khushoo

10 Ways to Establish Khushoo' in Salah
(compiled from NYU Retreat 2003 with Imam Muhammad Al-Shareef)

It is important to remember that the heart is the one that is reflecting, not the mind or body. One should prepare their heart before going into salah in order to really feel the beauty of salah.

#1-Going early to the masjid for salah.
The reward you get when you're in the front row is tremendous. Subhanallah, in Makkah, the first row is solidified whereas in the US, it's not the same. If you rushed to be in the first row, it's like "who's that guy?"
Another thing to remember is that the dua'a is NOT rejected when made between the adhan and the iqamah and only those people who are there in the masjid during that time take advantage of this blessed opportunity.

#2- Make Sunnahs that the Prophet used to do regularly.
The most emphasized of the sunnah prayers are the 2 rakat before Fajr and salat ul-witr. Keep in mind that for Taraweeh prayers, the Prophet did not do it on a regular basis on purpose so that his ummah would not feel burdened by it and mash'Allah we do them regularly in Ramadan which is good.... but look at the Fajr sunnah and Witr which he never missed, even when traveling, how many of us do them at a regular basis? Just in case you were wondering...the sunnah prayers are 2 rakat before Fajr, 4 rakat before Zuhr and 2 rakat after, 2 rakat after Maghrib, and 2 rakat and Witr (1 or 3 rakat) after Isha'.

By protecting your sunnah prayers, you protect the fard (obligatory) prayers. Our busy lives cause us to find just enough time to pray fard prayers. Whenever you pray a salah and you get up immediately, it is likely you didn't focus in that salah. Try to sit after the salah to do zikr.

If you aim for the minimum, you're likely to not succeed. For example, if a kid aims for a passing grade only, it's likely that he'll actually not succeed and fail. In human nature, if you aim for 60% (passing grade), you will get 58% and you will lose your fard prayers.

#4-Eliminating distractions.
Try to remove anything around you that would make you less focused in your salah. The Prophet was once praying and there was a picture on the wall. He told Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) to take it down because it distracted him from salah.

Even when not praying, try to lessen the distractions in your house like, for example, the TV. From experience, t is actually very relaxing to avoid watching TV for a while. If you try it, you will realize that sometimes the TV hurts the eyes and mind due to all the flashing and lights that are being put in order to pull you towards the screen.

#5-Make fresh wudu' for every salah.
When you make wudu' for every salah, not only do you become refreshed but you also gain the reward for making wudu' which washes away all your sins you made since the last time you did wudu'. The Prophet also did this on a regular basis.

#6-Pause after each ayah.
When reciting Quran in salah, each ayah should be dislocated from the next. Say an ayah and then breathe (pause). This helps a lot in focusing on the meaning of the ayahs and also helps in performing your salah in a relaxing manner.

#7-Recite softly.
You should move your lips when reciting Quran in salah and not keep your mouth closed and recite in your heart. By moving your lips, this will also help in increasing your focus on the words you are saying.

#8-Pray salah in the beginning of its time.
When you want to please someone, you would get him the best gift. One of the best things Allah loves is performing salah on time. Try to devolop that habit of stopping whatever you are doing as soon as you hear the adhan or you know that it's time for salah and do the salah and return to whatever you are doing. You will really feel good about it when you actually make your salah a priority.

#9-Lower your eyes.
It helps to develop khushoo' when you look down at the place of your sajdah. It helps to feel the humility that should be felt during salah because you are standing in front of the eyes of Allah subhanahu wa Ta'ala.

In psychology, it is known that when a person is affected by something or is thinking, he/she will look down. Even when a child is caught by a teacher stealing, the child would look down and not look at the teacher directly.

10-Make dua'a
Don't forget to make dua'a for Allah to give you khushoo' in your salah and increase your iman. Also remember that having khushoo' is a gift from Allah and you should thank Him for this gift.