Source:
Excerpted from the book Ṣaḥīḥ Ṣalāh an-Nabī ﷺ, published by Maktabah Dār al-Andalus, authored by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAzīz.
إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ
“All actions are judged by intentions.”
Niyyah means intention, and intention is an action of the heart. Uttering the intention verbally is not established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, nor from any Companion, nor even from the Tābiʿīn or the Imāms. Imām Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said:
“If a person were to search for as long as the lifespan of Nūḥ عليه السلام to find that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ or the Companions ever uttered the intention verbally, he would never succeed—except by telling a blatant lie. Had there been any good in it, the Companions would have done it before us and conveyed it to us.”
Thus, it is proven that intention should be made in the heart. Uttering words with the tongue is not established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ or the Companions and is an unfounded innovation, which must be avoided.
❀ The intention should be made before starting the prayer.
❀ Intention has two aspects:
① For whom the act is being done.
② Which act is being performed.
The answer to the first is that the prayer is solely for Allah—this is sincerity (ikhlāṣ).
The answer to the second is that one must know which prayer he is about to offer, such as Fajr or Ẓuhr, or any other prayer—whether it is obligatory or voluntary, how many rakʿāt it consists of, and whether it is offered on time or as a make-up (qaḍā’). All this should be clear in the mind.
Allah Almighty says:
﴿قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ﴾
Translation:
“Successful indeed are the believers—those who are humble in their prayers.”
❀ Sayyidunā ʿUbādah ibn aṣ-Ṣāmit رضي الله عنه said:
“The first thing that will be taken away from the people will be khushūʿ. It may be that you enter a large mosque and do not find a single person possessing khushūʿ.”
❀ All pillars of prayer are extremely important, but the status of khushūʿ is unmatched. Through khushūʿ, prayer becomes delightful and is accepted by Allah Almighty (in shā’ Allāh).
The Islamic Sharīʿah has mentioned many actions that help develop khushūʿ in prayer, as follows:
① Do not pray when there is intense pressure to urinate, defecate, or pass gas; relieve yourself first.
② Likewise, if food is present and hunger is felt, do not pray until you have eaten.
③ Do not pray while extremely sleepy; complete your rest first.
④ Yawning comes from Shayṭān; therefore, try to suppress it, as it causes laziness.
⑤ Do not pray in clothing, places, or on prayer mats that may distract attention.
⑥ Do not pray near people who are talking.
⑦ While praying, place a sutrah in front and stand close to it; do not allow anyone to pass in front.
(Details are mentioned in the discussion on sutrah.)
⑧ In congregation, stand close to the adjacent worshipper so that no gaps remain.
(Details are mentioned in the chapter on congregational prayer.)
⑨ While praying, develop the feeling that you are standing before Allah and seeing Him; if that is not possible, then at least feel that Allah is seeing you.
⑩ Pray each prayer as though it is your last prayer.
⑪ Memorize the translation of the prayer, so that you know what you are saying to your Lord. Allah Almighty says:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْرَبُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنْتُمْ سُكَارَىٰ حَتَّىٰ تَعْلَمُوا مَا تَقُولُونَ﴾
Translation:
“O you who believe! Do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you understand what you are saying.”
This proves that what is recited in prayer should be understood; without knowing the meanings of supplications, how can one know what he is saying?
⑫ Never look around during prayer, for Shayṭān diverts the worshipper’s attention.
⑬ Avoid unnecessary movements that are contrary to the nature of prayer.
⑭ If whispers and distracting thoughts occur during prayer, seek refuge with Allah and lightly spit to the left three times. Sayyidunā ʿUthmān ibn Abī al-ʿĀṣ رضي الله عنه complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about forgetfulness in prayer, so he ﷺ said:
«ذَاكَ شَيْطَانٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ خِنْزَب…»
“That is a devil called Khanzab. When you feel it, seek refuge with Allah from it and spit lightly to your left three times.”
❀ Some people close their eyes in prayer to attain khushūʿ; this is against the Sunnah.
(Details are mentioned in the discussion: The Issue of Gaze in Prayer.)
Excerpted from the book Ṣaḥīḥ Ṣalāh an-Nabī ﷺ, published by Maktabah Dār al-Andalus, authored by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAzīz.
Intention (Niyyah) and Humility (Khushūʿ wa Khudūʿ)
❀ Making intention in the heart before prayer is obligatory; otherwise, the prayer will not be valid. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ
“All actions are judged by intentions.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Book of Beginning of Revelation, 1
Niyyah means intention, and intention is an action of the heart. Uttering the intention verbally is not established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, nor from any Companion, nor even from the Tābiʿīn or the Imāms. Imām Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said:
“If a person were to search for as long as the lifespan of Nūḥ عليه السلام to find that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ or the Companions ever uttered the intention verbally, he would never succeed—except by telling a blatant lie. Had there been any good in it, the Companions would have done it before us and conveyed it to us.”
Reference: Ighāthat al-Lahfān, vol. 1, p. 156; another edition: 1/138
Thus, it is proven that intention should be made in the heart. Uttering words with the tongue is not established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ or the Companions and is an unfounded innovation, which must be avoided.
❀ The intention should be made before starting the prayer.
❀ Intention has two aspects:
① For whom the act is being done.
② Which act is being performed.
The answer to the first is that the prayer is solely for Allah—this is sincerity (ikhlāṣ).
The answer to the second is that one must know which prayer he is about to offer, such as Fajr or Ẓuhr, or any other prayer—whether it is obligatory or voluntary, how many rakʿāt it consists of, and whether it is offered on time or as a make-up (qaḍā’). All this should be clear in the mind.
Reference: Al-Kāfī by Ibn Qudāmah رحمه الله: 1/275–276
Explanation of Khushūʿ and Khudūʿ
❀ Khushūʿ and khudūʿ are the soul of prayer. The acceptance of prayer and the amount of reward depend upon them. Hence it is said: Prayer without khushūʿ is like a body without a soul.Allah Almighty says:
﴿قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ﴾
Reference: Al-Mu’minūn: 23/1–2
Translation:
“Successful indeed are the believers—those who are humble in their prayers.”
❀ Sayyidunā ʿUbādah ibn aṣ-Ṣāmit رضي الله عنه said:
“The first thing that will be taken away from the people will be khushūʿ. It may be that you enter a large mosque and do not find a single person possessing khushūʿ.”
Reference: Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī, Book of Knowledge, 2653 – Ṣaḥīḥ
❀ All pillars of prayer are extremely important, but the status of khushūʿ is unmatched. Through khushūʿ, prayer becomes delightful and is accepted by Allah Almighty (in shā’ Allāh).
The Islamic Sharīʿah has mentioned many actions that help develop khushūʿ in prayer, as follows:
① Do not pray when there is intense pressure to urinate, defecate, or pass gas; relieve yourself first.
② Likewise, if food is present and hunger is felt, do not pray until you have eaten.
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Book of Mosques, 560
③ Do not pray while extremely sleepy; complete your rest first.
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Book of Travelers’ Prayer, 786
④ Yawning comes from Shayṭān; therefore, try to suppress it, as it causes laziness.
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Book of Asceticism, 2994
⑤ Do not pray in clothing, places, or on prayer mats that may distract attention.
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Book of Prayer, 373–374
⑥ Do not pray near people who are talking.
Reference: Abū Dāwūd, Book of Prayer, 694 – Ḥasan
⑦ While praying, place a sutrah in front and stand close to it; do not allow anyone to pass in front.
(Details are mentioned in the discussion on sutrah.)
⑧ In congregation, stand close to the adjacent worshipper so that no gaps remain.
(Details are mentioned in the chapter on congregational prayer.)
⑨ While praying, develop the feeling that you are standing before Allah and seeing Him; if that is not possible, then at least feel that Allah is seeing you.
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Book of Faith, 50
⑩ Pray each prayer as though it is your last prayer.
Reference: Sunan Ibn Mājah, Book of Asceticism, 4171 – Ḥasan
⑪ Memorize the translation of the prayer, so that you know what you are saying to your Lord. Allah Almighty says:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْرَبُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنْتُمْ سُكَارَىٰ حَتَّىٰ تَعْلَمُوا مَا تَقُولُونَ﴾
Reference: An-Nisā’: 4/43
Translation:
“O you who believe! Do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you understand what you are saying.”
This proves that what is recited in prayer should be understood; without knowing the meanings of supplications, how can one know what he is saying?
⑫ Never look around during prayer, for Shayṭān diverts the worshipper’s attention.
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Book of Adhān, 751
⑬ Avoid unnecessary movements that are contrary to the nature of prayer.
⑭ If whispers and distracting thoughts occur during prayer, seek refuge with Allah and lightly spit to the left three times. Sayyidunā ʿUthmān ibn Abī al-ʿĀṣ رضي الله عنه complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about forgetfulness in prayer, so he ﷺ said:
«ذَاكَ شَيْطَانٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ خِنْزَب…»
“That is a devil called Khanzab. When you feel it, seek refuge with Allah from it and spit lightly to your left three times.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Book of Salām, 2203
❀ Some people close their eyes in prayer to attain khushūʿ; this is against the Sunnah.
(Details are mentioned in the discussion: The Issue of Gaze in Prayer.)
