Problem with Concentration in the Prayer

The Salah (Prayer) is one of the most important obligations of Islam, being one of the five pillars of Islam. A Muslim should not miss any prayer and all prayers should be performed in their appointed times. Allah says in the Qur'an: "Indeed the prayers are enjoined on Believers at stated times." (An-Nisa': 103)

In a hadith the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Allah has made five prayers obligatory upon His servants. So whosoever will perform them and will not miss any of them out of negligence, he has the pledge of Allah that He will enter him in Paradise. And whosoever will not perform them, Allah has no pledge with him. If He wills He may punish him, and if He wills He may forgive him." (Reported by An-Nasa'i, Abu Dawud and Ahmad).

"Salah is the most important pillar of Islam. It is in fact the first religious duty prescribed on every single prophet from Adam to Muhammad, second only to testifying the Oneness of Allah. Allah says, "Salah, indeed, is a duty enjoined upon the faithful at the appointed times." (An-Nisa': 103).

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) further narrates in a hadith Qudsi:

Allah said, "The covenant between Us and them is Salah, so whoever establishes it establishes religion. Whoever undermines it undermines religion."

It is therefore important that we never become slack in performing Salah. If we miss any Salah for whatever reason, we must pray it immediately without further delay. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

"Whoever oversleeps and misses his prayer or forgets to do it, let him pray as soon as he remembers it. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)"

Allah swt says:

"Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their Salât (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness. " (23:1, 2)

Narrated By Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said,

"When the Adhan is pronounced SATAN takes to his heels and passes wind with noise during his flight in order not to hear the Adhan. When the Adhan is completed he comes back and again takes to his heels when the Iqama is pronounced and after its completion he returns again till he whispers into the heart of the person (to divert his attention from his prayer) and makes him remember things which he does not recall to his mind before the prayer and that causes him to forget how much he has prayed."

[Bukhari, Vol 1, Book 11. Call To Prayers (Adhaan). Hadith 582.]

Narrated By Abu Huraira:

A man entered the mosque and started praying while Allah's Apostle was sitting somewhere in the mosque. Then (after finishing the prayer) the man came to the Prophet and greeted him. The Prophet said to him, "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed. The man went back, and having prayed, he came and greeted the Prophet. The Prophet after returning his greetings said, "Go back and pray, for you did not pray." On the third time the man said, "(O Allah's Apostle!) teach me (how to pray)."

The Prophet said, "When you get up for the prayer, perform the ablution properly and then face the Qibla and say Takbir (Allahu Akbar), and then recite of what you know of the Quran, and then bow, and remain in this state till you feel at rest in bowing, and then raise your head and stand straight, and then prostrate till you feel at rest in prostration, and then sit up till you feel at rest while sitting, and then prostrate again till you feel at rest in prostration; and then get up and stand straight, and do all this in all your prayers." [Bukhari, Vol 8, Book 78. Oaths And Vows.Hadith 660.]

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:

In order to gain proper concentration in Prayer, it is important to keep one’s mind free of all pre-occupations with worldly affairs. Since our minds tend to dwell on the things which we are currently absorbed with, it is important to break the hold of this world upon our minds by conditioning ourselves to think consistently of Allah and the Last Day. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “A true believer is one who has made all of his thoughts subservient to the bigger thought: Allah.”

Another important point to remember is that often because of our indulgence in major sins, we may be deprived of true joy in Prayer as a penalty for these sins. Such sins include displeasing one’s parents, fornication or adultery, indiscriminate mingling and mixing with members of the opposite sex, unethical conduct and behavior in financial dealings, and so on.

Therefore, as a prerequisite step towards improving our concentration in Prayer, we must examine our life and purge it of all the major sins according to the best of our ability. After having done so, we can follow these tips which have been gleaned from the discussions of the salaf as-salih (pious predecessors):

1. Before standing up for Prayer, try to deal with all the minor urgent matters which demand your attention. If you are pressed by hunger, eat first; if you are pressed to attend to the call of nature, relieve yourself; if you are the parent of an infant, feed him or her, or keep him or her busy.

2. Perform your wudu’ (ablution) well, paying due care and attention.

3. Approach the Prayer with zest and passion as if it is the most important task in your life. Actually the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us that we could do nothing in this world that could ever surpass Prayer in merit and excellence.

4. Visualize that in your Prayer you are going to have a special audience with Allah, Lord of the worlds, and that you are enjoying a direct communion with Him which, in fact, is true.

5. Think of the Prayer you are performing as if it were the last Prayer of your life. In fact, it could very well be the last one, since no one is given a guarantee that he would live to perform another Prayer.

6. Picture the scene of the Last Day when people will be lined up into two groups, one destined for Heaven, and another for Hell, and ask yourself where you would be placed.

7. Focus your mind on what you are reading in your Prayer.

8. If, in spite of your best efforts, your mind is still wandering, seek refuge in Allah and bring your mind back to Prayer.

9. Pray to Allah and beg Him to grant you true the joy of concentrating in your Prayer and protection against the wanderings of your mind.

Wassalam and Allah knows best.

Reference:

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