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Salah is one of the five greatest pillars of Islam. It is not only an act of worship and submission, but also an act that gives one inner peace and an ability to communicate with Allah (swt), the most Exalted and Supreme.  The main goal of salah is to build and maintain communication with Allah (swt), and it consists of many suras and phrases that allow the believer to thank Allah (swt), praise Him and ask Him for guidance. This paper will focus on the importance of the obligatory prayers, and the importance of having khushoo in one’s salah.
          
There are many important steps that lead to salah, and all of them must be fulfilled in order to receive the greatest level of achievement in your salah. These include wudu (ablution), intention and concentration. Unfortunately, it is true that many of the believers submit their bodies to Allah (swt) in prayer, but their minds are distracted by worldly thoughts.  It is important to realize that one must submit their bodies along with their hearts to get the greatest satisfaction from their salah. Muslims must engage in sacred combat, the greater jihad, and resist the distractions of this world when they are engaged in prayer.  Sura Al-Alaq 96:19 reads, “Nay, heed him not: But bow down in adoration, and bring thyself the closer (to Allah)!" This aya reveals the importance of focusing during your salah, and not just performing the prescribed actions of salah along with recitation from the tongue. Remind yourself continually, that you are talking to the most important ‘Being’ in your life. Your Creator and Sustainer. He is in front of you, you are facing Him and you are involved in a dialogue with Him.  

An important step towards gaining khushoo is to understand the meanings of the recitation being done in salah. The God-Praising and thanking is done five times a day in fard prayer, but it is important to realize that it is not just the tongue that is praising, it is also the heart and the soul.  The Opening, Sura Al-Fatiha 1:2-3 reads is praising Allah (swt), “Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.” Next, 1:6-7 reads, “Show us the straight way. The way of those on whom Thou has bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.”  These two ayas of Al-Fatiha are used to ask the Almighty for guidance to the straight path.  Without realizing it, we recite Sura Al-Fatiha at least seventeen times a day in fard prayer, and our tongues thank, praise and ask Allah (swt) for guidance. It is shameful that we as humans can recite these words but not say it from the heart.  When we merely use the tongue without submitting our hearts and minds to Allah (swt), we are greatly disrespecting our Lord and it is as if our minds and hearts are turned away from Him.

Allah (swt) has prescribed reward for those who pray, and those who submit to His will. In Sura tul-Maarij, Allah describes the believers as “the observers of prayer, those who are constant in their prayer” (70:22-23). These ayas are used in the context of describing those who are excluded from the punishment and humiliation of the Day of Judgment.  We, as Muslims, are so blessed that we have been given the gift of prayer as a chance of communicating with the Lord of the worlds. We are given many occasions to make dua and ask Allah (swt) for what we need and for forgiveness. Sahih Muslim has narrated a hadith which says “A servant is nearest to his Lord when he is in sajda, so increase your supplication when in sajda.”  This shows that Allah (swt) has given us humans so many chances to draw ourselves near to Him, and we should take advantage of these opportunities in order to increase our nearness with Allah (swt). Furthermore, it is imperative to complete the requirements of prayer in that the concern for worshipping the Lord absorbs one’s heart. One should stand for prayer imagining that Allah (swt) was physically present before them, and place their hearts in front of the Lord. This will help the distractions vanish, and increase khushoo and quality of prayer.

All in all, it is not difficult to gain khushoo in prayer when one realizes that this duniya and worldliness is a part of our test, and our true destination is to Allah (swt) in the hereafter. When one prepares for prayer, he should hold the goal of gaining closeness to Allah (swt) in mind, and remember death at all times. This will improve the salah as with every prayer, one may think that this is their last prayer, and last chance to gain the mercy of Allah (swt).

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Comments

SFS
02/22/2010 12:48am

very motivating and inspiring MashaAllah!! it was very much needed for all of us!

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Zena Chaudhry
03/03/2010 10:45am

JazakAllah khair for sharing this. It's exactly what I needed to get me up and running today.

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Reader
03/18/2010 10:11pm

Masha'allah!
I definitely needed this reminder. I'm sure this will help me to pray properly no matter how distracted I may be!
Jazak'allah!

Reply
Abu yusuf link
01/08/2012 3:43am

I feel not sure all the times if Allah is accepting my prayers.

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