The ruling on leaving the prayer without the presence of the heart
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
This is, Honorable Shaykh, Ahmad, a thousand times a thousand. He says: I hope the Shaykh (may Allah preserve him) will issue a ruling for me regarding my situation; because I go to the mosque, praise be to Allah, and I pray with the congregation, and I perform the sunnah before the adhan. But, Shaykh, I come out of the prayer without understanding anything of it. Will the reward of the prayer be recorded for me?
Answer:
[Al-Fatihah 1:1-2], and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. There is no doubt that your presence in the mosque and your eagerness to attend the congregational prayer indicate good, and you are successful, if Allah wills. As for the issue of the presence of the heart in prayer, if this is due to compulsion and you are unable to repel it, such as being afflicted with waswas (whispers) or things you cannot control, then you are not held accountable for this, if Allah wills. However, if this is the result of causes that you are able to avoid, then it is obligatory for you to avoid the causes that distract you from the presence of your heart in prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade a man from praying while he is struggling with the urge to urinate or defecate, and he forbade praying in the presence of food until one has taken his fill. So the Muslim avoids the causes that disturb his prayer. He also forbade hurrying; the one who comes to the congregational prayer should not rush, but should walk with calmness, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded. He prays what he catches up with and makes up what he missed. This is how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided.
So the Muslim must avoid the causes that disturb his prayer. If he avoids them, his heart will be present in it, by the permission of Allah. He must also reflect on the Qur'an that he recites or hears in prayer. He must also abandon all distractions that pursue him in his prayer, as much as he is able. He enters the prayer while being far from disturbances. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you and bless you.
This is, Honorable Shaykh, Ahmad, a thousand times a thousand. He says: I hope the Shaykh (may Allah preserve him) will issue a ruling for me regarding my situation; because I go to the mosque, praise be to Allah, and I pray with the congregation, and I perform the sunnah before the adhan. But, Shaykh, I come out of the prayer without understanding anything of it. Will the reward of the prayer be recorded for me?
Answer:
(1) In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. (2) [All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds -
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَSo the Muslim must avoid the causes that disturb his prayer. If he avoids them, his heart will be present in it, by the permission of Allah. He must also reflect on the Qur'an that he recites or hears in prayer. He must also abandon all distractions that pursue him in his prayer, as much as he is able. He enters the prayer while being far from disturbances. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you and bless you.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/275 — archive.org (0:54)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.