Khushu

salam

Khushu is the key to enjoy your salah with a peaceful mind while not stressing about worldly things.
Allah says in the Quran: ‘’Successful indeed are the believers, who are humble and submissive in
their salah.’’ Surah mu’minoon ayat 1-2. Khushu is a state where the spiritual inner self stands
before Allah with complete humility, lowliness and servitude and focusses on only Allah. The body
then also humbles itself following the inner self. Hudhayfah (ra) said, ‘’The first thing you will lose of
your religion will be khushu while the last thing you will lose is your salah. There may be a person
praying yet there is no goodness in him.’’ Khushu is an extremely key part of your salah yet a lot of
people when you enter a masjid you will see that they may be looking around or not focusing. Many
of people, maybe including us do not focus in our salah which will ultimately lead you to lose your
salah completely. There are 3 main things or elements to a person’s khushu. One you constantly
remember that Allah is watching. This will immediately create awareness of the Almighty and
humble your soul knowing that Allah is watching. Two being in awe of His greatness and
magnificence. And 3 to recognise your sins and desperate need for him. Showing your need will give
you more of a reason to ask for his help and will give you a mindset to focus and ask for the things
which you need. Virtues and benefits of praying with khushu is that it allows you to understand the
real meaning behind salah, fill your heart with peace, increases your love for praying salah and much
more. Abdullah ibn Abbas (ra) said ‘’Two rah’ahs with contemplation are better than standing up for
the entire night with an inattentive heart.’’ This shows the level of importance and effect khushu has
on your salah and its reward. There are 10 ways you can use to develop your khushu before you
start any of your salah. Appreciate the importance of salah as it is the 2 nd pillar of Islam and the main
way for you to connect with Allah. Get to know Allah through His Books and Names. Stop sinning and
keep your heart pure from evil. Be more humble and do dhikr. Increase in your private worship so do
good deeds but keep them hidden from others so only you and Allah know about it. Always make
dua for khushu don’t let shaytan make you believe you can’t pray with khushu. Perform wudu from
home at go to the masjid to pray in congregation so you don’t delay your salah. Try to pray all your
sunnah prayers this will allow you to practice to develop your khushu before salah. And rid of
distractions before you start praying like if you’re hungry then eat something or if you need to use
the bathroom. If you think the place which you’re praying in is too loud, then move to a quieter and
more peaceful place. As you just heard there are many ways to develop khushu before your salah
but there are also some ways to practice khushu while you’re praying. Defend yourself from the
whispers of shaytan and allow yourself to indulge in your salah. Know that you are having a
conversation with Allah and that He is responding to you, every time you read for example an ayat of
surah Fatiha Allah will respond to you. Try to learn the translation of what you are reading to give
you a deeper understanding of the Quran and help you reflect on what you are saying. Learn
different surahs to use and don’t just use short surahs all the time. Don’t rush in salah and have
complete focus in what you are saying. Go through every moment slowly and lengthen your salah.
Build fear, hope and love for Allah through your salah. Keep a mindset that He is watching and focus
fully on Him. There are many ways to develop your khushu which hopefully you and me can work on.
I hope you’ve learnt something about the importance of khushu may Allah gives us the tawfeeq to
pray with khushu salam.