Khushoo In Salaat

Submission

Surah al Muminoon
)2&1 (Verses

Surah al Muminoon
(Verses 1&2)

Successful indeed are the believers, those who offer their salah with solemnity and submissiveness

(i.e fearing Allah and in a calm manner)

Muqaddama of Ibn Khaldun

(An incident regarding salaat)

In Hazrat Umars ra Caliphate the Muslim army entered Persia. On seeing Muslims often standing, kneeling and sitting together as indicated by their prayer leader, Rustam, the Persian General remarked : "Umar has eaten my liver (Umar has undone me completely). He is teaching the dogs the adab (discipline) of life."

Manifestations of Salaat
Discipline is the external aspect of salaat
The internal aspect of salaat is khushoo & taqwa

Khushoo
Khushoo means serenity, tranquility, devotion, humility, awe and the full awareness of Allah

Khushoo
What makes a person have this khushoo is fear of Allah and the sense that He is always watching (Tafseer Ibn Katheer)
Khushoo means that the heart stands before the Lord in humility and submission (Al-Madaarij, 1/520)

Its importance
The importance of khushoo is that ones intention is right One knows that he/she is in the worship of Allah, the Lord of the worlds; the only One Who is worthy of worship, and the only One before Whom one will prostrate in worship If the khushoo is there, InshaAllah, the salah will be accepted by Allah

Tazeem Qadr al-Salaah, 1/188

It was reported that Mujaahid said: and stand before Allah with obedience (al-Baqarah: 238) part of obedience is to bow, to be solemn and submissive, to lower ones gaze and to humble oneself out of fear of Allah, may He be glorified (Making a show of khushoo is condemned)

Khushoo in Salaat is essential

Khushoo in prayer happens when a person empties his heart for it, and focuses on it to the exclusion of all else, and prefers it to everything else Only then does one find comfort and joy in it, as the Holy Prophet saw has said: and my joy has been made in salah (Saheeh al-Jaami, 3124)

Khushoo makes Salaat easier

Seek help in patience and prayer; and truly it is hard save for the humble-minded ( Quran, Surah Al Baqarah, verse 45 )

Virtue of khushoo
(Sahih Al Jaami, no. 3242)

The Holy Prophet saw has said

Five prayers which Allah has made obligatory. Whoever does wuzu properly for them, prays them on time, does ruku properly and has perfect khushoo, it is a promise from Allah 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

Virtues of khushoo
It is vital for success in this life the next Indeed, the believers, who have khushoo in their Salaat, are the winners
It is a contributing factor for the acceptance of Salaat A way to gain more rewards from Allah

Without Khushoo the heart cannot easily be purified

How to develop khushoo ?

(As per Ibn Taymiyah)

Two things help develop khushoo: a strong desire to do what is obligatory & weakness of distractions

How to develop khushoo ?

The strong desire to do what is obligatory means that one strives hard to : - focus on what one is saying & doing - ponder on the meaning of the recitation - zikr and duas - Ihsaan
(keeping in mind the fact that one is speaking to Allah as if he sees Him)

How to develop khushoo ?

Weakness of distractions means striving to push away all distractions that make one think of something other than the prayer itself, and warding off thoughts that keep the mind off the purpose of the prayer This differs from person to person

Hadith
(Sahih Al Targheeb, no. 543)

Regarding khushoo Prophet Muhammad saw told us that it would be the first thing taken from his nation, so much so, that on entering the masajid, one would not be able to find anyone there possessing khushoo