We’ve all been there…You’re just chillin’, chatting on MSN with your buddies, and then you take a look at the time. Its 12:13am and you still haven’t prayed Isha. O mannn! You get off MSN, go make wudoo, and then perform your prayer. However, as we all know, our laziness and tired state takes over us, and this reflects in our prayer.
You finish praying at 12:17am and you find yourself in the same position you were no more than five mins ago, on MSN. This time, something doesn’t feel right. As you’re chatting, you feel your heart cringe, you feel your heart ache, as if you just committed a sin. I prayed Isha, why am I feeling this way? You think to yourself.
And then you realize … you realize that there was no khushoo’ in your salaah. DING! DING! DING!
But now, what is khushoo’?
Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in the Qu’ran: “Successful indeed are the believers, those who offer their salaah (prayers) with khuthoo’ [all solemnity and full submissiveness].” [al-Mu’minoon 23:1-2].
In specific, this ayat refers to those that fear Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and do so in a calm manner. And so, In general the term khusoo’ means calmness, serenity, tranquility, dignity and humility.
To attain this, Ibn Katheer states that one must have the fear of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and the sense that He is always watching, a sense of God-conciousness (Daar al-Sha’b edn., 6⁄414).
So now, where do we seek out khushoo? The answer to that is: our heart. The unique thing about the heart is that its effects are manifested in the physical body. So if the heart is corrupted, you can be sure that the corruption will pour out of the various faculties of body and be open for all to see.
After taking a quick peak into khusoo’, we realize that it has considerable importance in our daily lives, and also in the life to come. With that said, over the next little while, I will take you all on a journey in which I will list out the means of developing khushoo’ which inshallah will benefit us all.
But in the meanwhile take a look at the list below, and see what’s in store.