Khushu' in Prayer: Its Importance and Means
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His Eminence the Shaykh: What is the importance of khushu' in prayer? And how can a person be khushu' in his prayer?
The importance of khushu' in prayer is in two aspects: The first aspect: It is the perfection of the prayer; indeed, it is the core of the prayer and its spirit.And khushu' means: It is the presence of the heart, such that a person, while praying, reading, bowing, and prostrating, keeps this great act of worship in mind, so that he does not perform these actions while his heart is far away.
And the second aspect: Khushu' in prayer carries a greater reward, and Allah the Mighty and Majestic has praised those who are khushu' in their prayer.
As for what helps in achieving khushu', it is: A person should empty his heart completely when he turns to prayer, feeling that he is standing before Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and that Allah the Mighty and Majestic knows what is in his heart just as He knows his movements in his body. This is not like kings, where one might stand before a king with outward politeness while his heart is elsewhere and the king does not know. But Allah the Mighty and Majestic knows your outward appearance and your inner self. So, be aware that you are before Allah.And if you say: [al-Fatihah:2] Be aware that Allah responds to you, for it is established in the authentic hadith from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (Allah the Exalted said: I have divided the prayer between Me and My servant into two halves,When he says: [al-Fatihah:2] He said: My servant praised Me,And when he said: [al-Fatihah:3] He said: My servant extolled Me,And when he said: [al-Fatihah:4] He said: My servant glorified Me,And when he said: [al-Fatihah:5] He said: This is between Me and My servant, half and half,And when he said: [al-Fatihah:6] ,He said: and this is for My servant, and for My servant is what he asked for) .
If we were to keep in mind this dialogue with Allah the Mighty and Majestic, could our hearts possibly wander to the right or to the left? But the one praying is in heedlessness;Among the greatest aids to khushu', first: A person should firmly believe that he is standing before Allah.
Second: He should believe that khushu' is part of the perfection of the prayer, and that a person might leave his prayer with only half, a quarter, or a tenth of its reward recorded for him.
Third: He should believe in the abundance of reward through khushu', for these are among the reasons why a person should keep this in mind.And for this, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (There is no prayer in the presence of food, nor while one is struggling to relieve oneself) Why? Because his heart is preoccupied.
The importance of khushu' in prayer is in two aspects: The first aspect: It is the perfection of the prayer; indeed, it is the core of the prayer and its spirit.And khushu' means: It is the presence of the heart, such that a person, while praying, reading, bowing, and prostrating, keeps this great act of worship in mind, so that he does not perform these actions while his heart is far away.
And the second aspect: Khushu' in prayer carries a greater reward, and Allah the Mighty and Majestic has praised those who are khushu' in their prayer.
As for what helps in achieving khushu', it is: A person should empty his heart completely when he turns to prayer, feeling that he is standing before Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and that Allah the Mighty and Majestic knows what is in his heart just as He knows his movements in his body. This is not like kings, where one might stand before a king with outward politeness while his heart is elsewhere and the king does not know. But Allah the Mighty and Majestic knows your outward appearance and your inner self. So, be aware that you are before Allah.And if you say:
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds -
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds -
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَThe Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy
الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِSovereign of the Day of Recompense.
مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِIt is You we worship and You we ask for help.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُGuide us to the straight path -
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَIf we were to keep in mind this dialogue with Allah the Mighty and Majestic, could our hearts possibly wander to the right or to the left? But the one praying is in heedlessness;Among the greatest aids to khushu', first: A person should firmly believe that he is standing before Allah.
Second: He should believe that khushu' is part of the perfection of the prayer, and that a person might leave his prayer with only half, a quarter, or a tenth of its reward recorded for him.
Third: He should believe in the abundance of reward through khushu', for these are among the reasons why a person should keep this in mind.And for this, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (There is no prayer in the presence of food, nor while one is struggling to relieve oneself) Why? Because his heart is preoccupied.