https://www.khutbah.info/humility-in-prayer/ A believer does not repeat a deed as much as the prayer. For it is the connection with His Lord. And it is his salvation in this hectic world filled with fear, despair, worries and grief. And it is his protection from immorality and evils because the prayer dispels them. However, the prayer is not a salvation and relief nor a shield from indecencies unless the soul is absorbed with humility during the prayer. And the heart bows and prostrates. And it is not simply lifeless habitual motions. This indicates the importance of khushoo (humility and focus) so that one’s heart is fortified to withstand the difficulties of life and face fears. And to shield from the immorality and evils and to repel unlawful desires and faulty beliefs.
إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Verily, all praise is for Allah. We praise Him, we seek His assistance and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Him from the evils of our selves. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide. Whoever He misguides, none can guide. And I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.
يَا أَيُّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ – آل عمران:102
Al Imran 102 : O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.
Oh people:
Be conscious of Allah the Exalted, obey Him, submit to Him, dedicate your deeds only to Him, focus during your prayers, be serious in building your afterlife and do not be deceived by the glitter of this world for you will leave it to your everlasting abode.
A believer does not repeat a deed as much as the prayer. For it is the connection with His Lord. And it is his salvation in this hectic world filled with fear, despair, worries and grief. And it is his protection from immorality and evils because the prayer dispels them.
However, the prayer is not a salvation and relief nor a shield from indecencies unless the soul is absorbed with humility during the prayer. And the heart bows and prostrates. And it is not simply lifeless habitual motions. This indicates the importance of khushoo (humility and focus) so that one’s heart is fortified to withstand the difficulties of life and face fears. And to shield from the immorality and evils and to repel unlawful desires and faulty beliefs.
Allah commanded to establish the prayer in many verses of the Quran. To establish and not to simply offer it. And this includes striving to fulfill its requirements, pillars, mandatory and recommended actions. And the humility and focus of the heart during it. The prayer is not considered established if these aspects are missing.
Focus and humility in prayer is not optional for the believer. For it is mandatory and he needs it. Allah said:
(وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ)[الْبَقَرَةِ: 45]
Al Baqarah 45: And seek help in patience and prayer and truly it is extremely heavy and hard except for those with Khushoo.
And this verse includes criticism of those not having humility and focus in their prayers. Blame and reproach is only for leaving the obligatory or committing the prohibited. Therefore, reproach of those not having khushoo (humility and focus) indicates that it is obligatory.
Also, its obligatory nature is indicated by the verse:
(قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ * الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ)[الْمُؤْمِنُونَ: 1- 2]
Al Mominoon 1-2: (1) Successful indeed are the believers. (2) Those who offer their prayers with all solemnity and full submissiveness.
After this verse Allah the Exalted mentions a set of characteristics for the believers and concludes with the verses:
(أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْوَارِثُونَ * الَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ الْفِرْدَوْسَ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ)[الْمُؤْمِنُونَ: 10- 11]
Al Mominoon 10-11: (10) These are indeed the inheritors. (11) Who shall inherit the Firdaus (Paradise). They shall dwell therein forever.
Shaikh Ibn Taymiyyah (May Allah have mercy on him) said: “Allah the Exalted informed about those who will inherit the Firdaus (paradise) and that no one other than them will inherit it. And this indicates the obligation to have these qualities. And if these qualities were only recommended, then the Fiduas (paradise) would be inherited by those not having these qualities. Because paradise is attained through doing the obligatory. For this reason only the obligatory qualities were mentioned. Khushoo is mandatory and it includes tranquility, humility, submission and focus during prayer. Therefore, whoever pecks like the crow does not have khushoo during prostration. Likewise, the person who does not raise their head after bowing and pause before transitioning to sujood (prostration) does not have tranquility because composure is tranquility. And whosoever does not have composure is not tranquil. And whomsoever does not have composure does not have khushoo in their bowing or prostration. And whomsoever does not have khushoo is sinning and disobeying. “
Due to the obligatory nature of khushoo and its importance it is prohibited to look upwards during prayer because that breaches the khushoo as related in the hadith narrated by Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “What is the matter with people who lift their gaze to the sky when praying?” And he spoke sternly concerning that until he said: “They must stop that or they will certainly lose their eyesight.” [Bukhari]
And the Prophet forbid turning during the prayer because it diminishes the khushoo as indicated in the Hadith narrated by Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her): I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about looking around during the Salat. He said: It is a portion that the Shaytan snatches during a man’s prayer. [Bukhari]
And to inspire the believers to have khushoo during their prayer the Prophet (ﷺ) informed that Allah looks upon them as long as they have khushoo as indicated in the Hadith narrated by Abu Dharr who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Allah continues to look upon His servant while he is praying, so long as he does not turn away. If he turns his face away, He the Exalted turns away from him.” [Abu Dawood]
Due to the importance of khushoo, a person is prohibited from making extraneous movements because unnecessary movements destroy the khushoo as indicated in the Hadith of Jaber (May Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) entered upon us and said: Why are you raising your hands as if they are the tails of restless horses. Maintain tranquility during prayer. [Muslim]
And the reward for the prayer decreases to the extent that the khushoo decreases. Two people may be praying next to one another but the differences in reward may be like that of the distance between the sky and earth as evidenced by the hadith narrated by Ammar bin Yaaser ( عَمَّارِ بْنِ يَاسِرٍ ) who said I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: A man returns after prayer and only a tenth, or a ninth, or an eighth, or a seventh, or a sixth, or a fifth, or a third, or a half is recorded for him. [Abu Dawood]
أَقُولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
I say what you have heard and I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and you from every sin. So seek forgives from Him, Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Second Khutbah
الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ , وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَاْ إِلَهَ إِلَّاْ اَللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَاْشَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدَاً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ
All praise is to Allah, and peace and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.
Oh Muslims:
Towards the end of time people will not have khushoo in prayer. The big congregational Masjid will be full of people praying but there will not a single one of them having khushoo as related in the Hadith narrated Abu Dardaa (May Allah be pleased with him): ….the first knowledge to be removed from the people is Khushu’. You would enter the congregational Masjid, but not see any man in it with Khushu’. [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2653]
Moreover, the Prophet (ﷺ) used to seek refuge from a heart that does not have khushoo’.
So it is incumbent upon the believer to strive hard to attain khushoo and be diligent in implementing the means to attain it. Such as perfecting the wudu, making plenty of dhikr (remembrance), for it repels the shaytan from the person, going early to the Masjid, being close to the Imam, being tranquil in the prayer, reflecting on the Quran that he recites and hears, understanding and thinking about what he is saying while bowing and in prostration. Repelling distracting thoughts that may come to him. And striving and exerting himself in this regard. For if he does so, Allah will help him to have khushoo’ and He will open His door. Then the person will taste the sweetness of prayer. And the prayer will become his refuge, his relief and his delight and joy.
(وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ)[الْعَنْكَبُوتِ: 69
Al Ankaboot 69 – And those who strive for Us – We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good.
عِبَادَ اللّهِ, إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ, يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
اُذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ واشْكُرُوهُ يَزِدْكُمْ واسْتَغْفِرُوهُ يَغْفِرْ لكُمْ واتّقُوهُ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ مَخْرَجًا , وَأَقِمِ الصّلَاة
Servants of Allah. Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.
Remember Allah, the Great – He will remember you. Thank Him for His favors – He will increase you therein. And seek forgiveness from Him – He will forgive you. And be conscious of Him – He will provide you a way out of difficult matters. And, establish the prayer.