Khushu' in Salat part 1

Thursday Halaqa Notes

1-10-13

MCA Santa Clara, CA

Sr. Dana Jarrar

Khushoo' in Salat

Has prayer just become a matter of being able to check it off our checklist? Is it a takleef (hardship) or a tashreef (honor)? Is our prayer keeping us away from the fahshaa' and munkar (sins)? Something is missing from our prayers... it is khushoo3- concentration in prayer. Khushoo3 is like when someone is watching TV and doesn’t hear when someone is talking to them - that person is in a state of deep concentration where nothing around them can distract them. If we could reach that level in our salat, we could enjoy the prayer and look forward to each prayer. We could feel the sweetness of it. As Prophet Mohammed (SAW) used to say to Bilal "Arihna biha ya Bilal" Meaning: “Give us rest with it and make the call to prayer oh Bilal".

It’s all in how you look at it. Look at it like you are going to accept a gift from Allah. In this way, when you pray, you feel like you are actually seeing Him. We can't stay in the struggling state forever. We want to get to this higher relaxing, enjoyable, and easy state. But how can we reach this state of khushoo3? Let’s look at our role models the Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu 3laihi wassalam) and the Sahaba (radiaAllahu 3lanhum) and what they used to do. 

The Prophet (salla Allahu 3laihi wassalam) when he wanted to relax he would pray. He would spend his free time with Allah. He would pray at night until his feet were swollen and cracked. It was said, “Why do you so this when Allah has forgiven your past and future sins?” He said, “Shall I not be a grateful servant?”

عَنْ الْمُغِيرَةِ بْنِ شُعْبَةَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صَلَّى حَتَّى انْتَفَخَتْ قَدَمَاهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ أَتَكَلَّفُ هَذَا وَقَدْ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَكَ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ فَقَالَ أَفَلَا أَكُونُ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا

Abdullah Ibn Az-Zubair (radia Allahu 3anhu) would make rukoo3 and sujood for such long periods that birds stood on his back.

1. Connect each act of the wudu and prayer to an inspiring story of the seerah/sahaba or event on the day of judgement. The sahaba used to connect everything in their life to the aakhirah. For example, when you hear the adhan think of the trumpet being blown on the day of judgement. Ali ibn Abi Talid (radia Allahu 3anhu) after he made wudu his face would become pale, because he realized the gravity of what he is about to perform, which is to stand in front of The Creator of the Heavens and the earth, and start a conversation with Him. If you open the water to make wudu and the water is cold, think of the zamhareer of jahannam - the extreme cold place in hell, and make du’a for Allah to protect us from that place. 
2. Think how blessed you are to be able to pray, make ruku3 and sujud etc. There was a woman she would make sujud al shukr after each prayer just to thank Allah for giving her the ability to pray. Being thankful and grateful to Allah helps to purify your heart, which will grow your khushoo3. When you cook, think how blessed you are to have a gas stove, to have rice and meat to cook.
3. When you recite the ayahs, try to connect it to the story in the tafseer. Try to say each word while focusing on the meaning of it or the significance of it. Choose ayahs that inspire you. Memorize new ayahs and learn their tafseer.

In these ways, you can trigger a certain high state of concentration where you get lost in it and don't notice anything going on around you. 

Another thing that affects khushoo3 is the worries in your heart. In the book Mukhtasar Minhaj Al-Qasideen (Towards the heareafter) by Ibn Qudama Al-Maqsidi, he explains that we first need to Farrigh Al Qalb -  remove the worries and diseases of the heart. If you want to have a cup of juice, but there is water in the cup, you need to empty the cup before you pour the juice. If you want to put Allah in your heart, you have to empty your heart first. If your shirt has a stain, it won’t help to put perfume on it, you need to get the stain out. If you want to feel the sweetness of eman in your heart, you first have to remove the stains of worries. 

The dunya is Darul Hamm - the house of worries, tests, and problems. But we always see that in the end it brought something good, it was khair. We need to depend on Allah and have tawakkul that Allah will give you better than what you want. Do your best but don’t worry about the results, leave it to Allah. It is something that takes effort. Every year you take a step and develop more and more khushoo3 and sweetness. 

We need to work to remove the diseases in our heart. The hasad (envy), the kathib (lies, we actually lie a lot and we don’t realize it), the takabbur (arrogance - we say oh how could she talk to me like that, and with our children and husband), the 3ujb (pride), and others. We need to instead make ourselves busy with the aakhirah (hereafter). Our desires are blinding us from the aakhirah.

In Jordan it was snowing and everyone is just thinking about what foods to eat and enjoy. Why can’t we remember that al-shitaa’ huwa rabee' ul mu'min - winter is the spring of the mum’in because we will have more time to spend with Allah. Why don’t we think of praying qiyaam with the snow all around us - making special memories in our hearts? 

The second step that Al-Maqsidi mentioned, after purifying the heart, is to work on your brain - to try to understand what you are saying in Salat. To slow down our salat to give a chance for our brain to realize what we are saying. Are we just memorizing Qur’an but not understanding the meaning? 

Allah has given us 24 hours in the day. The 5 prayers do not even take 1 hour of your day. If you discipline yourself in these Allah will open doors for you and give you so much. It’s not the number of rak3ahs you pray, it’s about how much khushoo3 you had in those rak3ahs, and that will determine the amount of reward you got for that prayer. 

Here are some tips for khushoo': 

1. Turn TV off
2. Turn phone and cell phone ringer off
3. remove zakhaarif - designs around you like in the carpet that could distract you. Use a plain prayer rug.
4. Pray close to a wall so that you don’t get distracted by people walking around and no one can walk in front of you.
5. If you worry about the time while you pray, make sure to look at the time before you start prayer
6. Wear clothes that won’t need adjusting during prayer, make sure your hijab is secure and won’t fall in sujud.
7. Remember that shaytan is trying to steal from your prayer to lessen your ajr (reward). He tries to trick you and even could make you think you need to go to the bathroom. Try your best to recognize the shaytan’s tricks and ignore them.
8. Always keep your eyes on the point of sujud. 
9. If you have a worry in your heart about something, take it out temporarily to be able to concentrate in your prayer - press the pause button.
10. Remember that Allah is watching you, you are in His hands, and He is listening to you - so don’t let your head, sight, hearing, heart, or brain move or get busy away from Allah. This is a big disrespect to Allah! This is like an important interview. Moving your eyes, moving your head, moving your body is not respectful. And thinking of other matters in this time is also not respectful. Like if your husband takes you to a restaurant and the whole time he is on the phone talking to someone else. We need to realize this is a very serious issue.
11. Do not overeat before prayer. You will feel tired and lazy so your brain won’t be able to concentrate well.
12. Say autho billahi min al shaytan al rajeem a lot before prayer.
13. When dunya comes into your prayer say AstaghfiAllah and quiet your heart and mind. 

May Allah teach us how to have khushoo3 and reach the state of sweetness in Salat.

Asmaaul Allah Al Husna - Al Jaami3 

by Sr. Majida, jazaki Allahu khair.

Al Jaami3, from the word jam3, means to gather, assemble, and combine. 

The Day of Gathering is the Day of Judgment, Yawmul Jam3. On that day, Allah will gather:

1. The early generations of His creation and the last ones
2. The jinns and mankind
3. All the residents of the heavens and the earth
4. Every servant of Allah and his deeds
5. Every oppressor and those whom he oppressed
6. Every prophet and those to whom he was sent
7. And combine between rewards of those who obeyed Him and the penalty of those who disobeyed Him.

It also means that Allah has gathered in Him all experiences - khibraat. When a human gathers employees for a company, they may each have skills but they may not work well together. But Allah has gathered everything in a perfect way. Allah has gathered the skies and the earth - mutabayyinaat. Allah has brought together the day and the night, the dark and the light - mutabayyinaat. Allah has also gathered everything in perfect harmony, the humans, animals, earth, skies all work together - tanseek.

The name Al-Jaami3 is mentioned several times in the Qu’ran.

In Surat Al-Anfal (8:62, 63) Allah says that he brought the believer’s hearts together.

But if they intend to deceive you - then sufficient for you is Allah. It is He who supported you with His help and with the believers. And brought together their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have brought their hearts together; but Allah brought them together. Indeed, He is Exalted in Might and Wise.

Also in Surat Saba’ (34:26)

Say, "Our Lord will bring us together; then He will judge between us in truth. And He is the Knowing Judge."

And in Surat Al-Kahf (18:99)

And We will leave them that day surging over each other, and [then] the Horn will be blown, and We will assemble them in [one] assembly.

And in Surat Al-An3am (6:12)

Say, "To whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and earth?" Say, "To Allah ." He has decreed upon Himself mercy. He will surely assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt. Those who will lose themselves [that Day] do not believe.

How to apply this name in your life:

Every time you are in a gathering, you can think of this name, Al-Jaami3 - that Allah gathered you together. If someone came and visited you or you visited someone, remember that it is Allah that gathered you.