Khushoo in Salaat

This article is taken from "33 Ways of developing Khushoo in Salaah" English Translation. Book by Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

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).

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).

"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-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 " [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.

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 properly

For example:

1) By repeating the words of the adhaan after the muezzin;

2) 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);

3) Reciting duaa 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'aan in a short while, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Purify your mouths for the Qur'aan." (Reported by al-Bazzaar);

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-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

1) The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to move at a measured pace during salaah, allowing every bone to return to its place. (Its isnaad is classed as saheeh in Sifat al-Salaat).

2) 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).

3) 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).

Pondering over the Ayaat

1) The Qur'aan was revealed to be pondered over. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "(This is) a Book (the Qur'aan) 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].

For non Arabic speakers, we need to understand what we are saying in Salaat. inshaAllah this will multiply our khushoo manifold. Understand the meaning of Surah Fatiha and the Surahs we recite regularly in our salaat and focus on them, reciting slowly, pondering over the Ayat.

2) 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 Aaishah (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 (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)." She wept and said, "He got up one night and said, O Aaishah, 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).


Remembering death whilst praying

1) 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.

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).