Salah Develops Focus

Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaathuhu

I welcome you all to The Daily Reminder and our discussion surrounding salaah in the 21st century.

My dear brothers and sisters, for quantum progress to occur in our lives, it is important that we conduct ourselves with focus. A wise man once said that light illuminates, but light focused is a laser, and a laser cuts through steel...

An amazing eloquent statement!

With focus we are able to apply ourselves to whatever we do with great diligence and salaah brothers and sisters nurtures within us this all important concept of focus. When we observe salaah, we are commanded to face the qiblah, to ensure that we are facing the qiblah, our chest's face the qiblah, our feet face the qiblah and we also are commanded to make sure that our hearts face the qiblah as well. All this entails an acute level of focus in the action we are about to perform and as many scholars say, that from the correctness of salaah, or from the pillars of salaah rather is the presence of khushu. That there is contentment in the action that we are actually observing. Many of us find today, that we perform this salaah. But the fruits of the salaah sometimes are not seen in our lives. People say how come we see people regular with their salaah but they are knee deep in ribaa (usury) for example or waist deep in ribaa (usury) for example, how is it that we see many people performing salaah but their speech is not the speech of Islam, their actions are not the actions of the Islam. Allah (subahaanahu wa ta'ala) said, 'that this salaah puts an end to that which is immoral and that which is disliked.'

Well the answer to that question O servants of Allah & O children of Adam that their case is a case and Allah knows best, their case is one where their action lacks focus, their salaah lacks focus, it is mere bodily worship but the soul is not involved in that salaah, the heart is not present in that salaah the mind is not present in that salaah. 

If we observe this salaah with focus, the way we have been commanded to worship Allah (subahaanahu wa ta'ala), the way we have been commanded to observe that salaah, we will find that that salaah will bring about the fruits of salaah in our life as well as teach us how to be focused in everything else in our lives. How to be focused during our study, How to be focused during our work, ,How to be focused during our play. So we conduct yourself with diligence and we ascertain greater results .

Rasoolullah (ﷺ) he taught us about Islam and then he taught us about iman and then he taught us about ihsaan - Excellence. Excellence for the believer is the minimum requirement and salaah teaches us how to be excellent in everything that we do. For in our, worship we have been commanded to strive to reach the levels of ihsaan where we worship Allah as if we see him. And we cannot see him, thus we worship him knowing that He (subahaanahu wa ta'ala) sees us.

I pray that Allah (subahaanahu wa ta'ala) grants us the understanding and inspires us to gain from our salaah, both the physical benefits as well as the metaphysical benefits. 

I love you all for the sake of Allah 

Until next time...

Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaathuhu

By Sheikh Sajid Umar