بسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ The means of developing Khushoo'(calmness) in Salah

Salaah is the greatest of the practical pillars of Islam, and khushoo’ in prayer is required by sharee’ah. When Iblees, the enemy of Allaah, vowed to mislead and tempt the sons of Adam and said “Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from theirleft…”[al-A’raaf 7:17, interpretation of the meaning], one of his most significant plots became to divert people from salaah by all possible means and to whisper to them during their prayer so as to deprive them ofthe joy of this worship and cause them to lose the reward for it.The site of khushoo’(in the body) is the heart, and its effects are manifested in the physical body. The various faculties follow the heart: if the heart is corrupted by negligence or insinuating whispers from Shaytaan, the worship of the body’s faculties will also be corrupt.Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“Successful indeed are the believers, thosewho offer their salaah (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness.” [al-Mu’minoon 23:1-2] – i.e., fearing Allaah and in a calm manner. Khushoo’ means calmness, serenity, tranquillity, dignity and humility. What makes a person have this khushoo’ is fear of Allaah and the sense that He is always watching. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Daar al-Sha’b edn., 6/414). Khushoo’ means that the heart stands before the Lord in humility and submission.(al-Madaarij, 1/520).Making a show of khushoo’ is condemned.Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to say: “Beware of the khushoo’ ofhypocrisy.” He was asked, “What is the khushoo’ of hypocrisy?” He said, “When thebody shows khushoo’ but there is no khushoo’ in the heart.” Fudayl ibn ‘Ayaad said: “It was disliked for a man to show more khushoo’ than he had in his heart.” One of them saw a man showing khushoo’ in his shoulders and body, and said, “O So and so, khushoo’ is here” – and he pointed to his chest, “not here” – and he pointed to his shoulders.(al-Madaarij, 1/521)Allaah tells us(interpretation of the meaning): “And seek help in patience and al-salaah (the prayer), and truly it is extremely heavy and hard except for al-khaashi’oon [i.e., the true believers, those who obey Allaah with full submission, fear much from His Punishment, and believe in His Promise and in His Warnings]”[al-Baqarah 2:45].The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The first thing tobe lifted up (taken away) from this ummah will be khushoo’, until you will see no one who has khushoo’.”(Al-Haythami said in al-Majma’, 2/136: It was reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, and its isnaad is hasan. See also Saheeh al -Targheeb, no. 543. He said it is saheeh).Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah(may Allaah have mercy on him) explained the things that help us to have khushoo’:“Two things help us to [develop khushoo’]: a strong desire to do what is obligatory, and weakness of distractions.With regard to the first, the strong desire to do what is obligatory: [this means that] a person strives hard to focus on what he is saying and doing, pondering on the meanings of the Qur’an recitation, dhikr and du’aa’s, andkeeping in mind the fact that he is speakingto Allaah as if he sees Him, for when he is standing in prayer, he is talking to his Lord.With regard to the second, weakness of distractions:This means striving to push away all distractions that make you think of something other than the prayer itself, and warding off thoughts that keep your mind off the purpose of the prayer. This is something which differs from one person to another, because the extent of waswaashas to do with the extent of one’s doubts and desires and the heart’s focus and dependence on what it loves, and its efforts to avoid what it dislikes.”Preparing oneself for prayer properlyFor example:By repeating the words of the adhaan after the muazzin;By pronouncing the du’aa’ to be recited after the adhaan:Reciting du’aa’ between the adhaan and the iqaamah;Doing wudoo’ properly, saying Bismillaah before it and making dhikr and saying the du’aa’after it,Using siwaak to cleanse and perfume the mouth that is going to recite Qur’aan in a short while, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Purify your mouths for the Qur’aan.”(Reported by al-Bazzaar, who said: we do not have it with any better isnaad than this.Kashf al-Astaar, 1/242. Al-Haythami said: its men are thiqaat. 2/99. Al-Albaani said: its  isnaad is jayyid. Al-Saheehah, 1213);Wearing one’s best and cleanest clothes,We should also prepare ourselves by covering our ‘awrah properly, purifying the spot where we are going to pray, getting ready early and waiting for the prayer, and making the rows straight and solid, withoutany gaps, because the shayaateen come in through the gaps in the rows.The means of developing Khushoo' in Salah includes:Moving at a measured pace during prayerThe Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to move at a measured pace during salaah, allowing every bone to return to its place.Abu Qutaadah (may Allaah be pleased withhim) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The worst type of thief is the one who steals from his prayer.’ He said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, how can a person steal from his prayer?’ He said, ‘By not doing rukoo’ and sujood properly.’”(Reported by Ahmad and al-Haakim, 1/229; Saheeh al-Jaami’,997).Abu ‘Abd-Allaah al-Ash’ari (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘The one who does not do rukoo’properly, and pecks in sujood, is like a starving man who eats only one or two dates; it does not do him any good at all.’”(Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 4/115. In
Saheeh al-Jaami’ it says, hasan).

source: Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid