Concentration During Prayer (khushooh)

Asalaamu alaikum sisters....

I attended a halaqah last month and it was very informative and interesting I thought, and so I wanted to pass the info on to my sisters here, masha'Allah. The halaqah was on "khushooh."

I had never heard of this word before. Basically, it means having humbleness and concentration during salah. This is very important.

How many of us just rush through our salah, without taking the time to really think about what is being said? Sometimes we're in a hurry because we have class, or an appt. Sometimes we have to make dinner. Or maybe there's just something good coming on tv we really don't want to miss. So, we rush through the salah, trying to get done in record time. Other times we're simply distracted by what's going on around us. The phone might be ringing, the kids might be crying, etc. Sometimes we're just distracted by our own thoughts...as Baba Ali says in his one video, as soon as you say "Allahu Akbar," it's like we begin to remember EVERYTHING we forgot...we remember where we left our keys; we remember a funny thing we saw; we remember a phone call we need to make; etc.

But, this is the opposite of khushooh....all this distraction. When we're making salah, we should be focused SOLELY on Allah (SWT). He is our creator, and it is the chance for us to speak directly to Him; to praise Him; and to seek His forgiveness and guidance. If you were meeting your favorite tv star, or even the President or a King of another country...would you fidget and let your mind wander? Or would you focus on the meeting and discussion? We should focus just as much...if not more so, when we're speaking to our Creator, masha'Allah.

So, keep this in mind the next time you are tempted to rush through salah. Take your time and concentrate and focus on who you are really speaking to, insh'Allah.

Salaam,
Aakifah