Preparation for ramadan

Achieving “Khushu” and a Positive State of Mind

We have all heard about the importance of inculcating Khushu in our prayers. It refers to a state of mind when we stand in front of Allah and fully direct our minds and hearts towards Him. Ibn al-Qayyim defined Khushu as a state “. . . when the heart feels aware and humble before the greatness and glory of Allah, and is filled with awe, fear and shyness . . .” (Al-Rooh, p. 314).

Anything less not only diminishes the rewards of our worship and Ibadah but we should consider it as a sign of our disregard for our creator, as well as a lost opportunity for our spiritual rejuvenation. After all, what good is being in front of anyone – let alone our creator and sustainer – when our minds and hearts are not focused on “the moment”?

Khushu – A Positive State of Mind

In psychological terms, we can liken this state of mind to a single-minded immersion of oneself with deep focus on the activity at hand and one that leads to maximum performance. We know that our state of mind, directly or indirectly, impacts almost everything that we do in life. A bad state of mind can have a debilitating effect on our overall performance, shows its effects on our outward appearances, and in general becomes a hindrance to bringing out the best in us. On the other hand, we also know the good feelings associated with being in a good state of mind. It makes us feel livelier and more productive, and life generally seems more fulfilling.

Needless to say, we must find ways to get in the right states of minds to maximize our performance for any given activity or else we can expect subpar results. The activity of “Prayers” or salat is no exception to that rule. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) alluded to something similar in that we get only a portion of the reward for our prayers depending on the level of our efforts. He said: “A slave may pray and have nothing recorded for it except a tenth of it, or a ninth, or an eighth, or a seventh, or a sixth, or a fifth, or a quarter, or a third, or a half” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1626).

The Tendency to Get Distracted

However, voluntarily getting in a focused state of mind and staying there is easier said than done. Many a time we tend to get sidetracked by our own thoughts. As for prayers, the reality is that as soon as we enter the state of prayers, various thoughts rush into our minds distracting us from the state of worship. These distractions also include satanic whispers, also referred to as “waswaas” (insinuatingthoughts from Shaytaan) and sometimes reach to a level where the act of worship fails to deliver any notable spiritual value.

Sadly, this lack of control on our thoughts and states of our minds not only deprives us from establishing a relationship with our creator but also prevents us from bringing calm to our jittery nerves and lives in general. Among other things, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) relied on prayers to provide him comfort and mental calm. He once said, “The source of my delight is the prayer” (authenticated by Al-Albani). He also used to ask Bilal to give the Adhan for the prayer by saying: “Give us comfort by it, O Bilal.”

Stepping towards Khushu and a Positive State of Mind

Inculcating Khushu in our prayers, therefore, is about getting in the right state of mind where we are fully guarding our thoughts from any distractions and focused on Allah and the various prayer invocations. Besides spiritual rejuvenation, the practice of Khushu also teaches us to induce a positive state of mind for any other moment or activity by teaching us to keep distracting thoughts at bay and enabling us to focus on the task at hand with the heart and mind fully immersed.

 So, what can we do to get in the right state of mind to help us perform optimally? The following are some tips that can come in handy:

Get passionate about the activity: One way to get in a positive state of mind so you may excel at a task is to ensure that you develop a passion for it. The more passionate you feel about doing something, the less likelihood there is to get distracted from that activity. We know this from our hypnotic interest in the many TV shows, movies, and numerous other entertainment episodes that occupy our minds on a daily basis. So, if you complain about reduced khushu levels in your prayers, you ought to assess your passion and level of interest in prayers and your relationship with your creator. How does it compare with your life’s other passions and interests? A reduced interest drives you to rush through prayers so that you can get back to your other activities of interest. The reason behind your poor khushu levels, therefore, may be rooted in your lack of interest to pray in the first place.

For some of us, this may be a harsh reality check but until our behavior proves otherwise, our priorities may be skewed.

You can get over this problem by spending time (when you are not praying) to learn and internalize the merits and rewards of prayer. That can help you go a long way in raising your passion for prayers and other forms of worship, thus minimizing the likelihood of getting distracted. In this context, we should remind ourselves of what Allah said about developing the right khushu in prayers. He said in the Quran (interpretation of the meaning),

“Successful indeed are the believers, those who offer their salah (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness” [Surah al-Mu’minoon 23:1-2]”.

Remember, the more passion you fill in your mind and heart about anything, the less vacuum you leave for the distracting thoughts to fill the void when you are involved in that activity.

Prepare for the activity before the activity: Another sure method to help one perform optimally in any activity is to get mentally ready for that activity beforehand. Athletes do it regularly. We do it too before getting ready for any challenging activity (taking an exam, for example). This preparation before the actual event helps clear the clutter from our minds that maybe lingering from previous activities. As far as prayers are concerned, performing ablution, the high value associated with making dua before obligatory prayers in congregation, sunnah prayers, and so on are some of the things that can get us in the right state of mind before we start the obligatory prayers.

Be mindful of the activity: To ward off distracting and negative thoughts, psychologists and psychotherapists also recommend the use of “mindfulness”. Mindfulness helps in directing your consciousness to what you really want at the moment rather than letting negative thoughts pull your mind from one distraction to another. Being mindful in prayers can help you consciously guard your state of mind from being poisoned by negative thoughts as well as satanic whispers (waswas). While praying, be mindful of the meanings of the invocations of your prayers. Done repetitively, this voluntary control can gradually help you control your state of mind and achieve high levels of Khushu.

In Summary…

Khushu, therefore, is an ideal practice to help you increase the quality of your prayers that, as the prophet told us, can bring delight and calm to your lives and help bond with your creator and sustainer. The psychological underpinnings of this practice can also help you master the art of getting in the right state of mind for other activities too. It can also help keep unpleasant thoughts from the past at bay and also to stop related feelings of anxiety. That can come in quite handy in your relationships, at work, and in other aspects of your lives.

To get the ebook “33 Ways of developing Khushoo’ in Salaah” click here…

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The Month of Shaaban and Misconceptions Related to its Virtues

There are many practices related to the month of Shaaban common amongst Muslims that are not supported by any authentic hadith of the prophet (s). This post summarizes some of those mistakenly held beliefs. Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali said: “Concerning the virtue of the night of the fifteenth of Shaaban there are numerous ahaadeeth, concerning which the scholars differed, but most of them classed those ahadeeth of the prophet (s) as da’eef (weak), and Ibn Hibbaan classed some of them as saheeh.” (Lataa’if al-Ma’aazif, 261.)

Similar to other matters, care should be taken to verify those ahadeeth, even though some of those ahadeeth mention a chain of narrators. As Muslims, we have been cautioned to not attribute anything to the prophet (s) that he (s) did not say. It makes no difference whether such an attribution is intended for good or for evil intentions. We see that in the stern warning contained in the words of the prophet (s.a.w.) in which he said: “Whoever tells a lie about me deliberately, let him take his place in Hell.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhaari, 10; Muslim, 4.) (Source: islamqa.info).

Here is an explanation of some of those mistakenly held beliefs and the various explanations of the known scholars of Ahl-us-Sunnah (followers of the Sunnah of the prophet.)

No special virtues for middle of Shabaan

One of the very common but mistaken beliefs has to do with attributing special virtues to the 15th of the month of Shaaban. The reality, however, is that the hadith literature lacks the evidence of any authentic ahadith related to this topic. Shaykh Ibn Jibreen states the following:

There is no saheeh marfoo’ report (A Hadith that traces a statement directly to the Noble Prophet (saw) without any break in the chain of reporters) that speaks of the virtue of the middle of Sha’baan that may be followed, not even  in the chapters on al-Fadaa’il (chapters on virtues in books of hadeeth etc.). Some maqtoo’ reports (reports whose chain of narrations do not go back further than the time of Taabi’een) have been narrated from some of the Taabi’een, and there are some ahaadeeth, the best of which are mawdoo’ (fabricated) or da’eef jiddan (very weak). These (weak) reports suggest that people’s lifespans are written on that day or that it is decided on that day who is to die in the coming year. On this basis (lack of any authentic hadith), it is not prescribed to spend this night in prayer or to fast on this day, or to single it out for certain acts of worship. One should not be deceived by (such ignorance)… And Allah knows best.

Singling out the Middle of Shaaban for special worship is not allowed

Based on the above, therefore, the middle of the month of Shaaban should not be singled out for special worship. In this context, the scholars have stated the following:

… if a person wants to pray qiyaam on this night as he does on other nights – without doing anything extra or singling this night out for anything – then that is fine. The same applies if he fasts the day of the fifteenth of Shaaban because it happens to be one of the ayyaam al-beed, along with the fourteenth and thirteenth of the month, or because it happens to be a Monday or Thursday. If the fifteenth (of Shaaban ) coincides with a Monday or Thursday, there is nothing wrong with that (fasting on that day), so long as he is not seeking extra reward that has not been proven (in the saheeh hadith texts).” (islamqa.info)

Fasting on the last day of Shaaban is not allowed

The third issue has to do with fasting on the last day of Shaaban, which is also referred to as the “day of doubt.” It is so called because at times it is not possible to ascertain whether that day is the start of Ramadan or not. There are a number of ahadith and scholarly opinions on this issue some of which are as follows:

‘Ammaar ibn Yaasir said: “Whoever fasts on the day concerning which there is doubt has disobeyed Abu’l-Qaasim (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).” This was narrated by al-Tirmidhi and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 553.

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said: “It was understood from this that it is haraam to fast the day of doubt, because the Sahaabah would not say such a thing based on personal opinion, so a report such as this has the same status as a marfoo’ hadeeth. 

The Prophet (S) said: “Do not anticipate Ramadaan by fasting one or two days before it begins, but if a man habitually fasts, then let him fast.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1914; Muslim, 1082. So if a person is used to fasting on Mondays, for example, and that coincides with the last day of Sha’baan, then it is permissible for him to observe that as a voluntary fast and it is not forbidden for him to do so.

The scholars have stated concerning the day of doubt, “The Sunnah indicates that it is haraam to fast this day (last day of Shaaban).” (Fataawa al-Lajnah, 10/117). 

Weakness of the Hadith Related to Forgiveness on the 15th of Shaaban

A weak hadith that is circulated on this issue states that it was narrated from Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah looks down on the night of the fifteenth of Shaaban and forgives all his creation except a mushrik or one who harbors hatred against the Muslims.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 1390. (The “one who harbors hatred against the Muslims” means one who has enmity towards a Muslim brother.)

There is some scholarly difference of opinion as to the soundness of such ahaadeeth. There is no saheeh hadeeth concerning the virtue of the night of the fifteenth of Shaaban, especially as it relates to Allah descending to forgive sins. For such ahadith, the isnaads (chain of narrations) are not free of some weakness, and some of them are very weak. Many other scholars have attributed this hadith to be as weak because of the weakness of the chain of narrators.

The scholars have maintained that Allah’s descending to the first heaven does not only happen on the night of the fifteenth of Shaaban, rather it is proven in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere that Allah descends to the first heaven every night, in the last third of the night. The night of the fifteenth of Shaaban is included in this general meaning.

Hence, when ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mubaarak was asked about the descent of Allah on the night of the fifteenth of Shaaban, he said to the one who asked him: “…The night of the fifteenth?! He descends every night!” (Narrated by Abu ‘Uthmaan al-Saabooni in I’tiqaad Ahl al-Sunnah, no. 92.)

Source: islamqa.info

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