Turning to Allah in Prayer.
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The Shaykh : First: Believe that when you stand for prayer, you are standing before Allah, Mighty and Majestic, who knows the treachery of the eyes and what the breasts conceal, and who knows what your soul whispers. Therefore, ensure that your heart is occupied with your prayer, just as your body is occupied with your prayer. Your body is facing the qiblah, the direction to which Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has commanded you to face, so let your heart also be directed toward Allah.
As for the body facing what Allah has commanded it to face, while the heart is lost, this is a great deficiency. Indeed, some scholars say: if obsessive thoughts (waswas) dominate most of the prayer, then it is invalid, and the matter is serious.
When you turn to the prayer, believe that you are turning to Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
And when you stand to pray, believe that you are conversing with Allah, Mighty and Majestic, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 510a.
When you stand in prayer, believe that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is facing you, not in the earth where you are, but He is facing you while He is upon His Throne, Mighty and Majestic, and that is not difficult for Allah. For Allah is not like anything in all His attributes; He is above His Throne, and He is facing the worshipper when he prays.
And thus, you enter with your heart filled with the exaltation of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, His love, and drawing near to Him.
As for the body facing what Allah has commanded it to face, while the heart is lost, this is a great deficiency. Indeed, some scholars say: if obsessive thoughts (waswas) dominate most of the prayer, then it is invalid, and the matter is serious.
When you turn to the prayer, believe that you are turning to Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
And when you stand to pray, believe that you are conversing with Allah, Mighty and Majestic, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Abu Dharr reported: The Messenger of 'Allah (ﷺ) said: When any one of you stands for prayer and there is a thing before him equal to the back of the saddle that covers him and in case there is not before him (a thing) equal to the back of the saddle, his prayer would be cut off by (passing of an) ass, woman, and black Dog. I said: O Abu Dharr, what feature is there in a black dog which distinguish it from the red dog and the yellow dog? He said: O, son of my brother, I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as you are asking me, and he said: The black dog is a devil.
إذا قام أحدكم يصلي، فإنه يناجي ربهWhen you stand in prayer, believe that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is facing you, not in the earth where you are, but He is facing you while He is upon His Throne, Mighty and Majestic, and that is not difficult for Allah. For Allah is not like anything in all His attributes; He is above His Throne, and He is facing the worshipper when he prays.
And thus, you enter with your heart filled with the exaltation of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, His love, and drawing near to Him.