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Concentration
in Prayer
The
spirit of salah is intention, devotion, and contemplation.
Without contemplation, invocation is of no avail since this will be
futile utterance. By the same token, all other acts of salah will
not bring forth their desired fruits. The act of standing connotes
service, and prostration implies humility and glorification, which
will never be attained without attention. Allah Most High says, [It
is not their meat or their blood that reaches Allah: it is your
piety that reaches Him.] (Al-Hajj 22: 37)
It
is now clear that what counts most in the Sight of Allah Most High
is the state of the heart, by which one submits to the commands of
Allah. One is required to be alert and mindful in salah,
although Allah may pardon a lapse of negligence as long as
consciousness dominates the Prayer.
Nevertheless,
the following three are the yardstick of any acceptable salah:
1.
Consciousness. It means to
show indifference to all worldly interests and have absolute
consciousness of Allah Most High. To have such consciousness, you
must have decisive intention and put your heart to it. Your
consciousness, in fact, differs according to your strength of belief
in the Hereafter and scorn of this world. Therefore, if you miss
consciousness in salah, you should know that the root cause
of this is weakness of faith, and so you should exert yourself to
strengthen and bolster it.
2.
Reflection on the words.
This is the second step after consciousness, which may be present
without grasping the meaning of the words. You should direct your
attention to grasp the meaning by refraining from thinking of other
matters.
3.
Glorification and fear of Allah Most High,
which emanate from realizing the majesty and magnificence of Allah,
and looking down upon yourself, which would result in humility and
consciousness. Hope is also an important factor in salah.
When you offer salah, you should hope for the reward
of Allah and fear the punishment due to your imperfection.
The
following will help you keep your concentration while praying, insha’
Allah:
1.
Have the intention in your heart.
2.
Seek Allah's help to maintain your concentration in Prayers.
3.
Perform the Prayers at their due times.
4.
Perform the Prayers in the way shown by the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him).
5.
Reflect on the recitation and invocations.
6.
Avoid sins.
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