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DEVELOPING KHUSHOO IN THE SALAAH 33.Sababun Lil-Khushoo’ Fi Salaah Content Praise
be to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds, Who has said in His book (interpretation of
the meaning), “…and stand before Allaah with obedience” [al-Baqarah
2:238] and has said concerning the prayer (interpretation of the meaning): “… and truly it is extremely heavy and hard except for
al-khaashi’oon…’ [al-Baqarah 2:45]; and peace and blessings be upon the leader of the
pious, the chief of al-khaashi’oon, Muhammad the Messenger of Allaah, and on
all his family and companions. Salaah
is the greatest of the practical pillars of Islam, and khushoo’ in prayer is
required by sharee’ah. When Iblees, the enemy of Allaah, vowed to mislead
and tempt the sons of Adam and said “Then I will come to them from before
them and behind them, from their right and from their left…” [al-A’raaf
7:17, interpretation of the meaning], one of his most significant plots
became to divert people from salaah by all possible means and to whisper to
them during their prayer so as to deprive them of the joy of this worship and
cause them to lose the reward for it. As khushoo’ will be the first thing to
disappear from the earth, and we are living in the last times, the words of
Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) are particularly pertinent to us:
“The first thing of your religion that you will lose is khushoo’, and the
last thing that you will lose of your religion is salaah. There may be a
person praying who has no goodness in him, and soon you will enter the mosque
and not find anyone who has khushoo’.” (al-Madaarij, 1/521). Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): “Successful indeed are the
believers, those who offer their salaah (prayers) with all solemnity and full
submissiveness.” [al-Mu’minoon 23:1-2] – i.e., fearing Allaah and in
a calm manner. Khushoo’ means calmness, serenity, tranquility, dignity and
humility. What makes a person have this khushoo’ is fear of Allaah and the
sense that He is always watching. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Daar al-Sha’b edn., 6/414). Khushoo’ means that the heart stands before the Lord in
humility and submission. (al-Madaarij, 1/520). It
was reported that Mujaahid said: “…and stand before Allaah with
obedience” [al-Baqarah 2:238 – interpretation of the meaning]’ –
part of obedience is to bow, to be solemn and submissive, to lower one’s
gaze and to humble oneself out of fear of Allaah, may He be glorified.” (Ta’zeem
Qadr al-Salaah, 1/188). The
site of khushoo’ is the heart, and its effects are manifested in the
physical body. The various faculties follow the heart: if the heart is
corrupted by negligence or insinuating whispers from Shaytaan, the worship of
the body’s faculties will also be corrupt. The heart is like a king and the
faculties are like his troops who follow his orders and go where they are
commanded. If the king is deposed, his followers are lost, which is like what
happens when the heart does not worship properly. Making
a show of khushoo’ is condemned. Among the signs of sincerity are: Hudhayfah
(may Allaah be pleased with him) used to say: “Beware of the khushoo’ of
hypocrisy.” He was asked, “What is the khushoo’ of hypocrisy?” He
said, “When the body shows khushoo’ but there is no khushoo’ in the
heart.” Fudayl ibn ‘Ayaad said: “It was disliked for a man to show more
khushoo’ than he had in his heart.” One of them saw a man showing khushoo’
in his shoulders and body, and said, “O So and so, khushoo’ is here” –
and he pointed to his chest, “not here” – and he pointed to his
shoulders. (al-Madaarij, 1/521) Ibn
al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, explaining the difference
between the khushoo’ of true faith and the khushoo’ of hypocrisy: “The
khushoo’ of true faith is when the heart feels aware and humble before the
greatness and glory of Allaah, and is filled with awe, fear and shyness, so
that the heart is utterly humbled before Allaah and broken, as it were, with
fear, shyness, love and the recognition of the blessings of Allaah and its own
sins. So no doubt the khushoo’ of the heart is followed by the khushoo’ of
the body. As for the khushoo’ of hypocrisy, it is something that is put on
with a great show, but there is no khushoo’ in the heart. One of the
Sahaabah used to say, ‘I seek refuge with Allaah from the khushoo’ of
hypocrisy.” It was said to him, ‘What is the khushoo’ of hypocrisy?’
He said, “When the body appears to have khushoo’ but there is no khushoo’
in the heart.’ The person who truly feels khushoo’ before Allaah is a
person who no long feels the flames of physical desire; his heart is pure and
is filled with the light of the greatness of Allaah. His own selfish desires
have died because of the fear and awe which have filled his heart to
overflowing so that his physical faculties have calmed down, his heart has
become dignified and feels secure in Allaah the remembrance of Him, and
tranquillity descends upon him from his Lord. So he has become humble (mukhbit)
before Allaah, and the one who is humble is the one who is assured. Land that
is “mukhbit” is land that is low-lying, in which water settles, so
the heart that is “mukhbit” is humble and content, like a low-lying
spot of land into which water flows and settles. The sign of this is that a
person prostrates to his Lord out of respect and humility, and never raises
his head until he meets Him. The arrogant heart, on the other hand, is one
that is content with its arrogance and raises itself up like an elevated
portion of land in which water never settles. This is the khushoo’ of true
faith.” As
for overdoing it, and the khushoo’ of hypocrisy, this is the attitude of a
person who tries to make a great show of khushoo’, but deep down he is still
filled with desires. So on the outside he appears to have khushoo’, but the
snake of the valley and the lion of the forest reside within him, watching for
prey. (Al-Rooh, p. 314, Daar al-Firk edn., Jordan). “Khushoo’
in prayer happens when a person empties his heart for it (prayer), and focuses
on it to the exclusion of all else, and prefers it to everything else. Only
then does he find comfort and joy in it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘… and my joy has been made in salaah.’”
(Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 5/456. The hadeeth is in Musnad Ahmad,
3/128 and Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3124). Allaah
has mentioned al-khaashi’eena wa’l-khaashi’aat (men and women who
are humble (before their Lord)), and described this quality as one of the
qualities of those who are chosen. He tells us that He has prepared for them
forgiveness and a great reward (i.e., Paradise). [See al-Ahzaab 33:35]. One
of the benefits of khushoo’ is that it makes prayer easier for a person.
Allaah tells us (interpretation of the meaning): “And seek help in
patience and al-salaah (the prayer), and truly it is extremely heavy and hard
except for al-khaashi’oon [i.e., the true believers, those who obey Allaah
with full submission, fear much from His Punishment, and believe in His
Promise and in His Warnings]” [al-Baqarah 2:45]. The meaning is that the
burden of prayer is heavy indeed, except for those who have khushoo’. (Tafseer
Ibn Katheer, 1/125). Khushoo’ is very important, but it is something
that is easily lost and is rarely seen, especially in our own times, which are
the last times. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The first thing to be lifted up (taken away) from this ummah will be
khushoo’, until you will see no one who has khushoo’.” (Al-Haythami said
in al-Majma’, 2/136: It was reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer,
and its isnaad is hasan. See also Saheeh al-Targheeb, no. 543. He said
it is Saheeh). According
to the most correct view, khushoo’ is obligatory. Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn
Taymiyah], may Allaah have mercy on him, said: “Allaah, may He be exalted,
says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘And seek help in patience and
al-salaah
(the prayer), and truly it is extremely heavy and hard except for al-khaashi’oon
…’ [al-Baqarah 2:45]. This
implies condemnation of those who are not khaashi’oon… Condemnation only
applies when something obligatory is not done, or when something forbidden is
done. If those who do not have khushoo’ are to be condemned, this indicates
that khushoo’ is obligatory (waajib)… The fact that khushoo’ is
obligatory is also indicated by the aayaah (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Successful
indeed are the believers, those who offer their salaah (prayers) with all
solemnity and full submissiveness… These are indeed the inheritors, who
shall inherit the Firdaws (Paradise). They shall dwell therein forever.’
[al-Mu’minoon 23:1-2, 10-11] Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted,
tells us that these are the ones who will inherit Firdaws (Paradise), which
implies that no-one else will do so… Khushoo’ is obligatory in prayer, and
this includes calmness and khushoo’ [the original says ‘khushoo’;
perhaps what is meant is khudoo’ meaning submission, humility].
Whoever pecks like a crow in his sujood (prostration) does not have khushoo’,
and whoever does not raise his head fully from rukoo’ (bowing) and pause for
a while before going down into sujood is not calm, because calmness implies
doing things at a measured pace, so the person who does not do things at a
measured pace is not calm. Whoever is not calm does not have khushoo’ in his
rukoo’ or sujood, and whoever does not have khushoo’ is a sinner…
Another indication that khushoo’ in prayer is obligatory is the fact that
the Prophet peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned those who do not
have khushoo’, such as the one who lifts up his gaze to the sky (in prayer),
because this movement and raising of the gaze goes against the idea of khushoo’…”
(Majma’ al-Fataawa, 22/553-558). Concerning
the virtues of khushoo’ and as a warning to the one who neglects it, the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Five prayers
which Allaah has made obligatory. Whoever does wudoo’ properly for them,
prays them on time, does rukoo’ properly and has perfect khushoo’, it is a
promise from Allaah that he will be forgiven, but whoever does not do this,
has no such promise – if Allaah wishes, He will forgive him, and if He
wishes, He will punish him.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 425; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3242). Concerning
the virtues of khushoo’, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) also said: “Whoever does wudoo’ and does it well, then prays two
rak’ahs focusing on them completely [according to another report: and does
not think of anything else], will be forgiven all his previous sins [according
to another report: will be guaranteed Paradise].” (Al-Bukhaari, al-Bagha edn.,
no. 158; al-Nisaa'i, 1/95; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6166). When
we look at the things that help us to have khushoo’ in prayer, we find that
they may be divided into two types: things that help you to have and to
strengthen khushoo’, and warding off the things that reduce and weaken
khushoo’. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him)
explained the things that help us to have khushoo’: “Two
things help us to [develop khushoo’]: a strong desire to do what is
obligatory, and weakness of distractions. With
regard to the first, the strong desire to do what is obligatory: [this means
that] a person strives hard to focus on what he is saying and doing, pondering
on the meanings of the Qur’an recitation, dhikr and du’aa’s, and keeping
in mind the fact that he is speaking to Allaah as if he sees Him, for when he
is standing in prayer, he is talking to his Lord. Ihsaan
means ‘that you worship Allaah as if you see Him, and if you cannot see Him,
He can see you.’ The more the slave tastes the sweetness of salaah, the more
attracted he will be to it, and this has to do with the strength of his eemaan. The
means of strengthening eemaan are many, and this is why the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say, ‘In your world, women and
perfume have been made dear to me, and my joy is in prayer.’ According to
another ahaadeeth, he said, ‘Let us find comfort in prayer, O Bilaal’ – he
did not say, ‘Let us get it over and done with.’ With
regard to the second, weakness of distractions: This means striving to push
away all distractions that make you think of something other than the prayer
itself, and warding off thoughts that keep you mind off the purpose of the
prayer. This is something which differs from one person to another, because
the extent of waswaas has to do with the extent of one’s doubts and desires
and the heart’s focus and dependence on what it loves, and its efforts to
avoid what it dislikes.” (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 22/606-607) On
the basis of this division, we will now discuss some of: The
means of developing Khushoo' Striving
to gain that which gives and strengthens khushoo’ This
can be achieved in several ways, such as the following: Preparing
oneself for prayer pro For
example: 1.
By
repeating the words of the adhaan after the muezzin; 2.
By pronouncing the
du’aa’ to be recited after the adhaan: “Allaahummah Rabba
haadhihi’l-da’wati’l-taammah wa’-salaati’l-qaa’imah, aati
Muhammadan il-waseelata wa’l-fadeelah, wab’ath-hu’l-maqaam al-mahmood
alladhi wa’adtah (O Allaah, Lord of this perfect call and the prayer to
be offered, grant Muhammad the privilege (of interceding) and also the
eminence, and resurrect him to the praised position that You have
promised)”; 3.
Reciting Du'aa’
between the adhaan and the iqaamah; 4.
Doing wudoo’
properly, saying Bismillaah before it and making dhikr and saying the
du’aa’ after it, “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa
shareeka lah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu (I bear
witness that there is no god except Allaah alone, with no partner or
associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger)” and
“Allaahummaj’alni min al-tawwaabeena waj’alni min al-mutatahhireen
(O Allaah, make me of those who repent and make me of those who purify
themselves)”; 5.
Using siwaak to cleanse
and perfume the mouth that is going to recite Qur'ân in a short while,
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Purify your mouths for the Qur'ân.” (Reported by al-Bazzaar, who said:
we do not have it with any better isnaad than this. Kashf al-Astaar,
1/242. Al-Haythami said: its men are thiqaat. 2/99. Al-Albaani said: its
isnaad is jayyid. Al-Saheehah, 1213); 6.
Wearing one’s best
and cleanest clothes, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O
Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your clean clothes) while
praying…” [al-A’raaf 7:31]. Allaah is most deserving of seeing us
“take our adornment” for Him. Clean, pleasant smelling clothes are also
more comfortable and relaxing, unlike clothes for sleeping or working in. We
should also prepare ourselves by covering our ‘awrah properly, purifying the
spot where we are going to pray, getting ready early and waiting for the
prayer, and making the rows straight and solid, without any gaps, because the
shayaateen come in through the gaps in the rows. Moving
at a measured pace during prayer The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to move at a measured
pace during salââh, allowing every bone to return to its place. (Its isnaad is
classed as saheeh in Sifat al-Salaat, p. 134, 11th edn. Ibn
Khuzaymah also classed it as Saheeh as mentioned by al-Haafiz in al-Fath,
2/308). He commanded those who were not doing their prayer properly to do this
too. He said, “None of you has prayed properly until he does this.”
(Reported by Abu Dawood, 1/536, no. 858). Abu
Qutaadah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The worst type of thief is the one
who steals from his prayer.’ He said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, how can a
person steal from his prayer?’ He said, ‘By not doing rukoo’ and sujood
properly.” (Reported by Ahmad and al-Haakim, 1/229; Saheeh al-Jaami’,
997). Abu
‘Abd-Allaah al-Ash’ari (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘The one who does
not do rukoo’ properly, and pecks in sujood, is like a starving man who eats
only one or two dates; it does not do him any good at all.” (Reported by
al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 4/115. In Saheeh al-Jaami’ it says, hasan). The one who does not move at a measured pace in his prayer cannot have khushoo’ because haste is a barrier to khushoo’ and pecking like a crow is a barrier to reward. Remembering
death whilst praying The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Remember death in
your prayer, for the man who remembers death during his prayer is bound to
pray properly, and pray the prayer of a man who does not think that he will
pray any other prayer.” (al-Silsilat al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 1421.
It was reported from al-Suyooti that al-Haafiz ibn Hajar classed this ahaadeeth
as hasan). The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also advised Abu Ayyoob
(may Allaah be pleased with him): “When you stand up to pray, pray a
farewell prayer.” (Reported by Ahmad, 5/412; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no.
742) – meaning the prayer of one who thinks that he will not pray another
prayer. The person who is praying will no doubt die, and there is some prayer
that will be his last prayer, so let him have khushoo’ in the prayer that he
is doing, for he does not know whether this will be his last prayer. Thinking
about the aayaah and adhkaar being recited during the prayer and interacting
with them The Qur'ân was revealed to be pondered over. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “(This is) a Book (the Qur'an) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember.” [Saad 38:29]. No one can ponder over its verses unless he has some knowledge of the meaning of what he is reciting, so that he can think about it and be moved to tears by it. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And those who, when they are reminded of the aayaah (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of their Lord, fall not deaf and blind thereat.” [al-Furqaan 25:73].
Thus the importance of studying Tafseer (Qur'ânic commentary) is quite
clear. Ibn Jareer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “I am astonished at
people who read the Qur'ân and do not know what it means. How can they
enjoy reading it?” (Muqaddimat Tafseer al-Tabari by Mahmood
Shaakir,
1/10. For this reason it is important for the reader of Qur'ân to look at a
Tafseer, even if it is abridged, when he is reading. For example, he could
read Zubdat al-Tafseer by al-Ashqar, which is abridged from the Tafseer
of al-Shawkaani, and the Tafseer of al-‘Allaamah Ibn Sa’di, entitled Tayseer
al-Kareem al-Rahmaan fi Tafseer Kalaam al-Mannaan. At the very least he
could consult a book explaining the unusual words such as al-Mu’jam
al-Jaami’ li Ghareeb Mufradaat al- by ‘Abd al-‘Azeez al-Seerwaan, which is a compilation of four books of unusual words used in the
Qur'ân). Another
way of helping oneself to ponder over the meanings is to repeat aayaah,
because this will help one to think deeply and look again at the meanings. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do this. It was
reported that he spent a night repeating one aayaah until morning came. The aayaah
was (interpretation of the meaning): “If you punish them, they are
Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily You, only You are the All-Mighty,
the All-Wise.” [al-Maa’idah 5:118]. Another
way of helping oneself ponder over the meanings is to interact with the aayaat. Hudhayfah said: “ I prayed with the Messenger of Allaah peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) one night… he was reciting at length. If he
recited an aayah that mentioned tasbeeh, he would say Subhaan Allaah; if it
mentioned a question, he would ask a question; if it mentioned seeking refuge
with Allaah, he would seek refuge with Allaah.” (Reported
by Muslim, no. 772). According to another report, [Hudhayfah] said: One
of the Sahaabah – Qutaadah ibn
al-Nu’maan (may Allaah be pleased with him)
– prayed qiyaam at night and did not recite anything but Qul Huwa Allaah
Ahad, repeating it and not adding anything more. (Al-Bukhaari, al-Fath,
9/59; Ahmad, 3/43) Sa’eed
ibn ‘Ubayd al-Taa’i said: “I heard Sa’eed ibn Jubayr leading them in
prayer during the month of Ramadaan, and he was repeating this aayah
(interpretation of the meaning): ‘… they will come to know, when iron
collars will be rounded over their necks, and the chains, they shall be
dragged along, in the boiling water, then they will be burned in the Fire.’
[Ghaafir 40:70-72].” Al-Qaasim said: “I saw Sa’eed ibn Jubayr
praying qiyaam al-layl and reciting (interpretation of the meaning): ‘And
be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allaah. Then every
person shall be paid what he earned…’ [al-Baqarah 2:281], and
repeating it twenty-odd times.” A man of Qays who was known by the kunyah
Abu ‘Abd-Allaah said: “We stayed with al-Hasan one night, and he got up to
pray qiyaam al-layl. He prayed and did not stop repeating this aayah until
just before dawn (interpretation of the meaning): ‘… and if you count
the Blessings of Allaah, never will you be able to count them…’ [Ibraaheem
14:34]. When morning came, we said, ‘O Abu Sa’eed, you did not recite
any more than this one aayah all night.’ He said, ‘I learn a great deal
from it: I do not glance at anything but I see a blessing in it, but what we
do not know about Allaah’s blessings is far greater.’” (Al-Tidhkaar
li’l-Qurtubi, p. 125). Haroon
ibn Rabaab al-Usaydi used to get up at night to pray Tahajjud, and he would
repeat this aayah until daybreak (interpretation of the meaning): “…
‘Would that we were but sent back (to the world)! Then we would not deny the
aayaat (signs, verses) of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!’”
[al-An’aam 6:27], and weeping until daybreak. Another
way of helping oneself to ponder over the meanings is to memorize Qur’aan
and various adhkaar to be recited during different parts of the prayer, so
that one may recite them and think about their meanings. There
is no doubt that these actions – thinking about the meanings, repeating and
interacting with the words – are among the greatest means of increasing
khushoo’, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And they
fall down on their faces weeping and it adds to their humility
[khushoo’]” [al-Isra’ 17:109]. The
following is a moving story that illustrates how the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) had khushoo’, as well as explaining how it
is obligatory to think of the meaning of the aayat. ‘Ataa’ said: “
‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr and I entered upon ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased
with her) and Ibn ‘Umayr said to her, ‘Tell us of the most amazing thing
you saw on the part of the Messenger of Allaah One
example of interacting with the aayaat is to say “Aameen” after al-Faatihah, which brings a great reward. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If the Imââm
says ‘AAMEEN,’ then
say ‘Aameen’ too, for whoever says ‘Aameen’ and it coincides with the
‘Aameen’ of the angels, will have all his previous sins forgiven.” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, no. 747). Another example is responding to the imaam
when he says “Sami’ Allaahu liman hamidah (Allaah hears the one who
praises Him)”; the members of the congregation should say, “Rabbanaa wa
laka’l-hamd (O our Lord, to You be praise).” This also brings a great
reward. Rifaa’ah ibn Raafi’ al-Zirqi said: “One day we were praying
behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). When he raised
his head, he said, ‘Sami’ Allaahu liman hamidah,’ and a man
behind him said, ‘Rabbanaa wa laka’l-hamdu hamdan katheeran tayyiban
mubaarakan fih (Our Lord to You be much good and blessed praise).’ When
he finished, he said, ‘Who is the one who spoke?’ The man said, ‘Me.’
He said, ‘I saw thirty-odd angels rushing to see who would write it down
first.” Pausing
at the end of each Aayaah This
is more helpful in understanding and thinking about the meaning, and it is the
Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as Umm
Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) described how the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would recite, “Bismillah
il-Rahmaan il-Raheem”, and according to one report, he would pause, then
say, “Al-hamdu Lillaahi Rabbi’l-‘Aalameen, al-Rahmaan, al-Raheem.”
Then according to one report, he would pause, then say, “Maaliki yawm
il-deen,” and he would break up his recitation aayah by aayah. (Reported
by Abu Dawood, no. 4001; classed as Saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Irwaa’,
where its isnaads are described. 2/60). Pausing
at the end of each aayah is Sunnah even if the meaning continues into the next
aayah. Reciting
in slow, rhythmic tones (tarteel) and making one’s voice beautiful when
reciting As
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… and recite the Qur'ân
(aloud) in a slow, (pleasant tone and) style.” [al-Muzzammil 73:4].
The recitation of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
clear, with each letter pronounced distinctly.” (Musnad Ahmad,
6/294, with a saheeh isnaad. Sifat al-Salaah, p. 105). The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) “would recite a soorah
in such slow rhythmic tones that it would be longer than would seem
possible.” (Reported by Muslim, no. 733). This
slow, measured pace of recitation is more conducive to reflection and
khushoo’ than a hurried, hasty reading. Another
way of helping oneself to have khushoo’ is by making one’s voice beautiful
when reciting. This is something that was advised by the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), as when he said, “Beautify the
Qur'ân with your voices, for a fine voice increases the Qur'ân in beauty.”
(Reported by al-Haakim, 1/575; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 3581). Beautifying
it with one’s voice does not mean elongating the vowels and giving it a tune
in the manner of corrupt people; it means beautifying one’s voice with the
fear of Allaah, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “Truly, the one who has one of the finest voices among the people for
reciting the Qur'ân is the one whom you think fears Allaah when you hear
him recite.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah, 1/1339; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no.
2202). Knowing
that Allaah responds to prayers The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah, the
Blessed and Exalted has said: ‘I have divided the prayer between Myself and
My slave, into two halves, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.”
When the slave says ‘Praise be to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds,’
Allaah says, ‘My slave has praised Me.’ When the slave says, ‘The
Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy,’ Allaah says, ‘My slave has
extolled me.’ When the slave says, ‘Master of the Day of Judgement,’
Allaah says, ‘My slave has glorified me.’ When the slave says, ‘It is
You alone we worship and it is You alone we ask for help,’ Allaah says,
‘This is between Me and My slave, and My slave shall have what he asked
for.’ When the slave says, ‘Guide us to the Straight Path, the path of
those whom You have favoured, not the path of those who receive Your anger,
nor of those who go astray,’ Allaah says, ‘All these are for My slave,
and My slave shall have what he asked for.” (Saheeh Muslim, Kitaab
al-Salaah, Baab wujoob qiraa’at al-Faatihah fi kulli rak’ah). [Words
in italics are the translation of the meaning of Soorat al-Faatihah –
Translator]. This
is a great and important ahaadeeth. If everyone kept it in mind when he prays,
he would attain immense khushoo’ and al-Faatihah would have a great impact
on him. How could it be otherwise, when he feels that his Lord is addressing
him and giving him what he is asking for? This
“conversation” with Allaah must be respected and accorded its proper
value. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “When any one of you stands to pray, he is conversing with his Lord,
so let him pay attention to how he speaks to Him.” (al-Haakim, al-Mustadrak,
1/236; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1538). Praying
with a barrier (sutrah) in front of one and praying close to it Another
thing that will help one to have khushoo’ is paying attention to the matter
of having a sutrah and praying close to it, because this will restrict your
field of vision, protect you from the Shaytaan and keep people from passing in
front of you, which causes a distraction and reduces the reward of the prayer. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of
you prays, let him pray facing a sutrah, and let him get close to it.”
(Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 695, 1/446; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 651). Getting
close to the sutrah is very beneficial, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of you prays facing a sutrah, let
him get close to it so that the Shaytaan cannot interrupt his prayer.”
(Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 695, 1/446; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 650). The
Sunnah in getting close to the sutrah is to have three cubits between it and
the spot where one prostrates, or to allow enough space for a sheep to pass
between the two, as is reported in the Saheeh ahaadeeth. (Al-Bukhaari; see al-Fath,
1/574, 579). The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) advised the one who is
praying not to allow anyone to pass between him and his sutrah. He said:
“When any one of you is praying, he should not allow anyone to pass in front
of him, and he should prevent him as most as he can. If he insists, he should
fight him, for he has a companion [i.e., shaytaan] with him.” (Reported by
Muslim, 1/260; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 755). Al-Nawawi
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The wisdom in using a sutrah is to
lower your gaze and not to look beyond it, and to prevent anyone from passing
in front of you… and to prevent the Shaytaan from passing in front of you
and trying to corrupt your prayer.” (Sharh Saheeh Muslim, 4/216). Placing
the right hand on the left hand on the chest The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when he stood up to pray,
used to place his right hand on his left hand (Muslim,
no. 401), The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said, “We Prophets were commanded… to place our right hands
on our left hands in prayer.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Mu’jam
al-Kabeer, no. 11485. Al-Haythami said: Al-Tabaraani reported it in al-Awsat
and its men are the men of saheeh. Al-Majma’, 3/155). Imaam
Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the meaning of placing
one hand on top of the other when standing in prayer. He said: “It is
humility before the Almighty.” (Al-Khushoo’ fi’l-Salaah by Ibn
Rajab, p. 21). Ibn
Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The ‘ulamaa’ said: the
meaning of this posture is that it is the attitude of the humble petitioner,
it is more likely to prevent fidgeting, and it is more conducive to
khushoo’.” (Fath al-Baari, 2/224). Looking
at the place of prostration It
was reported from ‘Aa’ishah that “the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray with his head tilted forward and
his gaze lowered, looking at the ground.” (Reported by al-Haakim, 1/479. He
said it is saheeh according to the condition of the two Shaykhs [al-Bukhaari
and Muslim], and al-Albaani agreed with him in Sifat al-Salaah, p. 89). When
the Prophet peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered the Ka’bah,
his eyes never left the place of his prostration until he came out again.
(Reported by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak, 1/479. He said it is Saheeh according to the condition of the two shaykhs, and al-Dhahabi agreed with him.
Al-Albaani said, It is as they said. Irwaa’ al-Ghaleel, 2/73). When
a person sits for Tashahhud, he should look at the finger with which he is
pointing as he is
moving it,
Note:
There is a question in the
minds of some people who pray, which is: what is the ruling on closing the
eyes during prayer, especially when a person feels that this increases his
khushoo’? The answer is that this goes against the Sunnah that was reported
from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that was just
referred to above. Closing the eyes means that a person misses out on the
Sunnah of looking at the place of prostration and at his finger. But there is
more to the matter than this, so we should listen to the opinion of an expert,
al-‘Allaamah Abu ‘Abd-Allaah Ibn al-Qayyim, which will explain the matter
further. He (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “It is not part of the
Prophet’s teaching to close the eyes during prayer. We have already
mentioned how he used to look at his finger during the Tashahhud and the
du’aa’, and he would not let his gaze wander beyond his finger… Another
indication [of the fact that he kept his eyes open] is the fact that he
stretched his hand forth to take the bunch of grapes when he saw Paradise, and
he also saw Hell and the woman (who had tormented) the cat, and the owner of
Stick (al-Mihjan). Likewise, he pushed away the animal that wanted to pass in
front of him whilst he was praying, and he pushed back the boy, and the young
girl, and the two young girls. He used to wave to those whom he saw greeting
him (whilst he was praying). There is also a ahaadeeth that describes how the
Shaytaan tried to tempt him whilst he was praying, so he grabbed him and
strangled him, as he had seen him with his own eyes. From these ahaadeeth and
others we learn that he did not close his eyes when he prayed. The
fuqahaa’ differ as to whether closing the eyes during prayer is makrooh.
Imaam Ahmad and others did count it as makrooh, and said: “This is the
action of the Jews,” but others allowed it and did not count it as makrooh.
The correct view is that if keeping the eyes open does not affect a person’s
khushoo’, then this is better, but if keeping the eyes open affects a
person’s khushoo because of decorations, adornments etc. in front of him,
which distract him, then it is not makrooh at all for him to close his eyes.
The opinion that indeed it is mustahabb in this case is closer to the
principles and aims of sharee’ah than saying it is makrooh. And Allaah knows
best. (Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/293, Daar al-Risaalah edn.) Thus
it is clear that the Sunnah is not to close one’s eyes, unless it is
necessary to do so in order to avoid something that may adversely affect
one’s khushoo’. Moving
the index finger The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Because
of this great benefit, the Sahaabah, may Allaah be pleased with them, used to
enjoin one another to do this and were very keen to remember to do this thing
which so many people nowadays take so lightly.
It was reported that “the
Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
enjoin one another, i.e., with regard to pointing with the finger during the
du’aa’.” (Reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah with a hasan isnaad, as stated in
Sifat al-Salaah, p. 141. See al-Musannaf, no. 9732, part 10, page 381,
Dar al-Salafiyyah, India, edn.) The
Sunnah in pointing with the forefinger is that it should remain raised and
moving, pointing towards the qiblah, throughout the Tashahhud. Varying
the soorahs, aayaat, adhkaar and du’aa’s recited in prayer This
makes the worshipper feel that he is encountering new meanings and moving
between different topics mentioned in the aayaat and adhkaar. This is what a
person misses out on if he only memorizes a few soorahs (especially the short
ones) and adhkaar. Varying what one recites is the Sunnah and is more
conducive to khushoo’. If
we study what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah of upon him) used to
recite in his prayer, we will see this variation. For example, with regard to
the opening du’aa’, we find examples such as the following: “Allaahumma
baa’id bayni wa bayna khataayaaya kamaa baa’adta bayn al-mashriqi
wa’l-maghrib. Allaahumma naqqani min khataayaaya kamaa yunaqqaa al-thawb
al-abyad min al-danas. Allaahumma’ghsilni min khataayaaya bi’l-maa’
wa’l-thalj wa’l-barad “Wajahtu
wajhi li’lladhi fatara al-samawaati wa’l-ard haneefan, wa maa ana min
al-mushrikeen. Inna salaati wa nusuki wa mahyaaya wa mamaati Lillaahi Rabb il
–‘aalameen, laa shareeka lahu wa bidhaalika umirtu wa ana awwal al-muslimeen “Subhaanak
Allaahumma wa bi hamdika wa tabaaraka ismuka wa ta’aala jadduka wa laa
ilaaha ghayruk (Glory and praise be to You, O Allaah, blessed be Your name
and exalted be Your majesty. There is no god besides You).” And
other du’aa’s and adhkaar which the worshipper can use at various times. Among
the soorahs which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah of upon him) used
to recite during Salaat al-Fajr we find a great and blessed number. The
longer mufassal soorahs (soorahs from the last seventh of the Qur'ân), such
as al-Waaqi’ah [56], al-Toor [52] and Qaaf [50], and
shorter mufassal soorahs such as Idhaa al-shamsu kuwwirat [al-Takweer
81], al-Zalzalah [99], and al-Mi’wadhatayn [the last two
soorahs]. It
was reported that he recited al-Room [30], Yaa-Seen [36] and al-Saaffaat
[37], and on Fridays he would recite al-Sajah [32] and al-Insaan
[76, a.k.a. al-Dhahr] in Fajr prayer. It
was reported that in Salaat al-Zuhr, he would recite the equivalent of thirty
aayaat in each of the two rak’ahs, and that he recited al-Taariq
[86], al-Burooj [85] and wa’l-layli idhaa yaghshaa [al-Layl,
92]. In
Salaat al-‘Asr, he would recite the equivalent of fifteen aayaat in each
rak’ah, and he would recite the soorahs already mentioned in connection with
Salaat al-Zuhr. In
Salaat al-Maghrib, he would recite short mufassal soorahs such as al-teeni
wa’l-zaytoon [al-Teen 95], and he recited Soorat Muhammad
[47], al-Toor [52], al-Mursalaat [77] and others. In
‘Ishaa’ he would recite medium-length mufassal soorahs, such as al-shamsu
wa duhaahaa [al-Shams 91], idhaa’l-samaa’u inshaqqat [al-Inshiqaaq
84]. He told Mu’aadh to recite al-A’laa [87], al-Qalam [68]
and al-layli idhaa yaghshaa [al-Layl, 92]. In
qiyaam al-layl, he used to recite the long soorahs. It was reported that he
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite 200 or 150 aayaat,
and sometimes he used to shorten the recitation. He
used to vary the adhkaar he recited in rukoo’. In addition to “Subhaana
Rabbi al-‘Azeem (Glory be to my Supreme Lord)” and When
standing upright from rukoo’, after saying “Sami’a Allaah liman
hamidah In
sujood, in addition to “Subhaan Rabbi al-A’laa (Glory be to my Lord
Most High)” and “Subhaana Rabbi al-A’laa wa bi hamdih When
sitting between the two prostrations, in addition to A
number of versions of the tashahhud have been narrated, such as: So
the worshipper may use one form one time and another at another time, and so
on. There
are a number of versions of the prayers sent upon the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), such as: “Allaahumma
salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kamaa salayta ‘ala Ibraaheem
wa ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka Hameedun Majeed. Allaahumma baarik ‘ala
Muhammadin wa ‘ala aali Muhammadin kamaa baarakta ‘ala Ibraaheem wa ‘ala
aali Ibraaheem innaka Hameedun Majeed (O Allaah, send prayers on Muhammad
and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent prayers on Ibraaheem and the family
of Ibraaheem, verily You are Worthy of Praise and Full of Glory; O Allaah,
send blessings on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent
blessings on Ibraaheem and the family of Ibraaheem, verily You are Worthy of
Praise and Full of Glory).” Or: “Allaahumma
salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali baytihi wa ‘ala azwaajihi wa
dhuriyatihi kamaa salayta ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka Hameedun Majeed wa
baarik ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala aali baytihi wa ‘ala azwaajihi wa
dhuriyatihi kamaa baarakta ‘ala aali Ibraaheem innaka Hameedun Majeed (O
Allaah, send prayers on Muhammad and on his family, wives and progeny, as You
sent prayers on the family of Ibraaheem, verily You are Worthy of Praise and
Full of Glory; O Allaah, send blessings on Muhammad and on his family, wives
and progeny, as You sent blessings on the family of Ibraaheem, verily You are
Worthy of Praise and Full of Glory).” Or: “Allaahumma
salli ‘ala Muhammad al-Nabiyy al-Ummi wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kamaa salayta
‘ala aali Ibraaheem, wa baarik ‘ala Muhammad al-Nabiyy al-Ummi wa ‘ala
aali Muhammadin kamaa baarakta ‘ala aali Ibraaheem fi’l-‘aalameen,
innaka Hameedun Majeed (O Allaah, send prayers on Muhammad the Unlettered
Prophet and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent prayers on the family of
Ibraaheem, and send blessings on Muhammad the Unlettered Prophet and on the
family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings on the family of Ibraaheem among the
nations, verily You are Worthy of Praise and Full of Glory).” Other
similar versions have also been narrated, and the Sunnah is to vary among
them, as stated above. There is nothing wrong with reciting one version more
than others, because it is more strongly proven and better known in the books
of Saheeh ahaadeeth, or because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) taught one version rather than others to his Sahaabah when they
asked him about it, and so on. (All
of the above texts etc. have been taken from Sifat al-Salaat al-Nabi (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by Shaykh Muhammad Naasir al-Deen
al-Albaani, which he compiled from the books of ahaadeeth). Performing
sujood al-tilaawah when reciting an aayah One
of the etiquettes of reciting Qur'ân is to perform sujood al-tilaawah
(prostration for recitation) when one recites an aayah containing a
“sajdah” (place where a prostration is required). In His Book, Allaah
describes the Prophets and the righteous as follows (interpretation of the
meaning): “… When the Verses of the Most Beneficent were recited unto
them, they fell down prostrating and weeping.” [Maryam 19:58]. Ibn
Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The scholars agreed that we
should prostrate here [when reciting this aayah] so as to follow their
example.” Sujood
al-Tilaawah in prayer is very important because it increases khushoo’.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And they fall down on their
faces weeping and it adds to their humility [khushoo’].” [al-Israa’
17:109]. It
was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
prostrated when he recited Soorat al-Najm [53] in his prayer.
Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) reported in his Saheeh that Abu
Raafi’ said: “I prayed ‘Ishaa’ with Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be
pleased with him) and he recited Idhaa al-samaa’u inshaqqat [al-Inshiqaaq
84] and prostrated. I asked him about it, and he said, ‘I prostrated behind
Abu’l-Qaasim [the Prophet] (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and
I will continue to do so until I meet him again.” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari,
Kitaab al-Adhaan, Baab al-Jahr bi’l-‘Ishaa’). It
is important to maintain the practice of sujood al-tilaawah, especially since
it causes annoyance to the Shaytaan and suppresses him, thus weakening his
hold on the worshipper. Abu Hurayrah said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘When the son of Adam recites a
sajdah, the Shaytaan goes away weeping, saying, “Woe to him! He was
commanded to prostrate and he prostrated, so Paradise is his; I was ordered to
prostrate and I disobeyed, so Hell is my fate!” Seeking
refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan The
Shaytaan is our enemy, and one of the aspects of his enmity is his whispering
insinuating thoughts (waswaas) to the worshipper at prayer so as to take away
his khushoo’ and confuse him in his prayer. Waswaas
is a problem that befalls everyone who turns to Allaah with dhikr and other
kinds of worship; it is inevitable, so one has to stand firm and be patient,
and persist in the dhikr or salââh, and not give up. His sticking to it will
ward off the Shaytaan’s plots from himself. “… Ever feeble indeed is
the plot of Shaytaan.” [al-Nisaa’ 4:76 – interpretation of the meaning]. Every
time the slave wants to turn his thoughts towards Allaah, thoughts of other
matters come sneaking into his mind. The Shaytaan is like a bandit lying in
wait to launch an ambush: every time the slave wants to travel towards Allaah,
the Shaytaan wants to cut off his route. For this reason, it was said to one
of the salaf: “The Jews and Christians say that they do not suffer from the
problem of waswaas.” He said, “They are speaking the truth, for what would
the Shaytaan want with a house that is in ruins?” (Majma’ al-Fataawa,
22/608). This
is a good analogy. It is as if there are three houses: the house of a king,
filled with his treasure and savings, the house of a slave, containing his
treasure and savings, and an empty house with nothing in it. If a thief comes
to steal from one of the three houses, which one will he choose? (al-Waabil
al-Sayib, p. 43). When
the slave stands up to pray, the Shaytaan feels jealous of him, because he is
standing in the greatest position, one that is closest [to Allaah] and most
annoying and grievous to the Shaytaan. So he tries to stop him from
establishing prayer in the first place, then he continues trying to entice him
and make him forget, and “making assaults on him with his cavalry and
infantry” [cf. Al-Isra’ 17:64], until he thinks of prayer as less
important, so he starts to neglect it, and eventually gives it up altogether.
If the Shaytaan fails to achieve this, and the person ignores him and starts
to pray, the enemy of Allaah will come and try to distract him, by reminding
him of things that he did not remember or think of before he started praying.
A person may have forgotten about something altogether, but the Shaytaan will
remind him of it when he starts praying, so as to distract him from his
prayers and take him away from Allaah, so that his heart will no longer be in
his prayers, and he will lose out on the honour and reward of Allaah turning
toward him, which is only attained by the one whose heart is really in his
prayer. Thus he will finish his prayer no better off than when he started,
with his burden of sins not reduced at all by his salââh, because prayer only
expiates for sins when it is done properly, with perfect khushoo’, and the
person stands before Allaah in body and soul.” (Al-Waabil al-Sayib,
p. 36). The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us the following
methods of combating the wiles of Shaytaan and getting rid of his waswaas:
Abu’l-‘Aas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that he said, “O
Messenger of Allaah, the Shaytaan interrupts me when I pray, and I get
confused in my recitation.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said, “That is a shaytaan whose name is Khanzab. If you
sense his presence, seek refuge with Allaah from him, and spit [dry spitting]
towards your left three times.” [Abu’l-‘Aas] said: “I did that and
Allaah took him away from me.” (Reported by Muslim, no. 2203) The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also told us about another
of the Shaytaan’s tricks and how to deal with it. He said, “When any one
of you gets up to pray, the Shaytaan comes and confuses him – i.e., mixes up
his prayer and creates doubts in his mind – so that he does not know how
many [rak’ahs] he has prayed. If any one of you experiences that, he should
do two prostrations whilst he is sitting.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Kitaab
al-Sahw, Baab al-Sahw fi’l-Fard wa’l-Tatawwu’). Another
of the Shaytaan’s tricks was described as follows. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If any one of you is praying and
feels some movement in his back passage, and is uncertain as to whether he has
broken his wudoo’ or not, he should not end his prayer unless he hears a
sound or smells an odour.” Indeed,
his tricks may be very strange indeed, as the following ahaadeeth makes clear.
Ibn ‘Abbaas reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was asked about a man who thought that he had broken his wudoo’ when he
had not done so. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “The Shaytaan may come to any one of you when he is praying
and open his buttocks and make him think that he has broken his wudoo when in
fact he has not. So if this happens to any one of you, let him not end his
prayer unless he hears the sound of it with his ears or smells the odour of it
with his nose.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, no.11556,
part 11, p. 222. He said in Majma’ al-Zawaa’id, 1/242, its men are
the men of Saheeh). Note:
There is a devilish trick
which “Khanzab” plays on some worshippers: He tries to distract them by
making them think of acts of worship other than the prayer that they are
performing, by making them think of some issues of da’wah or knowledge, so
that they start to think deeply about those matters and stop focusing on the
prayer they are performing. He even confuses some of them by suggesting to
them that ‘Umar used to make plans for the army whilst he was praying. We
should let Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah explain this matter and set the record
straight: “With regard to what was reported, that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab
said, “I make plans for the army whilst I am praying,” this was because
‘Umar was commanded to engage in jihaad and he was the leader of the
believers (ameer al-mu’mineen, i.e., the khaleefah), so he was also the
leader of jihaad. So in some respects he was like the one who prays the prayer
of fear (salaat al-khawf) whilst also watching out for the enemy, whether or
not there is actual fighting. He was commanded to pray, and also to engage in
jihaad, so he had to carry out both duties as much as he could. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): ‘O you who believe! When you meet (an
enemy) force, take a firm stand against them and remember the Name of Allaah
much, so that you may be successful.’ [al-Anfaal 8:45]. It is known that
one cannot achieve the same peace of mind during Jihaad as at times of peace
and security, so if it happens that a person’s prayer is lacking because of Jihaad, this does not mean that his faith is lacking. For
this reason, standards may be regarded as being slightly relaxed in the case
of prayer at times of danger as compared with times of peace. With regard to
prayer at times of danger, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘…
but when you are free from danger, perform al-salaah. Verily, the prayer is
enjoined on the believers at fixed hours.’ [al-Nisa’ 4:103]. So the
one who is commanded to establish prayer at times of peace is not commanded to
do so in the same manner at times of danger. Moreover,
people are of varying levels in this regard. If a person’s faith is strong,
he will have the proper presence of mind when he prays, even if he thinks of
other matters. Allaah had caused the truth to reside firmly in ‘Umar’s
heart, and he was al-muhaddith al-mulham (‘the inspired speaker’),
so there is nothing strange in a person of his calibre making plans for the
army whilst performing the prayer. He was able to do this, whilst others are
not, but undoubtedly when he did not have these concerns to think about, his
presence of mind in prayer would be greater. And no doubt the prayer of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at times of safety was
even more perfect that at times of danger, in terms of external appearance. If
Allaah has made allowances with regard to some of the external movements of
the prayer at times of fear, how then about the internal aspects? In
conclusion, therefore, if a person who is pressed for time thinks about some
obligatory matter whilst he is praying, this is not the same as a person who
is not pressed for time thinking during prayer about some matter that is not
obligatory. It may be that ‘Umar could not give thought to making plans for
the army except at that time, because he was the leader of the ummah with many
obligations and responsibilities. Anyone could find himself in a similar
situation, according to his position. People always think during prayer about
things that they do not think of at other times, and some of this could come
from the Shaytaan. A man told one of the salaf that he had buried some money,
but he had forgotten where he had buried it. He told him, ‘Go and pray,’
so he went and prayed, and he remembered where it was. It was said [to the
salafi], ‘How did you know that?’ He said, ‘I know that the Shaytaan
will not leave him alone when he prays without reminding him of something that
matters to him, and there is nothing more important to this man than
remembering where he had buried his money.’ But the good slave will strive
to attain perfect presence of mind in prayer, just as he strives to do
everything else properly that he is commanded to do. And there is no help and
no strength except in Allaah, the Most High, the Almighty.” (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 22/610) Thinking
of how the salaf were when they prayed Mujaahid
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “When one of them stood in prayer, he
would be too fearful of his Lord to allow his eyes to be drawn to anything, or
to turn aside or to fidget by playing with pebbles or anything else or to
think of any worldly matter, unless he forgot, during prayer.” (Ta’zeem
Qadr al-Salaah, 1/188) When
Ibn al-Zubayr stood up to pray, he would be like a stick (i.e., immobile) with
khushoo’. Once he was prostrating when a missile from a catapult was
launched at him, when Makkah was being besieged, and part of his garment was
torn away whilst he was praying, and he did not even raise his head. Muslimah
ibn Bashshaar was praying in the mosque when part of it collapsed, and the
people got up [and fled], but he was praying and did not even notice. We have
heard that one of them was like a garment thrown on the floor; one of them
would end his prayer with the colour of his complexion changed because he had
been standing before Allaah. One of them would not know who was standing to
his right or left when he prayed. One of them would go pale when he did
wudoo’ for prayer, and it was said to him, “We see that when you do
wudoo’ a change comes over you.” He said, “I know before Whom I am going
to stand.” When the time for prayer came, ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib would be
visibly shaken, and the colour of his face would change. It was said to him,
“What is the matter with you?’ He said, “By Allaah, there has come the
time of the amaanah (trust) which Allaah offered to the heavens and the earth,
and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it, but I
bore it [cf. Al-Ahzaab 33:72].” When Sa’eed al-Tanookhi prayed, there
would be tears rolling down his cheeks onto his beard. We heard that one of
the Taabi’een, when he stood up to pray, his colour would change, and he
would say, “Do you know before Whom I am going to stand and with Whom I am
going to talk?” Who among you has fear and respect like this? (Silaah
al-Yaqazaan li Tard al-Shaytaan, ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Sultaan, p. 209) They
said to ‘Aamir ibn ‘Abd al-Qays, “Do you think to yourself during
prayer?” He said, “Is there anything I like to think about more than the
prayer?” They said, “We think to ourselves during prayer.” He said,
“About Paradise and al-hoor (“houris”) and so on?” They said, “No;
about our families and our wealth.” He said, “If I were to be run through
with spears, it would be dearer to me than thinking to myself about worldly
matters during prayer.” Sa’d
ibn Mu’aadh said: “I have three qualities, which I wish I could keep up
all the time, then I would really be something. When I am praying, I do not
think about anything except the prayer I am doing; if I hear any ahaadeeth from
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), I do not
have any doubts about it; and when I attend a janaazah (funeral), I do not
think about anything except what the janaazah says and what is said to it.”
(Al-Fataawa li Ibn Taymiyah, 22/605). Haatim
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “I carry out what I am commanded; I
walk with fear of Allaah in my heart; I start with the [correct] intention; I
magnify and glorify Allaah; I recite at a slow and measured pace, thinking
about the meaning; I bow with khushoo’; I prostrate with humility; I sit and
recite the complete tashahhud; I say salaam with the [correct] intention; I
finish with sincerity towards Allaah; and I come back fearing lest [my prayer]
has not been accepted from me, so I continue to strive until I die.” (Al-Khushoo’
fi’l-Salaah, 27-28). Abu
Bakr al-Subghi said: “I lived through the time of two imaams (leaders)
although I was not fortunate enough to hear them in person: Abu Haatim
al-Raazi and Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi. As for Ibn Nasr, I do not know of
any prayer better than his. I heard that a hornet stung him on his forehead
and blood started flowing down his face, but he did not move.” Muhammad ibn
Ya’qoob al-Akhram said: “I have never seen any prayer better than that of
Muhammad ibn Nasr. Flies used to land on his ears, and he did not shoo them
away. We used to marvel at how good his prayer and khushoo’ were. His fear
[of Allaah] in prayer was so great that he would put his chin on his chest as
if he were a piece of wood standing up.” (Ta’zeem Qadr al-Salaah,
1/58). Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him), when he
started to pray, used to tremble so much that he would lean right and left. (Al-Kawaakib
al-Durriyah fi Manaaqib al-Mujtahid Ibn Taymiyah, by Mar’i al-Karami, p.
83, Daar al-Gharb al-Islaami). Compare
this with what some of us do nowadays, looking at our watches, adjusting our
clothes, fiddling with our noses, thinking of deals and counting our money
whilst praying, or tracing the patterns of decorations on carpets and
ceilings, or trying to see who is beside us. Think of how anyone would behave
before some great leader of this world – would he dare to behave in such a
manner then?! Knowing the advantages of
khushoo'in salaah These
include: 1.
The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no Muslim man who, when the
time for a prescribed prayer comes, he does wudoo’ properly, has the proper
attitude of khushoo’, and bows properly, but it will be an expiation for all
his previous sins, so long as they were not major sins (kabeerah). And this is
the case for life” (Reported by Muslim, 1/206, no. 7/4/2) 2.
The reward recorded is
in proportion to the degree of khushoo’, as the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “A slave may pray and have nothing recorded for
it except a tenth of it, or a ninth, or an eighth, or a seventh, or a sixth,
or a fifth, or a quarter, or a third, or a half.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad;
Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1626). 3.
Only the parts of his
prayer where he focused and concentrated properly will be of any avail to him.
It was reported that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
“You will only have from your prayer that which you focused on.” Sins
will be forgiven if you concentrate properly and have full khushoo’, as the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When a slave
stands and prays, all his sins are brought and placed on his head and
shoulders. Every time he bows or prostrates, some of them fall from him.”
(Reported by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubraa, 3/10; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’).
Al-Manaawi said: “What is meant is that every time a
pillar (essential part) of the prayer is completed, part of his sins fall from
him, until when he finishes his prayer, all his sins will be removed. This is
in a prayer where all the conditions are met and the essential parts are
complete. What we understand from the words “slave” and “stands” is
that he is standing before the King of Kings [Allaah] in the position of a
humble slave.” (Reported by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubraa, 3/10;
see also Saheeh al-Jaami’). 1. The one who prays with
khushoo’ will feel lighter when he finishes his prayer, as if his burdens
have been lifted from him. He will feel at ease and refreshed, so that he will
wish he had not stopped praying, because it is such a source of joy and
comfort for him in this world. He will keep feeling that he is in a
constricting prison until he starts to pray again; he will find comfort in
prayer instead of wanting just to get it over and done with. Those who love
prayer say: we pray and find comfort in our prayer, just as their leader,
example and Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
“O
Bilaal, let us find comfort in prayer.” He did not say “Let us get it over
and done with.” 2.
The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “My joy has been made in prayer.”
So whoever finds his joy in prayer, how can he bear to look for joy anywhere
else, or to keep away from it? (Al-Waabil al-Sayib, 37). Striving
to offer Du'aa at the appropriate times during the prayer, There
is no doubt that talking to Allaah, humbling oneself before Him, asking things
from Him and earnestly seeking His help, all help to strengthen the slave’s
ties to his Lord and increase his khushoo’. Du’aa’ is an act of worship,
and we are commanded to make Du'aa’. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“… call upon Him in humility and in secret…”
[al-An’aam
6:63]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Whoever does not call on Allaah, Allaah will be angry with him.”
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, Kitaab al-Da’waat, 1/426; classed as hasan
in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2686). It
was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used
to make du’aa’ at specific places in the prayer, i.e., in sujood, between
the two prostrations and after the Tashahhud. The greatest of these is in
sujood, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
“The closest that the slave can be to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so
increase your du’aa’ [at that time].”
(Reported by Muslim,
Kitaab
al-Salaah, Baab maa yuqaalu fi’l-rukoo’ wa’l-sujood. No. 215). And
he said:
“… As for sujood, strive hard to make du’aa’ in it, for it is
bound to be answered for you.”
(Reported by Muslim, Kitaab al-Salaah,
Baab al-Nahy ‘an qiraa’at al-Qur’aan fi’l rukoo’ wa’l-sujood,
no. 207). One
of the du’aa’s which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) used to recite in his sujood was: We have already described some of the du’aa’s that he used to recite between the two sajdahs. One
of the things that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
recite after the Tashahhud is what we learn from the ahaadeeth: “When any one
of you finishes the Tashahhud, let him seek refuge with Allaah from four
things, from the punishment of Hell, from the punishment of the grave, from
the trials (fitnah) of life and death, and from the evil of the Dajjal
(‘Antichrist’).” He used to say, “Allaahumma innee a’oodhu bika
min sharri maa ‘amiltu wa min sharri maa lam a’mal (O Allaah, I seek
refuge with You from the evil of what I have done and the evil of what I have
not done).” “Allaahumma
haasibni hisaaban yaseeran He
taught Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him) to say, “Allaahumma
innee zalamtu nafsi zulman katheeran, wa la yaghfir al-dhunooba illa anta,
faghfir li maghfiratan min ‘indaka warhamni innaka anta al-Ghafoor al-Raheem
He
heard a man saying in his Tashahhud: “Allaahumma inne as’aluka yaa
Allaah al-Ahad al-Samad alladhi lam yalid wa lam yoolad wa lam yakum lahu
kufuwan ahad an taghfir li dhunoobi innaka anta’l-Ghafoor al-Raheem He
heard another man saying, “Allaahumma innee as’aluka bi-anna
laka’l-hamd, laa ilaaha ill anta wahdaka laa shareeka lak al-Mannaan yaa
badee’ al-samawaati wa’l-ard, yaa dhaa’l-jalaali wa’l-ikraam, ya hayyu
yaa qayyoom, innee as’aluka al-jannah wa a’oodhu bika min al-naar The
last thing he would say between the Tashahhud and the Tasleem was: “Allaahumma’aghfir
li maa qaddamtu wa ma akhkhartu wa maa asrartu wa maa a’lantu wa maa asraftu
wa maa anta a’lam bihi minni anta’l-muqaddim wa anta’l-mu’akhkhir, laa
ilaaha illa anta (These
du’aa’s and others, along with their isnaads, are to be found in Sifat
al-Salaah by al-‘Allaamah al-Albaani, p.163, 11th edn.) Memorizing
du’aa’s like these will solve the problem that some people have of
remaining silent behind the imaam when they have finished the Tashahhud
because they do not know what they should say. Adhkaar
to be recited after prayer These
also help to strengthen khushoo’ in the heart and reinforce the blessings
and benefits of the prayer. Without
a doubt, one of the best ways of preserving and protecting a good action is to
follow it up with another. So the one who thinks about the adhkaar that come
after the prayer will find that they begin with seeking forgiveness three
times, as if the worshipper is seeking forgiveness from his Lord for any
shortcomings that may have occurred in his prayer or his khushoo’. It is
also important to pay attention to naafil (supererogatory) prayers, because
they make up for anything lacking in the fard (obligatory) prayers, including
any failure with regard to khushoo’. Having
discussed things that help us to have khushoo’, we now move on to a
discussion of Warding off
distractions & things that Removing
anything that may distract the worshipper Anas
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “ ‘Aa’ishah had a decorated,
colourful curtain which she used to cover the side of her house. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to her, ‘Take it away from
me, because its decorations keep distracting me when I pray.” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, Fath al-Baari, 10/391). Al-Qaasim
reported that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) had a cloth with
decorations on it, which she used to cover a small sunken alcove (used for
sleeping or storage). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
used to pray facing it, and he said, ‘Take it away from me, because its
decorations keep distracting me when I pray.’ So she took it away and made
pillows out of it.” (Reported by Muslim in his Saheeh, 3/1668). Another
indication of this is the fact that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) entered the Ka’bah to pray in it, he saw two ram’s
horns. When he had prayed, he told ‘Uthmaan al-Hajabi, “I forgot to tell
you to cover the horns, because there should not be anything in the House to
distract the worshipper.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, 2030; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, 2504). This
also includes avoiding praying in places where people pass through, or where
there is a lot of noise and voices of people talking, or where they are
engaging in conversations, arguments etc., or where there are visual
distractions. One
should also avoid praying in places that are very hot or very cold, if
possible. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us to
delay praying Zuhr in summer until the hottest part of the day was over. Ibn
al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Praying when it is intensely
hot prevents a person from having the proper khushoo’ and presence of mind,
and he does his worship reluctantly, so the Prophet wisely told them to delay
praying until the heat had lessened somewhat, so that they could pray with
presence of mind and thus achieve the purpose of prayer, i.e., having
khushoo’ and turning to Allaah.” (Al-Waabil al-Sayib, Daar
al-Bayaan edn., p.22) Not
praying in a garment that has decorations, writing, bright colours or pictures
that will distract the worshipper ‘Aa’ishah
(may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) stood up to pray wearing a checkered shirt, and he looked
at the patterns in it. When he had finished his prayer, he said, “Take this
shirt to Abu Jaham ibn Hudhayfah and bring me an anbajaani (a garment
with no decorations or checks), because it distracted me when I was
praying.” According to another report: “These checks distracted me.”
According to another report: “He had a checkered shirt, which used to
distract him whilst he was praying.” (Reports in Saheeh Muslim, no.
556, part 3/391). It
is better not to pray in a garment that has pictures on it, and we should be
especially careful to avoid garments with pictures of animate beings, like
many garments that are widely available nowadays. Not
praying when there is food prepared that one wants to eat The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do
not pray when there is food prepared.” (Reported by Muslim, no. 560). If
food has been prepared and served, or if it is offered, a person should eat
first, because he will not be able to concentrate properly and have khushoo’
if he leaves it and gets up to pray when he is wanting to eat. He should not
even hasten to finish eating, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “If the dinner is served and the time for prayer
comes, eat dinner before praying Salaat al-Maghrib, and do not rush to finish
your meal.” According to another report: “If dinner has been put out and
the iqaamah has been given for prayer, eat dinner first and do not rush to
finish it.” (Agreed upon. Al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Aadhan, Baab
idhaa hadara al-ta’aamu wa uqeemat al-salaah; Muslim, no.
557-559). Not
praying when one needs to answer the call of nature No
doubt one of the things that can prevent proper khushoo’ is praying when one
needs to go to the washroom. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) forbade praying when one is suppressing the urge to urinate or
defecate. (Reported by Ibn Maajah in his Sunan, no. 617; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, no. 6832). If
anyone is in this position, he should first go to the bathroom and answer the
call of nature, even if he misses whatever he misses of the congregational
prayer, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“If any one of you needs to go to the toilet, and the prayer has begun, he
should go to the toilet first.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 88; Saheeh
al-Jaami’, no. 299) If
this happens to a person whilst he is praying, he should stop praying, go and
answer the call of nature, purify himself then pray, because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “There is no prayer when
there is food prepared or if one is suppressing the urge to expel waste
matter.” (Saheeh Muslim, no. 560). Without a doubt, this trying to
suppress the urge takes away khushoo’. This ruling also applies to
suppressing the urge to pass wind. Not
praying when one feels sleepy Anas
ibn Maalik said, “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “If any one of you feels sleepy when he is praying, he
should sleep until he [is rested enough to] know what he is saying,” i.e.,
he should take a nap until he no longer feels drowsy. (Reported by
al-Bukhaari, no. 210). This
may happen when one is praying qiyaam al-layl, at the time when prayers are
answered, and a person may pray against himself without realizing it. This ahaadeeth
also includes fard prayers, when a person is confident that he will
still have enough time to pray after taking a nap. (Fath al-Baari, Sharh
Kitaab al-Wudoo’, Baab al-wudoo’ min al-nawm). Not
praying behind someone who is talking (or sleeping) The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade this; he said:
“Do not pray behind one who is sleeping or one who is talking.” (Reported
by Abu Dawood, no. 694; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 375. He said, a hasan ahaadeeth). Because
one who is talking will distract the worshipper with his talk, and one who is
sleeping may expose something that will distract the worshipper. Al-Khattaabi
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “As for praying behind people who are
talking, al-Shaafa'i and Ahmad ibn Hanbal considered this to be makrooh,
because their talk distracts the worshipper from his prayer.” (‘Awn
al-Ma’bood, 2/388). As
regards not praying behind someone who is sleeping, a number of scholars
thought that the evidence for this was weak (including Abu Dawood in his Sunan,
Kitaab al-Salaah, Tafree’ Abwaab al-Witr, Baab al-Du’aa’, and Ibn
Hajar in Fath al-Baari, Sharh Baab al-Salaah khalf al-Naa’im, Kitaab
al-Salaah). Al-Bukhaari,
may Allaah have mercy on him, quoted the ahaadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah in his Saheeh,
Baab al-Salaah khalf al-Naa’im: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to pray whilst I was lying across from him on his
bed…” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Salaah). Mujaahid,
Taawoos and Maalik thought it makrooh to pray facing someone who was sleeping,
lest he expose something that would distract the worshipper from his prayer. (Fath
al-Baari, ibid.) If
there is no risk of that happening, then it is not makrooh to pray behind
someone who is sleeping. And Allaah knows best. Not
occupying oneself with smoothing the ground in front of one Al-Bukhaari
(may Allaah have mercy on him) reported from Mu’ayqeeb (may Allaah be
pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said concerning a man’s smoothing the ground when he prostrates, “If you
have to do that, then do it only once.” (Fath al-Baari, 3/79). The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do
not wipe (the ground) when you are praying, but if you have to, then do it
only once.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 946; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no.
7452). The
reason for this prohibition is so as to maintain khushoo’, and so that a
person will not make too many extra movements in prayer. If the place where
one is going to prostrate needs to be smoothed, it is better to do this before
starting to pray. This
also applies to wiping the forehead or nose when praying. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to prostrate in water and mud, which
would leave traces on his forehead, but he did not bother to wipe it off every
time he raised his head from sujood. It remained there because he was so
deeply absorbed in his prayer and his khushoo’ was so strong that he took
not notice of it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “Prayer is an occupation in itself.”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath
al-Baari, 3/72). Ibn Abi Shaybah reported that Abu’l-Darda’ said:
“Even if I were to get red camels, I would not like to wipe the gravel from
my forehead.” ‘Ayaad said: “The salaf did not like to wipe their
foreheads before they finished praying.” (al-Fath, 3/79). Just
as a worshipper should avoid anything that will distract him from his prayer,
by the same token he should avoid disturbing others. This includes: Not
disturbing others with one’s recitation The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “All
of you are speaking to your Lord, so do not disturb one another, and do not
raise your voices above one another when reciting” or he said, “in
prayer.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, 2/83; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 752).
According to another report, he said, “Do not compete with one another in
raising your voices when reciting Qur’aan.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad,
2/36; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1951). Not
turning around during prayer Abu
Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Allaah continues to turn towards
His slave whilst he is praying, so long as he does not turn away, but if he
turns away, [Allaah] turns away from him.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 909;
Saheeh Abi Dawood). Turning
away during prayer is of two types: 1.
The
turning away of the heart to something other than Allaah. 2.
The
turning away of the eyes. Both
of them are not allowed, and are detrimental to the reward for the prayer. The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked
about turning away during prayer, and he said: “It is something that
Shaytaan steals from a person’s prayer.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Kitaab
al-Adhaan, Baab al-Iltifaat fi’l-Salaah). The
one who turns away with his heart or his eyes during prayer is like a man who
is called by the ruler and made to stand before him, and when the ruler starts
to address him, he turns away, looking to the right and the left, not
listening to what the ruler is saying and not understanding a word of it,
because his heart and mind are elsewhere. What does this man think the ruler
will do to him? The
least that he deserves is that when he leaves the ruler, he is hated and no
longer valued. One who prays like this is not equal to one who prays with the
proper presence of mind, turning to Allaah in his prayer in such a way that he
feels the greatness of the One before Whom he is standing, and he is filled
with fear and submission; he feels too shy before his Lord to turn to anyone
else or to turn away. The difference between their prayers is as Hassaan ibn
‘Atiyah said: “The two men may be in one congregation, but the difference
in virtue between them is as great as the distance between heaven and earth.
One of them is turning with all his heart towards Allaah, whilst the other is
negligent and forgetful.” (Al-Waabil al-Sayib by Ibn al-Qayyim, Daar
al-Bayaan, p. 36). As
for turning away for a genuine reason, this is OK. Abu Dawood reported that
Sahl ibn al-Hanzaliyyah said: “We started praying – Salaat al-Subh (Fajr)
– and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
was looking at the ravine.” Abu Dawood said: “He had sent a horseman at
night to guard the ravine.” This is like when he carried Umaamah bint
Abi’l-‘Aas, and when he opened the door for ‘Aa’ishah, and when he
came down from the minbar whilst praying in order to teach them, and when he
stepped back during Salaat al-Kusoof (prayer at the time of an eclipse), and
when he grabbed and strangled the Shaytaan when he wanted to interrupt his
prayer. He also ordered that snakes and scorpions should be killed even during
prayer, and a person who is praying should stop and even fight one who wants
to pass in front of him whilst he is praying. He told women to clap during
prayer [if they spot a mistake on the part of the imaam], and he used to wave
or gesture to people who greeted him whilst he was praying. These and other
actions may be done in cases of necessity, but if there is no necessity, then
they are just idle gestures that cancel out khushoo’ and are therefore not
allowed during prayer. (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 22/559). Not
raising one's gaze to the heavens The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade us to do this and
issued a warning against it. He said: “When any one of you is praying, he
should not lift his gaze to the heavens, lest he lose his sight.” (Reported
by Ahmad, 5/294; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 762). According to another
report, he said: “What is wrong with people who lift their gaze to the
heavens whilst they are praying?” According to another report, he said:
“that they raise their gaze when they make du’aa’ during salaah?”
(Reported by Muslim, no. 429). He spoke out strongly against it, to the extent
that he said, “Let them stop it, or their eyesight will be taken away.”
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 5/258; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5574). Not
spitting in front of one when praying This
is incompatible with khushoo’ and good manners before Allaah. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of you is
praying, let him not spit in front of himself, for Allaah is before him when
he prays.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh, no. 397). He
also said: “When any one of you stands up to pray, he should not spit in
front of himself, because he is talking to Allaah – may He be blessed and
exalted – as long as he is in his prayer place; and he should not [spit] to
his right, because there is an angel on his right. He should spit to his left,
or beneath his feet, and bury it.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath,
no. 416, 1/512). He
said: “When one of you stands to pray, he is talking to his Lord, and his
Lord is between him and the qiblah, so none of you should spit in the
direction of his qiblah, but to his left or under his feet.” (Reported by
al-Bukhaari, al-Fath al-Baari, no. 417, 1/513). If
the mosque is furnished with carpets and so on, as is the norm nowadays, if a
person needs to spit, he can take out a handkerchief or whatever, spit into
it, and put it away again. Trying
not to yawn when praying The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If
any one of you feels the urge to yawn during prayer, let him suppress it as
much as he can, lest the Shaytaan enter…” If
the Shaytaan enters, he will be more able to disturb the worshipper’s
khushoo’, in addition to laughing at him when he yawns. Not
putting one’s hands on one’s hips when praying Abu
Hurayrah said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) forbade putting the hands on the hips during prayer.” (Reported by
Abu Dawood, no. 947; Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-‘Aml
fi’l-Salaah, Baab al-Hadhr fi’l-Salaah). Ziyaad
ibn Subayh al-Hanafi said: “I prayed beside Ibn ‘Umar and I put my hand on
my hip, but he struck my hand. When he had finished praying, he said, “This
is crossing in prayer. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) used to forbid this.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/106 and
others. Classed as saheeh by al-Haafiz al-‘Iraaqi in Takhreej al-Ihyaa’.
See al-Irwaa’, 2/94). It
was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said
that this posture is how the people of Hell rest; we seek refuge with Allaah
from that. (Reported by al-Bayhaqi from Abu Hurayrah. Al-‘Iraaqi said, its
isnaad appears to be saheeh). Not
letting one’s clothes hang down (sadl) during prayer It
was reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) forbade letting one’s clothes hang down during prayer or for a man
to cover his mouth. (Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 643; Saheeh al-Jaami’,
no. 6883. He said, this is a hasan hadeeth). In ‘Awn al-Ma’bood
(2/347) al-Khattaabi said: “Al-sadl: letting one's clothes hang down
all the way to the ground.” It was reported in Marqaat al-Mafaateeh
(2/236): “Al-sadl is completely forbidden because it has to do with
showing off, and in prayer it is even worse.” The author of al-Nihaayah
said: “It means wrapping oneself up in one's garment, leaving one’s hands
inside and bowing and prostrating in it.” It was said that the Jews used to
do this. It was also said that al-sadl meant putting the garment over one’s
head or shoulders, and letting its edges come down in front and over one’s
upper arms, so that a person will be preoccupied in taking care of it, which
reduces khushoo’, unlike garments that are tied up properly or buttoned,
which do not distract the worshipper or affect his khushoo’. These kinds of
clothes are still to be found nowadays in some parts of Africa and elsewhere,
and in the way some Arabian cloaks are worn, which distract the worshipper and
keep him busy adjusting them, retying them if they become loose and so on.
This should be avoided. The
reason why it is forbidden to cover one’s mouth was explained by the
scholars as being because that prevents a person from reciting Qur’aan and
doing sujood properly. (Marqaat al-Mafaateeh, 2/236). Not
resembling animals Allaah
has honoured the son of Adam and created him in the best way, so it is
shameful for the son of Adam to resemble or imitate animals. We have been
forbidden to resemble or imitate a number of postures or movements of animals
when we pray, because that is contrary to khushoo’ or because it is ugly and
does not befit the worshipper who is praying. For example, It was reported
that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
forbade three things in prayer: pecking like a crow, spreading one’s
forearms like a carnivore, or always praying in the same place like a camel
keeping to its own territory. (Reported by Ahmad, 3/428). It was said that
when a man always prays in the same place in the mosque, making it his own, it
is like a camel keeping to its own territory. (Al-Fath al-Rabaani,
4/91). According to another report: “He forbade me to peck like a cockerel,
to sit like a dog or to turn like a fox.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/311;
Saheeh
al-Targheeb, no. 556). This
is what we were able to mention about the means of attaining khushoo’, so
that we may strive for them, and about the things that detract from
khushoo’, so that we can avoid them. When a person suffers a
great deal of waswaas Ibn
al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: “It was said: what do you say
concerning the prayer of one who has no khushoo’, does he have to repeat it
or not? With
regard to whether it will count for the purposes of reward, it will not be
counted, except for [the parts] where one is focused and has the correct
attitude of khushoo’ towards one’s Lord. Ibn
‘Abbaas said: ‘You will gain nothing from your prayer except the parts
where you were focused.’ In
the Musnad it is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “A person may offer a prayer, and nothing will be recorded
of it for him except half of it, or a third, or a quarter … or a tenth.” Allaah
has made the success of the worshipper in prayer dependent on his khushoo’,
and has indicated that the one who has no khushoo’ will not be among the
successful, but if it is counted for him for the purpose of reward, he will be
one of the successful. With regard to the matter of whether it counts in terms
of worldly rulings and exempts him from having to repeat it, if he focused
with proper khushoo’ for most of the prayer, it is OK, according to
scholarly consensus. The sunnah prayers and adhkaar recited after prayer make
up for anything that is lacking. But
in the case where there was no khushoo’ or proper focus for most of the
prayer, there is a difference of opinion among the fuqahaa’. Ibn Haamid, one
of the companions of Ahmad, thought it obligatory to repeat the prayer. The
fuqahaa’ also differed with regard to khushoo’ in prayer, and there are
two scholarly opinions on this point. They are to be found in the Hanbali
madhhab and others. These
opinions differ as to whether it is obligatory to repeat prayers in which one
encountered a great deal of waswaas. Ibn Haamid among the companions of Ahmad
said that it was obligatory, but the majority of fuqahaa’ do not share this
view. They
take as evidence the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) commanded the one who gets mixed up in his prayer to do sajdatay
al-sahw (two prostrations of forgetfulness); he did not say that the
prayer has to be repeated, even though he said, “The Shaytaan comes to any
one of you when he is praying and says, ‘Remember such and such, remember
such and such,’ about something that he had forgotten, until he misguides
him to the extent that he does not know how much he has prayed.” There
is no dispute regarding the fact that there is no reward for the prayer except
for the portion in which a person had proper presence of mind, as the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A person may offer a
prayer, and nothing will be recorded of it for him except half of it, or a
third, or a quarter … or a tenth.” Ibn
‘Abbaas said: “You will gain nothing from your prayer except what you
focus on.” So [the prayer] is not correct if you are looking at it from the
point of view that it has to be perfect, but it may be regarded as valid in
the sense that we are not commanded to repeat it. (Madaarij al-Saalikeen,
1/112). It
was reported in al-Saheeh that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “When the muezzin calls the adhaan, the Shaytaan
runs away farting, so that he will not hear the adhaan. When the adhaan is
over, he comes back. When the prayer starts, he runs away, but once it is in
progress, he comes back, until he comes between a man and his own soul, and
says, ‘Remember such and such, remember such and such,’ which he had
forgotten, until he cannot remember how much he has prayed. If any one of you
experiences this, let him do two prostrations of forgetfulness (sajdat
al-sahw) whilst he is sitting.” They
said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded him,
with regard to this prayer in which the Shaytaan made him forget how much he
had prayed, to do the two prostrations of forgetfulness. He did not command
him to repeat it. If the prayer was invalid – as they claim – he would
have told him to repeat it. They
said: This is the reason for the two prostrations of forgetfulness – to
annoy the Shaytaan for “whispering” insinuating thoughts to a person and
coming between him and his own soul when he is praying. For this reason, these
two prostrations are also called al-murghimatayn (the two annoying ones). (Madaarij
al-Saalikeen, 1/528-530). If
you say that the prayer has to be repeated, so as to gain the benefits and
rewards, then that is up to the individual. If he wants to gain those
benefits, he can, and if he wants to miss out, he can. If
you say that we have to force people to repeat the prayer and punish them if
they do not, applying to them the rulings on those who forsake prayer, then
this is not right. This
is the more correct of the two opinions. And Allaah knows best. Khushoo’
is a serious, major issue, which is impossible to achieve without the help of
Allaah. Being deprived of khushoo’ is nothing short of a calamity. Hence the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say in his
du’aa’: “Allaahumma innee a’oodhu bika min qalbin laa yakhsha’…
(O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from a heart that has no khushoo’…).”
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 5/485, no. 3482; Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi,
2769). Those
who have khushoo’ are of varying levels or degrees. Khushoo’ is an action
of the heart that may increase and decrease. Some people have khushoo’ as
great as the clouds of the sky, and others may finish their prayer without
having understood anything at all. The
first is the level of the one who wrongs himself and is negligent. He does not
do wudoo’ properly, or pray at the right time or make sure he does all the
necessary parts of prayer. The
second is one who observes the outward essentials of prayer, prays on time and
does wudoo’, but he has lost the battle against his own self and is
overwhelmed with waswaas. The
third is one who observes the outward essentials of prayer, prays on time and
does wudoo’, and also strives against his own self and against waswaas, but
he is preoccupied with his struggle against his enemy (i.e. the Shaytaan),
lest he steal from his prayer, so he is engaged in salaah and jihaad at the
same time. The
fourth is one who when he stands up to pray, he fulfils all the requirements
of the prayer, and his heart is fully focused and alert lest he omit anything,
and his concern is to do the prayer properly and perfectly. His heart is
deeply immersed in his prayer and worship of his Lord. The
fifth is one who does all of that, but he takes his heart and places it before
his Lord, looking at his Lord with his heart and focusing on Him, filled with
love and adoration, as if he is actually seeing Him. That waswaas and those
thoughts diminish, and the barriers between him and his Lord are lifted. The
difference between the prayer of this person and the prayer of anyone is else
is greater than the difference between heaven and earth. When this person
prays, he is preoccupied with his Lord and content with Him. The first type is punishable; the second is accountable; the third is striving so he is not counted as a sinner; the fourth is rewarded and the fifth is drawn close to his Lord, because he is one of those for whom prayer is a source of joy. Whoever finds their joy in prayer in this life, will find their joy in being close to Allaah in the Hereafter, and will also find his joy in Allaah in this world. Whoever finds his joy in Allaah will be content with everything, and whoever does not find his joy in Allaah, will be destroyed by his feelings of grief and regret for worldly matters.” (al-Waabil al-Sayib, p. 40). Finally, we ask Allaah to make us among those who have khushoo’ and to accept our repentance. May He reward with good all those who helped to prepare this book and may He benefit all those who read it; Aameen. All praise be to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds |
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.
She wept and said, ‘He got up one night and said, “O
‘Aa’ishah, leave me to worship my Lord.” I said, “By Allaah, I love to
be close to you, and I love what makes you happy.” So he got up and purified
himself, then he stood and prayed. He kept weeping until his lap got wet, then
he wept and kept weeping until the floor got wet. Bilaal came to tell him that
it was time to pray, and when he saw him weeping, he said, “O Messenger of
Allaah, you are weeping when Allaah has forgiven you all your past and future
sins?” He said, “Should I not be a grateful slave? Tonight some aayaat
have been revealed to me; woe to the one who recites them and does not think
about what is in them (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Verily! In the
creation of the heavens and the earth…” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:190… or
al-Baqarah 2:164].’” (Reported by Ibn Hibaan. He said in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, no. 68: this is a jayyid isnaad).