Wandering Your Eyes in Salah?

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakaatuhu!

How heedless are we in our prayers? Let's take a look at Surah Al Ma'un and see what Allah has talked about people who pray.

Surah Al Ma'un

So woe to those who pray 

                     [But] who are heedless of their prayer -

Allah has woed and cursed those who pray but with heedlessness. In tafsir As Sa'di, Saahun is defined as those who DELAY their prayers and leave it to their last hours. Neglecting the proper time of prayer is considered as Saahun. 
Allah isn't cursing the one do not pray but He curses those who PRAY but pray with heedlessness. How Scary is that! May Allah not make us from amongst them. Ameen!

In one of the most authentic tafaaseers, Ibn Kathir, it is mentioned on the authority of Ibn Abbas Radiallahu Anhu that,"This means the hypocrites who pray in public but do not pray in private." [At Tabari 24:632] Meaning these people only pray when others are praying along with him otherwise he never prays when he is alone. He only prays to please people or to impress them.

Saaahun has also been defined as to not fulfill the pillars of Salah properly that is the proper wudhoo, proper posture, the humility and contemplation of its meanings. 


Usually, we don't have the Khushoo and Khudhoo in our prayers because of the distractions around us, or doing something before the salat which could really occupy our minds, or maybe because we simply don't know the meanings of what we are reciting in our prayers. 

The Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H) said: “The worst thief is the one who steals from his own prayer.” People asked: ‘Messenger of Allah! How could one steal from his own prayer?’ He said: “By not completing its rukoo and sujood” [at-Tabarani]

The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: “He who does not complete his rukoo and sujood, his prayer is void” [Abu Dawood]

The answer is simple to that. When we want to gain consciousness and humility in our prayers we need to remove and avoid all those things which occupy us before we perform our prayers. It's basically what kind of life we are living. If we have been living a life of entertainment, you will find yourself in the thoughts of movies or some scenes from what you last saw. If your life is busy from working, then your salah might be engrossed on what you have to do next after salah. If your life is involved with lots of socializing then you will find yourself in thoughts of people and what they spoke to you or when you'll speak to them again. These are mere distractions and nothing else and this is nothing but the tricks and planning of shaitaan. Hence, we need to balance our lives and live a moderate life. 

“The Prophet (P.B.U.H) used to pause after each verse of Surah al-Fatiha. [Abu Dawood]

Sometimes, we also need to memorize the translation of the surahs we are reciting in our prayers, memorize the meaning of the tasbeeh we do in ruku' and in sujood. Be slow and relaxed in performing your salat, Do not be in a hurry, do every step of posture with contentment. Do not speed up your ruku' and sajdah. Repeat the tasbeeh at least 5-7 times and with concentration and understanding. Forget the dunya for five to ten minutes. Start with a clean intention. Humility should be in the heart not by bending your head and neck in qiyaam or tashahhud. It is the bending of the eyes on the sujood and sticking it over there and that shows true humility and discipline. 


The Messenger of Allah Sallalahu alaihi wasallam said, "This is the prayer of the hypocrite, this is the prayer of hypocrite, this is the hypocrite. He sits watching the sun until it is between the two horns of Shaytaan. Then he stands and pecks four raka'ats and he does not remember Allah in them except a little." [Fata Al Bari 6:386] 

SubhanaAllah! How scary is that! Are our Prayers filled with remembrance of Allah or are we doing a favor unto Allah and doing tasleem and rushing away from Allah? We really need to focus on improving our prayers!

One of the other signs of Gaflat [heedlessness] is wandering your eyes here and there. And this is sooo common! Wallahi I have seen 5 in 20 people looking here and there in their prayers. I have seen a woman bending down, picking up a cup and a bottle of water, pouring water in the cup and drinking it IN the PRAYER! I am not exaggerating! Believe me, many people do not know how important attention and activeness is in the Salat. They just consider standing in the prayer and reciting whatever they are as enough! But let us not forget again. Allah has CURSED those who pray with heedlessness. Woe means to be removed from Allah's mercy.

“Let those who raise their gaze up during prayer stop doing so, or else their sights would not return to them” (i.e. they will lose their eyesight) [Muslim]

Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said, "What is wrong with those people who look towards the sky during the prayer?" His talk grew stern while delivering this speech and he said, "They should stop (looking towards the sky during the prayer); otherwise their eye-sight would be taken away." SAHIH AL_BUKHARI [Book 1 : Volume 12 : Hadith 717]

Another common mistake we make is in our sajdah. Some women think that the prayer of a woman and man is different and hence they stick their elbows, stomach and thighs to the ground as if they are lying down in the sajdah. But I have never heard any sound hadith from them to back up their belief. Yes there should be a little shyness, the lowering of the back and body but that's it. 

The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: “I am commanded to prostrate on seven bones, the forehead and the nose [1], the two hands [palms 2], the two knees [2], and the two feet[2]” [Sahih Muslim]

(prostrate on seven bones means that these seven bones should touch the ground & nothing other than that because that is the proper sunnah)

Let us all take heed from this post and try to improve our prayers slowly but surely.

May Allah grant us the ability to focus on our prayers, may He accept our Salahs, may He forgive us for our heedlessness! Ameen ya Rabbil A'lameen!!

جزاكم الله خيرا كثيرا 

Ask me anything regarding this topic here. Thank you for reading. Please feel free to send me the link of your blogs and comment below if you have similar views.

-Manal Mirza

| Deed 5 of day 5 | Ramadan series

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuhu

Alhumdulillah it's almost a week now since Ramadan has passed.

The deed of today is to try to do something productive throughout your day, that normally looks a normal routine task but it could be an act of worship once you change your niyyah to do that act just for the sake of Allah. 

Verily every action is judged by its intention.

Few actions for us girls could be to make iftar for the entire family, not just because you have to but because you want to make Allah happy and please Him by helping your family members. See how that became a simple act of worship? Help your mom to please Allah and to return the favours back to your mother. Speak good words to your father in a low polite tone not because you are controlling yourself from anger but because you want to make Allah happy by respecting your father.

Forgives your sibling's shortcoming not because you want to feel relieved and light but because you want Allah to forgive you as well.

Simple!  Isn't it?

Alhumdulillah, this will make your entire day free from expectations from any body and it will make you do ample of good deeds and worship in sha Allah. :) :)
JazakumuaAllah khairan for reading

-Manal Mirza

| Deed 4 of day 4 | Ramadan series

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuhu

The deed that I really want to acquire this Ramadan is in sha Allah to fast my tongue just as much I fast myself from food, water and all the halal things. 

Tongue is one of the biggest paths that could lead us to heaven or hell. And I am afraid we speak useless and futile more than we speak beneficial and rewarding.  So in sha Allah, we will try to moist ours tongues with the remembrance of Allah and also with the recitation of the Qur'an and earn lots of ajar through our tongues. 

May Allah grant us the strength and tawfeeq to control our tongues and also our behavior throughout the entire year.  Ameen

JazakumuaAllah khairan for reading

-Manal Mirza

| Deed 3 of day 3 | Ramadan series

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuhu
I am sorry I didn't post earlier for yesterday's day three deed.

Deed of the day for day 3 would be something that we would want to apply in our daily lives and not only in Ramadan.  It is to wake up from your sleep to pray tahajjud after you've woken up.  Pray at least two rak'ats and seek forgiveness from Allah. Thank Him for all the blessings that He bestowed you with.  Ask anything you want from him. 

This is a deed we need to do daily.  And in the month of Ramadan rather than being awake all the time, sleep a little and then wake up again for tahajjud, then do your suhoor. 
Always keep doing astagfar at the time of suhoor.  Don't indulge in useless talks. Allah listens at that time to whatever we ask.

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

Our Lord‬ (glorified and exalted be He) descends each night to the earth's sky when there remains the final third of the night, and He says:

Who is saying a prayer to Me that I may answer it? 
Who is asking something of Me that I may give it him? 
Who is asking forgiveness of Me that I may forgive him?

It was related by al-‪Bukhari‬ (also by ‪Muslim‬, Malik, at-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud). In a version by Muslim the Hadith ends with the words: And thus He continues till [the light of] dawn shines.
(From 40 Ahadith Qudsi)

Rabbana taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum.

-Manal Mirza

| Deed 2 of day 2 | Ramadan series

Assalamualaikum

Today I will share with you a common good deed that we can practice this month of Ramadan so that we can continue this great habit even after Ramadan.
I'm sure all of us must be regular in their five daily prayers and from that the most regular must be the Fajr prayer. Since Fajr is the prayer that comes after we do our suhoor and very few of us sleep at that time.  [I have good hopes from my Rasool's (sallalahu alaihi wa sallam) ummah.]
So coming to the point, the great habit which we can add into our list of good deeds is to read Qur'an after Fajr.

"Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur'an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed." (Surah Al Isra-78)

The recitation of the Qur'an after fajr is witnessed!! SubhanaAllah! From the last post of mine I mentioned how we must keep on doing dhikr, read Qur'an after fajr until sunset at our muscular, and now this deed, they both are similar. You won't have to try that harder now.  In sha Allah you will gain reward simultaneously for doing two things at once.  Two good deeds at once and rewards are multiplied. In sha Allah

May Allah grant us the tawfeeq to establish these simple acts of worship. Ameen

Remember me in your duwas. 

Rabbana taqabbal minna wa minkum.

-Manal Mirza