Question: Does thinking of something during salat invalidate it?
ANSWER
Thinking of something in salat does not invalidate it, but you should do your best to ward off mundane thoughts. If you know the meaning of what you are reciting in salat, it is better for you to contemplate it. It is excellent to think that you are standing in the presence of your Rabb and to act in the way you are required to. The following things, too, will assist you in achieving concentration and focus in salat: to consider the salat you will offer to be your last salat and your last deed in the world, to consider yourself to be on the Sirat Bridge and to collect yourself accordingly, to think of yourself as a slave who fled from his master but got arrested and brought to his master again, or to stand in the presence or your Rabb, whose blessings you live in and whom you need every moment, in whatever way you are expected to.
You should not value the world or consider its affairs a cause of worry and reflection. Instead of it, you should be tolerant of worldly affairs and do your best to be with your Rabb in salat.
When a person raises his hands up to his ears before salat, it is as if he threw everything other than Allahu ta’ala behind his back, and he is standing in His presence in fear of His punishment and in the hope of His forgiveness. His folding his hands on his navel indicates that he feels himself in the presence of his Owner a guilty servant whose case is similar to the one who fled from his master and is therefore lost in thought as to whether he will be punished or forgiven.
The recitation of Surat al-Fatiha contains praising Allahu ta’ala for His hidden and manifest blessings, thinking that he desperately needs His mercy and begging Him for mercy, performing acts of worship only for His sake, seeking help only from Him, praying that he may be kept on the path of the pious, and taking refuge in Allah from heresy. On completion of an additional sura, it is as if he were said, “Glorify your Rabb so that He may answer your du’a.”
Bowing for ruku’ indicates the greatness of Allahu ta’ala and the inferiority of the servant. It is as if he were ordered, “Lift up your head. Allahu ta’ala accepted your du’a and tasbihat by His grace. Then straighten up.”
When he says “Sami’allahu liman hamidah,” he praises Him following the good news of His accepting his du’a and tasbihat by His grace and then falls prostrate as He has forgiven him. It signifies lowering himself for our Rabb and glorifying only Him. (Tariq-un-najat)
Question: What things should a person consider so that he may develop khushu in salat?
ANSWER
One should bear the following points in mind so that one may develop khushu (deep, humble, and submissive reverence) in salat:
Huzoor-i qalb: contemplating what one is reciting
Tafahhum: understanding what one is reciting
Ta’zim: respect
Haybat: fearing Allahu ta’ala with respect
Raja’: hope
Haya: shyness
Now let me explain these terms:
Huzoor-i qalb: It means thinking that you are busy with the task at hand, contemplating what you are reciting, purging your heart of worldly concerns, and attaching your heart only to your task and what you are reciting of the Qur’an. If the heart is freed from other thoughts, does not have a failure to give attention and care to what it is doing, and focuses only on it, then you can develop huzoor-i qalb.
Tafahhum: It means contemplating what you are reciting and understanding it. Many a time the heart is present during recitation, but it does not think of the meaning of what is being recited. The spiritual elite experience such sweet meanings during salat that they do not even come to mind at other times. A salat performed in this manner restrains one from all types of evil. [In salat, it is not compulsory to understand the meanings of suras and prayers. However, if one knows their meanings, then one should try to understand what one is reciting. It is better if one recites the ones whose meanings one knows.]
Ta’zim: Suppose that a person’s superior orders him to do something. Even if he understands the order and does it with a calm and tranquil heart, he may not have respect for his superior. For this reason, respect comes after tafahhum. That is, Allahu ta’ala’s order must be followed with respect.
Haybat: It is a fear that is formed after ta’zim, and it is different from fearing a snake or a centipede. This fear arises out of the anxiety over the probability of losing the love of Allahu ta’ala.
Raja’: It means expecting thawab (reward). Raja’ is to know that Allahu ta’ala’s blessings are countless, that His mercy is vast, that He promised Paradise to those who perform salat, and that He keeps His promise. For example, even if a person respects and fears a ruler, he does not expect a reward in return for it. However, a person fears the punishment of Allah and at the same time expects reward in return for his salat.
Haya: You should be aware of your own shortcomings. Feeling ashamed before Allah, strive to perform salat impeccably. To be able to have respect for Allahu ta’ala in salat, you should be aware of His greatness and wrath and think that you are a despicable, contemptible, and base servant who submit to the order of Allahu ta’ala. He who does not know or believe in His greatness cannot have due respect for Him. The stronger one’s faith in Allah, the higher one’s level of khushu. Our mother Hadrat Aisha stated, “The Messenger of Allah used to talk to us and laugh with us. But when the time for a salat comes, he did not use to recognize us, so to speak.”
If the heart is not focused on salat, it is clear that it is not empty, and surely, it is busy with something worldly. A person thinks of what he loves very much. For this reason, whoever loves things other than Allah will think of them during salat. It is rather difficult for him to remember Allah, and he will be in negligence and heedlessness even during salat.
The more one knows Allahu ta’ala, the more one’s awe and fear will be. Allahu ta’ala revealed to Musa (Moses) ‘alaihis-salam, “O Musa! When you remember Me, let your body tremble, and be in khushu and serenity. Do not allow your heart to wander while your tongue is making mention of Me. Stand in My presence as a slave stands in the presence of his master.”
In brief, we should make every effort to remove negligence and heedlessness in salat. Some of the spiritual elite used to perform salat in such focused state of mind that they did not use to know who were on their right- and left-hand sides in the line in congregation. [It is a well-known incident that the arrow stuck in the foot of Hadrat Ali was pulled out of it in salat.]
Blessed Companions said, “People will be gathered on the Day of Judgment depending on the level of concentration and focused state of mind they displayed in salat and pleasure they took in salat in their worldly life” (Ihya).
Question: I have scattered thoughts in salat. Worldly thoughts and other things rush into my mind, and I cannot gather my thoughts and remain focused. What should I do to get rid of satanic whispers and to achieve presence of mind?
ANSWER
This state occurs nearly in everyone, to a lesser or a greater degree. Say “La hawla wa la …” before starting salat. Islamic scholars state, “The more one’s ikhlas is, the less one’s thoughts will be. When you eat a meal, you should also intend to get energy for acts of worship. You should make the same intention before sleeping, too.
Question: Does a worldly thought invalidate salat?
ANSWER
It does not invalidate salat. You should start salat by observing the required manners as if you were seeing Allahu ta’ala, so that your salat will be a real salat. If you are in salat physically but not mentally, your salat will be valid, but not acceptable. For this reason, it is helpful to start salat after you say “La hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil ‘aliyyil’ ‘azeem.”
Question: Will the salat of a person be valid if he gets sidetracked by the thoughts of the things he will do?
ANSWER
Yes, it will be valid. These thoughts grow out of one’s deficiency in ikhlas (purity of intention, doing everything for the sake of Allahu ta’ala).
|
