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Developing Khushoo’ in Salah - By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
Developing
Khushoo’ in Salah
By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
Dear
Muslims:
Salah is the
greatest of the practical pillars of Islam. When Iblees (Shaytan, the devil),
the enemy of Allah, 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’raf 7:17], one of his most significant plots became to
divert people from Salah 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 (RAA)
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 Salah. 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’.”
Because of what
every person knows about himself, and because of the complaints that one hears
from many people about waswaas (insinuating thoughts from Shaitan) during the
Salah 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.
Dear Muslims:
Allah (SWT) says :
“ Successful indeed are the believers, those who offer their Salah (prayers)
with all solemnity and full submissiveness.” [al-Mu’minoon 23:1-2] (i.e,
fearing Allah and in a calm manner. Khushoo’ means calmness, serenity,
tranquillity, dignity and humility. What makes a person have this khushoo’ is fear
of Allah (SWT) and the sense that He is always watching him). Khushoo’ means
that the heart stands before the Lord in humility and submission.
It was reported
that Mujahid said about the verse: “…and stand before Allah with obedience”
[al-Baqarah 2:238] – part of obedience is to bow, to be solemn and submissive,
to lower one’s gaze and to humble oneself out of fear of Allah, may He be
glorified”. 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 Shaytan, 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.
Dear Brothers And Sisteres In Islam:
Making a show of khushoo’ is condemned,
while among the signs of sincerity are Concealment of khushoo’: Hudhayfah (RAA)
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 ‘Eyad 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.
“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 (PBUH) said: ‘… and my joy
has been made in Salah.’” (Ahmed).
One of the
benefits of khushoo’ is that it makes prayer easier for a person. Allah (SWT)
tells us : “And seek help in patience and al-Salah (the prayer), and truly it
is extremely heavy and hard except for al-khashi’oon” [al-Baqarah 2:45 ]. The meaning is that the burden
of prayer is heavy indeed, except for those who have khushoo’. Khushoo’ is very
important, but it is something that is easily lost and is rarely seen.
Dear Muslims:
Prayers have a
great virtue. The Prophet (PBUH) said: " Whoever does Wudhu' and does it
well, then prays two rak'as focusing on them completely (another version said,
does not think of anything else), will be forgiven all his previous sins
(another version said, will be guaranteed Paradise )."
(Bukhari).
Alsao, the Prophet
(PBUH) said: " Five prayers which Allah (SWT) has made obligatory. Whoever
does Wudhu' properly for them, prays them on time, does Ruku' properly and has
excellent Khushoo', it is a promise from Allah (SWT) that he will be forgiven.
But whoever does not do this, has no such promise - if Allah wishes, He will
forgive him, and if He wishes, He will punish him." (Abu Dawud).
We should reach that point where we feel
we are at a high level of Ihsan in our worship of Allah. The point where we
feel so attached to looking forward to regular prayer, giving our full
submission, and offering our heart to Allah (SWT), with ease, with knowledge,
tranquility, devotion, thus giving us joy in our worship. Jibril (PBUH) once
asked our Prophet (PBUH): " Tell me about Ihsan? The Messenger of Allah
(PBUH) replied, 'It is to worship Allah as though you see Him, and while you
see Him not yet, truly He sees you." (Muslim).
Can anyone imagine
if one actually sees his Lord in front of him? Surely, his prayers will be more
focused, better, and done full of fear, hope and love. If he cannot imagine
that he sees his Lord in front of him, then he should know that Allah (SWT)
truly sees everyone without doubt, this should at least motivate us to do
better. Allah (SWT) says: " Truly, Allâh is with those who fear Him (i.e,
those who keep their duty unto Him) and those who are Muhsinûn (doers of that
which is best)." (an- Nahl 16: 128).
Dear Muslims:
Allah (SWT) says: "And from His Signs is that you see
the earth barren (khaashi'ah). So when
We send water down upon it, it trembles and grows." [Fussilat 41:39].
This verse shows that the khushoo' was
upon was the tranquility and ease of the earth.
Likewise therefore, is the heart; so it soothes its inclinations and
base desires and it becomes subjugated and subservient to Allaah (SWT). So due
to that, whatever it has inside from arrogance, haughtiness and pride is
removed, and when that tranquility takes place in the heart, all the body
parts, limbs and movements become humble.
May Allah (SWT) guide us to that which He
loves and approves for us. May He (SWT) forgive and bless us all. (Ameen).
