Auto-generated transcript:Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Alhamdulillahirrabbilalameen.
Wa salatu wa salamu ala ashrafil anbiya wal mursaleen.
Muhammadur Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam.
Tasliman kaseeran kaseera.
Fahamna ba'du.
My brothers and sisters, alhamdulillah,
one of my friends asked me for some advice
with regard to increasing khushu in salah.
And subhanAllah, this is, I am no worry to give advice.
My advice is given here in the context
and in the way of reminding myself.
Because khushu in salah is something that,
I don't know about everybody,
but certainly it's something that I sincerely believe that I need to.
I need it as much as anybody else, if not more.
And it's something that I am, you know,
it's very important that we should have it.
And khushu is one of the requirements for proper salah in the first place.
I mean, it's not a frill, it's not a perk,
it's not a fringe benefit,
it's something which is,
it's like a rukun of salah almost,
that without khushu, salah is not valid.
I don't mean that as a fatwa,
I am just saying that the whole purpose of salah,
which Allah SWT has said,
aqim is salah,
li dhikri,
establish salah for my dhikr.
Allah is saying this very specifically,
aqim is salah,
li dhikri.
So,
so ghafla in salah is literally like saying,
I am hungry, I am eating,
and my hunger is not going away.
I mean, it's technically impossible,
but this is the nature of things.
So therefore, khushu and salah is absolutely critical.
Now, how do we get there?
The important thing to understand is that
khushu and salah does not begin with salah.
It doesn't begin when we stand there and say Allah Akbar.
It begins in our whole life itself.
First and foremost,
khushu begins with our understanding
of who Allah SWT is,
and by understanding I don't mean,
uh,
cognitive or intellectual,
uh,
or theoretical understanding of who Allah SWT is,
but what that feels in the pit of your belly.
Uh,
what is the first thought in the mind
as soon as there is a problem?
Do we think Allah,
or do we think of something else?
As one of my shaykhs used to say,
if you have a headache,
what is the first thing you think?
Allah or Tylenol?
Do you make dua,
or do you look for a medicine?
Nothing wrong in looking for a medicine,
but is that,
which is the first thought?
So where is the khushu,
where is the sincerity in asking?
So do we ask Allah SWT,
or we ask Allah only when,
uh,
you know,
as an afterthought?
Take for example,
all the,
uh,
efforts,
and the protests,
and the marches,
and the what not happening,
uh,
against this and that cause,
uh,
this and that situation,
where Muslims are involved in.
Um,
but how many times have you seen people saying,
let us make tawbah and istighfar?
Let us make tawbah and istighfar,
because Allah SWT's help comes to those who,
Allah SWT,
to those who have sought forgiveness,
and who have turned towards Allah SWT.
Faqultu istaghfiru rabbakum innahu kana ghaffara.
You see,
yusri al-samaha alaykum midrara,
wa yumdidkum bi anbali wa baneen,
wa yaj'al lakum jannati wa yaj'al lakum anhara.
In Surah Nuh,
Allah SWT mentioned and said that,
faqultu istaghfiru rabbakum,
and the Prophet says,
oh my Rabb,
I asked them,
I told them to make istighfar,
and I said to them,
make istighfar,
turn to your Rabb,
apologize to him,
be contrite,
seek forgiveness,
innahu kana ghaffara,
surely he is the one who forgives.
yusri al-samaha alaykum midrara,
and then he will send down rain to you from the heavens,
wa yumdidkum bi anbali,
and he will help you with wealth,
wa yaj'al lakum jannati wa yaj'al lakum anhara,
yumdidkum bi anbali wa baneen,
and he will help you with wealth,
and with children,
with meaning tribe,
and which means influence,
and,
wa yaj'al lakum jannati wa yaj'al lakum anhara,
and he will give you garden,
then he will give you food,
then he will give you food,
then he will give you rivers,
which refers to material benefits and wealth,
and so on and so forth.
The point being,