The Ruling on Khushu' in Prayer and the Factors That Bring It About

Question:
May Allah reward you and bless you. We move on to another message received from Yemen. This questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, she is a young woman who praises Allah for praying and being consistent with the prayers at their times, but she suffers greatly from a lack of khushu' (humility and focus) in prayer. What do you advise her? And is the prayer valid without khushu'?

Answer:
The prayer is valid if it includes its pillars and obligations. Likewise, the conditions of prayer: if the conditions, pillars, and obligations are all present, the prayer is valid outwardly. As for khushu', it is not among the pillars, nor among the obligations, nor among the conditions. Khushu' is something Allah places in the heart, and it has causes, one of which is remembering the greatness of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) when one stands before Him in prayer. If one remembers the greatness of Allah, he will have khushu'.
Likewise, seeking refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan at the beginning of the prayer, after the opening supplication and the basmalah. One seeks refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan so that the Shaytan is driven away from him and does not whisper to him or disturb him. Also, among the causes of khushu' in prayer is reflecting on the Qur'an when one reads it or listens to it from the imam in prayer. One reflects on the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and turns to them, . This is among the causes of khushu'. Also, among the causes of khushu' is not praying in a state of mental distraction. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade praying in the presence of food until one has taken what he needs from it, so that his mind is at ease. He also forbade praying while one is struggling to relieve himself, or while one is struggling to relieve oneself of the two worst things, urine or feces, so that one is at peace in his prayer. He commanded tranquility when coming to prayer, entering the mosque; one comes with tranquility and does not rush, because this disturbs him. So he must work on the causes of khushu' that we mentioned, and if he strives, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) will grant him success. Yes.