In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Allah Almighty says,
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ ۖ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ ﴿١٦[Quran, Qaf 50:16]
And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein (16)
The unseen is, by definition, hidden from us, and we human beings tend to forget what isn’t in front of our eyes. That is why we need constant reminders from the Quran and Sunnah, in order to strengthen our iman (faith). We need to persistently keep up the awareness that we aren’t praying just for the sake of praying – we are praying to Allah, and He is there watching us when we pray.
Ever forget how many rakahs were completed and which surahs were recited? At the end of Salah, do you feel a sense of incompleteness and regret instead of joy and accomplishment? Does salah seem more like a chore rather than an intimate conversation?
Our minds wander about in prayers, not taking in anything we’re saying. When we bow down in ruku’, our hearts don’t submit to Allah alongside our bodies. When we rub our foreheads to the ground, our minds aren’t humbled alongside our brains.
The missing factor that prevents us from succeeding through in Salah is humility or khushu'.
‘Khushu’ is an Arabic word used to refer to humility or humbleness while offering our daily Salah (prayers). The meaning and actualization of khushu' lies in the ‘presence of our hearts’ while we are reporting for our daily duty towards Allah.
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 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.
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿١﴾ الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ ﴿٢[Quran, Al-Mu'minun 23:1-2]
It is the believers who are successful: those who are humble in their prayer.
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 (Glorified and Exalted be He). 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 (Allah bless him and grant him peace) 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].
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 subḥānahu wa ta'āla 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 our khushu' in Salah.
Khushu' is something that does not remain at the same level all the time. None of us is immune to distractions in Salah, and even though all of us have been there, that doesn’t make it alright 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 internal distractions in the form of thoughts, diversions, or an absent heart. We’ll also face external 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 heightened khushu' 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 the beloved Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam 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.
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 subḥānahu wa ta'āla to help us guide to the correct way and develop a good amount of khushu in our Salah. There are many du'as 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. A very effective way of increasing khushu’ in prayer is by learning the meaning of what we’re reciting. So, start learning them.
May Allah increase us in iman and taqwa and enable us to worship Him with excellence and make us of those who are successful. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
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