12 Tips to Boost Your Salah!

It just doesn’t feel the same . . . I lost it . . . How can I get it back?

Get ready for the ultimate salah-booster; a set of amazing productivity tips to enhance your prayer, give you a fresh perspective on the world of salah, and make you love your prayer like never before, inshaa’Allah!

Allah ‘azza wa jall advises: And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive (to Allah). [Quran, 2:45]
Below are productivity tips based on a summary of the beautiful How to taste the true beauty of salah series by Mishari Al Kharraz:

1. Say Allahu akbar and throw the world behind you.
Did you ever think: why do we start our prayer with Allahu akbar not with subhanAllah? Realize that when you say Allahu akbar you affirm that the one before whom you are about to stand is greater than anything occupying you at that moment— greater than your sleep, your families, your bills, and your worries. Just imagine that when you say Allahu akbar while raising your hands you are throwing all of that behind you!

2. Visualize the veil.
When you stand to pray, Allah ‘azza wa jall commands: Raise the veils from between Me and my servant! As soon as you say Allahu akbar and start your prayer, Allah sets His beautiful face to yours and doesn’t turn away from you, unless you do. When your thoughts or your sight drifts off, He orders the veils to be drawn back down. Visualize these veils being lifted to keep concentrated with your heart and body. Are you still drifting? This is why you repeat the great words Allahu akbar as you move into each position; it’s a reminder and a new chance again and again to focus!

3. Salute the King.
Imagine walking into a palace, how would you recognize the servants of the king? Probably by their humble position: looking down. As you lower your gaze to the place of your prostration and place your hands right over left and close to your chest it is time to salute the King. Imagine standing in front of Allah ‘azza wa jall as you utter this beautiful saluation and feel each word: Subhanakallahumma wa bihamdika, wa tabaarakasmuka wa ta’alaa jadduka— How perfect You are O Allah, and I praise You. Blessed be Your name, and lofty is Your position and none has the right to be worshipped except You.
Realize that only the parts of salah you are mindful of are being accepted and that Shaytan does his very best to steal every sweet moment you have with Allah!

4. Feel each ayah of Surah Al-Fatiha is answered.
You are now ready to enter the essence of it all: Surah Al-Fatiha, the greatest surah of the Quran, without which your prayer is nullified. Know that Allah Himself answers back when you recite of Surah Al-Fatiha, so add a short pause after each ayah, feeling this amazing dialogue. How can you ever drift of in this part of the prayer?

5. Utter His name with pure love.
What has brought you to stand here right now? It is your love and longing to be with Allah ‘azza wa jall. And when you meet up with your beloved, what do you first say? The sweet sound of the beloved’s name, the name that blesses everything it falls upon! Feel the bismillaahir-rahmaanir-raheem soothing your heart as it gently rolls off your lips.

6. Stand still at: “the Lord of the worlds.”
The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam told us, “Alhamdulillah fills the scale!” [Muslim] Really feel gratefulness when you say alhamdulillah. Did you see those documentaries where they zoom out from the cells of a plant’s leaf all the way to the planets and galaxies? Now instead of that leaf, start the zoom out process with the image of yourself standing before Allah. Then zoom back down, back through the universe, to the place you are standing in prayer. The next time you pray view yourself from above and far away and truly taste the meaning of Rabbil aalemeen (Lord of the worlds)!

7. Reflect on Ar-Rahmaanir Raheem before Maaliki yawmid-Deen.
Have you ever wondered why Allah’s names Ar-Rahmaanir and Ar-Raheem come before Maaliki yawmid-Deen (Master of the Day of Judgement)? Be reminded that it is the Most Gracious and Merciful who will judge us on the the Day of Judgement! So feel empowered and comforted when you say Ar-Rahmaanir-Raheem and then pause a moment at Maaliki yawmid-Deen, realizing the horrors of that Day.

8. Know what iyyaaka na’budu wa iyyaaka nasta’een really means.
You alone we worship, and unto You alone we turn for help. Let this remind you to make Allah alone your focus, not the people. So when you are asked, why did you do this or that (deed), you can firmly answer: for Allah! Feel this ayah by knowing that the salaf used to weep for hours reciting it.  One of them was once praying in Mecca. His friend went ahead and did the tawaf and when he returned to him, he was still at this verse, repeating it and crying, until the sun came up.

9. Say ameen as if your life depended on it.
The most comprehensive supplication you can make is:  ihdinas-siraatal-mustaqeem (Guide us to the straight path). See how you followed the proper etiquettes of how to ask Allah? You started glorifying and praising Him and then you make your request: Guide us. Now realize that your entire existence depends on this supplication. The ameen you’ll pronounce now will have to come from the bottom of your heart. Ameen means: My Lord, grant or answer (my prayers). Say ameen as if you have been sentenced to death and are pleading for pardon, begging with passion.

10. Feel the bond with your Lord.
When you say subhana Rabbiyya- al-‘atheem (How perfect My Lord is, The Supreme) in ruku’, focus on the pronoun that means my (in Rabbi). It adds that element of bonding: He is My Lord, who raised me in His care and who is nurturing me. Know the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the Companions used to be in the bowing position as long as he would be in the standing segment of salah. One companion said that he recited Al Fatiha, then Al Baqara, Ali Imran, An-Nisaa’ and Al Ma’ida, and the companion Abdullah Ibn Al Zubair was beside him, still in his ruku’!

11. Win the grand finale: your sujood.
Your sujood is the ultimate symbol of complete submission to your Creator. The Prophet said: The closest that a servant is to his Lord is when he is in prostration. [Muslim] And:  Prostrate much because there is no Muslim that prostrates to Allah except that Allah raises him one degree in Paradise by it and forgives for him a sin. [Ahmad] Imagine you are being raised one degree in Paradise with each sujood and a sin falls off you with each prostration. Prostrate with body, heart, and soul and taste the sweetest feeling in the world!

12. Supplicate before the tasleem.
After the words of the tashahhud (sitting position at the end of prayer) and before the tasleem (saying salaam to indicate the end of prayer), there is a precious moment many waste! When the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam taught Abdallah ibn Mas’ood radiyallahu ‘anhu the tashahhud he said: … Then let him choose whatever supplications he wishes. [Al-Bukhaari, Muslim]. Just before you say tasleem, make at least three heartfelt dua’s to benefit from this treasure chest  instead of rushing to say the salaam!

Remember this: the sweetness of this life lies in remembering Him, the sweetness of the next life lies in seeing Him! The next time you proceed for prayer, go because you love Him, go because you miss Him and long to be with Him. Feel your heart flutter. Only then, will you be on your way to attaining that inner peace and comfort salah was prescribed for. [Mishari Al-Kharraz]

Praying you will benefit,

Khawlah bint Yahya

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