Khushu: a prerequisite for the re-establishment of the Islamic Way of Life

The dawah carrier’s life revolves around a central pillar. This pillar is his mission, his goal and
ultimate objective; thus everything else in his life submits to this higher purpose. This mission is
the re-establishment of the khilafah; the call to Islam and making Allah’s deen prevail over all
other deens. Thus the dawah carrier has sold his whole life to Allah in return for His pleasure,
eternal bliss and closeness with his Beloved. In order to achieve this objective and accomplish
this mission, the dawah carrier must use all the tools Allah has given him to reach this goal. Due
to the immense nature of this mission, it is a prerequisite that the dawah carrier ensures that he
has the Islamic personality; without which his mission fails and his purpose remains just a dream.

Within the context of re-establishing the Islamic way of life, the dawah carrier has to constantly
seek Allah’s (swt) pleasure by doing all the necessary actions to achieve this ultimate goal. Some
of these actions include:

1. Conveying the message to family and friends

2. Regularly speaking to contacts
3. Giving circles and talks
4. Attending demonstrations and events
5. Writing articles and letters

In addition to this he must gain enough of the necessary knowledge to facilitate the dawah and its
objectives. The knowledge areas include:

1. Essential Fiqh of Islam and related to the dawah

2. Sufficient understanding and pursuance of politics and current affairs
3. Memorising Qur’an and Hadith
4. Arabic language
5. General Islamic culture including Seerah of the Prophet, and specific party culture.

Therefore the re-establishment of the Islamic way of life is dependent, through the will of Allah,
upon its callers to have an Islamic personality. Consequently, this will manifest itself by the dawah
carrier performing all the necessary actions and gaining knowledge to reach his goal.

However the dawah carrier will not perform any of the necessary actions with success or be
endowed with knowledge in the absence of ikhlaas and khushu. Allah (swt) describes the
successful believers as those who have khushu.

“It is the believers who are successful: those who have khushu (the khaashioon)…” [Qur’an 23:1-
2]

Allah (swt) is telling us that we will fail in our mission if we do not have Khushu. Therefore, we
must understand what khushu is and initiate all the necessary steps to achieve this essential
state.

The Meaning of Khushu

The term khushu has the following meanings:

1. Softness of heart

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2. Gentle disposition
3. Submissiveness to Allah
4. Yearning Allah’s pleasure
5. Humility

As a dawah carrier, the believer must seek for ways to succeed in his mission. Once he has
found new ways to move forward and achieve his goal, he must grab the opportunity and take
action. Allah has explicitly told us how to succeed: acquire and develop khushu. Failing to attempt
to achieve a state of khushu will not only be an injustice to our own souls but it will also be a
grave mistake, inevitably failing in the most important issue that the ummah has faced; the re-
establishment of the khilafah, the much needed shade of Allah.

Salah: The tool for change

“Surely, the salah prevents evil speech and bad deeds…” [Quran 29:45]

Salah is a unique act of worship that prevents the believers from anything that deserves the
anger of Allah (swt). It is the ultimate medium for change for it includes all aspects of ibadah:
1. Dhikr
2. Praising Allah
3. Dua
4. Conversation with Allah
5. Means for proximity with Allah
6. Recitation of Qur’an
7. Contemplation
8. Sending salaams to the Prophet
9. Enjoyment
10. Means for Sabr
11. Alleviation of burden
12. Solace and tranquillity from the shackles of the dunya

In order to achieve success in our salah, thereby strengthening our Islamic personality, acquiring
khushu is paramount.

“It is the believers who are successful: those who have khushu (the khaashioon)…” [Qur’an 23:1-
2]

Brothers! Ponder over this! If the Islamic Personality is essential for the achievement of the
mission of the dawah carrier, and this personality can only be achieved and strengthened through
having khushu in our salah, then its importance is as great as the mission itself!

Salah and Khushu

Mujahid, a famous tabieen, said “The foundation of khushu is in the heart and quietude in prayer”

In similar fashion Allah (swt) described the earth as having khushu:

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“Among His signs is that you see the earth laid bare and then we send down water on it, it quivers
and swells” Qur’an 41:39

The meaning of its quivering and its swelling is that its bareness and stillness (khushu) has been
removed and in its place vegetation grows. This then shows that the khushu that it has was
stillness, lowliness, and lack of growth. The same applies to the heart; when it has khushu, its
base desires and thoughts arising from the following of lusts are laid to rest, and it breaks and
submits to Allah. Khushu replaces the hearts remoteness, haughtiness, arrogance, and
lordliness. When it settles in the heart the limbs, organs, and motions – even the voice – are
stilled.

The dawah carrier must not only desire that the earth be in submission to Allah by carrying the
call of the khilafah, but his heart must be full of khushu filling it with submissiveness and humility
in order to achieve this.

How to Gain Khushu in Salah

In order to get the most out of salah and achieve khushu in this essential and obligatory act of
ibadah, the dawah carrier must ensure that the following are in place:

Not looking around

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah who said “The Prophet would look left and right in prayer and
then Allah, Mighty and Magestic, revealed,

“It is the believers who are successful: those who are humble in their prayer” [Qur’an 23:2]

So the Messenger of Allah humbled himself and would no longer look left or right.” [Abu Dawud]

On the authority of Aishah who said “I asked the Prophet about looking here and there in
prayer and he said, ‘It is a snatching away that shaytaan steals from the servants prayer.’”
[Bukhari]

“Prostrate and draw close” Qur’an 96:19

The sajdah is one of the greatest outward manifestations in expressing our obedience as
Muslims. The believer places his symbol of his being, his face, and places it in the lowest position
thereby facilitating the emergence of humility, submissiveness and yearning for Allah. It is for this
reason that the Muslim is rewarded with closeness to his Lord in this position as stated by the
Prophet “The closest a servant is to his Lord when he is prostrating.” [Muslim]

"The closest a servant comes to his Lord is in Sujood; therefore make excessive du'a, for
it is most likely to be answered." [Muslim]

Making du’a in sujood is the dawah carrier’s method of discoursing with his Lord. For he knows
that Allah (swt) is with the humble believers who strive in His cause; he knows Allah (swt)
answers the du’a of His servants.

Being attentive in Prayer

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Isam ibn Yusuf, passed by Hatim al-Asamm who was talking in his gathering. He asked, ‘Hatim
have you made your prayer good?’ he replied, ‘Yes.’ He asked, ‘How do you pray?’, he replied ‘I
stand at the command, I walk in fear, I commence with the intention, I perform the takbir baring in
mind His greatness, I recite at a measured pace, carefully and with contemplation, I bow with
khushu, I prostrate in meekness, I sit and read the whole tashahud and then I perform the salaam
in accordance to the sunnah. I pray with sincerity to Allah, Mighty and Magnificent, and yet I fear
that it will not be accepted of me; however I will preserve it as much as I can until I die.’ He said
‘Keep talking for you have indeed excelled in your salah.’

Sincerity

Ikhlas, or sincerity, refers to the complete absence of negative intentions and the performance of
actions purely for the sake of Allah. It means not only performing salah to fulfil the obligation, but
to really establish khushu in your prayer. This in turn will create the need for salah, all out of total
love for Allah, wanting to get nearer and nearer to Him, hoping for the highest level in paradise
amongst the Muqarraboon, those close to Allah. The Messenger of Allah related the following:

"Allah the Almighty has said: Whosoever shows enmity to a friend of Mine, I shall be at
war with him. My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more loved by Me than
the religious duties I have imposed upon him, and my servant continues to draw near to
Me with voluntary works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with
which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his
foot with which he walks. Were he to ask (something) of Me, I would surely give it to him;
and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant it to him." [Bukhari]

Introspection

"Has not he time arrived for the Believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the
remembrance of Allah and the Truth which has been revealed (to them) and that they should not
become like those to whom was given the Book a foretime? But long ages passed over them and
their hearts grew hard? For many among them are rebellious transgressors." Qur'an 57:16

Complacency is the not a characteristic of the dawah carrier. He should always be assessing
himself using the sahaba (ra) as the yard stick and not the society that he is trying to change. He
must at all times scrutinise himself by evaluating his intentions and feelings towards the mission.
He should never be satisfied with his state, as the sahaba constantly worried about their
motivations and inclinations. Was it not Umar (ra), of the ones who were promised paradise, that
asked if his name was on the list of the hypocrites? This should make us shiver.

Assessing the salah

In the dawah carriers attempt to establish khushu in his heart he must examine his salah daily. If
there is any defect in his performance, such as missing fajr, he should repent. A sin without
repentance hinders the way to success, in this case acquiring khushu. The dawah carrier has
sold his whole life to raise Allah’s word as the highest on this earth. If he can not establish fajr,
how can he work towards establishing Allah’s deen? Assessment of oneself is not meant to instil
a feeling of failure or incompetence. As long as the believer’s intention is for Allah’s pleasure, and
he follows through with it, and continues trying, the reward will be given to him.

"Verily! As for those who believe and do righteous deeds - certainly! We shall not suffer to be lost
the reward of anyone who do his (righteous) deeds in the most perfect manner." Qur'an 18:30

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Recognising the defects in the believer’s salah shouldn't pull his motivation down but should
rather motivate him to improve.

Brothers! Remember! Salah is the key to closeness with Allah and the essential tool to change
ourselves thereby facilitating the success of the dawah!

Arrogance

One of the enemies of the dawah carrier is arrogance and admiration of one's self. Not only is this
the anti-thesis of khushu, it is a type of associating oneself with Allah.

"He who has in his heart a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise." [Muslim]

The dawah carrier must never admire himself or his deeds, particularly his performance of salah.
The one who strives for Allah’s pleasure looks to those who are better than himself; this will
encourage and humble him.

Ihsan

"To worship Allah as though you see Him, knowing that though you cannot see Him, He
sees you." [Muslim]

This profound statement, if reflected upon, must make us in awe of Allah (swt). Our bodies must
shiver and our eyes must be moist from acknowledging that Allah is watching us and has
knowledge of everything. Failure to understand this can only mean failure in our conviction in
Allah’s attributes.

Do we not believe that Allah exists? Does He not know everything? Isn’t He All-Aware? Doesn’t
He know our innermost secrets and intentions? Brothers! We need to re-affirm our basic
understanding and ensure that it has affected our hearts! These concepts and ideas are not cold
concepts! They are real and essential elements that will build our personalities to ensure we are
manifestations of Islam and products of this noble call!

We all know the universe has stars. For many of us, the idea of a star is a cold concept that
doesn’t affect our hearts and minds. Yet, the star is a truth; it is a real phenomenon. However, for
the Bedouin, the star is not just another cold concept representing a natural phenomenon – it is a
reality that exists in his heart and mind that affects his whole being. For it illuminates his path and
guides him towards his goal. This is how we should accept our deen and embrace these key
concepts. They should remove the coldness within out hearts and bring warmth and love of the
deen. Failure to so indicates that we have not allowed the deen to mean anything in our lives – it
can only suggest that we do not believe that the khilafah is the solution; but are just acting out an
obligation in the cold sense of the word. This not the description of the dawah carrier.

The dawah carrier must fall in love with the message, for it will mean that he loves Allah and His
Messenger.

“None of you truly believes until your own inclinations are in accordance with the
message I have brought.” [An-Nawawi from kitab al-hujjah on the authority of 'abdullah ibn 'amr
ibn al-'as]

Recitation of the Qur'an and Remembrance of Allah

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Recitation of the Qur'an and Dhikr, accompanied by contemplation of the meaning is one of the
most tremendous ways of softening one's heart, thus gaining khushu.

"Allah has revealed the most beautiful Message in the form of a book, consistent with itself,
repeating; the skins of those who fear their Lord tremble threat; then their skins and their hearts
do soften to the remembrance of Allah." [Qur'an 39:23[

Recitation of the Qur'an and Dhikr is a protection from shaytaan and a cause of tranquillity of the
heart. If the believer’s heart is really pure, he would never stop reciting Qur'an. 'Uthmaan (ra),
would pray Fajr then remember Allah in Dhikr. Then he would recite Qur'an till Dhuhr!

Reflecting on All the Aspects of Salah

A man came to the Prophet and said:

"Give me brief advice in which I don't need anything else. He said to Him: "When you pray,
pray like a person who is saying farewell." [Ibn Majah, Al-Hakim, and Al-Bukhari]

When you stand to pray and pronounce Allahu Akbar, reflect upon the meaning of Allah's
Greatness, hoping for His reward and fearing His punishment. When you bow for rukoo' and say,
Subhana Rabbi Al-Adheem strive to refine the inner feeling of your own impotence and
insignificance before the Might of Allah (swt). The words Subhanna Rabbi Al-A'alaa should be
said with full awareness of the believer’s complete poverty to Allah. When the prayer is
concluded, the dawah carrier should feel a sense of gratitude to Allah, for having enabled him to
complete this act of worship. He should imagine that he is saying his farewell prayer and that he
may not live to offer another like it.

Understanding the rewards and punishments

The believer who has khushu benefits enormously whereas one who is lacking in khushu will
suffer various consequences. By knowing the rewards associated with khushu and the
punishments for the lack thereof, the believer may better conceive the importance of developing
this very special aspect of salah.

The Rewards
1. "Successful indeed are the Mu-mineen, those who humble themselves in their prayer." [Qur'an
23:1-2]
2. The right to enter Jannah through Baab As-Salah - The door of Prayer.
3. Khushu will provide you relaxation and will become 'pleasing to the eye'. You will experience
tranquillity and calmness.
"Truly man was created very impatient. Fretful when evil touches him. And niggardly when good
reaches him. Not so those devoted to prayer. Those who remain steadfast in their prayer."
[Qur'an 70:19-23]
4. It will become a source of strength and power and will serve as a protection from Shaytaan and
provide you with stability. Allah (swt), says:
"Seek help through Sabr (patience) and Salah." [Qur'an 2:45]
This is evident in the following Hadith:
"He (pbuh), when saddened by a thing, would seek refuge in prayer." [Ahmad and Abu
Dawud]
5. The falling of sins from your body. The Prophet (saws) said:

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"Verily when a Muslim performs Wudu properly, and then observes Salah five times a day,
his sins fall off just as these leaves have fallen off.
He then recited the following ayat:
“And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night; for
those things which are good removes those things which are evil. That is a reminder for the
mindful." [Qur'an 11:114]

The Punishments
1. Life will be full of discomfort, agony and misery.
"But whosoever turns away from My Message, verily for him is a life narrowed down, and We
shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment." [Qur'an 20:124]
2. All deeds will be a complete loss. If Salah is not performed, it will definitely affect all other
deeds in life. "The first thing that the servant will be called to account for on the Day of
Judgement will be Salah. If it is good, his deeds will have been good. If it is bad, his deeds
will have been bad." [Tabarani]
3. Rejection from Allah. We know the great benefits of Allah's love. What will become of us, if He
turns away from us?
"But, after them followed a posterity who lost Salah and followed after lusts; soon then will they
face destruction." [Qur'an 19:59]

In the tafseer of this Ayah it is mentioned that the phrase who lost Salah does not mean that they
completely stopped praying, but that they delayed it, not praying it at the proper time.

The link between the salah and your mission

Brothers! Allah (swt) has explicitly told us in His Book, that we will not achieve success in our
actions or be endowed with knowledge if we do not have khushu. It is of immense importance
that the dawah carriers do all the necessary actions and gain all the knowledge needed to
establish Allah’s (swt) deen on this earth. If these prerequisites are not performed in the state of
khushu the mission will not be accomplished and the dawah carrier will fail. Therefore khushu is
as important as the ultimate objective of establishing Islam. The development of khushu can not
be achieved without salah.

Surah al-Fatiha

Surah al-Fatiha is a pillar of salah. It is recited at least 25 times a day for the Muslim who
completes the obligatory prayer and the sunnah. It is the first surah believers learn as a child and
it is a chapter of the Qur’an Muslims are most familiar with. To facilitate the development of
khushu it is of immense importance that the dawah carrier understands, reflects, contemplates
and meditates on surah al-Fatiha.

"Allah the Exalted had said: I have divided the prayer into two halves between My servant, and
My servant and Me will receive what he asks. When the servant says:

"Praise is to Allah, the Lord of the universe",

Allah the Most High says:

"My servant has praised Me."

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And when he (the servant) says:

“The Most Compassionate, the Merciful",

Allah the Most High says: "My servant has lauded Me."

And when he (the servant) says:" Master of the Day of Judgment,"

He remarks: "My servant has glorified Me," and sometimes He would say: "My servant entrusted
(his affairs) to Me."

And when he (the worshipper) says: "(You) we do worship and of (You) we do ask help,"

He (Allah) says:

"This is between My servant, and Me and he will receive what he asks for."

Then, when he (the worshipper) says: "Guide us to the straight path, the path of those to
whom you have bestowed your Gracious, not (the way) of those who earned Your anger,
nor of those who went astray." He (Allah) says: "This is for My servant, and My servant will
receive what he asked for." [Muslim]

O Brothers! Allah is telling us that we will be guided and that He will help us! Let us be sincere in
this mission and ask Allah to protect and guide this ummah. Let us pray with khushu to facilitate
the dawah and let us plead for His forgiveness and the inevitable victory!

"Indeed, Allah will aid those who aid His cause. Indeed Allah is all-Powerful, all-Mighty." [Qur’an
22:40]