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com

Khushoo

By:

Imran Hussein 1

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Published by: The Islamic Propagation Office in Rabwah Tel. +4454900 - 4916065 Ext. 26 - 27 Email: en@islamhouse.com www.islamhouse.com

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Introduction
AllPraiseisforAllahAloneandSalutationsareforHisMes senger, Muhammad (), his companions and his family and allthosewhofollowthemwithEhsaan. Toproceed: Salaah(Prayer)asisdefinedbytheScholarsofIslamisanact of worship consisting of specific sayings accompanying spe cific actions, at specific times. It begins with Takbeer and endswithTasleem. ThissacredandnobleactofSalaahmaybedividedintosepa ratebutinterrelatedcomponents. First:ThebodyortheexternalaspectsoftheSalaah(Prayer). Thiscomprisesofitsmechanicalcomponentsandincludespu rification, standing, bowing, prostrating, sitting, recitation of theQuranandalltheotherapparentaspects.Alltheseaspects must be performed correctly before anyones Salaah can be saidtobeSahih(correct).Thisaspectisdealtwithinallitsde tailsinthebooksofFiqh. Undoubtedly, those who translate and write about Islam in English have excellent works that would assist Muslims in understanding performance of the external aspect of the Sa laah (i.e. the body of the Salaah). However, very little time is spentonemphasizingtheimportanceofconsciousnessofAl lahintheSalaah.Consequently,whatwefindisthatmostof thetranslatedandwrittenworksdealwiththerulesgoverning

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thevariouscomponentsoftheexternalaspectsofSalaah.Due to this lack of emphasis on AlKhushoo by the various au thors its significance has therefore, been also deemphasized bytheaverageworshipper. TheimportanceoftheexternalaspectsofthePrayercannotbe deemphasized and we must warn our brothers and sisters that if they are negligent in learning the outward manifesta tionsoftheSalaahthatthiscanleadtodestruction.Allaspects ofthePrayermustbewellunderstoodsothattheycanprayas theMessengerofAllah()did. He()commanded: Prayasyouseemepray.[AlBukhari] This command directly relates to the outward aspects of the Salaah. Hence all Muslims must make every effort to know how the Prophet () prayed, so that we can obey this com mandofhis. However, this work is not related to the external aspects, so much time would not be spent here dealing with the Fiqh (rulesgoverningtheperformance)ofSalaah. This short exhortation should suffice to create an interest in ourbrothersandsisterssothattheywouldmakemuchmore efforttolearnallaspectsofSalaahproperly. Second:ThespiritortheinternalaspectsoftheSalaahwhich comprisesofthefollowing:

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PurityofNiyyah(Intention)
AlKhushoomeansbeingcompletelysolemn,submissiveand humbletoAllah()duringourperformanceofPrayer. Muslims should at no time make their prayers ritualistic. However,thesadthingisthatmostofushaveunconsciously fallenpreytothis.Thefollowingnarrationwillhelpustoun derstandthis.JubairbinNufairnarratesfrom`AusibnMaalik that the Messenger of Allah () looked towards the sky and said: Itisnowthetimewhenknowledgeshallberaisedup. So a man from the Ansaar called Ziyaad ibn Labeed said: O Messenger of Allah! Will knowledge be raised up, whenithasbeenestablishedandtheheartshavestored it?TheMessengerofAllah()said:Iusedtoregardyou as the best man of understanding among the people of Madinah; did the Jews and the Christians not have the Tauraat and the Injeel? So what benefit did this bring them?[AnNasa`i,Ahmad,AlHaakim,IbnHibbaan] AfterreportingtheHadeeth,Jubairsaid,IlatermetShaddaad ibn`Aus,sohesaid:`Aushasspokentruthfully.ShallInot inform you of the first part of the knowledge that will be takenup?Isaid:Ofcourse.Hesaid:Khushoo(humility and consciousness) in prayer, until you will not see one at tentiveworshipper. It is when the external and the internal aspects of the Salaah areproperlycombinedthatitmanifestsitselfthroughtheper

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sonalityoftheoneperformingtheSalaahasisstatedbyAllah, theAllKnowing: Verily,Salaah(Prayer)preventsfromAlFahshaa(i.e.il legalsexualintercourse)andAlMunkar(disbelief,poly theism or every kind of wicked and evil deed). [Al Ankaboot29:45] The above ayah clearly declares that the person who prays shouldnotfindwithinhimselfanyofthesetwocharacteristics. This is so because when someone performs Salaah with con sciousnessandhumility,thenthisSalaahworksasacheckfor him, and in turn helps him to keep away from doing evil deeds.

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TheNeedforEmphasizingAlKhushoo
AswasmentionedaboveKhushoomeanstobesolemn,sub missive and humble to Allah the Almighty, during the per formanceoftheSalaah(Prayer).Khushoo,whichisthemost importantaspectofthePrayer,hastobepresentbeforeit(the prayer)isfullyacceptedbyAllah().He,theAlMightysaid: Successful indeed are the believers: those who offer theirprayerswithKhushoo(solemnityandfullsubmis siveness)[AlMuminoon23:12] ImpliedinthisalsoisthatonemustbetotallyconsciousofAl lah () and let his/her heart be alive with His () remem branceduringtheperformanceofSalaah. Therefore, if anyone finds that he is heedless whilst standing before Allah the Great during his prayer because his heart is directedtootherthings,naturallywhenheisnotinvolvedinit (i.e. Salaah) he would become more vulnerable to indulge in disobediencetoAllah(),becauseitislesslikelyforhimtobe aware of Allah then. If one performs his Fajr (Dawn) Salaah consciously and becomes involved in his daily affairs, he would be ashamed to do anything evil because he would be aware that he has an appointment to stand before his Lord againatnoontime. Comparethistypeofconsciousnesswithanotherpersonwho goestohisFajrSalaah,buthisheartisoneverythingbutAllah (). Another example is that of a Muslim who performs his SalaahbecausethisiswhathehadbeentaughtaMuslimmust

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do.Therefore,allitistohimishabit,andnothingmorethana seriesofritualisticstandings,sittings,andbowings. ObviouslytheeffectsoftheSalaahonthesecategoriesofpeo pledescribedabovewillnotbethesame.Definitelytheeffects uponthepersonwhoisconsciousofwhatheisdoingduring his Salaah and is aware that he is being monitored would be different from the one who is heedless and negligent or the onewhoperformsitasaritual. Heedlessness of Allah () during the Salaah is the natural stateofmostoftheprayingMuslimslivinginourtime.Their only struggle is centered on the fact that they must pray on timeandthattheymustgetthestanding,sitting,bowingand other external aspects over with (i.e. for those who are that conscious). No time is spent to ensure that they correct the state of their hearts during the Salaah. What is important to them,itseems,isthattheyperformthemechanicalaspectsof theSalaah.Subsequently,whentheyfindfiveminutesofspare time they quickly rush through their Salaah to get rid of the burdenonthem. ItisimportanttorealizethatduringSalaah,theheartisinca pableofdesiringbothAllahandworldlypossessionssuchas our children, money, etc. simultaneously, this is stated em phaticallybyAllah.He()said: Allah has not put for any man two hearts inside his body[AlAhzaab33:4] Now, to what is our heart attached when we pray? Is it at tachedtoAllah,ortotheworldlythings;ifitisattachedtothe latter then clearly our loyalties are in the wrong place. This

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showsthatourloveandtheattachmentsofourheartsaredi rectedtotheworldandwhateverisinit.WhereasAllahcom mands us to love Him i.e. attach ourselves to Him, He () says: Say(OMuhammad):Ifyourfathers,andyoursons,and yourbrothers,andyourspouses,andyourtribe,andthe wealth you have acquired, and the merchandise for which you fear there will be no sale, and the dwellings you desire, are more loved to you than Allah and His Messenger andJihaadinHis way,thenwait untilAllah brings His command (punishment) to pass [At Taubah9:24] Now let us compare ourselves to those people Allah () has commandedustofollowtheirpattern(i.e.theProphet()and his companions). Their attitude during the performance of theirSalaahwascompletelydifferentfromthemajorityofus. Evenwhiletheywerebusywiththeireverydaychoresoutside the Masjid, their hearts were obsessed with returning to the MasjidtostandincommunionwiththeirLordagain.Canwe imaginethestateoftheirheartsduringtheperformanceofthe Prayer? They were conscious that they were always being monitored because they were living in the shade of the Revelation. Ob servingthisattitudeshowsustowhatextenttheirheartswere attachedtoAllah()andtheHereafter.Whatitemphasizesto us also how very far away we are in our attitude from those whomwearecommandedtoemulate.

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TheImportanceofKhushoo
WhenweanalyzethestatementsofAllahandHisMessenger () related to Salaah, we find that undoubtedly AlKhushoo appearstobemoreimportantthantheoutwardaspectsofSa laah,becausethevalueofthePrayerisdirectlyrelatedtothe depth of fervency the servant of Allah can achieve during its performance. Allah()commandsustobeHumbleinSalaah, Stand(inPrayer)toAllahinadevoutframeofmind [AlBaqarah2:238] He () also commands us to be conscious in Salaah. He () said: EstablishSalaahforMyremembrance.[Taha20:14] TheMessengerofAllah()said: FromamongusisonewhoprayshisSalaahcompletely andanotherwhoprayshalf,orathird,oraquarteruntil he()reachedatenth.[AnNasa`i] Subsequently, we can conclude from the above statement of the Messenger of Allah () that what is recorded from any onesprayeristhatpartofitinwhichhewasconsciousofAl lah,theGreat. Allah, Himself lauded those people who have achieved Al Khushoo(solemnity,humility,andfullsubmissiveness)when offeringprayers. He()says:

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Successfulindeedarethebelievers:thosewhoof fertheirprayerswithKhushoo(solemnityandfull submissiveness)[AlMuminoon23:12] Therefore,ifanyonewantstobeamongthosewhoaresuccess ful,thentheyhavetotrytoachievethenoblecharacteristicof AlKhushoointheirSalaah.Afterall,itistheCreator,Himself Whoisinformingusthatthisisoneoftheyardstickstomeas urewhetherwearesuccessfulornot. BringingHometheReality When someone dies, what occurs? Everything but the soul is presentinthebody.Thisbodystillpossessesthemouth,nose, heart,brainandallothermechanismitneedstofunction,yetit doesnot.Why?Obviously,becausethesoulisabsent. Doesthisbodythatisdevoidofasoulhavevalue?Certainly not. Proof of this is evident in the actions of those who love him the most while he was alive amongst them. When this soul departs, the one who loves him tries to get rid of him quickly.Isthisnotso? If someone who is dearest to the dead person and loves him most when he was alive were to be asked to sleep with this bodynowthatithasnosoul,wouldhewantto?Theywould noteventhinkofit.Allthatoccupiesthemindsofthosenear tohimiswhatisthemosteffectivewaytogetridofit. If, however, the soul returns, then so does its value return. This body with a soul now has value. As long as the soul is

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present,evenifthepersonhadasevereaccidentandhisfaceis so severely battered up that he can no longer be recognized. Evenifhecannothear,orseeorspeakanymore,orevenifhe is in a coma and in now considered a living vegetable, as longashissoulisthere,thenalleffortswillbemadetokeep him alive. As we emphasized before, so long as the soul re mains,thenitsvalueremains. LikewiseisthecasewithAsSalaah(thePrayer).Thestanding sitting,bowing,prostrating,etc.makesupthebodyoftheSa laah, its soul/spirit is AlKhushoo (full solemnity coupled withsubmissiveness),andifitisabsentintheSalaah,thenso isitsvalue.TheSalaahwithouttheKhushoowouldbenowa set of empty rituals. Consider a very sick person who cannot stand up topray, and so he offers his Salaah lying down but he is totally conscious of Allah (), then his Salaah will con tain a great value although the external aspects (the body of theprayer)wereallabsent.Thisisnotthesameiftheposition is reversed because as we pointed out before: If AlKhushoo (full solemnity coupled with full submissiveness) is absent in theSalaah,thensoisitsvalue. TheMessengerofAllah()said: When you pray, do not look here and there because AllahdirectsHisFacetowardsthefaceofHisabd(wor shipper)whoispraying,aslongashedoesnotturnaway (orlookaway)[AtTirmidhiandHaakim] TheMessenger()alsosaid: Allah does not cease to turn to a slave in his prayer as longasheisnotlookingaround;whenheturnshisface,

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Allah turns away from him. [Abu Dawood, Ibn Hib baan,IbnKhuzaimah] Whatisthemeaningofturningaway(orlookingaway)?For thepersonwhoisobservingprayerithastwomeanings: 1) The physical turning away (looking to the right or left or otherwise)duringtheprayer 2) Turning away from Allah () with the heart i.e. letting onesconcentrationbedirectedtootherthantheAlmighty. Both types of turning away described above are Haraam in Islam(forbiddeni.e.thepersonwhoisguiltyofitissinning). The first of the two types of turning away (i.e. the physical turningaway)wecantrytocontrol,andthereisnodoubtthat thiscanbeachievedwithafairamountofease.However,the mostseriousproblemforallofusistheturningawaywithour heartsanddirectingourconcentrationonotherthanAllah() duringprayer. Isthisnottherealitywithmostofus? The following example should illustrate this for us very clearly: Take the case of a brother who invited some brothers to his house for dinner after Maghrib (after sunset) prayer and for got.However,justashewasabouttopronouncetheTakbeer tostarthisMaghribprayer,Satancametohimandwhispered intohischest,remindinghimoftheinvitationthatwouldtake place after the Prayer. Immediately he began to worry, and allowedhismindtodwellonthisduringthePrayer.However, Satan returned to him again and whispered Do not worry

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andpresentedhimalistofthingstodo,promptinghimtogo to such and such store and such and such restaurant and to buy all the things he would need to honor his guests. Just when everything was carefully planned in his mind the ImaampronouncedtheTasleemtoindicatethattheSalaahis completed. ShouldsuchapersonberewardedforhisSalaahasisonewho performshis/herSalaahwithKhushoo?Obviouslynot.There fore,doyouexpectAllah()torewardhimforit? Now ask yourself: Is your Salaah like this? If it is, then it means that the most important part of your Salaah the Khushooismissingandyouhavetoreallystartpayingatten tiontoittocorrectthisgreatdeficiency. CertainlynoonedesiresthatwhenhestandsbeforeAllah,the Just for judgment that he is informed that he had not per formedanyofhisSalaahproperly.Also,heshouldnotexpect anyrewardforsomethinghedidnotdo. Our obligation and that of the brother used in this example would be to postpone all other thinking for the five or ten minutes that it would take for the Salaah to be completed. However,wehavetorealizethatthisisourbiggestbattlebe causeourgreatestenemySatanisveryenviousofanyonewho prostratestoAllah.Assuchhewouldtryhisutmosttoensure thathethwartsusfromperformingthisnobleact.

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NecessaryStepstoDevelopAlKhushoo
TheinternalaspectofourSalaahcanbecomeclosertowhatis requiredifthefollowingthingsareworkeduponandeffortis madetoperfectthem. 1. Complete consciousness or presence of mind during the performanceoftheSalaah(Prayer). This means emptying the heart of everything except remem brance of Allah (). This can only be achieved if one focuses hisattentionuponkeepingtheheartrestricted.Thiswillresult inmakingtheheartconsciousandwouldrestrictittoconcen tratinguponwhatitsownerwants. Many people are not aware that the condition of the heart is linkedtowhatitsowneraimsafter.Thisisdeterminedbased upon what he knows and does. His heart thereafter will not roam except upon these two things. Therefore, we can con cludethattheheartwouldbeconsciousnessinthePrayerifits owner is fully aware of his goal. Consequently, he should workdiligentlytoknowaboutitsothathecanproperlyfulfill it. Now,ifthisworldandthingsrelatedtoitareofimportanceto apersonandthisiswhatallhisattentionisdirectedatfulfill ing,thenitisuponthisthathisheartwilldwell.Theheartof suchapersonwouldnowfinditverydifficulttobeconscious ofAllah(). Apersonafflictedwithsuchasevereailmentcanonlycorrect hisdeficientstateifhemakesAllah()andtheseekingofHis

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()pleasureshisgoal.Thismustbehismajorconcernsothat hisheartwouldfollowaccordingly. Anotherthingthatcangreatlyassistsomeoneinclarifyinghis truepurposeisaproperunderstandingofthelifeofthisworld inwhichhelives.HeshouldcontemplatewhatAllah()says about this materialistic state, because He () would know its realitybetterthaneveryoneelse.After all,isHenotitsCrea tor?AfterthisheshouldfurthertrytounderstandwhatAllah advises about the way in whichheshould go about his deal ings, and what should be his relationship to the world in whichhelives. The statements of Allah () and His Messenger () bring home this reality very clearly indeed. Allah, the Glorious in formsus: (a)Thisworldlylifeisplayandpastime.Allah()says: And the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement. But far better is the house of the Hereafter for those who are the Muttaqoon (those who are con scious of Allah). Will you then not understand? [Al Anaam6:32]. (b) The life of this world is a matter of deception. Allah () says: Everyoneshalltastedeath.AndonlyontheDayofRes urrectionshallyoubepaidyourwagesinfull.Andwho ever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise,heindeedissuccessful.Thelifeofthisworldis

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only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing). [AaliImraan3:185] FromthesayingsoftheMessenger()wecanalsogetaclear pictureofthelifeofthiscomparedtotheNext. JaabirIbnAbdullahreportedthattheMessengerofAllah () walked through the market place. Some people were gatheredoneithersideofhim.Thenhecameacrossadead goat with very short ears, of which he took hold saying, Whoamongyouwouldliketohavethisforadirham? Theysaid:Wewouldnotevenliketohaveitfornothing, foritisofnousetous. He()said:Wouldyouliketohaveitforfree? Theysaid:ByAllah,notevenifitwerealive,becauseits earsaresoshort;andnowitisalsodead. ThereupontheMessenger()said:ByAllah,thisworldis moreinsignificantinthesightofAllahthanthisisinyour eyes.[Muslim] Ifanyonebecomesconvincedoftheabove,andthereisnorea sonwhyheshouldnot be,sincethisisthetestimonyofboth Allah and His Messenger (). It would then be very easy for himtomakethepursuitofthelifeoftheHereafterhismajor goal. Every other goal would therefore become insignificant andassuchsubservienttothismajorone. Thisisbecausethemosteffectivecureforremovingthoughts that occupy the heart is to first remove the reason that is the cause of these different thoughts. This is because the heart wouldhoveraroundthosethingsthatitsownerisattachedto

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anditwouldthenbegintolovethem.Therefore,whoeverhas developed a stronger love for anyone or anything other than AllahandtheHereafterwouldneverbefreefromdistracting thoughtsduringtheperformanceoftheSalaah. Hence,foranyonetoproperlybenefitfromhisprayerhemust makeAllah()hisfirstloveandthemostimportantthingto himself. Allah,Himselfemphasizesthisinthefollowingayah: Say(OMuhammad):Ifyourfather,andyoursons,and yourbrothers,andyourspouses,andyourtribe,andthe wealth you have acquired, and the merchandise for whichtherewillbenosale,andthedwellingsyoudesire aremorelovedtoyouthanAllahandHisMessengerand JihaadinHisway,thenwaituntilAllahbringsHiscom mandtopass.AndAllahdoesnotguidethewrongdoing people.[Taubah9:24] 2.UnderstandingwhatissaidduringtheSalaah. This is a very important aspect to develop humility and con sciousnesswhileperformingtheSalaah.Itistomakesurethat onehasaworkingknowledgeofeveryphraseherecitesdur ingthePrayer.Thismeansthatheshouldclearlyunderstand themeaningofthewordsaswellastheprinciplesfoundedin them. After this, it will now become essential for him to try and savor these meanings whilst reciting them in the Salaah. Thiswouldassisttheconcentrationgreatly,ifAllahwills.

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3.FeelingAllahsMajestyintheheartduringtheperform anceoftheSalaah. Understanding the meaning of what is recited as explained above not only assist in developing the consciousness that is necessaryintheSalaahbutitalsoassistsintheabd(servant) feelingAllahsMajestyinhisheart. Feeling Allahs Majestyin the heart during the Salaah can be furtherachievedwhentheservantofAllah()getstwothings clearlyestablishedinhismind: ThatAllah()istheGreatest.He()ownseverythingandHe () haspowertodoallthingsandthatifAllah()wantsto destroyhim,hecandonothingaboutit.Ifthisisclearlyreal izedandbelievedin,thenthisshouldforcethehearttohonor Allah() BeingsurethatlefttohisowndesireswithouttheMercyand Guidance of his Lord and Creator, he would be no better, in facthewouldbeworsethantheanimals. Allah()says: They are like cattle; nay, they are even farther astray from the Path (i.e. even worse than cattle). [AlFurqaan 25:44] Thesetwotraitscombinedshouldmaketheheartadoptastate whereitfeelstheMajestyofAllahduringtheSalaah.

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4.ShowingreverencetoAllah(). ThisisreallyamanifestationoffearforAllah()byHisser vant.ThisresultswhentheservantbecomesawareofHis() GreatnessandMajesty. Feariswhatrestrainstheservantfrombeingdisobedientand compelshimtoworshiphisLord.Whenfearisabsenttheser vantbecomesnegligentanditbecomeseasyforhimtocommit sins. However, it must be known that too much fear brings abouthopelessnessanddespair.Therefore,aservantmustfol lowthemiddlecourse,whichistofearthepunishmentofAl lahandhopeforHisMercy. FearofAllah()sometimescomesaboutfromknowingHim ()andHisAttributesaswellastherealizationthatAllahcan do whatever He wills and if He () were to destroy every thingitwouldnotdecreaseHiskingdominanyway. TheMessengerofAllah()saidthatAllah,theMightysaid: And were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have anymore than a needle decreasestheseaifputintoit[Muslim] AtothertimesfearofAllahcanbedevelopedifapersonreal izesthemagnitudeofhissins. Yetatothertimesitiscausedbyacombinationofbothi.e.his fearofAllah()willdependuponhisbeingawareofhissins coupledwithhisawarenessofAllahsGloryandMajesty. Fear of Allah () is directly proportional to ones knowledge ofHim.AshisknowledgeofAllah()increasessowouldhis fearofHim.Allah()clearlystatesthisintheQuran:

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Indeed those of His servants who know Allah are (the most)fearfulofAllah.[Faatir35:28] DevelopingfearforAllahshouldassistinaservanttoberev erenttohisLordinhisprayersaswellasallhisotheractions. Hoping for Allahs reward and that He () will forgive the sinsonecommits. Allah()said: Say: O My servants who have wronged their souls, do notlosehopeoftheMercyofAllah,forsurelyAllahfor givesallsins[AzZumar39:53] Hoping for Allahs forgiveness and that He () will reward for good deeds is something that has to be worked for. This doesnotcomeaboutbysittingbackanddependingonAllahs MercyasisthestateofmanyMuslimswhocommitsins.This canonlybeachievedifthefollowingthreeconditionsaremet: 1) Considering what one hopes for as something important. Thismakeswhatheisstrivingafterdeartohim. 2)Beingveryafraidoflosingwhateverhehopesfor. 3)Strivingtoachievewhathehopesfor. If any of the above conditions are missing, then that is not hope but only wishful thinking. This is because the one who hashopeisonewhoisfearfulwhenhestrivesaftersomething he hopes for, he hastens along because of fear that he might loseit.Allah()said:

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Surely those who believe and those who make hijrah and struggle in the way of Allah; these are those who havehopeinAllahsMercy[AlBaqarah2:218] The Messenger () also emphasizes the need for struggling afterwhatonehopes,he()said: Whoeverisafraidofbeingdestroyedbytheenemysets outintheearlypartofthenight,andwhoeversetsforth earlyachieveshisgoal.Beaware!Indeedthetreasuresof Allahareveryprecious.Takenote!ThetreasureofAllah ()isParadise.[AtTirmidhiandAlHaakim]. Hope and fear are characteristics that always go together be cause both result from the fact that the servant has come to realize his true nature. He knows that he is incapable and in totalneedofAllahandthathecannotsurviveinthisworldor thenextexceptifAllah()istotallymercifultohimforallhis manyshortcomings.YahyaibnMuadhsaid:Anywrongac tion committed by a believer is followed by two conse quences;fearofHis(Allahs)punishmentandhopeforHis forgiveness. Therefore,truehopeiswhatguidesandencouragesaperson to obedience of Allah () and restricts him from falling into disobedience. On the other hand the one whose hopes lead himtoidlenessandbeinginvolvedinevilsisapersonwhois living in deception and who will lose in the end. Developing hopeinAllahsMercyisanattitudethatcanbringaboutbeau tifulresultsforusinourprayer.

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5.FeelingashamedandinsignificantbeforeAllah(). Thiscomesaboutwhentheworshipperknowsthatheisweak andcommitssinsbydayandnight,andherealizesthatAllah ()isawareofthis. Thisstateofmindcanbeachievedifthefollowingthingsare realizedandworkedupon: 1)Understandingthatweareweakandhavemanylimitations existingwithinusandthatwesinbynightandday.TheMes sengerofAllah()said: EverysonofAdamisconstantlysinning,andthebestof them is the one who turns to Allah in repentance. [Ibn Majah,AtTirmidhiandAhmad]. What helps to emphasize our insignificance is that we are in total need of Allah while He is totally independent of every thing.ThisisbeautifullydescribedforusbyAllahinaQudsi Hadeeth. The Messenger of Allah () said that Allah, the Mightysaid: O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you,thehumanofyouandthejinnofyouweretoriseup inoneplaceandmakearequestfromMe,andwereIto give everyone what he requested, that would not de creasewhatIhaveanymorethananeedledecreasesthe sea if put into it [Part of a Hadeeth found in Sahih Muslim]. Realizing that we are very much deficient in our sincerity to Allah()wheneverweworshipHim.

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Understanding that if we were to worship Allah () as we should,wewouldneverbeabletodosoeffectively.IbnAb baas () said: Two raka`aat prayed consciously is more beneficialthanprayingtheentirenightandtheheartisinat tentive. Realizingalltheaboveshouldmakeusbecomeveryashamed beforeAllahandshouldassistustohumbleourselves. 6.OtherProfitablePrescriptionsforHumblingtheHeart As discussed before, a true believer must try his best to love Allah () above everyone and everything else. He must also worktenaciouslytodeclareHisGlory,fearHim,hopeforHis mercyandtrytobecompletelyashamedofhimselfbeforeAl lah.Herealizesallofthisbecauseheknowsinrealitythatheis weakandhasnumerouslimitationsandisconstantlyinerror. Theserealizationswillhelpapersontobecomehumblebefore Allah()andthereisnothingbetterthathecanachieve. However, his being unmindful of the above attitudes would onlyresultinhismindheedlessandcomplacent.Whilepray ing, these characteristics would be transferred to his prayer also and as such he will find himself suffering from random thoughts,heedlessnessandlackofconcentrationinthePrayer. The cure for these sicknesses can be achieved if one removes theserandomthoughtswhichwouldprovideatemporaryre lief.However,ifoneworksdiligentlytodigtherootsofthese sicknessesthatareimbeddedintheheartcurewouldbecom plete.Theserootshavetobetakencareoffromtwolevels;ex ternallyaswellasinternally.

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1.External The heart is mostly affected by what is observed by the eyes andtheears.Theseeffectsleavemarksonit,whichwouldfi nally determine upon what it would focus. The things that wouldbethoughtaboutarewhattheheartfocusesuponand these would produce other thoughts. Therefore, the roots of the thoughts are really the eyes and the ears. So to make the mind be focused on what would be beneficial in the Salaah one must practice lowering the gaze as well as controlling whatonelistensto. Allah()saidaboutloweringthegaze: Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their modesty; this is more purifying for them [An Noor24:30] Heshouldalsoremoveanyotherthingfromaroundhimthat wouldassistindistractinghim. As such he should try to pray close to the wall so that the spaceinfrontofhimisnomorethanthelengthoftheSajdah (Prostration). He should try not to pray on the streets nor in rooms that are decorated or that have other distractions such asmusic,childrenetc.Thisiswhyitisstronglydiscouragedto decoratetheMasjids. Controllingtheseexternalinfluencesisnotsodifficult.Asmall amountofeffortonthiswill,byAllahsMercy,assistustodo betterwithourconcentrationinourSalaah.

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2.Internal This is always more difficult to control and master than the external distractions. This is primarily because the thoughts thatareinthemindarenotconfinedtoonlyonesubject.Thus themindroamsfromonethingtotheother.Ifonetriestoshut off one thought that distracts him, if the same thought does notreturnanothertakesplace. Added to this is the fact that his most dangerous enemy (Sa tan)isverycovetousofanyonewhoprostratesbecausehewas castoutofParadisebecauseherefusedto.Thushediligently worksondistractinganyonewhoprays.Hewilltherefore,use everypossiblestrategytoassistthehearttoroamwildly.Isit not in the Salaah that you find yourself suddenly remember ingthingsthatyoumighthavemisplaced,etc? Thecureforthisistoconcentrateonthemeaningsofwhatis being recited and to make these meanings the thoughts with whichtheheartbecomesoccupied.Whatwillhelpalongwith this is to prepare the mind before starting theprayer by con centratinguponWhomwearegoingtobestandingbeforeand trytofeelasifwearestandingonJudgmentDaytobejudged byourLord.Weshouldalsotrytoconvinceourselvesthatthis might be our final farewell prayer as the Messenger of Allah ()said: Pray a farewell prayer as if you see Him [Tabaraani, IbnMajah,Ahmad] OuraimbehindestablishingprayershouldbewhatAllah() madeastheaim.He()says: EstablishPrayerforMyremembrance.[Taha20:14]

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Whatisevidentfromthiscommandisthatwemustestablish Salaah for Allahs remembrance and not be absentminded andheedlessduringourperformanceofit.Thisisfurtherem phasizedwhenAllah()reprimandsusforheedlessness.He ()said: Anddonotbeamongtheheedless[AlAraaf7:205]

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Conclusion
Nowafterreadingthishumbleworkletusexamineourselves: Areweprayingasweshould?AreweestablishingSalaahfor Allahsremembranceorisitmostlyhabit?Orarewejustpray ingandnotevenunderstandingwhywearepraying? Itistoodangerousforustocontinuelikethisespeciallywhen weknowthatSalaahisthefirstactionthatabelieverwouldbe questioned about on the Day of Judgment and if it is correct thenhewouldhaveprosperedandsucceeded.Dowenotwish forprosperityandsuccess? TheMessengerofAllah()said: ThefirstactionforwhichaservantofAllahwillbeheld accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers. If they are in order then he would have pros peredandsucceeded[AtTirmidhi,AbuDawood,An Nasaaee,AhmadandIbnMajah] Mybrothersandsistersisitnotthatweshouldtrytobefairto ourselvesandtryourbesttopraytoAllahalone?Shouldwe nottrytoshowgratitudetoourCreatorWhohasbestowedall thevariousbountiesuponus?Atleastweshouldtrytoobey His()simplecommand: EstablishprayerforMyremembrance[Taha20:14]

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