Obligation of Khushu‘ in Salah – Qur’anic and Prophetic Evidences

Rulings on Khushu‘ in Salah – In the Light of Qur’an and Hadith


Excerpted from the book “How to Attain Khushu‘ in Salah” by Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid, translated by Maulana Abu ‘Ammar ‘Umar Farooq Saeedi

Command of Allah Regarding Khushu‘​

Allah ﷻ commands:


﴿وَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَ﴾ (Al-Baqarah: 238)


“Stand before Allah in a state of deep devotion.”


And He says regarding Salah:


﴿وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ﴾ (Al-Baqarah: 45)


“Indeed, it is hard except for those who have khushu‘ (fear and humility).”

Definition of Khushu‘​

In tafsir, al-khashi‘un means fearful and calm. Linguistically, khushu‘ carries the meanings of tranquility, humility, dignity, and submission — all stemming from a heart filled with awe of Allah and the awareness that He is watching.


Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) defined khushu‘ as:


“The heart standing before the Lord in complete humility and submission.”

True vs. Hypocritical Khushu‘​

• True Khushu‘: Comes from the heart, then manifests in the limbs — inspired by Allah’s greatness, fear, modesty, and love.
• Hypocritical Khushu‘: Displaying outward humility without inner submission — a condemned trait the Salaf warned against.

Huzayfah ibn al-Yaman (RA) said:


“Beware of hypocritical khushu‘ — when the body appears humble but the heart is not.”

Status of Khushu‘ in Salah​

The preponderant opinion: Khushu‘ in Salah is wajib (obligatory).


Evidence:

• ﴿وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ﴾ — Condemnation is only for leaving a wajib or doing a haram.
• ﴿قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ… الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ﴾ (Al-Mu’minun: 1–2) — These qualities are linked to inheriting Al-Firdaws; others are excluded.

Lack of Khushu‘ Equals Disobedience​

Whoever pecks through prayer without calmness in rukū‘ and sujūd has not fulfilled khushu‘ and is sinful.

Severe Warnings for Abandoning Khushu‘​

The Prophet ﷺ warned against actions that negate khushu‘ — such as looking towards the sky during Salah.

Hadith Evidence​

1. “Five prayers Allah has made obligatory; whoever perfects their wudu, prays them on time, completes their rukū‘ and khushu‘ — Allah has promised to forgive him…”
(Abu Dawud, Kitab al-Salah, Hadith 425)


2. “Whoever performs wudu well, then prays two rak‘ahs focusing his heart and face (not speaking to himself), will have his past sins forgiven…”
(Bukhari 158; Muslim 226)

Benefits of Khushu‘​

• Makes Salah light, easy, and beloved.
• Leads to Allah’s forgiveness and great reward.
• It is the first quality to disappear from the Ummah, as in the hadith:

“The first thing to be lifted from this Ummah will be khushu‘, until you will not see a single person with khushu‘.”
(Al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir; graded sahih by Al-Albani in Sahih al-Targhib)