33 Sababun Lil-Khushoo Fi Salaah
33 Ways of developing Khushoo in Salaah
Book by Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
Contents
The means of developing Khushoo'
Knowing the advantages of Khushoo'_in_Salaah
Warding off distractions and things that adversely affect khushoo
When a person suffers a great deal of waswaas
Bismillaah il-Rahmaan il-Raheem
In the Name of Allaah, Most Gracious Most Merciful
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-khaashioon [al-Baqarah 2:45]; and peace and blessings be upon the leader of the pious, the chief of al-khaashioon, 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 shareeah. 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-Araaf 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).
Because of what every person knows about himself, and because of the complaints that one hears from many people about waswaas (insinuating thoughts from Shaytaan) during the salaah and the loss of khushoo, the need for some discussion of this matter is quite obvious. The following is a reminder to myself and to my Muslim brothers, and I ask Allaah to make it of benefit.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): Successful indeed are the believers, those who offer their salaah (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness. [al-Muminoon 23:1-2] i.e., fearing Allaah and in a calm manner. Khushoo means calmness, serenity, tranquillity, 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-Shab 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 ones gaze and to humble oneself out of fear of Allaah, may He be glorified. (Tazeem 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 bodys 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 exlusion of all else, and prefers it to
everything else. Only then does he find comfort and joy in it, as the Prophet
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Allaah has mentioned al-khaashieena wal-khaashiaat (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-khaashioon [i.e., the true believers, those who obey Allaah with full submission,
fera 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
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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-khaashioon
[al-Baqarah 2:45]. This implies condemnation of those
who are not khaashioon
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 aayaat (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-Muminoon 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
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Concerning the virtues of khushoo and as a warning to the one who
neglects it, the Prophet
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Concerning the virtues of khushoo, the Prophet
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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 Quran recitation, dhikr and duaas, 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
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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 ones doubts and desires and the hearts 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'
1 Striving to gain that which gives and strengthens khushoo
This can be achieved in several ways, such as the following:
Preparing oneself for prayer properly
For example:
By repeating the words of the adhaan after the muezzin;
By pronouncing the duaa to be recited after the adhaan: Allaahummah Rabba haadhihil-dawatil-taammah wa-salaatil-qaaimah, aati Muhammadan il-waseelata wal-fadeelah, wabath-hul-maqaam al-mahmood alladhi waadtah (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);
Reciting duaa between the adhaan and the iqaamah;
Doing wudoo properly, saying Bismillaah before it and making dhikr and saying the duaa 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 Allaahummajalni min al-tawwaabeena wajalni min al-mutatahhireen (O Allaah, make me of those who repent and make me of those who purify themselves);
Using siwaak to cleanse and perfume the mouth that is going to recite
Quraan in a short while, because the Prophet
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Wearing ones 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-Araaf 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
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Abu Qutaadah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet
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Abu Abd-Allaah al-Ashari (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: The Prophet
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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
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The Prophet
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Thinking about the aayaat and adhkaar being recited during the prayer and interacting with them
The Quraan was revealed to be pondered over. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): (This is) a Book (the Quraan) 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 aayaat (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 (Quraanic commentary) is quite clear. Ibn Jareer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: I am astonished at people who read the Quraan 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 Quraan 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 Sadi, 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-Mujam al-Jaami li Ghareeb Mufradaat al-Quraan by Abd al-Azeez al-Seerwaan, which is a compilation of four books of unusual words used in the Quraan).
Another way of helping oneself to ponder over the meanings is to repeat
aayaat, because this will help one to think deeply and look again at the meanings. The
Prophet
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Another way of helping oneself ponder over the meanings is to interact
with the aayaat. Hudhayfah said: I prayed with the Messenger of Allaah