Continuing our discussion of the purification of salaah, one of the primary ways to gain khushoo’ is to prepare ahead of time! Try these authentic actions from the sunnah:
Perform wudoo properly; start with bismillah and end with ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illallah wahdahu laa sharee ka lahu wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abdahu wa rasoolahu.
Umar bin Al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Whoever of you performs wudoo thoroughly then says: ‘I testify that there is no god but Allah, with Whom there is no associate, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger,’ the eight gates of Paradise will be opened to him to enter from whichever he wants.” [Muslim #234, abu Dawud #162, Ahmad, an-Nasa’i]
Use miswak to cleanse and perfume the mouth, as the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) always used miswak before prayer.
Repeat the words of the adhaan, except for “hayya alas-salah” and “hayyan al-falah”, here you should say: laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah (There is no might and no power except by Allah سبحانه وتعالى) [Al-Bukhari 1⁄152, Muslim 1⁄288; Fortress of the Muslim]
Recite du’a for after hearing the adhaan: Allaahummah Rabba haadhihi’l-da’wati’l-taammah wa’-salaati’l-qaa’imah, aati Muhammadan il-waseelata wa’l-fadeelah, wab’ath-hu’l-maqaam al-mahmood alladhi wa’adtah (O Allaah, Lord of this perfect call and the prayer to be offered, grant Muhammad the privilege (of interceding) and also the eminence, and resurrect him to the praised position that You have promised)
Make du’a between the adhaan and the iqamah, as it is a beneficial time to do so, and the possibility of the du’a being accepted is higher.
Anas (رضي الله عنه) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “A supplication made between the Adhan and Iqama is not rejected.” [Ahmad, abu Dawud #521, at-Tirmidhi #212, Sahih al-Jami #3408, an-Nasai and Ibn Hibban graded it sahih (sound)]