Productive Tips to Maintain Khushu in Salah

[Read Part 1]

Wouldn’t it be nice to have some form of an invisible protective shield around us while we pray to keep the distractions away from us? Yes! And here’s some good news: each one of us can and should build this protective shield to guard our salah as per the instructions given in the Quran and the Sunnah. The following ayah; 

“And those who strictly guard their Salawat”[23:9]

goes to show that our salah needs to be constantly shielded and guarded from everything that affects its quality. The collective attentiveness in the actions of the heart, tongue and limbs form the basis of the khushu protective shield.

In the first part of this article, we looked at the nature of khushu and how it affects us both in and out of salah. Now we will look at some practical steps you can take on your path to developing khushu in your own salah.

Here are some practical tips to maintain khushu:

1) Knowledge: 

Increase in Islamic knowledge; learn about Allah, tawheed, His Names and Attributes, and various aspects and sciences of the sunnah. Why? Because Allah says: 

“It is only the learned amongst His servants who truly fear Allah”[35:28]

With regards to gaining knowledge, even our Prophet had a teacher to understand the Deen of Allah: it was angel Jibrail . Therefore, we must seek knowledge under the guidance of Islamic teachers and scholars (without relying too much on Shaykh Google).

2) On Time:

 Pray on time and plan your life around salah timings and not the other way around. Prioritize pleasing Allah over pleasing people. We can’t say, “But I have work, I have to meet so-and-so etc.” because before all of that came about, we already knew about our salah timings; so that’s not a valid excuse. But in situations that are out of our control, such as an exam, try to ask the moderator if a few minutes can be allowed for salah. That way we would have at least tried our best rather than not trying at all.

3) Seek Refuge in Allah: 

Seek refuge in Allah from Satan by saying “Aa-udhubillahi min As-Shaitanir Rajim” before starting the salah and during the salah too when needed. Also say Bismillah (In the name of Allah) before beginning the salah.

4) Be Mindful:

Contemporary psychologists use a very simple technique called “Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy” to help people stay focused in the present moment rather than being engrossed in foggy thoughts of past or future while losing touch with reality. It means to simply remind yourself to come back to the present moment as soon as you realize that your thoughts have drifted away from what is happening right now. With practice, InshaAllah we can benefit from this technique to maintain our khushu. Start by being mindful of Allah when you make the intention for ablution; be attentive while doing the ablution; then recite the recommended dua after completing the ablution. At all times of the day, keep away from anything that makes you forget the remembrance of Allah. Satan will use various tricks and tactics to divert us, so we have to be aware of his methods. The moment you realize that the heart and mind have wandered off, try to bring your attention back. The more often you do this, the more your humility will improve insha Allah.

5) Understand: 

Read the tafsir (exegesis) of Surah Al Fatiha; understand each Ayah and pause in between. (Tafsir by Ibn Kathir is recommended.) Remember, well-begun is half done! Read translations to understand all the surahs that you recite during salah. Try to offer Tahajjud and recite the Quran during those hours of the night, as that is a good time for understanding the words of Allah.

6) Visualize: 

Always try to remind yourself that you are standing in front of Allah , pray as though you see Him; and if you cannot do that, then be aware that He is definitely seeing you. As you recite, visualize the Arabic words of each surah. Do not close your eyes, but focus on the place of sujood.

7) Never Stop: 

Be wary of sticking to your salah, particularly in times of distress – it will help a lot in dealing with the situation as mentioned in the Quran: 

“Seek Allah’s help with patient perseverance and prayer. It is indeed hard except for those who are humbly submissive.”[2:45]

Help children develop their humility and concentration from a young age. Do not force them to offer salah, rather inspire them to come to salah.

8) Good Pace: 

Be attentive and relaxed by maintaining a good pace between salah actions, giving a minimum of 5 seconds or more per action. Every time you say ‘Allahu Akbar’, say it from your heart. Make your sujood a bit longer than usual, recite duas in it and also before the final tasleem.

9) It Could be the Last: 

Before approaching salah, remember the inevitable reality: death. Allah created us only to worship Him. Perform every salah as you would perform your last salah. We may not know when, but one day we will be praying our last one.

After each Salah, develop a habit of reciting the supplications as recommended by our Prophet .

After reading this article and understanding what it says, it is really up to us to take a moment and step outside of our self, honestly analyze the quality of our Salah, level of our Iman and the impact of these on our life as a whole. We’ll all agree that correct knowledge is absolutely lovely, but it will be of no use to anyone at all until we actually decide to implement what we now know. It is only then that knowledge becomes lovelier and in turn beautifies us from inside and out.

Do not lose hope or give up if these tips do not work at first or do not provide an immediate solution. Remember that the seed of khushu will grow only after a gentle rain of consistent reminders seep into the heart by Allah’s Will.

Recommended reading: Download free e-book titled “Humility in Prayer” published by Daar-Us-Sunnah Publishers, Birmingham. Available at www.kalamullah.com

The post Khushu: Humility in Salah (Part 2) appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.

Imagine that your boss or teacher gives you an assignment that needs to be done in a specific manner and completed before a set deadline. Then you receive the instructions, and glance over them hurriedly while thinking, ‘”Ah! Piece of cake, no problemo!” Then you go ahead and submit the assignment with an ear-to-ear grin thinking, “Great, gotten over with it right on time!” But then to your surprise, you are told that your work will not be accepted because your file is neither complete, nor does it comply with the instructions! It is deficient in every sense. Now you are in double trouble: not only have you run out of time, but your efforts have been wasted. Then the fear of not receiving that next salary or progression to the next level overtakes you. You come to realize that if you had paid attention to the instructions properly, you could have excelled in this simple assignment. A wise one would make sure to read, understand, and diligently follow the instructions next time rather than losing hope.

If we translate the above scenario into our daily deen life, we understand that the missing factor that prevents us from succeeding through in salah assignment is humility or khushu. By not understanding the importance of khushu in our salah, we risk rejection of this beautiful act of worship and may experience a decrease in our Iman.

Salah is the key to our success in this world and the next. But if we do not look after this key or lose it, we’ll not be able to unlock the doors that lead to the good in this life and the next – it’s as simple as that. Poor quality of salah is like not reaping full benefits of a powerful life management tool given to us by the Creator of Life Himself! Undoubtedly, when our salah is in good condition, we’ll notice that all the other life affairs also naturally fall into their right places with ease, InshaAllah. Times of ease become more joyful and times of difficulties become easy, or at the very least become bearable.

“It is the believers who are successful: those who are humble in their prayer” [Quran verse 23, 1-2].

Khushu refers to the submissiveness, gentleness, humility, yearning, and quietude (out of love as well as fear) within the heart due to the consciousness of Allah’s Greatness and Grandeur. It is also the awareness of one’s own weaknesses, absence of haughtiness, arrogance and superiority from the heart. When the heart is full of khushu, the limbs also become subservient in humility to Allah . We may believe that when our minds are distracted, the concentration and humility in salah decreases. However, the truth is that it is actually the heart that causes khushu to increase or decrease. The Prophet said,

“Of surety there is a morsel 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. It is the heart.” [Muslim].

Symptoms of Lack of Khushu in Salah:

Ever felt like you or someone praying next to you were making a sujood as though it was being done on a hot plate? The correct recitation of Surah Al Fatiha alone outlasts a couple of rakahs offered by you or someone praying next to you? Keep forgetting how many rakahs were completed and which surahs were recited? At the end of salah, do we feel a sense of incompleteness and regret instead of joy and accomplishment? Does salah seem more like a chore rather than a conversation? If the answer to any or all of these questions is yes, then the level of khushu needs to increase.

Guarding Khushu Outside Salah:

The quality of our humility and presence of heart and mind in salah largely depend on what we are preoccupied with outside of Salah. We often forget that Allah is our Lord and He is Ever Watchful over us. He knows that we are the same individual, both in and outside of Salah. Allah neither starts watching us from the moment we say the first takbeer nor does He stop watching over us as soon as we say the final tasleem. He’ll account us for each and every action in and outside of salah and whether it was done with the intention of solely seeking His Pleasure or not.

This is something that we should remember at all times; no matter what we are doing. It is this consciousness of Allah that is called ‘taqwa’ and it is highly conducive to developing ourkKhushu in salah.

Sister Yasmin Mogahed has beautifully summarized this point in her comment:

“So often it hurts us that we are not able to focus in our prayers. Remember, the more you focus on Allah outside your salah, the easier it will be to focus on Him inside your salah. Try to fill your mind and heart with Allah as much as you can throughout your day. Talk to Him and make dua to Him constantly. This will build your personal relationship with Him. Then, going to salah will be like coming home to an old friend.”

Our Khushu Fluctuates:

In all honesty, Khushu is something that does not remain at the same level all the time. Let’s face it; none of us is immune to distractions in salah, and even though all of us have been there, that doesn’t make it OK to continue offering Salah without humility. In fact, for this reason alone we must consistently strive to perfect (or at least aim to come close to perfecting) our humility in salah. We’ll face interior distractions in the form of thoughts, diversions, or an absent heart. We’ll also face exterior distractions such as things that happen in or around the prayer area. Depending on the state of our Iman, there will be times when we’ll experience something what I’d like to call a ‘Khushu-High’ and at other times our Khushu will take a downward plunge. Hence renewing our intentions and Iman is extremely important; that, in turn, will renew our khushu.

That is why our beloved Prophet used to tell his companions:

“Renew your faith.” He was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how do we renew our faith?” He said, “By frequently repeating La Ilaha ill-Allah (There is no god, but Allah)”  [Reported by Ahmad, 2/359].

Another important thing to remember is that it is incumbent upon us to equip ourselves with knowledge about khushu. That will help us recognize these fluctuating levels and prompt us to improve the level of humility in salah, so we may succeed in this world and the Hereafter, InshaAllah.

Advice on how to improve Khushu in Salah:

Whenever you feel that your khushu is not up to its mark, immediately do something about it. Try reading helpful articles and maintain a weekly time to assess the quality of your salah. Finally and most importantly, let’s never forget to ask Allah to help us guide to the correct way and develop a good amount of khushu in our salah. There are many duas from the Quran and sunnah for this purpose.

The first step towards improvement is being mindful of Allah, acknowledging our deficiencies, and most importantly, asking for His help and then working towards achieving success and excellence through a good quality of Salah.

In the next part of this article, we will look at some practical steps to take towards achieving Khushu.

[Read Part 2]

The post Khushu: Humility in Salah (Part 1) appeared first on ProductiveMuslim.com.