In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful..
All praise be due to Allah, Lord of the worlds..
and salat and Salam from Allah be upon His servant and messenger Muhammad..
and upon all his family and his companions.
Then..
How can you enjoy Salat?
With this question..
I've lived the best times, while searching for an answer.
And each time..
I tasted a pleasure of Salat..
I find it more beautiful than the one before it.
When I opened a door about the sweetness of Salat..
it led me to a door that is bigger!
Amazingly, the taste was different too.
I thought this might be an imagination..
or just fairy tales.. said by ancient people..
and, it is not realistic to happen today.
But, after sometime, I've realized that I was mistaken..
By Allah, this is true.
in fact, anyone can experience this pleasure..
all he needs to know is the key code..
then, everything will change.
And, submission with awe to Allah, is not confined to men with beards..
to the righteous.. or to Hijabies..
No, not at all!
in effect, all Muslims can feel this sweetness.
Overawe and submission during Salat.. and feeling of tranquility..
is the wish of each Muslim.
and my target is, to fulfill this wish for you.
"Certainly will the believers have succeeded." 23:1
"They who are during their prayer humbly submissive. " 23:2
People are really eager to learn this..
Our target now..
is far beyond, not losing focus during Salat..
we want to; experience specific feelings during Salat..
not only that your heart is pay particular attention..
No!
this is just the first level..
there are much deeper levels than this..
which deal with different kinds of Salats too..
For example;
Salat Fajr has its specific taste..
Salat Qiyam has its taste..
also, Salat Istikharah[Asking for guidance], we will talk about it..
How do we feel inside masjids?
The importance of masjids..
Our feelings while saying Adhkar, after Salat..
How can we weaken our enemy who is trying to invalidate our Salat?
Do you want to know more?
should I tell you more?
In fact, each part of Salat, has a specific way of submission[Khushu'a]!
and not only during Salat..
even before Salat!
Yes..
The enjoyment of [Khushu'a] begins even before beginning of Salat..
Have you had [Khushu'a] during ablution?
Has anyone had [Khushu'a] while wiping over the Khuffain?
If a person reaches a stage of..
[Khushu'a].. even in these stages..
By Allah, this is creativity, an art!!
There is a matter, Ibn Al-Qayyim called it;
Amiability, near Allah..
the feeling of affability near Allah.
Have we tried this before?
By Allah, I don't exclude the probability that..
the minutes you spend praying..
might be the best moment in your whole day..
I'm not saying this for the sake of propaganda..
this is not an emagination..
these are real things..
facts..
I've seen these with my eyes..
There are men and women..
who have lived higher levels of happiness..
when they've discovered these secrets..
their Salats became more beautiful..
even after the end of Salat..
One sister said;
I never thought I'd feel like this..
I never thought I'll have this kind of [Khushu'a] during my Salat!
But, as a favor from Allah..
this has occurred!
Sheikh of Islam; Ibn Taymiyyah said:
'In Dunya, there is a paradise.. [of faith]..
if a person didn't enter it..
he didn't taste the Jannah of Hereafter.'
By Allah, you do not know the level of my happiness..
while I'm here with you..
By Allah, all that I care about is..
to make you feel happy during your Salat, to enjoy it..
The only reason that you are watching us, now, is..
Allah..
Yes!
Blessed brother and sister, the only reason we are here..
together..
is to be approved by Allah.
We are asking Allah to grant us His Mercy..
In Hadith: 'Allah said..
I am to my slave as he thinks of Me, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him).
so, let him think of me as he wills.'
By Allah, my Lord, this is what we think of You.
My Lord, we think you will make us feel happy in Dunya with fearing You..
and You will make us submissive to You during Salat..
as if we are seeing You..
then upon meeting You at Resurrection Day..
You will say to us; there will be no fear concerning you today, nor will you grieve!
"[Having been told], "Enter it in peace, safe [and secure]."." 15:46
Brothers and sisters, if you want to hear these words:
[Enter it in peace, safe and secure]..
he should work hard to earn them at Resurrection Day.
Now, we are at Dunya..
How about working together..
to earn this very precious thing..
which most people doesn't have..
the enjoyment in Salat..
And, I believe that..
Allah will give it to us.
So, let's start..
Okay!
There is a way of [Khushu'a] during Salat, an unknown way..
everytime someone tries it..
it works!
Till today, I've never seen anyone..
who didn't change in his Salat..
after applying this way..
anyone, a man or a woman.
Actually, if he forgot applying it, he will be back to losing focus during Salat!
It is the core of [Khushu'a]..
it is the secret way of submission.
What is this secret?
before we begin learning this secret..
we need to abolish a countering belief..
It is saying; 'I can't!!'
being unconfident..
saying; I've tried, and I'm hopeless!
Thinking this way, will never lead you to submission,
The last thing to do, is to think unassertive..
Don't even say; I can't!
You may say; I don't want.. but, I can't! No!
The problem is that; this is from Satan..
to divert a person from obeying Allah.
by convincing the person that; he can't do this!
YOU CAN DO IT.
You should not despair..
Because, Salat without [Khushu'a]..
is like a body without life.
listen to this example;
A person had a dear family member..
whom he was loving so much..
his mother.. his father.. a beloved one..
then, this beloved one died..
and he was with him, in the same house..
the dead body was in the house..
can he sleep at night, with the dead body, in the same room?
just for one night..
the deceased on one bed..
and, he is on another bed..
Can he?
impossible!
Why?!
He would say: It feels weird!
Why, isn't he your beloved?
Yes, but he is dead now.
Okay.
If the Doctor found that he wasn't dead..
it was a wrong diagnosis, he was alive..
What will happen next..
Of course, all the feelings of fondness and love will be back..
and the weirdness will disappear.. you will be close to him again..
Why?.. because, the soul is back..
All the matter is about the soul!
Okay,
Salat is the body.. and, [Khushu'a] is the soul.
So, if the soul goes..
you will feel weird during Salat.
As-Salat is like a body..
and, [Khushu'a], is its soul..
Ideally, the soul should be inside the body..
So, you need to know the secret of maintaining [Khushu'a]..
which is the soul of Salat..
What is the secret of [Khushu'a]?
the secret of [Khushu'a] is..
to direct every word you say, during Salat, to Allah.
All the words you say during Salat..
say them to Allah, directly!
And, to keep on this, all the way, during your Salat.
Don't just set forth words.
Only thinking of saying words..
or counting their numbers, as in case of Tasbeeh.. No..
Direct the talking to your Lord.
Consider that; you are addressing Allah, He is in front of you..
He is talking to you and you are talking to Him.
He is conversing with you and you are responding to Him.
So, if you would say, any word, during Salat..
you need to feel that you are addressing Allah.
Now, you are saying this to Allah.
A person living Salat like this, he is living a life..
which is unlike the lives of others.
he will never lose focus.
he will never say a verse or a Dhikr, fast..
he will not recite fast as....
No, he will not be able to do this.
Because the feelings that Allah is putting in his heart..
each of them is connected to a part of Salat.. of words of Salat..
each of them has its own taste.. has its value..
you can't feel all of these feelings at the same time.. fast..
this is not possible..
For example; when you eat..
you won't be able to taste the meat..
with sweets..
with the appetizers.. in one bite!
impossible.
You need to taste each one, separately..
So, as a person who eats fast..
will not be able to taste the pleasure of food..
he will only satisfy the hunger feelings..
same is a person who recites fast..
he will not feel the pleasure of Salat..
he will only fulfill the decree of obligatory Salat.
To have the pleasure of Ibadah..
this is a totally different thing.
which Allah has bestowed on some people..
who converse with Him and amicably talk to Him.. with passion..
who are not in a hurry to finish saying the words of Salat..
or just recite what they have to recite.. No!
'upon determined people, determination will be..'
'and upon the esteemed the honor will come.' [Al-Mutanabbi]
Call to mind, that you are having a conversation with The Great Lord..
He is in front of you.. talking with you..
responding to you..
you are talking to Him..
For example, Look at a broadcaster..
they signalled him, now, he is in life broadcasting..
Why he is concentrating, and maybe he is trembling?
though he is not seeing the audiences?
None of them!
Why this awe?
He is very confident that there are people watching him.
You also are certain that..
Allah is in front of you.
'To worship Allah as if you are seeing Him..
and if you are not seeing Him, He is seeing you.'
This is the definition of; Ihsan=the best Ibadah.
So, it is clear to us, like the bright sun;
we are standing in front of Allah.
And, if you want to converse with your Lord..
while standing in front of Him..
He will be there..
even if you couldn't see Him!
All you have to do is ablution..
and stand, facing Qiblah..
then say; Allahu Akbar..
now, you are in front of Allah..
talk to Allah
say to Him; [All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
He will say to you; My servant has praised Me.
Say; The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
He will respond to you..
He will say: My servant has commended Me..
When you say: Sovereign of the Day of Recompense.
He will say; My servant has glorified Me.
as the prophet, (ﷺ), told us in Hadith.
Ibn Al-Qayyim said: Pause a bit, after each verse..
so that your Lord would answer you.
as if you are hearing Him answering you!
when He is saying to you: My servant has praised me!
And Ibn Al-Qayyim said; After you say; The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful..
stop for a short time..
as if you are listening to the answer of your Lord saying;
My servant has commended Me..
converse with your Lord, talk to Him, say to Him:
It is You we worship..
He is in front of you, hearing you..
Say all that you want to say during Sujood..
all the demands, all the wishes..
Express.. in each part of Salat..
in between the pillars of Salat..
that, He is The Great[ Akbar].. Exalted is He!
Say to Him that; He is Akbar..
say; Allahu Akbar..
My Lord; You are Akbar.
Between the two Sujoods, ask Him to forgive you.
You need forgiveness, ask Him to forgive you.
Then, greet Him at the end of the meeting with Him..
when you are about to depart.. saying;
At-Tahiyat Lillah..
Do you see; You are talking to Allah.
Hence, the secret of [Khushu'a]..
is to focus on directing the speech to Allah during Salat.
It is not about accurately saying the Adhkar that you've memorized..
and fast reciting of the verses.. No!!
By Allah, If a person would pray Salat like this, he won't be wanting to finish his Salat.
It is not an obligation, rather, it is an honor.
Imagine, the Owner of Sovereignty is talking to me..
this is overwhelming..
the affairs of all kings are in His Hand..
He does that which He wills!
Anas, may Allah be pleased of him, he said.. the prophet, (ﷺ), said:
'When anyone of you is engaged in Salat (prayer), he is holding intimate conversation with his Rabb.'
So, a conversation will be going on..
and a person during Salat, he is before the Hands of Allah.
Now, try to feel that you are talking to him and He is talking to you.
The reason that we've lost this feeling, of conversing with Allah, is because..
the creations became more important to us than the Creator..
I adjure you by Allah, why else would a person leading praying..
as Imam..
he recites nicely.. ?
with a beautiful recitation.
But, if he was praying Salat alone..
or in a quiet Salat..
he would quote the verses fast..
without beautiful recitation.
To whom we are reciting..?
to the Creator or to the creations?
This is the secret of; [Khushu'a]!
Let the words come out from your heart..
Please, my honored brother..
my honored sister..
Next time you go for Salat..
apply this method.
As soon as possible..
This secret is amazing..
And, by the will of Allah, you will see the result.. immediately!
Next, we have a new feeling, with which we will begin our Salat.
and this feeling will change your Salat..
It will increase your [Khushu'a]..
all you have to do, is to focus on it..
and immediately, your heart will respond.. fast..
and it will feel a special feeling..
a beautiful feeling..
Anyone who would concentrate on this feeling.. he will feel it!
This new feeling during Salat.. is the feeling of; Love.
If you were able to sense loving Allah during Salat..
your [Khushu'a] will increase during this Salat.
And, loving Allah is the sweetest love in the universe..
the most beautiful love.
Loving wealth has its taste..
and, loving the mother, has a different taste..
and, loving children has a special taste..
But, loving Allah..
exceeded any other love..
It excels any other love.
the prophet, (ﷺ), said:
'There are three qualities whoever has them, will taste the sweetness of Iman.. '
The first one is..
'.. To love Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) more than anyone else.. '
So, Allah, Almighty..
as there is nothing like Him..
nothing is like loving Him, Not any other love.
Blessed brothers..
blessed sisters..
I adjure you by Allah..
Do you think a person feeling this love during Salat..
can he be unsubmissive?
The greatest thing that makes us love our Lord most, is..
the nice way He treats His servants!
He has created them..
yet, He doesn't need them.
In spite of that..
He approaches them with favors..
attracting their love with bestowals..
perhaps they would return to Him.
perhaps they might love Him..
And, if they were back to him..
He will be happier with their return, more than their happiness with their being with Him!
By Allah, this motivates the servant to be very loving to his Lord.
So, it is normal that a servant would humble himself to Allah..
it is not a big deal that a servant would humble himself to his Master..
this is the expected norm.
But the amazing thing is that; when the Owner affectionately approaches His servant.
seeking his love.. and he is His servant.
Allah, Almighty, has said nice words:
".. Allah will bring forth [in place of them] a people He will love and who will love Him.. " 5:54
It is amazing that they will love Him..
But, it is more amazing that; He will love them!
He will love them!!
He has created them..
and provided for them..
He is protecting them and giving them, continuously..
then, at the end, He is the One to love them!
'He is the One who will respond to me, when I say; My Mawla'
'O, the One, Who, none is sharing His Sovereignty.'
'I disobey and You hide my guilt..'
'I forget, and You remember me.. '
'How could I forget You, and You, who never forgets me?'
Yes..
Allah, Almighty, loves those who love Him..
In fact, the stronger the love of a servant to Allah..
the best and the most perfect will be the love of Allah to this servant.
So, if Allah would love you..
you have nothing to worry about.
Of course, He won't torture you, He won't punish You..
And, the severest torment upon soul is..
to be vacant of the love of Allah!
When a body loses its soul..
the worst thing can happen to it is death..
But losing the love of Allah..
will make the soul under torment in Dunya, as long as it is away from Allah.
Why?
Because, Allah has created souls just to love Him..
Ibn Al-Qayyim said this..
And we know that..
the hardest suffering of a lover is to be away from his beloved..
In such a case..
lovers usually comfort themselves by having another love..
like the love they've lost, or better than it.
But, what can they do, if the lost beloved was..
Allah, Who there is nothing like Him, and nothing is equivalent to Him?
".. There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing." 42:11
So, if he betrayed, and took another love..
making his love equal to the new love..
this, in the world of love, is the biggest sin..
that makes the person loses his dignity and respect.
For Allah is the highest Attribute!
Our Lord, The Exalted, He doesn't accept this for Himself..
The Lord, The Exalted, never accepts that His servants..
would associate others with Him..
He, Almighty, said: "Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him.. " 4:48
".. but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills.. "
For this reason, never desert Salat..
not even for one time.
A person who would neglect Salat..
doing other things..
these things will be..
like Ilah for him
the prophet, (ﷺ), said:
'Between man and polytheism and unbelief is the abandonment of salat.'
Yes, By Allah, how can a person leave his beloved to another love?
Would you exchange what is better for what is less?
Muslims never neglect Salat..
Because, it is impossible for them to find a thing that is more lovable than Allah.
Allah, Almighty, said:
"And [yet], among the people are those who take other than Allah as equals [to Him]. They love them as they [should] love Allah.. " 2:165
".. But those who believe are stronger in love for Allah.. "
So, they do not get busy from doing it..
and, they do not get busy from it, while in it..
But, their hearts will enjoy a high level of Dhikr..
when they meet their beloved Allah.
Take care..
Do not say the words during Salat, without feelings, No!
make the heart sincere..
along with the words you are saying..
Express your love, when you say: "It is You we worship.. "
It means; I love you my Lord.
because, Ibadah is the highest level of love.
So, a person claiming loving Allah, without obeying Him..
definitely, he is not truthful!
Allah, Almighty, said:
"Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me.. "
".. [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.. "
By Allah, you will notice a big difference in your Salat..
when you begin it, with feeling of love..
to Allah, the Most Loving..
Whom you are standing before him.
Ibn Al-Qayyim said in his book; The path of two Hijrahs..
'And He, The Exalted, He loves His servants, the righteous.
and they love Him..
in fact, nothing in their hearts, that is more beloved than Him.'
Ibn Al-Qayyim said:
'Pleasure follows the feelings of love..
so, the more the lover knowing the beloved..
and the more loving to him..
the more was the pleasure, with being with him.
I know, all believers love Allah..
But, the intensity of love varies between the believers.
As for its maximum level..
loving Allah, has no limits!
similar to the unlimited beauty of Allah.
And, Allah has created humans with an innate inclination to love beauty, in all things.
They love the beautiful merits..
They love the beautiful faces..
They love the beautiful nature..
the beautiful colors..
people love all beautiful things.
And, our Lord, whom we worship, is beautiful..
In fact, He is the most beautiful thing in this universe.
the prophet, (ﷺ), told us about this saying..
'Allah is Beautiful, He loves beauty.'
That's why the greatest bounty in Jannah will be..
when the Lord, the Exalted, shows His face to the people of Jannah..
"[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant. " 75:22
"Looking at their Lord." 75:23
All the beauties in Dunya..
are imperfect..
and at the end, they will become ugly!
e.g. the flowers will withered!
the youth will grow old.
The only beauty that is lasting..
is the beauty of Allah..
Allah, The Exalted , said:
"Everyone upon the earth will perish. " 55:26
"And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor." 55:27
Can you imagine this..
all this beauty..
Allah, Almighty, will show it to you if you do Salat..
The prophet, may Salat and Salam be upon him and his family, He said:
'Allah will be facing the face of His worshiper.. during his Salat..
as long as he does not turn away.'
He sets His Face, facing you!
But, we do not know; How!!
we affirm the Husna Names and the high Attributes to Allah..
without example without illustration without changing without abolishing.
Honored brother..
Honored sister..
When we go to pray Salat..
today.. we will stand..
before that beautiful Ilah..
You will stand in front of Allah..
so, recall the feeling of your love to Him..
this will lead you to a new world of pleasure, during your Salat.