Offering salaah with a distracted mind and how to avoid it

[Ruhi_Rose]

 


Salaah - is a very important responsibility   
Performing salaah can also be described as 'showing up' .. that is, facing Allah, by reciting the verses of the Noble Quran, confessing to Him of our ill deeds, begging forgiveness, imploring for a strong iman, imploring for happiness in both the worlds and supplicating to Him for our loved ones.

Being distracted during prayers
It's not an uncommon problem to perform prayer without the requisite concentration and focus it requires.  Concentrating on prayers is known as Khushoo in Arabic.  We often offer our five daily salaah half-heartedly and distractedly, hoping that next time our prayer will be better.   That "next time" seldom or never comes.  One of the reasons can be linked with language, when Arabic is not the first language with those offering salaah, their minds can wander off more easily.  Other than this, simply the preoccupations of life often distract one's mind.   Thus, offering salaah without enough concentration is common among both who do or do not speak Arabic.

What is Khusho?
So, what does Khushoo define?  And when we talk about developing Khushoo in salaah or prayer, what precisely do we mean?  Khushoo is a state of mind containing calmness, tranquility, humility and dignity during prayers.  It also refers to the heart standing before Allah in total submission and humility towards Him.

What generally causes distraction during prayers?
Generally during prayers when our minds wander we think about the mundane issues of our lives which can be of a million different types when we actually should be thinking only of Allah, His Revelations, His qualities and His sustenance to us.

There are times when personal tragedies can also distract us during prayer.  That's very common too, and though it's understandable, we need to continue with our efforts to overcome that distraction with the help of the peace acquired from prayers.

Some of the points worth remembering to promote Khushoo in our salaah or prayer are as follows:   

-   Do a "brain dump" before starting to offer your salaah.  Make a note of the things that usually bother or silently interrupt you while praying and  make special effort to distance yourself from those thoughts when you sit down for prayers.

-    While supplicating, beg Allah to grant you greater focus and diligence in your prayer in your own words.  At the start and end of every salaah, pray to Allah specifically for providing you with Khushoo (humility, peace and calm to concentrate on your prayers, always).

-   Know the meaning of what you are reciting.  Ponder over the meanings of the verses you are reciting during prayers.  If you don't know much Arabic, try to memorize the translations of the Surahs you recite in your prayers in your own language, and as you recite those Surahs in Arabic, keep going over the translations within yourself.  "(This is) a Scripture that We have revealed unto thee, full of blessing, that they may ponder its revelations, and that men of understanding may reflect."  (38:29).

-   Reciting one's prayers slightly aloud, clearly and distinctly, also help much to be focused on what one is reciting. If you feel your Arabic pronounciations aren't perfect, don't worry about that.  Just try to pronounce what you know in an audible tone, as clearly as you can.   The important thing is to understand what you are reciting.
 
-   Being physically clean by washing ourselves properly (wudu or full shower) and wearing fresh/clean and modest clothes that cover us well are a great plus in helping to feel nice and thus enhancing our concentration on prayers.   During wudu, make sure you relieve yourself otherwise that could be a distracting factor during prayers.

-   Make sure you understand the meanings of what you recite during ruku (bowing), while rising from ruku and during sajood (prostration).  During ruku we recite "Subhan-e-Rabbal-Azeem."   While rising from ruku we say "Sami'-Allahu li-man hamidah"  and during sajood we recite "Subhana Rabbal Ala."  Both expressions recited at ruku and sajood mean quite the same.   The expression recited while rising from ruku is a little different.  Check the following for correct meanings and remember them while you recite the following in Arabic during salaah.

Subhana Rabbal Azeem =  Blessed is my Rab, The Most High in degree.
Subhana Rabbal Ala =  Blessed is my Rab, The Most High and Sublime.
Sami'-Allahu li-man hamidah  =  Allah listened to him who praised Him

-    If you are new at learning salaah and know nothing of Arabic at all, then it would be okay to do your prayers by learning the translations of the Arabic Surahs  in your own language.  That would be far better than missing your salaah altogether for lack of knowledge in Arabic.   But in the meantime make efforts to learn the original Arabic Surahs. 

-    If you are praying at home or in a relative or friend's house, try to find a comfortable spot.  Avoid praying in a room or close to a room where the sound of television or music can be heard.  Avoid praying in a place which is noisy and the sound of others talking can be heard too loudly.   And avoid praying in a room or any place which is too hot or too cold so as to make you uncomfortable while you pray.  That could distract you a lot too.

-   If you are in a very distracted or preoccupied state of mind and concentration is getting very difficult, try to shorten your prayers by offering the obligatory rakats until you acquire greater peace of mind to feel confident enough to add extra rakats.

Conclusion
The truth of the matter is, peace and tranquility itself comes from prayers offered with humility and with earnestness.  And indeed one needs to try hard to acquire the level of concentration necessary to provide us with help and peace from Allah.  Allah Himself confirms this in His Own beautiful words:

"Seek help in patience and prayer , and truly it is hard except for the humble minded (al-khaashi'oon)"  Noble Quran, 2:45.

"Successful indeed are the believers who are humble in their prayers,"  Noble Quran, 23:1-2.

[Zainab_M]

MashAllah, this is a marvelous read sis.  I think there are very few people who would say they don't have the problem of getting distracted during salaah by earthly issues and worries.  What we need to do is to straighten that scenario by  using our prayers as a medication for those unpleasant earthly issues and problems that distract us, for which we first need to get a strong focus on our prayers.  Very useful post.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

O yeah, really good and useful post.  I would also add, some folks have problems concentrating on salaat because of physical illnesses which can be of many types.  Physical illness often renders one weak and they may find it difficult to cope with the physical movements of salaat.  Many people suffer from severe back problems or hamstring pains which makes it hard for them to sit on their knees.  Yet when they force themselves to do that, the discomfort is often distracting.  In such cases, worshipers can sit on a chair or sofa and pray.  They can even sit up on their bed and pray.  Whatever suits them best. That's completely permissible and will help them to stay focused on prayer.  What's most important is the intent and concentration.

[Ruhi_Rose]

Thanks sisters Zainab and Heba.  Sister Heba, that point of yours is a very common issue.  Yet I forgot to add it and I'm glad you did.