Humility and Attentiveness in Prayer

“Successful indeed are the believers; they are those who humble themselves in their prayer.”
(Sura 23 .Al-Mu’minoon, Verses 1-2)

Dear brothers and sisters,
Humility and attentiveness (khushoo) is the essence of the prayer. Because, khushoo in the prayer involve deep concentration and total humility before Almighty Allah. There are a number of means which help develop this state of humility and attentiveness in prayer including the following:
1. We should make the necessary preparations for our prayer. This can be done by going early to the mosque, observing the recommended acts that precede it, wearing appropriate and fine clothes and walking to the mosque humbly and in a dignified manner.
2. We must not engage in prayer while there are some distractions that are bound to affect our concentration, such as loud noises, the need to answer the call of nature and hunger and thirst after food has been served. By keeping such distractions away, one develops a serene mind that paves the way for better concentration in this great act of worship one is about to offer.
3. We should not offered his prayer hurriedly. Because, our prophet (pbuh) said to his companions, “The worst kind of thief is one who steals from his prayer.” They asked him, “How can someone steal from this prayer?” He replied, “By not completing its bowing and prostrate postures properly.” (Musnad Ahmad: 22642)
4. We must contemplate the greatness of the Creator, recognizing His perfection and acknowledging our own weaknesses and defects. 5) We should meditate on the Qur’anic verses and other prayer utterances and responding to them. The Qur’an was revealed to be reflected on, as the Qur’an states, “It is a Book We have sent down to you, full of blessing, so let people of intelligence ponder its signs and take heed.” (Sura Saad, 38:29). This cannot be possibly achieved without understanding the meaning of the invocations, supplications and Qur’anic verses recited in prayer. Meditation on the meaning of what one recites as well as on one’s own condition is bound to increase one’s concentration and humility in prayer and even move one to tears and ecstasy.

Jobayer Al Mahmud, Student, Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey