الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره، ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا، ومن سيئات أعمالنا، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ، وأشهد أن سيدنا محمداً عبده ورسوله ، اللهم صلِّ وسلم وبارك على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه  ومن تبعه إلى يوم الدين

One question that is often asked is “how to achieve Khoshoo (خشوع) in our prayers”.  First, we need to know why we need khoshoo in prayer and then how we can achieve it both psychologically and physically and this will lead us to know what is khoshoo.

Khoshoo in our prayers is so important because it is prerequisite to guaranteeing our success in this life and in the hereafter as Allah said in the beginning of surah (المؤمنون) that we just listened to.  Allah says:

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ

“The Believers are surely successful.  Those who are reverent (have Khoshoo) in their prayers; (Al-Muminoon 23: 1-2)

Allah continued to describe five additional attributes of the successful believers, and these are:

Allah finishes these attributes by giving his promise to those successful believers by saying:

أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْوَارِثُونَ الَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ الْفِرْدَوْسَ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ

These will be the heirs, who will inherit Paradise: they will dwell therein for eternity.  (Al-Muminoon 23: 3-11)

We note that four of the attributes (avoiding vain talks, actively giving charity, guarding their private parts except on their spouses, and fulfilling their trusts and convents) are sandwiched between the Quality of the prayer which is khoshoo and the quantity of the prayers. 

Starting with the quality of the prayer which is khosooh suggests that achieving these four honorable attributes plus satisfying the frequency of the prayers depend on achieving the first attribute which is the khoshoo in the prayer.  A person who is able to achieve “khoshoo in the prayer will be the most honorable person because his prayer will perfect his character and will inhibit him from engaging in any improper behavior because Allah assures us of this outcome by saying in Surah Al-Ankabout:

وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ

“Establish Prayers: for Prayers restrains from shameful and unjust deeds” (Al-Ankabout 29:45) 

Also, Allah tells us in Surah (المعارج) that the person who perfects his prayer will not suffer from depression and impatience:

 إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ خُلِقَ هَلُوعًا إِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ جَزُوعًا وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الْخَيْرُ مَنُوعًا إِلَّا الْمُصَلِّينَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَى صَلَاتِهِمْ دَائِمُونَ

“We have created man very impatient, fretful when evil touches him and grudging when good reaches him, except for those who are constant at their prayers.” (Al-Maareg 70:23)

When we look at the state of Muslims, we note many deficiencies in their character while they may be praying regularly.  This means that the payers are not achieving what Allah said that they will achieve. This can only mean that we do not perform the prayer properly, we go through the motion but we do not have khoshoo. 

How do you know that you are in a state of Khoshoo.  When you are in this state:

1. You will be in state of happiness, serenity and tranquility that you don’t want to get out of it.
2. Your body will be in state of complete stillness; you will as if you have out of body experience, you neither hear of feel anything around you.
3. You will be totally focusing on what you are saying but feeling as if you are hearing them from outside you.
4. You will be in a state of sublime perfect happiness because you will be feeling the connection to the Transcendence, the Divine.

Achieving this state of khoshooh in not easy, it a journey that every Muslim struggle to reach its destination.   While we all want to reach the destination of khoshooh in our prayers, we must be steadfast of its path that starts with our clear understanding of the value of the prayers.

Anything a person does is expected to have benefit for someone.   Who benefits from our prayers?

It is narrated by Abu Dharr Al-Ghafari (أبي ذر) and reported in Muslim that the Prophet (PBUH) said in a Hadeath Qudsi that Allah said: 

يا عبادي إنكم لن تبلغوا ضري فتضروني ولن تبلغوا نفعي فتنفعوني ، يا عبادي لو أن أولكم وآخركم وإنسكم وجنكم كانوا على أتقى قلب رجل واحد منكم ما زاد ذلك في ملكي شيئا ، يا عبادي لو أن أولكم وآخركم وإنسكم وجنكم كانوا على أفجر قلب رجل واحد منكم ما نقص ذلك من ملكي شيئا ]رواه مسلم[ .

“O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and you will not attain benefiting Me so as to benefit Me.

O my servants, if the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you become as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything.

O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything.  Related by Muslim.

This means that Allah gains nothing from our prayers and loses nothing form our lack of prayers.   Then, who does benefit from our prayers?

Do our friends, family and neighbors benefit from our prayers, the answer will depend on whether our prayers make us better, make us more kind, more generous, more forgiving, and more patient.   And this brings us back to the original statement:

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ

“The Believers are surely successful.  Those who are reverent in their prayers; (Al-Muminoon 23: 1-2)

So, unless the prayers benefit us by making us better people, no one will benefit from our prayers.  The only way to secure benefits from the prayers for both us and for others is to have khoshoo in our prayers.  

How can we start our journey of achieving khoshoo?

You may have heard some speakers say that to be in a state of khoshoo in the prayers you need to imagine heaven on your right and hell on your left and the Sirat is in front of you and the angle of death is standing over your head ready to take your soul.  

I don’t know about you, but frankly for me if I thought that the angel of death is standing over my head, I will be distracted in the prayer and thinking about all things that I should have done before the angle of death takes my soul.

But we may seek the answer by asking: what are the situations in which we were involved in and made us in a state of complete happiness that we became unaware of anything around us except the situations we are in?   You will note that the common feature in these situations is that they involve talking to someone whom you love too much. 

So, the simple and frankly the only answer to achieving khoshoo in the payer is love Allah so much that you don’t even want the prayer to end since this means that meeting Him will end.    Your degree of Khoshoo depends on your degree of the love and the Awe of Allah.

The problem is that we learnt from early age that the prayer is an obligatory ritual and we will be punished if we don’t perform it. So, we go thru the motion to avoid the punishment and thus our focus will be on just finishing this obligation.  Think about it, if you are obligated to meet someone whom you fear, would you really enjoy this meeting; you will probably want this meeting to get over with as soon as possible. 

When considering prayers, we should never look at them as obligations, but as honor that Allah granted us an opportunity to meet and speak to Him.  If you look at prayers this way, your feelings will be completely different because you are now meeting a very powerful King who loves you and you love, honor and in Awe of Him. Prayers represent a great opportunity to communicate with Him and to ask Him for whatever you want.  

The relationship that Allah wants to have with the believers is a relationship based on love and not fear.  Allah makes this point very clear in verse 54 of Surat Al-Maeda (5:54)

يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَنْ يَرْتَدَّ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ (المائدة ﴾

“O’ you who believe, if any of you turn back from his religion, Allah will bring forth people whom He loves and they love Him.” (Al-Maeda 5:54)

In fact, Allah expects our love for Him to be far more than anything else otherwise the person is considered as Fasiq (rebellious) as Allah says in Surah Al-Tuba:

Allah also describes the believers that their love of Allah is beyond their love for anything:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَتَّخِذُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَنْدَادًا يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِلَّهِ

“Yet there are people who take others as equals besides Allah, they love them as they love Allah, but those who believe love Allah more than anything else.” (Al-Baqara 2:165)

The Prophet (PUH) informs us that the only way to find enjoyment in Eman is by loving Allah and His messenger (PBUH) more than anything else:

ثَلَاثٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيهِ وَجَدَ حَلَاوَةَ الْإِيمَانِ: أَنْ يَكُونَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا سِوَاهُمَا وَأَنْ يُحِبَّ الْمَرْءَ لَا يُحِبُّهُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ، وَأَنْ يَكْرَهَ أَنْ يَعُودَ فِي الْكُفْرِ كَمَا يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُقْذَفَ فِي النَّارِ] عن أنس بن مالك[

“There are three things that if one has, he will taste the sweetness of Eman (Faith); that Allah and His Messenger is more beloved to him than anyone else, that he loves a person and he only loves him for the sake of Allah, and that he hates to return to disbelief just as he hates to be thrown into the Fire.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

As soon as you say Allah Akbar to start the prayer, you will be given permission to enter in a personal meeting with Allah, the One who is most beloved to you.  This feeling will ensure that you will not be distracted by anything while in His presence and you will be fully attentive to what He is saying to you and you are repeating.  If you are in this state, you are in a state of khoshoo.

Does Allah speak to you when you enter the prayer?  Other than the time when you are asking Allah for what you want, in the rest of the prayers Allah is speaking to you and you are repeating what He said.

When hearing or reading the Quran, there are those who will feel that they are

hearing it from Allah.  Iman Gaafar Al Sadeq, May Allah be pleased with him, said:

I wonder about the one who is distressed and is not alert to the words of Allah:

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

 “There is no God but you, You are far exalted and above all weaknesses, and I was indeed a wrongdoer”; because I heard Allah says following it:

فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ وَكَذَلِكَ نُنْجِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

 “Allah saved him from depression and thus we save those who have faith.”  (Al-Anbiya 21:87-88) 

I wonder about the one who is afraid of harm and is not alert to the words of Allah:

وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ

 “Allah is sufficient for us, He is the best guarantor”; because I heard Allah says following it:

فَانْقَلَبُوا بِنِعْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَفَضْلٍ لَمْ يَمْسَسْهُمْ سُوءٌ

 “So they returned with grace and favor from Allah, and no harm touched them.” (Al-Emran 3:173-174)

I wonder about the one who is afraid to be tricked and is not alert to the words of Allah

أُفَوِّضُ أَمْرِي إِلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ

“I entrust Allah with all my affairs because Allah watches over His servants”, because I heard Allah says following it:

فَوَقَاهُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِ مَا مَكَرُوا

“Allah saved him from the evils which they plotted against him” (Ghafir 40:44-45)

I wonder about the one who is inflicted with adversity and is not alert to the words of Allah

أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنْتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ

 “Adversity afflicted me and You are the most merciful of all who are merciful”, because I heard Allah says following it:

فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ فَكَشَفْنَا مَا بِهِ مِنْ ضُرٍّ

“We heard his prayer and removed that adversity from which he suffered” (Al-Anbiya 21:83-84)

The 2^nd proof that Allah is speaking to you in the prayers is the famous Qudsi Hadeath in which the Prophet (PBUH) said that Allah, Almighty, said (قالَ اللَّهُ تَعالَى:):

Therefore, it is important when reading Al-Fatiha which is the most important part of the prayer that you should wait after each verse to listen to Allah’s response to you, Even if you don’t hear Allah, you should be confident that Allah, the One whom you love the most,  is speaking to you.  

We will never have khoshoo in prayers until we love Allah and we will never love Allah until we really know Him.   Therefore, it is very critical that we should spend the time to know Allah.   We can start by studying Allah’s glorious names. In the famous Hadeath that is reported in Al-Boukhari, the Prophet (PBUH) said:

إن لله تسعة و تسعين اسمًا، مائةً إلا واحدًا، من أحصاها دخل الجنة

“Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred minus one, whoever “Ahsaha” (counts, analyze them and understand them) will enter Paradise.”

So, we should take the time to identify the 99 names and study them to really know Allah.   This will be worthy theme that we can study in these after Fajr sessions.

To have khoshoo in the prayers, you need to reflect on how they were instituted.  By instituting the prayers, Allah made the promise that He will make Himself available for us anytime we want to speak to Him and provided us with the protocol of coming to Him and this is thru the prayers.  We should consider the prayers are the greatest gift that Allah has honored us with.

Imagine the degree of happiness and honor you would you feel if the president of a country or even a CEO of a company gave you permission to come to him any time you want.  Would you consider this offer as obligation on you or the greatest gift you have received?   But here we are not speaking about a president or king, we are speaking about the Lord of the universe. 

As an illustration of why the prayers are the greatest gift that Allah granted to us, let us consider the case of the president of your company who wanted to give you an award.  He may send it to you using the company mail, or give it to his secretary to hand it to you or give it to your manager to give to you.  But, if the reward is extremely valuable, he will call you to his office to hand it to you in person.  

Considering this example and to Allah the greatest examples, the prayers were the only thing in our religion that Allah asked the Prophet (PBUH) to come to the seventh heaven to give to Him.  So, the prayers are the greatest gift that Allah can grant to any human being by giving him the permission to talk to Him, any time the person wants.  Frankly, only the fools who squander this gift of having the opportunity to meet the Lord of the universe and to ask Him for whatever they need.

In addition to the role of the prayers of offering us the optimum opportunity to ask Allah for all our needs, a very valuable benefit that we gain during the prayer is to be treated by Allah from any spiritual ailment.  Allah created us with an internal balance which is our “Nafs” or “soul” and this Nafs recognizes the right from wrong and directs us to always do what is right only if it is properly calibrated.   Allah says: 

وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَا فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا

“By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it; and its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right; successful indeed is the one who purifies his whole self [ash-Shams 91:7-9]

How can we keep this spiritual balance in perfect order; it is through prayers as Allah says:

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ تَزَكَّى وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّى)  الأعلى (14

Success is surely achieved by him who purifies himself, he glorifies the name of his Lord and prays. (Al-A’ala 87:14-15)

When we stand in front of Allah in prayers, He will calibrate our spiritual balance and correct any deficiency in it.  After all, no one can fix our spiritual balance except the one who created it. 

You may ask why we have to pray five times; can’t once a day be sufficient. To appreciate the reason for the number of times we need to stand before Our Maker to be calibrated, we need to look at a real-life example and ask how often the physical balances that we use to measure weights need calibration.  

Obviously, the frequency of calibrating a balance depends to the value of the material we are weighing. The more valuable the material, the more frequent we calibrate the balance to ensure the perfection of the measurements.  Let us look at example:

1. If you are buying or selling gold that costs about $40/gm; you may want to ensure that the balance has been calibrated within the last 6 months.
2. But if you are using the balance to weigh Californium-252 that costs $27 million/gm, or the antimatter that costs $70 trillion/ gram, you will surely insist to have its maker calibrates it before your make the measurement.

Now, you realize your value to Allah by the frequency He made Himself available for you so He can calibrate your spiritual balance and correct any deviations.  In fact, the frequency you wanted Allah, your maker, to calibrate your spiritual balance depends on how much you value your own self and the value you place on your actions.   Five times a day, may not even be enough if you give high value to yourself and your actions.  

This is why prayers are so critical in our lives as it was very critical in the Prophet’s life that every time he faced difficulty; he would rush to the payer as related by Hudhifa (حُذَيْفَةَ) who said: (كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا حَزَبَهُ أَمْرٌ صَلَّى).

You may recall that originally, Allah instituted 50 prayers and then He reduced them to 5.   If we reflect on the 50 prayers per day and consider that we spend 7 hrs sleeping and say, 2 hrs to meet our personal needs, we will be praying every 18 minutes in the remaining 15 hrs.  The 18 minutes is very interesting because our brain cannot concentrate on one task more than 18 minutes.  So, it means that every time you are moving from one task to another you want to be recalibrated by performing a prayer.  

While you may not be able to go thru the formal prayer every 18 minutes, you need to do yourself a favor and do dhikr (remembrance of Allah).  Allah says:  

إِنَّنِىٓ أَنَا ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۟ فَٱعۡبُدۡنِى وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ لِذِڪۡرِىٓ (١٤)

“Surely, I am Allah. There is no god but Me, so worship Me, and establish Salah for My remembrance.” (Ta-Ha 20:14)

 أَلَا بِذِڪۡرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطۡمَٮِٕنُّ ٱلۡقُلُوبُ (٢٨)

“Indeed, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” (Al-Rad 13:28)

As aside note, it is interesting that the TED talks is limited to 18 minutes because 18 minutes is how long a listener could take in, digest, and understand the important information.  May we should learn and limit these Fajr talks to 18 minutes, or may be to stop every 18 minutes and do dhikr.    

Let me finish here but leave you with few Physical steps that may help you in having khoshoo in prayers:

1. After doing the Wudu, come to the prayer calm and sit for a minute doing dhikr.
2. When reading the Fatiha be sure to stop after every verse to listen to Allah’s response.
3. Try as much as you can do 2 rakka sunnah before each obligatory prayer to get in the mood. Since we do the obligatory prayer because of Allah’s command and we do the sunnah based on the practices of the Prophet (PBUH), consider the Sunnah as if it is your way of getting the Prophet (PBUH) to introduce you when you meet Allah during the obligatory prayer.
4. Think of the verses that you will read after the Fatiha ahead of the prayer.
5. Think of separate dua that you may want to say in the Sujood of every Rakka.
6. Think of a dua that you may want to make after the Tashahood before you end the prayer.

I am sure there are several others that you can also do to increase your level of khoshoo in the prayers.                                    DUA