its great significance.

Ibn Kathīr (raḥimahullāh) explained this āyah: “Khushūʿ (humility) in ṣalāh is only attained by the one who has completely emptied his heart for it, who fully occupies himself for it and does not pay attention to anything else besides it, and who prioritises it over everything else. At that point it becomes a source of comfort and intense joy.”

Establishing Salah

Similarly, Allah says,

وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَوٰةَ

“…and they establish ṣalāh” (2:3).

The use of the word iqāmah (to ‘establish’ the prayer) is significant. The words ‘do’ or ‘perform’ ṣalāh have not been used here since it is not sufficient to complete just the outward motions. However, when you ‘establish’ ṣalāh, you complete both the inner and outer aspects of this noble worship. The outer aspects involve carrying out its pillars, obligatory acts and prerequisites; whilst the inner aspects refer to attaining the essence of ṣalāh, namely, khushūʿ. These acts should be conducted in tandem with pondering on the meaning of the utterances and actions during ṣalāh. (Adapted from Tafsīr al-Saʿdī)

Khushu: The First Loss of the Ummah

The Prophet ﷺ stated, “The first thing to be lifted from this ummah will be khushūʿ, until you will not find anyone with khushūʿ” (Ṭabarānī).

Ḥudhayfah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) said, “The first thing you will lose of your religion will be khushūʿ and the last thing you will lose of your religion will be ṣalāh. There may be a person praying yet there is no goodness in him. Soon a time will come when you will enter a large Masjid and not see a single person with khushūʿ in it.”

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Indeed a person may pray for sixty years, yet not a single ṣalāh of his will be accepted. Perhaps he perfected the rukūʿ but not the sujūd, or he perfected the sujūd but not the rukūʿ” (Ibn Abī Shaybah).

“Two rakʿahs with contemplation are better than standing up for the entire night with an inattentive heart.” – ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAbbās (radiy Allāhu ʿanhumā)

Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) compared khushūʿ in ṣalāh to the soul in the body. When the soul leaves the body, the body dies. Similarly, without khushūʿ the ṣalāh lacks its soul, spirit and essence. Likewise, praying ṣalāh without khushūʿ is like gifting a dead servant to a king. He then writes, “Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā) will neither accept it nor reward him for it, even if the obligation (of ṣalāh) has been legally fulfilled.”

Once Imām al-Bukhārī (raḥimahullāh) was praying and a wasp stung him 17 times. On completing his ṣalāh, he said, “Look at what troubled me during my ṣalāh.” They looked and found that the wasp had stung him in 17 parts of his body. Despite this, he carried on praying. It has been said that this was a voluntary prayer after Ẓuhr. After he finished praying, it was said to him, “Why did you not stop your ṣalāh when it started stinging you?” He replied, “I was reciting a sūrah and I wanted to complete it.”

Is It Not Enough That I Pray Five Times A Day?

“At least I’m praying.”
“I’m happy with where I am. I’m praying 5 times a day. I pray on time and I’m content with that.”

You should certainly feel happy and grateful that Allah (ʿazza wa jall) has granted you the gift of praying your farḍ prayers, particularly if you have previously been unable to do so.

However, this should not be enough. Even if the obligation of ṣalāh has legally been fulfilled, praying ṣalāh without khushūʿ will lead you to missing out on the essence of ṣalāh.

Imām al-Ghazālī (raḥimahullāh) wrote: “The goal of reciting the Qur’ān and the adhkār (in salāh) is praise, exaltation, asking and humility: and the One being addressed is Allah. However, whoever’s heart is covered by heedlessness is veiled from Him; thus, he does not see or experience consciousness of Him. He is heedless of the One to whom he is speaking with, and his tongue simply moves out of habit. How far is this from the purpose of prayer, which was ordained to purify the heart, renew the remembrance of Allah, and firmly tie the rope of īmān.”

In Sūrah al-Wāqiʿah, Allah (ʿazza wa jall) describes three groups of people: the people of the left (destined for Hell-fire), the people of the right (destined for Paradise), and finally the elite of Paradise (destined for the super-luxurious premium Paradise). It is this latter group who will be the closest to Allah, blessed to see Him most often, and have the Prophets and the Companions as their neighbours. They are the ‘Sābiqūn’ (the forerunners).

Your goal and duʿā’ in life should be that Allah (ʿazza wa jall) resurrects you amongst the Sābiqūn. If you wish to enjoy this premium Paradise in the hereafter, then your ṣalāh (and other acts of worship) should be of premium quality. An average or mediocre ṣalāh is not enough.

A believer always aims for the best. Thus, the Prophet ﷺ explained that when making duʿā’, ask Allah for al-Firdaws, because it is the highest Jannah (Bukhārī). He ﷺ also stated, “Indeed Allah loves that when one of you does something, he perfects it” (Ṭabarānī).

Do not become satisfied with the quantity and quality of your worship. Do not placate your inner self (nafs) with weak excuses! Do not believe that the ʿibādah you are doing is sufficient. Rather, reflect on your shortcomings, battle your nafs and ask Allah to make your ṣalāh like the ṣalāh of the Messenger ﷺ.

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The Virtues of Khushu in Salah

 

1. Achieving success in this world and the hereafter

In Sūrah al-M’uminūn, Allah mentions that the first trait of the successful is khushūʿ in ṣalāh. Allah says, “Successful indeed are the believers, who are humble in their ṣalāh” (23:1-2).

Thus, if you want true success, firstly, you must have īmān and secondly, you should perform ṣalāh with khushūʿ.

2. Becoming sin-free like a newborn

Amr b. ʿAbasah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrated a long ḥadīth in which he described the virtues of wuḍū’. He reported the Prophet ﷺ saying, “And if he stands to pray and praises Allah, extols Him and glorifies Him with what He is most deserving of; and shows wholehearted devotion to Allah, he will revert to being sinfree (as pure) as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him.”

ʿAmr b. ʿAbasah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) states that he heard this from the Prophet ﷺ more than seven times (Muslim).

3. Having previous sins forgiven

ʿUthmān (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) performed wuḍū’ and then said, “I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ perform wuḍū’ like this and he then said, ‘Whoever performs wuḍū’ like this wuḍū’ of mine, then performs two rakʿah of prayer during which he does not let his thoughts wander, Allah will forgive all of his previous sins’” (Bukhārī).

4. Earning a guarantee of Paradise

ʿUqbah b. ʿĀmir (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “If any Muslim performs wuḍū’, and does so properly, then stands and performs two rakʿah of prayer in which he focuses with his heart as well as his face [i.e. is not physically distracted], Paradise is guaranteed for him” (Muslim).

When ʿAbdullāh b. al-Zubayr (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) stood up to pray, he was described as being ‘like a stick (i.e. motionless) with khushūʿ’. Once, during the siege of the Kaʿbah, whilst he was prostrating, a catapult struck him and tore part of his garment, but he did not even raise his head!

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The Benefits of Khushuʿ in Salah

The benefits of khushūʿ are many. Along with transforming your ṣalāh, it will also transform your life.

1. Khushūʿ ensures ṣalāh is easy and beloved for the one praying

Allah says, “And seek help through patience and ṣalāḥ, and indeed, it is difficult except for those who have khushūʿ; those who are certain that they will meet their Lord and that they will return to Him” (Q2:45-6).

If your ṣalāh feels like a chore, it is because there is an absence of khushūʿ in your ṣalāh. Once you experience khushūʿ, your ṣalāh will transform into a source of comfort and joy. It will become something you continuously seek recourse in and cannot live without.

2. Khushūʿ in ṣalāh averts evil and prevents immorality

Allah says, “Recite (O Prophet) what is revealed to you of the Book, and establish ṣalāh. Surely ṣalāh restrains one from shameful and evil acts. Truly, the remembrance of Allah is the greatest of all things. Allah knows what you do” (29:45).

If you pray ṣalāh as it is ought to be prayed, fulfilling its conditions and with complete concentration and humility, your heart will become purified. Eventually your heart will become illuminated. Your īmān will increase. You will incline more to goodness and abhor evil.

Being able to restrain yourself from sins and shameful behaviour is not only one of the greatest fruits of ṣalāh, but is in fact one of its primary purposes.

If you have ever wondered why performing our five daily prayers does not stop us from evil sins, the answer lies in the quality of our ṣalāh: our ṣalāh is rushed, distracted and aimless, and so it does not purify us nor stop us from sinning.

Ṣalāh may be compared to bathing five times a day. If after such frequent bathing, our bodies remained dirty, we would question the usefulness of such bathing. Likewise, if our morals and actions remain corrupt despite praying five times a day, we have to question the usefulness of our ṣalāh. We have to ask ourselves: Is our ṣalāh changing us? Are we gaining from ṣalāh what we are supposed to be gaining?

3. Khushūʿ leads to crying out of the fear of Allah

Having complete khushūʿ will undoubtedly lead you to cry out of the fear of Allah. Crying in this manner is a great deed which can save you from the Hell-fire and admit you into Paradise.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “A man who wept out of the fear of Allah shall not enter the Fire until the milk returns to the udder [an impossibility]” (Tirmidhī)

Thābit al-Bunānī (raḥimahullāh) experienced pain in his eyes. The doctor said to him, “If you promise me one thing, you will get better.” Thābit asked him, “What is that?” The doctor said, “Don’t cry.” Thābit (raḥimahullāh) remarked, “What good is there in an eye if it does not cry?”

Like other acts of worship, crying privately is superior to crying publicly. Of the seven individuals who will be provided shade on the Day of Judgement – the day where there will be no shade except His shade – will be the person who remembered Allah in private, and then shed tears (Bukhārī).

4. Khushūʿ enhances your understanding of the essence of ṣalāh

Praying with khushūʿ leads you to realising and appreciating the true meaning of ṣalāh, namely the turning of the heart and the body towards Allah, and attaining closeness to Him by it.

5. Khushūʿ is the key to attaining closeness to Allah

Khushūʿ in ṣalāh gives you the pleasure of conversing with Allah. It increases your faith, softens your heart, distances you from the world, and makes you long for Allah and His closeness in the hereafter.

6. Khushūʿ in ṣalāh will ease the standing in front of Allah on the Day of Judgement

Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) wrote, “The slave of Allah stands in front of his Lord on two occasions: the first is when he stands in his ṣalāh and the second is when he will meet Him on the Day of Judgment. Whoever fulfils the rights of the first standing, the second standing will be made easy for him. And whoever belittles, neglects and does not fulfil the rights of the first standing (i.e. ṣalāh), the second standing will be made very difficult for him.”

7. Khushūʿ in ṣalāh solves your problems and removes anxiety

Allah says, “And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for those who have khushūʿ; those who are certain that they will meet their Lord and that they will return to Him” (2:45-6).

Similarly, Ḥudhayfah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrated, “Whenever anything distressed the Prophet ﷺ, he would pray” (Abū Dāwūd). Turning to prayer at times of difficulty was also the practice of the previous Prophets (Aḥmad).

“Shayṭan will not go near the person whose heart has khushūʿ.” – Sahl al-Tustarī (raḥimahullāh)

As cases of depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses rise, let us return to the prophetic remedy of resorting to ṣalāh. In addition to other forms of precautions and remedies, we should not underestimate the strength and healing power of ṣalāh.

8. Khushūʿ is the source of strength in your daily activities

Praying ṣalāh with khushūʿ will give you strength, enthusiasm and barakah (blessings) in your other daily activities. (See Q2:45 above). It will be your inspiration and the fuel in your journey to serve Allah and His religion.

“Let not your concern be the quantity of your actions. Rather, worry about perfecting them and doing them well; for a slave may be praying, but he is disobeying Allah in his ṣalāh.” – Wuhayb b. al-Ward (raḥimahullāh)

 

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Why Do We Lack Khushuʿ?

 

Numerous reasons exist for our lack of khushūʿ; generally, as a defect in our heart, and specifically, in our ṣalāh. These include:

1) Weak Īmān

Our īmān in Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is extremely weak. We claim to love Allah, yet we hardly know Him. We disobey Him day and night. We call ourselves ‘His slaves’, yet we choose to submit to the dunyā and our lowly desires. We turn to everything and everyone but Him.

Just as our īmān in Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is weak, our īmān in the hereafter is also weak. Though we believe in ‘death’, we delude ourselves into thinking that we have a long time left. We are ignorant of the hereafter. We are quick to describe Paradise and all its glory, but are uncomfortable discussing the perils of the Hell-fire, the terrors of the Day of Judgement or the punishment of the grave.

Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (raḥimahullāh) described the Companions (radiy Allāhu ʿanhum) as follows, “By Allah, looking at them was like looking at people who could see Paradise and Hell-fire right in front of their own eyes. By Allah, they were not people of argumentation or falsehood, nor did they find comfort in anything except the book of Allah, nor would they show that which was not in their hearts (they were genuine and not hypocritical).”

For the Companions (radiy Allāhu ʿanhum), Jannah was real. Jahannam was real.

2) Far from Allah (ʿazza wa jall) and Close to Sin

Although modernity has brought about its fair share of ease and benefits, it has also produced unprecedented challenges.

Firstly, we have become disconnected from the creation of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) and, by extension, from Him. By and large, we do not feel the need for God or a higher power. If something inside our home breaks down, we call a worker. If we feel hungry, a hot takeaway meal just requires a few swipes on our devices. Nearly every type of fruit or vegetable can be bought from the supermarket throughout the year. Our fast-paced life dictates that we no longer stop to witness and contemplate the greatness of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) and the manifestations of His power in our surroundings.

Secondly, we live in a world where immorality and sin have become widespread and glamourised. Actions that were socially unacceptable a mere half a century ago, even amongst non-Muslims, have now become commonplace for both non-Muslims and Muslims alike. A stark difference between today and the past is the ever-increasing number of ‘Muslims’ who try to ‘justify’ or make ‘ḥalāl’ what Allah (ʿazza wa jall) has clearly made ḥarām.

Thirdly, the advent of the internet, especially social media, has transformed society. Sins are no longer considered matters that one should be ashamed of; something which must be kept between oneself and Allah (ʿazza wa jall). Many of us brazenly expose our sins not just in public, but through online platforms seen and read by tens of thousands of users. Likewise, it has made certain sins very easy to access.

Millions of dollars have been spent on designing social media platforms to ensure that we become addicted to them. These platforms distract us from worship, hinder us from our social and familial responsibilities, and reduce our ability to focus. We feel pressured by social media to ‘share’ everything, including our good deeds. This leads us to doing good deeds for others instead of Allah (riyā’), self-admiration (ʿujb) and pride (kibr). All of the aforementioned diseases of the heart are completely at odds with humility, which is the essence of khushūʿ.

Social media has been designed to amplify the importance of one’s inner self (nafs). Conversely, khushūʿ and true servitude (ʿubudiyyah) require us to diminish our self-importance and venerate Allah (ʿazza wa jall). We must think the highest of Allah and be in awe of His greatness, while thinking of ourselves as insignificant. The less importance we attach to ourselves, the greater our awe and reverence (taʿẓīm) of Allah will be.

3) Love of the World

The love of the world (dunyā) is one of the major reasons for the weakness of our īmān. Success in today’s materialistic society is defined by how ‘rich’ or ‘famous’ you are. Despite our beautiful dīn having laid down the yardstick for success, we still buy into the corrupt dominant narrative. We strive hard to accumulate the riches of the dunyā, be it clothes or cars, luxury homes or the latest gadgets.

Enjoying such luxuries is not wrong nor is it a sin, however, it can develop into a wrong if it becomes our purpose in life. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Every ummah has a fitnah (trial), and the fitnah of my ummah is wealth” (Tirmidhī).

Imām al-Ghazālī (raḥimahullāh) calls the love of the world “the root of every shortcoming and the source of all corruption”. He states that when the love of the world enters the heart of the person to such an extent that he no longer takes provisions from it for the hereafter, he can no longer hope to experience the pure bliss of conversing with Allah (ʿazza wa jall) in ṣalāh.

This is because the person who experiences his joy in this world will not experience the joy of conversing with Allah. A man aspires to that which gives him joy and, if his joy is rooted in this world, then he will certainly aspire and work hard to attain that.

4) We Couldn’t Care Less: Hedonism and Apathy

We have lost sight of our purpose in life. No longer is our focus and goal in life to please and worship Allah (ʿazza wa jall). Along with rampant materialism, our lives are plagued with hedonism (where pleasure and satisfying one’s desires is the sole aim of human life) and apathy. Statements like YOLO (You Only Live Once), encourage us to ‘have as much fun as possible’. Endless entertainment is making us apathetic to the condition of our souls and the plight and suffering of humanity. One reason why we have lost khushūʿ in our lives is because ‘we couldn’t care less’. It doesn’t bother us. Allah (ʿazza wa jall) reminds us in Sūrah al-Ḥadīd:

“Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth” (57:16)?

Let us be like the great Companion ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar (radiy Allāhu ʿanhumā). He would cry upon hearing this āyah and respond by stating:

Certainly, my Lord! Certainly, My Lord!

Regret your past and make a firm resolve!

From this point onwards, regret your past sins. Regret your absence of khushūʿ. Cry over your distance from the One who has created you and is the Source of all your blessings. Resolve to turn a new leaf, both in how you conduct your life and in your ṣalāh. From today onwards, resolve to pray with khushūʿ through the tawfīq (divine accord) of Allah.

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How to Attain Khushuʿ 1:
Appreciate The Importance Of Salah

 

The first step to developing khushūʿ is to understand and appreciate the importance of ṣalāh itself.

After the obligation of attesting to the Oneness of Allah (tawḥīd), there is no greater commandment in Islam than ṣalāh.

Ṣalāh is the second pillar of Islam and the prime connection between a slave and his Master. It is the first act which he will be held accountable for on the Day of Judgement: if it is good, he will be saved and will succeed; if it is not good, he will be doomed and be amongst the losers.

Ṣalāh is the crucial factor that distinguishes the believers from the disbelievers. By preserving your ṣalāh, you are preserving your dīn. Maintaining your ṣalāh will give you a special light (nūr) in your heart, face and in your grave. On the Day of Judgement, your ṣalāh will come to your rescue and will be your special ‘light’. However, those who do not pray will find themselves with Firʿawn, Qārūn, Hāmān and Ubayy b. Khalaf: the worst of mankind.

Ṣalāh is the purification of the soul. It cleanses your sins and protects you from all harm. Ṣalāh is your oxygen, without which you will die. If you do not perform your ṣalāh, although you may be ‘alive’ in the physical sense, you are spiritually ‘dead’.

Ṣalāh is unique because it was made compulsory upon the Prophet ﷺ and his ummah during the Night Journey and Ascension (laylat al-isrā’ wal-miʿrāj). He personally received this commandment without any intermediaries from above the seven heavens.

Even on his deathbed, despite being weak and in agony, the Prophet ﷺ never forgot his ummah. He exhorted, “Ṣalāh, ṣalāh and your slaves.” These were his parting words and his final waṣiyyah (last will) to us.

ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAbbās (radiy Allāhu ʿanhumā) relates that when ʿUmar (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) – the second Caliph of Islam – was stabbed, he carried him to his house along with a group of Anṣārī men. Umar (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) remained unconscious until the morning. A man said, “You won’t be able to wake him up except through ṣalāh.” So they said to him, “Ṣalāh, O Leader of the Believers!” Upon hearing this, ʿUmar (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) opened his eyes and asked, “Have the people prayed?” When they answered in the affirmative, he said, “Indeed there is no share in Islām for the one who abandons ṣalāh.” He then performed ṣalāh whilst his wound was bleeding. (Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq)

Why Do We Perform Salah?

1. To fulfil the purpose of our life i.e. to worship Allah
2. To uphold the command of Allah
3. To remember Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā) and become closer to Him
4. To humble ourselves & express our need to Him
5. To appreciate and show gratitude to Allah
6. To converse privately with the Lord of the worlds
7. To separate ourselves from those in kufr (disbelief)
8. To safeguard ourselves from sins and evil deeds
9. To purify our souls
10. To earn magnificent rewards in this world & the hereafter
11. To have our sins forgiven
12. To renew our pledge with Allah and affirm our commitment to Him
13. To prevent our hearts from hardening
14. To acquire Allah’s happiness and love
15. To be given the opportunity to see Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā) in Jannah
16. To fill our lives with peace and comfort, and to help us when we are stressed, worried or feeling down

“When the slave rectifies two of his qualities, everything else will be rectified: (1) his ṣalāh and (2) his tongue.” – Yunus b. ʿUbayd (raḥimahullāh)

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How to Attain Khushuʿ 2:
Attain the Maʿrifah of Allah

 

One of the greatest means of attaining khushūʿ in ṣalāh is the maʿrifah of Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā).

Maʿrifah refers to a deep awareness and knowledge of Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā). The greater your knowledge of Allah, the greater the level of khushūʿ you will develop.

Knowledge of Allah is a prerequisite for worshipping Him. Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā) states, “I only created jinn and men so that they worship Me” (51:56). Worshipping Allah means submitting yourself to Him, humbling yourself to Him and loving Him. However, how can we love Him if we do not know Him?

“What does one know if one does not know Allah (ʿazza wa jall) and His Messenger (ṣall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam)? What truth has he recognised if this truth has eluded him? What knowledge has one gained and what action has one obtained if one has failed to know Allah, failed to act for His pleasure, failed to know the path to Him and failed to know what is in store for him once he reaches Him?” – Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh)

What should the maʿrifah of Allah lead to?

A deep awareness and knowledge of Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā) will make you shy of Allah, increase your love for Him and attach your heart to Him. You will be left in awe of Him and will always long to meet Him. You will repeatedly turn to Him broken in repentance. You will hastily run away from the creation to enjoy seclusion with Him.

Striving to attain these qualities is a continuous effort, and not a single struggle. It is a lifelong journey that will only end when we meet Him and He is pleased with us, inshāAllah.

“There is no life and no peace for the hearts unless they become deeply aware of their Creator, Lord and God through His Names, Attributes and Actions; and through this process (of getting to know Him), He becomes more beloved to them than everything else.” – Ibn Abī al-ʿIzz al-Ḥanafī (raḥimahullāh)

How can you attain the maʿrifah of Allah?

1) Through tadabbur:

Tadabbur is to reflect and ponder on the ‘āyāt’ (verses) of the Noble Qur’ān.

2) Through tafakkur:

Tafakkur is to reflect on the numerous ‘āyāt’ (signs) of Allah that surround us. Allah says, “We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth” (41:53).

The Qur’ānic verses (āyāt) continuously remind us of the many signs (āyāt). These include the sun, moon, stars, sky, rain, animals, mountains and the human being himself.

3) Through His Beautiful Names.

This is only possible through a deep understanding of Allah’s Excellent Names, their Majesty and their Perfection; and realising that He is the Only One to whom these Names belong.

Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) wrote, “The key to the daʿwah of the Messengers and the essence of their Message, is knowing Allah through His Names, His Attributes, and His Actions. This is the foundation which the rest of the Message, from beginning to end, is based upon.”

Allah said, “To Allah Alone belong the most Beautiful Names, so call on Him by them.” (7:180) The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Indeed Allah has 99 Names; whoever preserves them will enter Paradise” (Muslim).

Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) wrote, “There is no greater need of the soul than its need to know its Creator and Originator. And there is no way to achieve this except through knowing His Attributes and Names. The more a slave knows them, the more he will know Allah (ʿazza wa jall), the more he will seek Him and the closer he will be to Him.

Similarly, the more ignorant the slave is of His Names and Attributes, the more ignorant, disliked and further away from Him he will be. The status which the slave enjoys in the eyes of Allah is dependent on the status the slave himself accords Allah in his heart. Thus, journeying to Allah through the path of His Names and Attributes is truly an amazing matter. The doors it opens are astounding.”

Throughout your ṣalāh, bring the rich meanings of Allah’s Names to the forefront of your mind. Doing this will help you feel that you are directly conversing with Him, and thereby it will increase your closeness to Him.

“Whoever attains the recognition of Allah through His Names, Attributes and Actions, will undoubtedly love Him.” – Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh)

4) By worshipping Him as much as possible.

Maʿrifah itself is one of the greatest forms of worship. Other acts of worship – including dhikr, duʿā’, reciting the Qur’ān and ṣalāh – will increase your maʿrifah. It’s a cycle: the more you know Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā), the more you will worship Him. And the more you worship Him, the more you will know Him.

Performing ṣalāh with khushūʿ, is one of the greatest means of attaining His maʿrifah.

In summary, increasing your knowledge of Allah is one of the best ways to achieve khushūʿ. Once you get to know Him – through His signs, through His Names, through His Book and through worshipping Him – your awe, veneration and love of Him will increase. Your own self-importance will meanwhile decrease. Both of these will help your body and heart to humble themselves to Allah and allow you to taste the sweetness of khushūʿ.

“The perfection of the slave of Allah is in his knowing Allah and then loving Him (in the world); and (his perfection) in the hereafter is experiencing the joy of seeing Him.” – Ibn Taymiyyah (raḥimahullāh)

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Above series taken from Life with Allah

an initiative of Ummah Welfare Trust which aims to connect the creation to The Creator

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How to Attain Khushuʿ 3:
Attain the Maʿrifah of Allah

 

To attain khushūʿ, you have to push yourself to stop sinning by protecting your organs; in particular your eyes, tongue, and heart. Safeguard your eyes against looking at ḥarām, whether online or offline. Stop your tongue from backbiting, slandering, swearing, obscene language and saying hurtful things. Keep good company who will help you to protect yourself. Protect yourself from eating ḥarām food, including that which is earned from unlawful means.

The īmān in your heart has a special nūr (light). The more nūr the heart has, the greater the nūr of your actions and words will be. Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) explains that there are some believers whose actions ascend up to Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā), and the nūr of their deeds is like the light of the sun. It shines brightly with the nūr from their hearts. The nūr will keep them steady on the ṣirāṭ (bridge over Hell-fire) and will guide them to Paradise. Of the various deeds, ṣalāh in particular is a ‘nūr’ as stated by the Prophet ﷺ (Muslim).

Ṣalāh brings nūr in your heart; nūr in your face; nūr in your grave and nūr in the hereafter. Observe those who pray with complete khushū. You will notice that these people have abundant nūr on their faces. This is the same nūr which illuminates the heart and opens the doors of maʿrifah (knowledge) of Allah al- Nūr (The Ultimate Light). It is this nūr that also helps you to enjoy the sweetness of worship.

Rust on Hearts

This ‘nūr’ of the heart is extinguished through sins, especially the sins of the eyes. The sins block goodness and nūr from penetrating into the heart. This is why the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Verily, when the slave commits a sin, a black dot appears on his heart. When he desists, seeks forgiveness and repents, his heart is polished clean. But if he sins again, it increases until it covers his heart. And that is the rān (rust) which Allah mentioned: ‘No indeed! Rather what they have been doing has rusted their hearts (83:14)’” (Tirmidhī).

Ibn Rajab (raḥimahullāh) explains that the accumulation of rust on their hearts veils them from His maʿrifah (knowledge and deep awareness of Him), thereby, preventing them from becoming acquainted with Him. It hinders them from having vigilance (murāqabah) of Him (subḥānahū wa taʿālā), being mindful of Him and being aware of His presence in this world. The consequence of their hearts being veiled in this world is that they will be ‘veiled’ and blocked from seeing Him in the next. Hence why Allah says in the next āyah, “No indeed! They will surely be veiled on that Day from their Lord” (83:15).

“Do not be of those who curse Shayṭān in public, and obey him in private.” – ʿUmar b. ʿAbdul-ʿAzīz (raḥimahullāh)

Sin after sin turns the heart into a sieve, preventing it from holding goodness. Unless you seek forgiveness and make sincere repentance, your heart will die. In this manner, praying ṣalāh with khushūʿ will become impossible, because a ‘dead’ heart cannot humble itself nor submit to its Master (ʿazza wa jall).

Fighting your nafs and subjugating it is essential to attaining khushūʿ in ṣalāh. Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) explains that for a servant to remain present in his ṣalāh and to be occupied with his Lord, he must overcome his lust and desires. He asks, ‘How can a heart – which is overcome by lust, captivated by desires, and is a stronghold of shayṭān – be saved from whispers and distractions?’

Lowering the Gaze

We should lower our gazes and stay away from looking at anything which incites lust, especially when we are browsing the internet. This includes being very selective of who we follow on social media. Likewise, we should lower our gazes when we are outside the home, walking in the streets and in the workplace.

Al-Rabīʿ b. Khuthaym (raḥimahullāh) was so strict in keeping his gaze lowered that some people thought he was blind. For twenty years, he was a regular visitor to the house of ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu). Whenever the maidservant would see him, she would remark to Ibn Masʿūd, “Your blind friend has come,” and Ibn Masʿūd (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) would laugh at her remark. When Rabīʿ would knock on the door, the maidservant would go out and see him, head down and with his gaze lowered. When Ibn Masʿūd (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) would see Rabīʿ, he would say, quoting the Qur’ān, “‘And give good news to the humble.’ (22:34). If Muḥammad ﷺ had seen you, he would have loved you.”

Three Benefits of Lowering the Gaze

Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) explains the benefits of lowering the gaze:

1. Tasting the sweetness and joy of īmān. This sweetness is far greater than the sweetness of what you averted your gaze from, because when you give up something for the sake of Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā), He replaces it with something far better.

2. The heart becomes illuminated, thereby increasing your insight (firāsah) as you are able to see through the light (nūr) of your heart what others cannot see.

3. It strengthens the heart, makes it steadfast, and makes one courageous.

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How to Attain Khushuʿ 4:

Soften Your Heart

 

A sick, heedless and hard heart is one of the greatest reasons for the lack of khushūʿ in ṣalāh. When the heart is rectified, the actions are also rectified as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “There is a lump of flesh in the body: when it is sound, the whole body is sound and when it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Truly, it is the heart” (Bukhārī).

Those with hardened hearts are condemned by Allah (‘azza wa jall): “So is one whose heart Allah has opened up for Islam and he is upon a light from his Lord (like one whose heart rejects it)? Then woe to those whose hearts are too hard to remember Allah. They have clearly lost their way” (39:22).

In another āyah, Allah (‘azza wa jall) warns His believers of the hardening of the heart: “Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth” (57:16)?

And in the next āyah, Allah (‘azza wa jall) says, “Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its lifelessness. We have made clear to you the signs so that perhaps you will understand” (57:17).

Ibn Kathīr (raḥimahullāh) explains how this āyah indicates that Allah (‘azza wa jall) softens hardened hearts, guides those who are confused after they were astray, and alleviates hardships after they have become unbearable. Just as Allah brings the dead dry earth back to life by sending down abundant rain, He also guides the hardened hearts with the proofs and evidences of the Qur’ān. By inserting the light of īmān into these hearts, these hearts are softened after previously being blocked.

Therefore, do not give up. Even if you have struggled your entire life with khushūʿ, have hope and beg Allah (‘azza wa jall) to soften your heart and make it receptive to īmān, the Qur’ān and every form of good.

How to Soften a Hard Heart

a) Frequently remember Allah with your tongue & heart

Allah (‘azza wa jall) says, “Truly it is in the remembrance of Allah that hearts find peace” (13:28). Dhikr is one of the greatest means of protecting a heart from hardening. This is because excessive talking about other than Allah is one of its leading causes. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Do not talk too much without the remembrance of Allah. Truly, excessive talking without the remembrance of Allah hardens the heart; and the furthest of people from Allah is the hard-hearted person” (Tirmidhī).

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “For everything there is a polish, and the polish of the heart is the remembrance of Allah” (Bayhaqī).

Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) explains that the heart rusts like copper and silver. Moreover, just as the heart can rust, it can also be polished through dhikr, to the extent that it can shine like a crystal mirror. Thus, when one neglects dhikr, the heart rusts, and when one remembers Allah, it shines. There are two things which cause a heart to rust: heedlessness (ghaflah) and sin. Conversely, the heart can be polished by two things: dhikr and istighfār (seeking forgiveness).

b) Avoid laughing excessively

Excessive laughing hardens the heart. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Do not laugh excessively as excessive laughter deadens the heart” (Tirmidhī).

c) Remember death frequently

The heart of one who is heedless of death and has excessive hope is dead. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Frequently remember the destroyer of pleasures,” i.e. death (Tirmidhī).

ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar (radiy Allāhū ‘anhumā) said, “I was with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. A man from among the Anṣār came to him and greeted the Prophet. Then he said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, which of the believers is best?’ He ﷺ said, ‘He who has the best character amongst them.’ He said, ‘Which of them is the smartest?’ He ﷺ said, ‘The one who remembers death the most and is best in preparing for it. Those are the smartest’” (Ibn Mājah).

d) Visit the graveyards and reflect on the situation of its residents

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “I used to forbid you from visiting the graves but (now) visit them, for it truly reminds you of the hereafter” (Tirmidhī).

When ʿUthmān (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) would stop at a grave, he would cry until his beard was soaked (in tears). It was said to him, “Paradise and Hell-fire are mentioned, and you do not cry, yet you cry because of this?” So he said, “Indeed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Indeed the grave is the first stage of the hereafter. So, whoever is saved from it, then what comes after it is easier than it. And whoever is not saved from it, then what comes after it is worse than it.’” He said, “And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘I have not seen any sight except that the grave is more horrible than it’” (Ibn Mājah).

e) Recite the Qur’ān

Allah (‘azza wa jall) says, “We send down in the Qur’ān that which is a cure and mercy for the believers…” (17:82).

Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ (raḥimahullāh) said, “Five things cure the heart: reciting the Qur’ān with tadabbur (reflection), an empty stomach, the night prayer, humbly supplicating to Allah (‘azza wa jall) before dawn, and keeping the company of the righteous.”

f) Feed the poor and stroke the head of the orphan

A man once complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the hardness of his heart so the Messenger ﷺ said to him, “If you want to soften your heart then feed the poor and stroke the head of the orphan” (Aḥmad).

Abū Bakr (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) was known for his excessive weeping. In Makkah, he built a masjid in his courtyard in which he would perform ṣalāh and recite Qur’ān. As he was a very soft-hearted person, he would not be able to control himself when he was reciting the Qur’ān and he would cry extensively. The women and children of the polytheists would gather to listen to his moving recitation, to the extent that it frightened the chiefs of the Quraysh.

 

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How to Attain Khushuʿ 5:

Increase Your Time in Private Worship

 

Another means of attaining khushūʿ in ṣalāh is to engage in ʿibādah, especially in private. Just you and Allah (‘azza wa jall). No one else.

You may perform many acts of ʿibādah, but still not experience their sweetness. Rectify this by increasing your private worship. Private worship is one of the best ways to attain sincerity and protect yourself from hypocrisy. Once your heart is purified, you will taste the sweetness of īmān and worship.

Imām Mālik (raḥimahullāh) said, “Whoever would like to have peace in his heart, and be saved from the agonies of death and the terrors of the Day of Judgement, then let his private deeds be greater than his public ones.”

The Nafs Loves Praise

Our inner self (nafs) rages inside of us. It loves praise and hates criticism. Sometimes it insidiously manifests itself when we mention our private worship in casual conversation with someone. We must, however, fight this. We should avoid mentioning our private acts of worship and maintain it as a special ‘secret’ between us and Allah (‘azza wa jall). Sufyān al-Thawrī (raḥimahullāh) said, “When the servant performs a deed in private, Shayṭān keeps at him until he mentions it. It then moves from the records of private deeds to the record of public deeds.”

However, this does not mean that every deed should be done only in private. On the contrary, numerous deeds have to be performed communally and, therefore, in public. Nevertheless, we should strive to have a collection of ‘secret deeds,’ deeds that no one has knowledge of but Allah (‘azza wa jall).

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever amongst you is able to have hidden good deeds, then let him do so” (Muṣannaf b. Abī Shaybah).

Be careful of ʿujb

Conducting deeds in private may seem like an act that is free from risks. It is not, and you should be careful of your nafs. Just like you ought to be wary of riyā’ (showing off) when you worship Allah in public, you should be wary of ʿujb (self-admiration) when you worship Allah in private.

ʿUjb is to be impressed with yourself and your feats. ʿUjb can lead to pride (kibr). This pride can lead to you comparing your actions to others, and start regarding your deeds to be better than theirs. You may, as a result, start looking down on them. Consequently, instead of purifying the soul, your private deeds lead to the destruction of the soul.

 

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How to Attain Khushuʿ 6:

Persistently Ask Allah for Khushuʿ
and Do Not Give Up

 

Turn to Allah (‘azza wa jall) the Almighty with humility and beg Him to grant you the ability to perform your ṣalāh with khushūʿ. Have certainty in your heart that He will respond, as He so promised: “When My servants ask you about Me, truly I am near. I answer the call of the caller when he calls on Me; so let them respond to Me, and believe in Me, so that they may be guided” (2:186).

You can make duʿā’ in your own language and ask Allah to bless you with khushūʿ. Alternatively, you may wish to memorise the following supplications of our beloved Messenger ﷺ and ask Allah (‘azza wa jall) through them:

اَللّٰهُمَّ آتِ نَفْسِيْ تَقْوَاهَا ، وَزَكِّهَا أَنْتَ خَيْرُ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا ، أَنْتَ وَلِيُّهَا وَمَوْلَاهَا ، اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّىْ أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لَّا يَنْفَعُ ، وَمِنْ قَلْبٍ لَّا يَخْشَعُ ، وَمِنْ نَّفْسٍ لَّا تَشْبَعُ ، وَمِنْ دَعْوَةٍ لَّا يُسْتَجَابُ لَهَا.

O Allah grant my soul taqwā (piety and mindfulness) and purify it, for You are the Best of those who can purify it. You are its Protector and Master. O Allah, I seek Your protection from knowledge which does not benefit, a heart which does not submit, a soul which is not satisfied, and a supplication which is not accepted (Muslim).

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ صَلَاةٍ لَّا تَنْفَعُ.

O Allah, I seek Your protection from a prayer which does not benefit (Abū Dāwūd).

رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِيْ لَكَ شَكَّارًا ، لَكَ ذَكَّارًا ، لَكَ رَهَّابًا ، لَكَ مِطْوَاعًا ، إِلَيْكَ مُخْبِتًا أَوَّاهاً مُّنِيْبًا

My Lord, make me one who is extremely grateful to You, who remembers you always, who perpetually fears You, who is fully obedient to You, who is humble before You, who constantly cries and pleads with You, and who frequently turns to You in repentance (Abū Dāwūd).

اَللّٰهُمَّ أَعِنِّيْ عَلَىٰ ذِكْرِكَ ، وشُكْرِكَ ، وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ.

O Allah, help me to remember You, be grateful to You and worship You in an excellent manner (Abū Dāwūd).

Never Give Up!

Making the human lose hope is one of Shayṭān’s most powerful tricks. You might think: “This khushūʿ thing is not for me. I’ve tried it, but I keep getting distracted.” Do not give in to this trick and continue to try. On some days your level of khushūʿ will feel strong, whilst on others, you may not feel it at all. Despite all of this, continue to work on it and do not ever give up.

“I struggled with ṣalāh for 20 years, and then I enjoyed it for the next 20 years.” – Thābit al-Bunānī (raḥimahullāh)

“I forced my nafs (inner self) to go to Allah whilst it was crying, until I was able to take it to Him whilst it was laughing.” – Abū Zayd (raḥimahullāh)

Strive for a balance

Achieving a balance is not always easy. Try to strike a balance between pushing yourself and over-doing it. Push yourself and fight your nafs to pray ṣalāh, working on both the quality and the quantity of your ṣalāh. At the same time, do not burden yourself with it so much that you find it challenging to maintain. For instance, you may attend an īmān-boosting lecture and therefore decide to get up an hour before Fajr to pray tahajjud. The first day or week may pass smoothly, but by the second week, you might start feeling like it is too much; you do not feel like waking up at all anymore, not even for 10 minutes.

Rather than immersing yourself fully, build yourself up gradually over time. Try to be consistent as consistency is the key. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The best deeds in the sight of Allah are those which are constant, even if they are few” (Bukhārī).

Accordingly, do not take an ‘all-or-nothing’ attitude. If your inner voice is saying, ‘Either I’m going to pray all of my voluntary prayers or none at all,’ then remember that it is better to pray some of them than to pray none of them.

“Indeed, these hearts have their ebbs and flows: when they are soaring, impose on them the voluntary acts; and when they are experiencing a downturn, impose on them the obligatory acts.” – ʿUmar Ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu)

 

 

 

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8: Pray in the Congregation & Do Not Delay

 

9: Be Punctual With Your Sunnah Prayers

 

10: Eliminate Distractions

 

Before praying ṣalāh, always try your best to remove distractions. Anything which may distract or worry you in ṣalāh will reduce the khushūʿ in your ṣalāh.

Ibn Kathīr (raḥimahullāh) says, “Khushūʿ in ṣalāh is only attained by the one who has emptied his heart totally for it, who occupies himself fully for it and does not pay attention to anything else besides it, and who prioritises it over everything else. At that point it becomes a source of comfort and intense joy.”

So if you are hungry, eat before you pray. Similarly, if you need to relieve yourself, do it before you pray. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Ṣalāh should not be performed when the food has been presented, nor when one is fighting the urge to go to the bathroom” (Abū Dāwūd). He ﷺ also said, “If dinner is served, and the iqāmah for ṣalāh has been given, then start with the dinner” (Bukhārī).

Imām al-Munāwī (raḥimahullāh) explains that the above narrations indicate that it is more important and virtuous to pray with the presence of the heart, than to pray at the start of the prayer time.

“An insightful person attends to what he needs to before ṣalāh so that he may enter the ṣalāh with his heart unburdened.” – Abū al-Dardā’ (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu)

How to eliminate distractions

• Find a quiet place to pray. Avoid praying where others are talking or where there is a noise that is likely to distract you.

• Mentally go ‘offline’ for your ṣalāh by ensuring your phone is on ‘silent mode’. Avoid checking your phone between the farḍ and sunnah prayers.

• If you have a small child, where possible, ask someone to look after them whilst you pray.

• Avoid performing your ṣalāh whilst you have urgent matters waiting. For instance, if you are cooking, then turn off the cooker for the duration of the ṣalāh to stop you worrying about it during your ṣalāh.

• Pray where you are comfortable. Avoid anywhere where it is too cold or too hot, as this might hinder your ability to focus.

• Pray in clothes which are not distracting. The Prophet ﷺ once returned a garment which had patterns on it to one of his Companions (radiy Allāhū ‘anhum) because it distracted him during his ṣalāh (Bukhārī).

• Ensure you are not surrounded by distracting objects. The Prophet ﷺ told his wife ʿĀ’ishah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhā) to remove a curtain because its pictures had diverted his attention in ṣalāh (Bukhārī).

• Pray towards a sutrah (a barrier or a wall in front of you). The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When one of you prays towards a sutrah he should stay close to it and not let Shayṭān interrupt his ṣalāh” (Abū Dāwūd). The wisdom behind using a sutrah is to prevent your eyes glancing further than the sutrah and, therefore, beyond your place of prayer. It also stops people from passing in front of you, and stops ṣhayṭān from passing by and ruining your prayer.

Occasionally, during ṣalāh, we may find ourselves distracted due to thinking about petty matters. On such occasions, we should try to remember the greatness of the One we are conversing with and the majesty of the One looking at us. We should think about death and the hereafter, and rein in our thoughts to bring our minds back to ṣalāh.

Once a fire broke out in the house of ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu), whilst he was prostrating. People around him began to say, “O son of the Messenger of Allah! Fire! Fire!” However, he did not raise his head until the fire was extinguished. When this was mentioned to him, he remarked, “The other Fire (i.e. Hell-fire) distracted me from it.”

Learn the fiqh of ṣalāh

Learn and regularly refresh your knowledge of the legal rulings of ṣalāh, so that you are not distracted by thoughts like, ‘Is my ṣalāh valid/should I be repeating the prayer, or is sajdah al-sahw sufficient?’ This will help you to pray ṣalāh more calmly and with greater khushūʿ.

 

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The Salah Series – Life With Allah

­ Ramaḍān is the perfect time to actively develop khushūʿ in your ṣalāh.    Khushūʿ is a state in which the heart stands before Allah with complete humility, lowliness and servitude; focusing fully on HimAlone. Then the body also humbles itself and obeys Allah.   Khushūʿ is a state in which you constantly weigh up your sins against the greatness of Allah, leaving you overwhelmed with humility and a desperate need for Him.   One of our main Ramaḍān goals should be to perform the five farḍ prayers to the best of our abilities. This includes all the additional sunnah prayers and performing them with full concentration, calmness and tranquillity. Similarly, qiyām (the night prayer) in this sacred month is the perfect means to actively work on khushūʿ. We should maximise qiyām to lengthen the various postures, praise Allah extensively, and ask Him for lengthy periods, as our beloved Messenger ﷺ used to do.    Taste the Sweetness of Ṣalāh is a guide on how to attain khushūʿ and enjoy your ṣalāh. It offers tips on how to achieve full focus and truly connect with Allah in your ṣalāh. It includes: An explanation of khushūʿand why we struggle with it. Practical steps before, during and after ṣalāh to develop khushūʿ. A journey through ṣalāh. The various adhkār (remembrances) of ṣalāh. The ṣalāh of our beloved Messenger ﷺ and the pious people. The secrets of ṣalāh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free!

 

In order to make the content of this topic accessible and practical for all, there are three components to ‘Taste the Sweetness of Salah’:

 

(1) The A5 detailed book Taste the Sweetness of Ṣalāh

DOWNLOAD TASTE THE SWEETNESS OF ṢALĀH

 

 

(2) The A6 summary booklet Enjoy Your Ṣalāh

DOWNLOAD ENJOY YOUR ṢALĀH

 

(3) The pocket-sized Adhkar of Salah booklet

DOWNLOAD THE ADHKAR OF ṢALĀH

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11: Fight Shaytan & His Whispers

 

Have you ever started praying and then found yourself suddenly remembering an item you thought you’d lost or a message you’d forgotten to reply to?

The Prophet ﷺ stated that these recollections during ṣalāh are the work of Shayṭān. Shayṭān is always busy trying to preoccupy you with thoughts of everything other than Allah (ʿazza wa jall). He ﷺ said, “When the call to prayer is announced, Shayṭān takes to his heels and passes wind loudly so that he does not hear the adhān. When the adhān finishes, he comes back. When the iqāmah is proclaimed, he takes to his heel (again). When the iqāmah finishes, he comes back so that he can obstruct the person’s heart with his whispers, saying ‘Remember such and such, remember such and such,’ things which he did not remember before, to the extent that the person no longer knows how much he has prayed” (Bukhārī).

Ṣalāh is a link (ṣilah) to your Lord which your archenemy, Shayṭān, strives to break by any means. Therefore, he comes to you with all kinds of whispers and doubts.

Shaytan: The Biggest Thief

Shayṭan is like a relentless highway robber. The harder the slave tries to turn to Allah, the harder Shayṭān tries to rob him and divert him from this noble path. It is for this reason that when one of the predecessors (raḥimahullāh) was asked, “Indeed the Jews and Christians say that they do not experience these whispers (in their acts of worship),” he remarked, “They are telling the truth. What will Shayṭān do with a demolished house?”

Anyone who turns to Allah (ʿazza wa jall) will be assaulted with these kinds of whispers, particularly during the beginning of your journey where Shayṭān will try his best to divert you. At the start of your journey to Allah (ʿazza wa jall), Shayṭān will have a greater ‘share’ of your ṣalāh than you. You will then compete with him, going back and forth, until you secure half of it. You must then continue to fight until you can secure all of your ṣalāh. The Prophet ﷺ said, “A man returns from his prayer and only a tenth, ninth, eighth, seventh, sixth, fifth, fourth, third or half of it, is recorded for him” (Abū Dāwūd).

The initial stages of ṣalāh are the period when Shayṭān will try to convince you that this is a lost battle and there is no hope. Do not give up. Remain steadfast and continue to work on your khushūʿ in ṣalāh.

Shayṭan will not go near the person whose heart has khushūʿ.” – Sahl al-Tustarī (raḥimahullāh)

The Deep Concern of the Sahabah

ʿUthmān b. Abī al-ʿĀṣ (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, “O Messenger of Allah, indeed Shayṭān comes in between me and my ṣalāh and my recitation of the Qur’ān and causes me to doubt.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ told him, “That is a shayṭān known as Khinzab. When you feel his presence, seek Allah’s protection from him and spit lightly to your left three times.” He says, “I did that and then Allah made him go away from me” (Muslim).

The aforementioned ḥadīth indicates the importance the Companions (radiy Allāhu ʿanhum) gave to ṣalāh and the matter of khushūʿ. It also highlights the existence of a specific shayṭān who is assigned just for this task, showing us the severity of this matter.

Mentally prepare yourself before ṣalāh, and remember you are in a fight with Khinzab. Always be on guard and remember that your enemy is lurking, ready to ambush.

How To Fight Whispers

1. Say: أَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطٰانِ الرَّجِيْمِ‎ and spit lightly to your left three times as mentioned in the above ḥadīth. Continue to do this whenever you feel his presence, and not just once in a while. (Avoid spitting during the congregational prayers).

2. Ignore the whispers and carry on praying. Fight back the whispers and do not let them drag you down.

3. Try hard not to yawn during prayer, and if this is not possible, then cover your mouth. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “If one of you yawns during ṣalāh, let him suppress it as much as he can as Shayṭān enters (the mouth)” (Muslim).

4. Force yourself to think of what you are saying.

5. Work hard on the other ways of attaining khushūʿ. They will all aid you in combatting the whispers during your ṣalāh.

Some people mentioned to ʿĀmir b. ʿAbdillāh b. Qays (raḥimahullāh) that sometimes they lose concentration during ṣalāh. He went on to ask them, “Do you experience this?” They replied, “Yes.” He replied, “By Allah, I would rather be struck with spears in my stomach than for this to happen to me in my ṣalāh.”

“If you are in ṣalāh and Shayṭān says to you ‘You are showing off!’ then make your ṣalāh longer.” – Ḥarīth b. Qays (raḥimahullāh)

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12: Understand The Meaning & Loftiness Of What You Are Saying

 

Understanding what you are saying in your ṣalāh will have a profound impact on your khushūʿ.

To do this, try your best to learn Arabic and understand the meaning of what you say. This will make it easier to focus, thereby enhancing your ṣalāh. Along with understanding what you say, be fully mindful when saying it. Ibn ʿAbbās (radiy Allāhu ʿanhumā) said, “Only that which you were mindful of in your ṣalāh will be accepted from you.”

In every prayer of mine, my only concern has been what I am saying and what is being said to me.” – al-Rabīʿ (raḥimahullāh)

Think back to the last time you found yourself in a foreign country where you barely understood the language. Did you feel lost? Similarly, if you do not understand what you are saying in your ṣalāḥ, you will feel out of place and not find the peace, belonging and desire to remain in ṣalāh.

Some people avoid learning Arabic as they think it is ‘too difficult’. However, this is not true. Like any other language, it will require effort, commitment and time; but the outcome will be sweet.

If you cannot learn Arabic, then, at the bare minimum, memorise and reflect on the meaning of what you say in ṣalāh. This includes: (1) the meanings of the adhkār and (2) the meanings of the small sūrahs.

Moreover, even if the above is not currently possible, then think of death and the Day of Judgement. Think of how it will feel to stand before Allah (ʿazza wa jall) on that terrifying day. Recall and reflect on the greatness of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) and bear in mind that He is watching you.

I am amazed at the one who recites the Qur’ān and yet does not know its meaning. How can he enjoy its recitation?” – al-Tabarī (raḥimahullāh)

Move your lips when reciting

Move your lips and tongue when reciting the Qur’ān and the adhkār of ṣalāh. Ensure that you are physically uttering the words in a way that you can hear yourself (assuming you can hear soundly and it is a quiet enviroment). Merely ‘reciting’ in your mind is not sufficient and renders your ṣalāh invalid. Reciting in this manner will help you to concentrate and to repel the whispers of Shayṭān.

There is a misconception amongst some that reciting Qur’ān solely in the mind is acceptable (during and outside ṣalāh) and considered ‘recitation’. Others are embarrassed to recite audibly due to fear that their tajwīd is not perfect. However, reciting audibly is the best way to feel the beauty and serenity in Allah’s words. Remember, even if you are struggling with the recitation, Allah al-Ra’ūf (the Most Compassionate) will grant you two rewards: one reward for the recitation, and another for struggling!

Reflect on what you are saying

Develop khushūʿ by reflecting on the weight and gravity of what you are uttering. The words may be easy to pronounce, and may roll off your tongue effortlessly, but they are in themselves mighty and heavy. The Prophet ﷺ said that subḥānallāh and alḥamdulillāh fill up what is in between the heavens and the earth (Muslim).

Though it may be difficult to understand, the words of praise and glorification leave the worldly realms and travel up to the Throne of Allah. These words gather around His throne “buzzing like bees, mentioning to Allah the person who uttered them” (Ibn Mājah). Try to imagine that! Visualise the words that you utter ascending upwards and acting as your representatives. And this is only in the world. Imagine their impact in the hereafter, where they will come to your rescue, protect you from the Hell-fire and guide you to Paradise!

A Companion (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) once uttered a sentence of praise in ṣalāh. After the ṣalāh finished, the Prophet ﷺ said that more than 30 angels were competing with each other to ascend with these words to Allah. On another occasion, he ﷺ said that the doors of the heaven opened for a single utterance of the Companion (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) in his ṣalāh! Can you imagine this? One single utterance resulted in the doors of the heaven being opened.

Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) wrote, “By Allah, if you could hear the sound of the pens of the angels writing your name amongst those who remember Allah, you would die out of joy.”

Likewise, the Qur’ān is the mighty word of Allah (ʿazza wa jall). Allah refers to it as a “weighty discourse” (73:5). It is a lofty book, revealed by the Most High from above. Stored in a lofty place, a lofty angel brought it down and conveyed it to the heart of a lofty man: Muḥammad ﷺ. Therefore, whoever becomes of its people -the people of the Qur’ān- becomes lofty in the sight of Allah (ʿazza wa jall).

The Companion Usayd b. al-Ḥuḍayr (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) was reciting Qur’ān at night. His horse became startled and disturbed, so he stopped reciting. The horse calmed down. When he resumed his recitation, the horse once again became agitated. When this happened a few times, he stopped reciting out of fear that his son, who was lying nearby, would be hurt. After completing his prayer, he looked up at the sky and saw something which resembled a cloud with shimmering lamps dangling from the sky to the earth. The next day he came and related what had occurred to the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ told him, “Those were angels who had drawn near you to hear you recite the Qur’ān. If you had continued, by Allah, you would have witnessed astounding things” (Composite: Bukhārī and Ḥākim).

In summary, reflect on the greatness of Who you are speaking to and reflect on the greatness of what you are saying.

When uttering the adhkār (everything other than the Qur’ān in your ṣalāh), reflect on what each utterance means. Praise Allah (ʿazza wa jall) with your tongue and heart. Try to feel the depth of the words you are uttering in your heart. When reciting the Qur’ān, remember that you are reciting His words in His presence; so recite them with utmost reverence. When reading the āyāt about Allah (ʿazza wa jall), let your heart be overcome with humility, awe and love. On reading the āyāt about the stories of the past, reflect on the lessons that they convey. When you read the āyāṭ of aḥkām (legal rulings), take note of what Allah is asking you to do and make a firm resolution to obey Him. (Adapted from al-ʿIzz b. ʿAbd al-Salām’s Maqāṣid al-ʿIbādāt)

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13: Vary The Adhkar & Surahs You Recite

What adhkār do you recite in ṣalāh? Are they always the same adhkār? Do you tend to repeat the ones you memorised when you first learnt how to pray?

To avoid monotony in your ṣalāh, try to memorise and pray the different adhkār and duʿās within your ṣalāh (particularly in voluntary prayers). This will increase your khushūʿ, help you to taste the sweetness of ṣalāh, and encourage you to reflect on the words you are saying. The adhkār of the Prophet ﷺ are very powerful and comprehensive. It would be a huge loss to pass a lifetime without having ever invoked Allah (ʿazza wa jall) with these adhkār in your ṣalāh.

Try to alternate the sūrahs you recite during ṣalāh. This will mean making an effort to memorise more of the Qur’ān. Also, make a conscious decision before the ṣalāh to choose which sūrah/dhikr/duʿā’ you will pray. By the will of Allah (ʿazza wa jall), this will also help to increase your khushūʿ.

Reflect on the meanings of the various adhkār

Once you have memorised the adhkār, try to reflect on their meanings in each ṣalāh. Your ṣalāh will become lengthier, and the connection between your heart and Allah (ʿazza wa jall) will deepen.

Three Benefits of Varying Your Adhkār

1. Follow the Sunnah more comprehensively.

2. It is a means of reviving the (abandoned adhkār of the) Sunnah.

3. It becomes easier to reflect on the meanings, in comparison to reading out of habit.

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14: Reflect & Interact With The Qur’an

A powerful way to attain khushūʿ in ṣalāh is to reflect upon the Qur’ān. This is known as ‘tadabbur’ in Arabic.

The Qur’ān is the eternal book of guidance. It is a cure for every disease – be it spiritual or physical. It is a light which illuminates the path of truth amidst the darknesses of falsehood. The Qur’ān contains legal rulings for a human to live on Allah’s earth, as His subservient slaves. It is a book of blessings and eternal wisdom; a warner and a giver of good news.

Accordingly, reciting the Qur’ān or memorising its words is in itself not enough. Although both of these acts are essential, they must be accompanied by reflection and a deep commitment to ‘live’ the Qur’ān.

We find that the majority of the Muslims today have limited themselves to repeating the words (of the Qur’ān) and chanting it melodiously in funerals, graveyards and homes, and to carrying muṣḥafs or abandoning them in the homes. And they forgot – or appeared to forget- that the greatest blessing of the Qur’ān is in fact in reflecting upon its verses, seeking to understand it, embodying it as one’s character, acting upon its commands and staying away from its prohibitions.” (al-Zarqānī (raḥimahullāh)

Allah says,“ Do they not, then, ponder upon the Qur‘ān? Had it been from someone other than Allah, they would have found in it a great deal of discrepancy” (4:82). and “This is a blessed Book which We revealed to you, so that they reflect upon its verses, and those with understanding may take heed” (38:29);

Imām al-Qurtubī (raḥimahullāh) writes, “And this āyah contains the proof for the obligation of knowing the Qur’ān’s meanings; and a proof that reciting slowly is better than reciting fast, as tadabbur cannot be performed correctly with fast recitation.”

Al-Saʿdī (raḥimahullāh) explained, “Allah has commanded His servants to reflect on His Book, to ponder on its meanings, and to ponder deeply on its principles and lessons, along with pursuing whatever is necessary to achieve this noble aim. Reflecting on the book of Allah is the key to knowledge and all sciences. It is the source of all good and the fountain of all the sciences. It increases the īmān in one’s heart and makes it firmly rooted in it.

The Qur’ān gives the slave the maʿrifah (knowledge and deep awareness) of his Lord; how all attributes of perfection belong to Him, and how He is pure from all deficiencies and shortcomings. It sets out the path that leads to Him, describes the characteristics of the people who are treading this path and what they will attain when they come to Him in the hereafter.

It informs about the real enemy, the path which will lead to punishment, the characteristics of the people who are treading this path, and how they will be justly punished. The more the slave ponders upon the Qur’ān, the more he will increase in knowledge, good deeds and insight.”

For the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the pious predecessors, tadabbur was not a practice limited to Ramaḍān. It was their way of life. It was how they prayed.

For without tadabbur, there is no ṣalāh.

Reflect: The Qur’ān and You

How would you describe your relationship with the Qur’ān?

When you recite the Qur’ān, do its words pierce your mind?

Do its meanings penetrate your heart?

Does its beauty mesmerise you?

What does the Qur’ān mean to you?

‘From the greatest of voluntary acts through which Allah’s Love is earned, is reciting and pondering upon Qur’ān.’ (Ibn Rajab)

The Prophet of Allah ﷺ and Tadabbur

Once Abū Bakr (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said to the Prophet ﷺ, “O Messenger of Allah, you have become old.” He ﷺ said, “(The sūrahs) Hūd, al-Wāqiʿah, al-Mursalāt, ʿAmma Yatasā’alūn and Ithā al-Shamsu Kuwwirat have aged me’” (Tirmidhī).

Imām al-Munāwī (raḥimahullāh) mentioned that these sūrahs took a toll on the Prophet ﷺ because they contained descriptions of the horrors of the Day of Judgement and the punishments meted out to earlier nations. They prematurely aged him because he feared similar punishments afflicting his ummah.

Therefore, the Qur’ān cannot just be recited or chanted only for the sake of blessings. Rather, it has to be read with reflection and contemplation. The above ḥadīth demonstrates that the Qur’ān did not just enter the heart of the Prophet ﷺ, but that its impact was so profound that it physically affected him.

Why Your Heart Needs Tadabbur

Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) wrote, “There is nothing more beneficial for the heart than reading the Qur’ān with contemplation and reflection. This is what inspires love and longing for Allah. It generates fear of Him and hope in Him. It makes one turn in repentance to Him and rely on Him. It causes one to fully submit to him, leave matters in His Hands and be pleased with His Decree. It inspires patience and gratitude and is a means of acquiring all of the characteristics which give life to and perfect the heart.

If people knew what recitation of the Qur’ān with contemplation contains, they would devote themselves to it at the expense of anything else. When one reads with reflection and comes across an āyah that he needs to cure his heart, he repeats it. He may repeat it a hundred times, or even throughout the entire night, as was reported about the Prophet ﷺ and the early predecessors. Hence, reciting a single āyah of the Qur’ān with contemplation and reflection is better than reciting the entire Qur’ān without any contemplation or reflection.

This is more beneficial for the heart, more likely to increase one’s īmān and leads one to taste the sweetness of īmān and the Qur’ān. This was the habit of the early predecessors, whereby one of them would repeat the same āyah throughout the night until morning came. Likewise, it has been reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood repeating one āyah till morning came.”

Abū Dharr (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said, “The Prophet ﷺ stood reciting an āyah and repeating it until morning came. The āyah was, ‘If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, indeed You, only You, are the Almighty, the All-Wise’ (5:118)” (Ibn Mājah).

‘“Do not scatter the Qur’ān (i.e. read it hurriedly) like poor-quality dates are scattered, and do not recite it quickly like poetry is recited. Take a pause at its wonders, move the hearts with it, and do not let your concern be to (merely) reach the end of the sūrah.” (ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu)

Tadabbur: The Route to Discovering the Secrets of the Qur’ān

Spending long hours with the book of Allah and reflecting on it will help us discover its amazing meanings and hidden insights.

Ibn ʿĀshūr (raḥimahullāh) wrote, “Tadabbur is reflection and pondering, through which a person gains knowledge of the intended meanings. This only occurs in speech which is concise, yet comprehensive in meaning; so that the more a person reflects, the more he discovers meanings which were previously not apparent to him.”

As for the one who does not reflect, ponder and is not blessed with Allah’s help in this regard, he will remain ignorant of the amazing secrets mentioned in this Magnificent Qur’ān.” (Imām al-Rāzī (raḥimahullāh)

‘I have not seen anything that nourishes the mind and soul, protects the body, and guarantees success more than constantly engaging with the Book of Allah.’ (Ibn Taymiyyah)

Tips for Reflecting Upon the Qur’an

a) Think of Who is talking to you

When you begin reciting the Qur’ān, Imām al-Ghazālī (raḥimahullāh) advised that you should bring the Greatness of the One who is addressing you to the forefront of your mind. The words you are reciting did not originate from a human being; they are the words of the Lord of the worlds.

“I said to my nafs: ‘O nafs, recite the Qur’ān as though you (personally) heard it from Allah when He uttered it.’ I then felt the sweetness (of reciting the Qur’ān).” (Sulaymān b. Maymūn (raḥimahullāh)

b) Personalise it to Your Life

Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) said, “If you want to benefit from the Qur’ān, gather your heart when it is recited, focus your hearing, and act like you are being directly addressed by Allah, as it is an address from Him to you upon the tongue of His Messenger g. Allah said, ‘Indeed there is a reminder in that for whoever has a heart or whoever listens attentively with his heart present’ (50:37).”

Imām al-Ghazālī (raḥimahullāh) said, “One is to assume that he is the one who is being addressed in every statement in the Qur’ān. Hence if he hears a command or prohibition, he assumes that he is the one who is being commanded and prohibited.

If he hears a promise or threat, he does the same. If he hears the stories of the past and those of prophets, he realises that entertainment is not the objective, but rather, it is for him to take lessons, and to extract from its content what he needs.”

Try to personalise the Qur’ān to your situation whilst reciting it. Relate it to your own life and your own experiences. Ask yourself: what is Allah telling me? What is Allah asking me to do? How can I apply it to my life?

The āyah above also alludes to the importance of having a healthy and sound heart. The Qur’ān can only benefit you if it finds a suitable recipient to enter: a pure heart. Your heart must be purified from shirk, sins, and the diseases of the heart (e.g. envy, pride, hatred, hypocrisy).

Those before you saw the Qur’ān as a correspondence from their Lord; they would ponder upon it at night and review it in the day.” (al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (raḥimahullāh)

c) Visualise

Think deeply about the words you are reciting and try to visualise the meaning they are conveying. For instance, when reading about the descriptions of Hell-fire in Juz ʿAmma, make the imagery come alive in your mind. To achieve this, repeat the āyāt wherever necessary.

d) Feel the emotion and repeat the āyah

The Qur’ān was sent down for us to derive guidance from it and to increase our īmān in Allah, the Prophet ﷺ and the hereafter. Allah says, “And when His āyāt are recited to them, it increases them in īmān” (8:2).

Accordingly, when reciting an āyah about Paradise, feel your longing for Paradise increasing. On feeling this effect in your heart, continue to repeat this āyah.

Similarly, when reciting an āyah about Hell-fire, feel fear in your heart. On feeling this effect, keep repeating the āyah. Let it move you to the point of crying over it.

Similarly, when reading an āyah about the greatness of Allah, feel shyness and awe before Him. Keep repeating this āyah until you feel the effect of it in your heart.

Try to recall the last time you heard Sūrah Yusuf in tarāwīḥ. Did you hear sniffling and people rummaging in their pockets for tissues when the imām recited the latter āyāt of the story? Even though our īmān is weak and we find it easier to cry at the stories which tug at our hearts, the principle is the same.

Whether your recitation includes a touching story or an āyah about the creative power of Allah, let it move you emotionally.

Let it pierce your heart.

“Son of Ādam, how will your heart soften when your only concern is to reach the end of the sūrah?” (al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (raḥimahullāh)

Mālik b. Dīnār (raḥimahullāh) used to recite the āyah, ‘Had We sent down this Qur’ān to a mountain, you would have seen it humbled, burst apart from the awe for Allah…’ (59:21), and then say, “I swear to you, no slave truly believes in the Qur’ān except that his heart bursts open.”

e) Interact with the āyāt

Strive to emulate the Messenger of Allah ﷺ by interacting with the āyāt you are reciting during voluntary prayers. When you come across an āyah about mercy, stop and ask Allah for His mercy. When you come across an āyah about punishment, stop and ask Allah’s protection. When you come across an āyah where you can make a duʿā’, stop and ask Allah.

Imām al-Nawawī mentions that this is mustaḥabb for everyone reciting Qur’ān, whether it is within ṣalāh or outside of ṣalāh; whether you are leading the congregation, part of the congregation or are praying alone.

f) Study the Qur’ān

To achieve the above (points a-e), you will have to make an effort to study and understand the meanings and message of the Qur’ān. Some ways you can do this are:

• Learn Arabic. This will open the door to understanding the meaning of the Qur’ān.

• Learn the meaning of the Qur’ān. There are many classes, books, apps and videos dedicated to this subject. Even reading

a simple translation is better than not reading one at all.

• Attend Qur’ān classes. Increase your knowledge of the Qur’ān by studying it along with the other sciences of the dīn.

• Listen to reliable tafsīr (explanation of the Qur’ān) lectures.

• Read reliable tafsīr books. Some of these have been translated into English

• Whenever you are reflecting on the words of the Qur’ān, always take heed not to fall into the trap of interpreting the book of Allah according to your own whims and desires, or speaking about His words without knowledge..

Once you have studied the meanings of an āyah and have understood its context and lessons, then you should memorise it, if you have not done so already. Thereafter, recite those āyāt in your ṣalāh – especially in tahajjud. Allah willing, you will feel a huge difference in the sweetness of your ṣalāh. Remember to: (1) personalise, (2) feel the emotion and (3) interact with the āyāt!

“Whoever desires knowledge should read the Qur’ān, for indeed it contains the knowledge of the earlier ones and the latter ones.” (ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu)

“But I am not a scholar…?”

There is a misconception amongst some people that tadabbur is limited to scholars. This is not true. The disbelievers were condemned in the Qur’ān for not doing tadabbur. Allah said, “Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’ān, or are there locks upon (their) hearts” (47:24)?

Therefore, as believers, we have no excuse for failing to perform tadabbur. Tadabbur is essential to our lives and for building a strong connection with Allah.

Amongst Shaytān’s plots is to deter the slaves of Allah from pondering over the Qur’an (tadabbur). This is because he knows that guidance is attained through tadabbur.” (Ibn Hubayrah (raḥimahullāh)

lifewithAllah

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16: Be Calm & Lengthen Your Salah

 

Calmness and Tranquility

Attaining khushūʿ in ṣalāh requires time. Give each posture its due and perform it according to the Sunnah. Be calm and do not rush through your ṣalāh just to reach the end.

Abū Hurayrah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) narrated that a man entered the Masjid to pray whilst the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was in the corner of the Masjid. He then came and greeted him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him, “Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.” The man went back and prayed and then came to greet him again. The Prophet ﷺ returned his greeting and said, “Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.” On the third time, the man said, “Teach me.” He ﷺ said, “When you stand up for ṣalāh, perform wuḍū thoroughly, then face the qiblah and do takbīr. Recite what is easy for you from the Qur’ān, and then bow until you feel at rest in your rukūʿ. Then raise your head until you stand straight. Then prostrate until you feel at rest in your sajdah. Then get up until you feel at rest in your sitting posture. Then prostrate until you feel at rest in your sajdah. Then get up and stand straight. Then do that in your entire prayer” (Bukhārī).

On another occasion, he ﷺ saw a man who did not perform rukūʿ properly and was pecking in his sujūd whilst he was praying. So he said, “If he was to die like this, he would die on other than the religion of Muḥammad.” Then he said, “The example of the one who does not perform rukūʿ properly and pecks in his sujūd is like the hungry person who eats a date or two; they are not sufficient for him” (Majmaʿ al-Zawā‘id).

Just as eating one or two dates will not satisfy you, rushing through your ṣalāh will prevent you from feeling its sweetness and joy. The ṣalāh will feel laborious and constrictive, and will not nourish your soul. It is for this reason that the Prophet ﷺ forbade us from ‘pecking’ in our ṣalāh. Pecking refers to the time it takes a bird to peck at its food. The Prophet ﷺ said, “The ṣalāh of a man who does not straighten his back in rukūʿ and sujūd is not sufficient” (Tirmidhī).

Whilst praying, avoid glancing to your right or left. Do not fidget or play with a thread in your clothes. Instead, be calm, give each posture its due and keep your thoughts focused on Allah. Saʿīd b. al-Musayyib (raḥimahullāh) once saw a man playing with his beard, so he remarked, “If his heart had khushūʿ, his limbs would also have khushūʿ, i.e. they would be still and humble.”

ʿAbdullāh b. Muslim (raḥimahullāh) said about his father Muslim b. Yasār (raḥimahullāh): “When he would pray, it was as though he was a pole. He would not incline like this or like that.” He was also described as being like “a discarded cloth” when he would pray. He would say to his family, “Speak, as I do not hear what you say.” There was once a fire in his house whilst he was praying. This was mentioned to him and he said, “I did not realise (that it happened).”

Be Eager and Lengthen Your Ṣalāh

Lengthen your ṣalāh to attain khushūʿ. Do this especially when you feel spiritually inspired and can ward off Shayṭān’s whispers. Likewise, aim to lengthen your ṣalāh in virtuous places and during special occasions, such as in the holy cities and during Ramaḍān. Your heart will be more receptive at such times and places, so take advantage by pushing yourself to stand for long durations. Soon, inshā’Allāh, you will taste the sweetness of standing in front of Him and will rush to it eagerly.

ʿĀ’ishah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhā) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ used to pray (for so long) during the night that his feet would swell up. She asked him, “Why do you do this, O Messenger of Allah when Allah has already forgiven your previous and upcoming sins?” He ﷺ replied, “O ʿĀ’ishah, should I not be a thankful slave?” (Muslim).

The Prophet ﷺ would stand up during the night and recite lengthy sūrahs. Ḥudhayfah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) narrates that he saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ praying at night. He ﷺ “prayed four rakʿāt and recited in them al Baqarah, Āal ʿImrān, al-Nisā’, al-Mā’idah or al-Anʿām” (Abū Dāwūd).

In addition to qiyām, the Prophet ﷺ remained in rukūʿ and sujūd for an equally long amount of time. ʿAwf b. Mālik (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) says, “I stood up to pray along with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ one night. He got up and recited Sūrah al-Baqarah. When he came to an āyah of mercy, he stopped and made duʿā’, and when he came to an āyah of punishment, he stopped and asked for Allah’s protection. Then he bowed for as long as he stood (reciting Sūrah al-Baqarah), saying in his rukūʿ: سُبْحَانَ رَبِّـيَ الْعَظِيْمِ . Then he prostrated for as long as he stood, reciting the (above). Then he stood up and recited Sūrah Āl ʿImrān and then recited many sūrahs, one after the other” (Abū Dāwūd). In another narration, ʿĀ’ishah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhā) mentioned that the duration of each of his prostrations would be equivalent to reciting fifty āyāt (Bukhārī).

The Prophet ﷺ would pray for so long that even his Companions (radiy Allāhu ʿanhum) would become tired. ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said, “One night, I prayed with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He prayed for so long that an evil thought came to me.” It was said, “What was it?” He replied, “I thought of sitting down and leaving him” (Muslim).

The length of the Prophet’s recitations and prostrations indicate how much joy and contentment he experienced in his ṣalāh. Following in his footsteps, the Companions (radiy Allāhu ʿanhum) and the righteous of this ummah have also been known to spend hours conversing and pleading with their Lord. ʿUthmān (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) would complete the entire Qur’ān in one rakʿah. Similar feats have also been reported about Tamīm al-Dārī, Saʿīd b. Jubayr and Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (raḥimahumullāh) amongst others . Such lengthy acts were only possible because Allah placed barakah in their time.

“If your hearts were pure, they would never have enough of reciting Allah’s words.” – ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu)

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17: Remember Death & The Hereafter In & Outside Salah

 

Whenever you stand to pray, pray as though this ṣalāh is your final ṣalāh. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Remember death in your ṣalāh because when an individual remembers death in his ṣalāh, he is more likely to perfect his ṣalāh. And pray the ṣalāh of an individual who thinks he is not going to be able to perform another prayer” (Daylamī).

Whilst praying ṣalāh, imagine that you are standing before Allah (ʿazza wa jall) and your reckoning is about to take place. Imagine you are on the Ṣirāṭ (the bridge): try to visualise Paradise in front of you and the Hell-fire beneath you.

During congregational prayers, try to visualise yourself on the Day of Judgement when you are standing in front of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) as He says, “And they will be presented before your Lord in rows…” (18:48).

A predecessor (raḥimahullāh) said, “If only you had witnessed one of them when he stood up to pray; when he would stand in his place of prayer and commence with the words of his Master, it would cross his mind that he is now standing in the station where the people will stand in front of the Lord of the worlds. This would rip his heart open and make him forget everything else.”

Allah (ʿazza wa jall) says, “And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for those who have khushūʿ; those who are certain that they will meet their Lord and that they will return to Him” (2:45-6).

This āyah states that in order to enjoy khushūʿ, you must firmly believe that you will meet Allah (ʿazza wa jall). To attain khushūʿ, strengthen your īmān in the hereafter and in meeting Him. Develop the yearning (shawq) and eagerness to meet Him and see Him in Jannah.

Death

Remembering death is vital to eliminate the love of this world from our hearts and getting closer to Allah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Frequently remember the destroyer of pleasures” i.e. death (Tirmidhī).

An effective way to remember death is to visit graveyards. The Prophet ﷺ said, “I used to forbid you from visiting graves, but now go and visit them; for this softens the heart, makes the eyes weep and reminds one of the Hereafter” (Ḥākim).

Whilst visiting the graveyard, Imām al-Qurṭubī (raḥimahullāh) advises one to ponder and think about the lives and deaths of those who have gone. Reflect on how they achieved their worldly ambitions and gathered wealth, but were then cut off from it all. It is no longer of any use. Consider how the earth has wiped away the beauty of their faces; how they have disintegrated in their graves; and how their wives have become widows and their children orphans. Reflect on the folly of being deceived by material means, relying on good health and youth, and attaching oneself to entertainment and leisure. Reflect on the inevitability of ending up where they have ended up. Ponder on the state of the deceased: his legs are destroyed, his eyes have liquified, the worms have eaten his tongue, and the earth has consumed his teeth (adapted from al-Tadhkirah).‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Saʿīd b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz (raḥimahullāh) used to weep when he would pray and tears would drip onto the mat. **When praying on the mat, the person beside him would hear his weeping**. He was asked, “What is this crying that you do during your ṣalāh?” He said, “Son, why are you asking me this?” The questioner replied, “I am hoping that Allah will benefit me through it.” Saʿīd said, “I have never stood up to pray except that Hell-fire appears in front of me.”

It was as though he could see Hell-fire burning and raging in front of him, whilst its inhabitants cry out, “‘Lord, let us out, and we will do righteous deeds, not what we did before!’ – ‘Did We not give you lives long enough so that whoever wanted to be mindful could have done so? The warner came to you, now taste the punishment.’ The evildoers will have nobody to help them” (35:37).

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18: Always Be Mindful That You Are Talking To Allah & That He Is Responding To You

 

In ṣalāh, you are conversing with your Lord. As you talk to Him, He responds to you. Being mindful of this will increase your khushūʿ in ṣalāh.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Indeed, when one of you stands to pray, he stands up and privately converses with his Lord. Therefore, he should be careful in how he converses with Him” (Ḥākim).

Allāhu Akbar! Ṣalāh is your chance to privately converse with your Lord, your Master and your Creator.

This is demonstrated beautifully in the following ḥadīth:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Allah, the Most High, said, ‘I have divided the prayer (i.e. the Fātiḥah) between Myself and My slave equally and My slave shall have what he asked for.’ Therefore, when the slave says, ‘All praises and thanks are due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds,’ Allah says, ‘My slave has praised Me.’ When he says, ‘The All-Merciful, the Very Merciful,’ Allah says, ‘My slave has extolled Me.’ When he says, ‘Master of the Day of Judgement,’ Allah says, ‘My slave has glorified Me.’ (In another narration, he says, ‘My slave has entrusted his affairs to Me.’). When he says, ‘You Alone we worship and You Alone we ask for help,’ Allah says, ‘This is between Me and My slave and My slave shall have what he asked for.’ When he says, ‘Guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those whom You have favoured, not of those who incur [Your] anger, nor of those who have gone astray,’ Allah says, ‘This is for My slave and My slave shall have what he asked for’” (Muslim).

Imagine this! Each time you read an āyah, Allah responds to you. Though you may be a weak, sinful and broken slave, Allah (ʿazza wa jall) listens to you! Not only does He listen, but He responds. Continuous awareness of Allah being present, listening and responding will increase your khushūʿ in ṣalāh.

Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) said, “How extreme is the delight and happiness of the slave when his Lord says ‘My slave’ three times. By Allah, if the hearts were not clouded by the smoke of desires and lusts, they would erupt from joy and delight when their Lord, Creator and God says, ‘My servant has praised Me, My servant has extolled me, My servant has glorified Me.’”

Once, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Ubayy b. Kaʿb (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu), “Indeed Allah has commanded me to recite the Qur’ān to you.” Ubayy asked him, “Did Allah mention me to you by my name?” The Messenger ﷺ replied, “Allah mentioned you by your name.” Upon hearing this, Ubayy started crying (Bukhārī). On hearing that Allah had mentioned him by name to His Prophet, Ubayy was overwhelmed with joy. Similarly, you should feel deep happiness and privileged to have Allah call you “My slave”.

To be in direct conversation with the King of kings is truly a privilege. Bakr b. ʿAbdillāh al-Muzanī (raḥimahullāh) said, “Who is like you, O son of Ādam? If you wish to enter upon your Master without permission, you can do so.” He was asked, “How so?” He replied, “By perfecting your wuḍū and entering your place of prayer, you have entered upon your Master to speak to Him without any intermediaries.”

“It is disliked for a person to stand up for prayer whilst he is feeling lazy. Rather, he should stand up for it happily, eagerly and enthusiastically, as he is conversing with Allah. Truly, Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is in front of Him, forgives him and responds to him when he asks from Him.”- ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAbbās (radiy Allāhu ʿanhumā)

 

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This series of articles are taken from lifewithallah

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19: Bring Your Heart To Salah: Love, Hope & Fear

 

Think of the human being you love the most. Imagine a situation where you have not met for a year. Now is the time for you to finally reunite.

How will you feel? What will be running through your mind? How fast will your heart be beating?

Similarly, every ṣalāh is an occasion in which you reunite with Allah (ʿazza wa jall) after having been parted. You should feel the same trepidation and excitement at its arrival. As you journey towards Allah (ʿazza wa jall), in and outside of your ṣalāh, there are three primary emotions you should try to cultivate in your heart: hope, fear and love.

“The heart in its journey to Allah is like a bird. Love is its head, and fear and hope are its two wings. When the head is healthy, then the two wings will fly well. When the head is cut off, the bird will die. When either of the two wings is damaged, the bird becomes vulnerable to every hunter and predator.” – Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh)

Hope

Hope in Allah (rajā’) is the first of these three emotions. Open your heart and allow it to become overwhelmed with the mercy and kindness of Allah (ʿazza wa jall). Rajā’ springs from thinking good of Him and attaching your heart to Him. In a ḥadīth qudsī, Allah stated, “I am as My slave thinks of Me” (Bukhārī).

Remember that Allah (ʿazza wa jall) wants to forgive you. Allah does not want to ‘catch you out.’ Rather He ‘catches’ you when you fall, so long as you turn to Him. Allah (ʿazza wa jall) wants to forgive you, shower you with His mercy and guide you to Paradise. Believe this from the bottom of your heart.

Belief in the heart is not enough however. Your belief must be accompanied by action. You must make a distinction between rajā’ and tamannī (wishful thinking). Tamannī is when you fail to take action, yet you still hope for a good outcome. Conversely, rajā’ is when you take the means and place your hope in Him.

Such a hope, or rajā’, is achieved by acknowledging everything Allah has blessed you with. Always return to the Source of every blessing in your life: Allah (ʿazza wa jall), the Supreme Provider (al-Razzāq).

Another powerful way to fill your heart with hope in Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is by reflecting on His Beautiful Names. The more you know Allah, the more hope you will have in Him. Allah is al-Muṣawwir (The Fashioner); He has created you in the most beautiful form. Allah is al-Raḥmān (The Extremely Merciful); His mercy encompasses all of His creation. Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is The Concealer of sins (al-Sittīr); He (ʿazza wa jall) will not expose you despite the multitude of your sins. Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is Gentle (al-Rafīq); He loves gentleness. Allah is The Most Compassionate (al-Ra’ūf); His compassion knows no ends. Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is The Most Modest (al Ḥayiyy); He feels shy to turn you back, empty-handed.

What choice do you have other than to have hope in Him?

Fear

Fear is the second emotion which should overwhelm you in ṣalāh. Fearing Allah (ʿazza wa jall) should make you tremble in awe of Him and humble you in front of Him.

Some say that we should mainly focus on loving Allah (ʿazza wa jall) and having hope in Him. They argue that positivity will bring people closer to the dīn. However, this is misleading and can damage our understanding and application of the dīn. Allah (ʿazza wa jall) says, “…They used to race towards the good deeds and invoke Us with hope and fear; and they were humbly submissive to Us” (21:90).

In a ḥadīth qudsī, Allah (ʿazza wa jall) says, “By My Glory, I will not combine two fears nor two assurances for My slave: if he feared Me in the world, I will grant him safety on the Day of Judgement. And if he felt safe from Me in the world, I will make him fear Me on the Day of Judgement.” (Ibn Ḥibbān)

In life, you tend to run away from what you fear. For example, anyone who is scared of spiders or rodents will freeze or run away upon seeing them. However, fearing Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is unique and beautiful. It makes you flee to Him, and not away from Him. The more you fear Him, the more you turn to Him.

A fear of worldly matters is usually accompanied by a dislike of it. However, the fear of Allah is coupled with love and respect. You are in awe of Him. Although Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is beyond all worldly examples, think of an elderly grandfather or an older person who is well-respected. As soon as he enters the room, everyone falls quiet out of respect for him. The silence is not because this elder is a tyrant of the household; rather, it is because of the respect that his family accords him. This type of fear is known as haybah or khashyah, a reverential type of fear. It is this emotion that the senior Companion ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) felt when he was in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ . He said even though he ﷺ was the most beloved of people to him, he could not describe him. This is because whenever he was in his company, he was unable to look directly at his blessed face. He would lower his head and humbly gaze downwards, out of deep respect and awe.

The fear of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is not an irrational fear. It is a fear built on knowledge. The more you get to know Him, the more you fear Him. You are in constant awe of His majesty, greatness and power.

When the Prophet ﷺ saw Jibrīl (ʿalayhis-salām) in his original form, he had 600 wings, and his huge size filled the horizon between the sky and the earth. Jibrīl is the best of angels, who was tasked with the most prestigious responsibility of transmitting the word of Allah. Despite his physical and spiritual greatness, the Prophet ﷺ saw him on the night of Miʿrāj (ascension) looking like “a worn-out piece of cloth due to the fear of Allah” (Ṭabarānī). Jibrīl’s knowledge of Allah’s majesty and greatness reduced him to this state.

Aim to strike a balance between excessive fear and a lack of fear. If there’s too much fear, you’ll end up in despair. And if there’s too little, you’ll become complacent and feel secure from Allah’s punishment. Fear is a deterrent. It prevents you from becoming distracted, disobeying Allah and falling off the right path.

Three steps to cultivate fear in your heart

1) Reflect on Allah’s greatness, grandeur and majesty.

2) Reflect on the gravity of standing before Allah (ʿazza wa jall), the terrors of the grave, the horrors of the Day of Judgement, the sharpness of the ṣirāṭ and the torment of the Hell-fire.

3) Think about your sins and shortcomings. Reflect on how little you have prepared for your journey to the hereafter.

A life between hope and fear

The pious people of the past would advise that during good times, when you are more likely to forget Allah (ʿazza wa jall), you should increase your fear of Him. And during difficult times, you should increase your hope in Him. Other scholars stated that throughout one’s life, fear should be dominant over hope; but towards the end of one’s life, hope should become dominant.

When Muʿādh b. Jabal (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) was in his final moments, he turned to Allah (ʿazza wa jall) and said, “O Allah, indeed I used to fear you, but now I have hope in You. O Allah, indeed, you know that I did not love the world nor want to remain in it for long to dig wells or plant trees. Rather it was to experience thirst in the midday heat during the long fasts; to struggle through standing for hours at night in prayer; and to kneel in the company of scholars in the gatherings of dhikr.”

Anas (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) reported that the Prophet ﷺ entered upon a young boy who was dying. The Prophet ﷺ asked him, “How are you?” The boy replied, “O Messenger of Allah, I swear by Allah that I have hope in Allah and I am scared over my sins.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “These two (qualities) do not gather in a slave’s heart in such a moment except that Allah gives him what he hopes for, and protects him from what he is scared of.” (Tirmidhī)

Love

Love is the third – and most important – emotion.

Love is the greatest station the seeker on the path to Allah (ʿazza wa jall) can attain. The love of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is the purest and greatest of all loves. It gives life to the heart, it is sustenance for the soul, and is the roadway to eternal success. When your heart overflows with His love, you will experience genuine bliss and contentment. Ibn Taymiyyah (raḥimahullāh) said, “Know that there are three things that push the hearts towards Allah: love, fear, and hope. The strongest of these three is love; and it is something that is sought-after in and of itself, since it is something that is desired both in this world and the hereafter, as opposed to fear, which will disappear in the Hereafter. Allah says, ‘For certain, the friends of Allah shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve’ (10:62).”

Our purpose in life is to worship (ʿibādah) Allah. ʿIbādah consists of: (1) utmost humility and (2) utmost love. Without love, there is no ʿibādah. Without love, we fail in actualising our purpose of existence. Love is the ‘soul’ of worship.

Loving Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is beautiful. It cannot be compared to loving any of His creation, as His creation will cease to be, whilst He is the Ever-Lasting. His creation has limits, whilst He is the Limitless, the All-Encompassing and the Most Able. Loving Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is beautiful because there is no one kinder, more giving and more appreciative than Him. As humans, we are prone to making mistakes, and we are prone to not forgiving those who have erred. On the other hand, Allah (ʿazza wa jall) loves to forgive and will forgive us even if we go to Him with mountains of sins. Our fellow humans tire of our persistent questioning and begging. However, Allah (ʿazza wa jall), our Generous Lord, does not stop giving and is angered when we don’t ask from Him!

“Love puts the slave on the path to his Beloved; and the speed and strength of his journey to Him is in accordance with how strong or weak this love for Him is.” – Ibn Taymiyyah (raḥimahullāh)

Loving Allah (ʿazza wa jall) can only be achieved when you prefer Him over everything else. You must love Him more than you love your parents, children, spouse, friends and wealth.

Love – by the consensus of the scholars – is an obligation (farḍ) and one of the fundamental aspects of the dīn. When considering matters that are farḍ in our dīn, loving Allah (ʿazza wa jall) does often not cross our minds. Moreover, when we reflect on loving Allah (ʿazza wa jall) , we tend to equate love to obedience. We often limit our perception of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) as someone Very Powerful and Scary. Yes, Allah (ʿazza wa jall) is Extremely Powerful, and this should make us tremble, yet equally, there is nothing more soothing and comforting to the soul than His love.

There is a vast difference between someone who obeys Allah (ʿazza wa jall) out of love for Him, and someone who obeys Him without love. When a lover obeys his beloved, the obedience is done willingly and sincerely. Such a level of obedience differs from that brought on by force. The former experiences happiness and joy in willingly complying to the orders, whereas the latter feels burdened, and may even resent the order. Love, therefore, is the driving force and the impetus of ʿibādah.

It is this love of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) that makes the slave-Creator relationship special. This love makes the servant eager to be in His company, to converse with Him and do everything possible to please Him. Obedience with love is not just a tick-box exercise that solely involves the fulfilment of obligations. Instead, it consists of a sincere desire to be with Him and remember Him. Love makes the slave eager to meet Him. Love is what makes him cry out in the depths of the night, “My Lord, do not deprive me of the greatest joy: the joy of seeing You in the Final Abode.”

The next time you stand up for your ṣalāh, fill your heart with the aforementioned emotions: hope, fear and love.

اَللّٰهُمَّ – إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ ، وَحُبَّ مَنْ يُّحِبُّكَ ، وَحُبَّ عَمَلٍ يُّقَرِّبُنِيْ إِلَىٰ حُبِّكَ –

(O Allah), I ask You for Your love, the love of those whom You love, and the love of deeds which will bring me closer to Your love (Tirmidhī).

“Know that when the love of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) becomes firm in the heart, its effects appear on the limbs: the slave diligently obeys Him, eagerly serves Him, and strives to attain His pleasure. He finds joy in privately conversing with Him, is content with His decree, and longs to meet him. He derives comfort in remembering Him, feels estranged with other than Him, flees from the people, and seeks intimacy with Him in seclusion. The world departs from his heart; he loves everything Allah loves and prefers Him over everything other than Him.” – Ibn Juzayy (raḥimahullāh)

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20: The Secret Of Salah: Focus Your Heart On Him

 

We now arrive at the final and potentially the most important way to achieve khushūʿ in your ṣalāh. Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) has described it as ‘the secret and essence of ṣalāh.’

The secret of ṣalāh, and what transforms it from being a lifeless body to a real, moving and powerful force is: turning to Allah (ʿazza wa jall) fully and completely with your heart. During ṣalāh it is not permissible to turn your face away from the qiblah. Similarly, as His sincere slave, it is not befitting to turn your heart away from your Lord to matters other than Him.

When placing your heart before Allah (ʿazza wa jall), do it with utmost humility, as though you are seeing Him. When asked by Jibrīl (ʿalayhis-salām) to define ihṣān, the Prophet ﷺ said, “That you worship Allah as though you are seeing Him; for if you cannot see Him, He truly sees you” (Muslim).

The attainment of iḥsān should be every believer’s life goal. Iḥsān is to strive to worship Allah with the presence of the heart and watchful awareness (murāqabah). The reward of this will be the best of rewards: seeing Allah (ʿazza wa jall) Himself in Jannah inshā’Allah.

Ṣalāh is akin to a heavily guarded treasure chest that can be opened only with a special key. That key is to turn towards Allah (ʿazza wa jall) and turn away from everything other than Him.

Go to Allah (ʿazza wa jall) with full presence and concentration. Incline to Him completely. Focus on Him Alone. If you turn to Him, He will turn to you. If you turn away from Him, He will turn away from you.

Achieve this by removing the world from your heart and purifying your heart from desires and doubts.

Think of a cup which is full. To add to it, you must first throw out some of its contents. Likewise, the treasures of ṣalāh cannot enter a heart that is filled with concerns for the dunyā, is steeped in desires, and is riddled with doubts. These must first be removed.

Similarly, clear your mind from all evil thoughts and ideas. Instead, steer your mind to think about Allah (ʿazza wa jall): His majesty, His beauty, His kindness, His love and His Generosity.

Ḥassān b.ʿAṭiyyah (raḥimahullāh) said, “Indeed two men can be performing the same ṣalāh, but the difference between them is as vast as the distance between the heaven and earth. This is because one of them has fully directed his heart towards Allah (ʿazza wa jall), whereas the other one is heedless and inattentive.”

“When you stand to pray with humility in front of Allah (ʿazza wa jall), then stand as Allah has commanded you to do so. Beware of forgetfulness and being distracted. Beware of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) looking at you, yet you look at other than Him. Beware of asking Your Lord for Paradise and seeking His protection from the Hell fire whilst your heart is elsewhere and has no idea of what your tongue is uttering.” – al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (raḥimahullāh)

The 3 components of focusing your heart on Allah

1- The focus of the heart: Safeguard your heart from desires, from the worldly thoughts and the whispers of Shayṭān as they will reduce the reward of ṣalāh.

2- The focus of iḥsān: Completely give your heart and its focus to Allah (ʿazza wa jall). Worship Him as though you see Him.

3- The focus of reflection: Contemplate on the Qur’ān and each component of the ṣalāh with its distinctive characteristics.

Following this chapter’s exploration of the ten ways of attaining khushūʿ in ṣalāh, the next chapter will take you on a journey through ṣalāh. By understanding and recollecting the significance of each posture, you will find your khushūʿ increasing by the will of Allah (ʿazza wa jall).

[ummtaalib]

Articles taken from

https://lifewithallah.com/articles/sweetness-of-salah/