Busy lives, a restless mind and worldly worries make it hard for many to keep khushu, humble concentration, in salah. Prothom Alo's religion desk has gathered five ways to bring the mind back to prayer from the Quran, hadith and the writing of Imam al-Ghazali.
First, know the meaning of the surahs, tasbih and supplications you recite; without it the mind drifts easily. The opening verses of Surah Al-Mu'minun describe the successful believers as those who are humble in their prayer.
Second, treat every prayer as your last. In Sunan Ibn Majah, hadith 4170, the Prophet (peace be upon him) told a man to pray as though it were the final prayer of his life.
Third, do not hurry. Performing ruku, sujud and qiyam calmly is an obligatory part of prayer. In Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 757, the Prophet saw a companion praying quickly, told him three times to pray again, and said his prayer would not be complete until he bowed and prostrated at ease.
Fourth, cultivate ihsan: worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not, know that He sees you (Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 50). Imam al-Ghazali wrote in Ihya Ulum al-Din that when a servant understands before whom he stands, his heart is present and his limbs grow humble of themselves.
Fifth, guard against the whispers of Satan. In Sahih Muslim, hadith 2203, when the companion Uthman ibn Abi al-As complained that his mind wandered in prayer, the Prophet told him to seek refuge in Allah by saying a'udhu billah. Concentration does not come in a day, the desk writes; it is a continuing effort, and practised across the five daily prayers it turns salah into a source of inner peace.
Photo: Masumcity / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Prothom Alo
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