The ruling on closing the eyes in prayer for the sake of khushu'

Question:
It is well known that khushu' in prayer and the presence of the heart are conditions for its validity. I do not achieve that except by closing my eyes, because I am often distracted by the decorations and writing printed on the carpets we pray on, such as the word ... Since my specialization is in Arabic calligraphy and Islamic decoration, I find that Satan distracts me into thinking about them, even during prostration. Does closing my eyes detract from my prayer? Please advise us, may Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
It does not detract anything from your prayer, praise be to Allah. The Sunnah is not to close the eyes. If you close them due to a cause, there is no blame on you. The Sunnah is not to close the eyes. Khushu' is part of the perfection of the prayer, not a condition of it. Khushu'—that one is humble and not present with waswas (whispers)—this is part of its perfection, not a condition of it. The condition is tranquility. This is a pillar: that one is tranquil until every vertebra returns to its place in his bowing, in his prostration, between the two prostrations, and in his standing up after bowing. This is being tranquil; this is a pillar. As for leaving off khushu'—not having waswas and nothing else—this is perfection; this is part of the perfection.