Developing Khushu in Salah #3

Two tools to help develop Khushu

According to Ibn Taymiyyah, there are two things that help us to develop Khushu in Salah. 

- A strong desire to do what is obligatory

Firstly, ask Allah to grant you the tawfeeq (help) for this desire and for His help in developing Khushu and consistency in it. 
To develop this desire you should strive hard to focus on what you are saying and doing. You should ponder over the Qur’an recitation that is bein

g read, the dhikr etc. For those whose first language is not Arabic, it would help to find the translation of what you are reading. And understanding what you are saying has a massive difference on your Salah.
You should also remember that you are standing in front of The Lord of the worlds and speaking to Him. So worship Allah as if you see Him.

- Weakness of distractions

To do this one should push away all distractions and clear the mind of unwanted thoughts and by also seeking refuge in Allah from waswas (evil whispering of satan, who is trying to divert you from your Salah).

So when you are trying to develop Khushu have these two concepts in mind.

May Allah grant us the tawfeeq to have Khushu. Ameen

(A reminder to myself first and foremost)

Developing Khushu in Salah #2

Khushu of True faith and Hypocrisy 

Before we go on to how to develop Khushu in Salah we need to understand Khushu of a person with true faith and Khushu of hypocrisy. 

Khushu of True faith 
Ibn al Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said the Khushu of true faith is when the heart feels aware and humble before the greatness and glory of Allah. It is also filled with awe, fear and shyness so that the heart is humbled before Allah and broken, as it were, with fear, shyness, 

love and the recognition of the blessings of Allah and its own sins.

To have Khushu a person must empty their heart of all other things except Allah and focus on the Salah and to have Ihsan which means 'to worship Allah as if you can see Him but if you can not do that then know that Allah is watching you' (please do not try to imagine Allah because our mind can not comprehend Him)

Allah has said that he has prepared forgiveness and a great reward for the humble men and humble women (refer to 33:35). Also having Khushu in Salah helps you to enjoy it and it makes it easier as Allah says

وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِۚ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ

And seek help through patience and prayer; and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allah]
(2:45)

So prayer is difficult for those who do not have Khushu.

The Prophet (SAW) use to find joy in prayer and so should we.

Khushu is also obligatory as Allah says in the Qur'an

دْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
Certainly will the believers have succeeded:

الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ
They who are during their prayer humbly submissive
(23:1-2)

This implies that Khushu is a must in Salah and whoever does not have it is sinning and not a successful one.

Khushu also means calmness so one should not peck the floor when doing prostration, or rush from ruku but one should do it calmly and at a measured pace.

The Prophet (SAW) said "Five prayers which Allah has made obligatory. Whoever performs wudu properly for them, prays them on time, perform ruku properly and has perfect Khushu, it is a promise from Allah that He will be forgiven, but whoever does not do this, has no such promise - if Allah wishes, He will forgive him and if He wishes, He will punish him" (Abu Dawud)

According to another Hadith "...will be guaranteed paradise" (Bukhari)

This shows the importance and requirement of Khushu in Salah because the benefits of it are so many.

Khushu of Hypocrisy
The person who has the Khushu of hypocrisy is someone who shows they have Khushu but they actually do not have it in their heart.

Hudhayfa (may Allah be pleased with him) said "Beware of the Khushu of hypocrisy." He was asked, "what is the Khushu of hypocrisy?" He said, "When the body shows Khushu but there is no Khushu in the heart."

Tips
• Make dua to Allah to grant you Khushu because only He can help you with it and it takes a lot of skill to achieve it.

• Know Allah (Try to learn about Allah and realise the greatness of the One who you are standing in front of) This should also increase awe, love and fear of Allah.

• Beware of Khushu of hypocrisy. Remember that Khushu is in the heart and the results of it manifest on the body. Try not to show more Khushu than you have.

• Have Ihsan

May Allah make it easy for you and me

(A reminder to myself first and foremost)