How to Maintain Khushu in Salah. *Share*
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.
Here are some practical tips on how to maintain Khushu in Salah
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 (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) had a teacher to understand the Deen of Allah: it was angel Jibrail (peace be upon him). 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 (glorified and exalted be He) 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 (glorified and exalted be He), 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 (glorified and exalted be He) 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 (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him).
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.
10) Finally: My Personal Favorite:
Alhamdulilah one thing that has helped me personally for the past years, is the act of praying slowly this has truly helped me maintained a controlled pace, this includes enjoying every posture, reciting extra supplications in every position in salah. try to pray slowly making sure your sitting, standing and ruku'u is done perfectly according to the Quran and Sunnah.
I ask Allah to guide us all and grant us khushu'u in salah..Amen!
PS: Don't forget to share with others in shaa Allah!
Source: FB hassan islam (dawah reminders)
