Powerful Guidelines For Salah 2/2 - A Guide To Spiritual Prayers
And notice the human being. Put him with his attitude watching a soccer match or a football match 90 minutes. His attitude can be like a zombie where no one can interrupt him. Put him five minutes with Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, he doesn't have the discipline to stay on concentration.
The first step of concentration in Salah and the technique to be used in the 21st century, without a doubt, is about your attitude in approaching Salah. We know very well that psychologists have said when a human being wants to complete a task, 70% of completion depends on attitude and 30% on intellect. What do we mean?
We mean if you think about any task you have sought to perform in your life, it is not so much about your intellect, it is about your attitude before the task. If you noticed when we were at college, there were certain students at college who you would find were geniuses. But their attitude was so arrogant that sometimes those less smart than them got higher grades than them. Why? The genius approaches the class with what? 70% attitude, 30% intellect. You find he has more 70% intellect, 30% attitude. His attitude is all over the place. When it comes to class, he is not interested in learning. He is interested in finishing the class and coming to the exams at the end of the year. We find, however, that the person who is not a genius, but his attitude is correct, is managing to achieve the highest grades.
The same applies to Salah, without a doubt. Why? Because with Salah, the first step to concentrating in your Salah is reflecting on your attitude before you approach Salah. What do I mean? Notice in this mosque, if you look at the building of the mosque, in the main Musalla, there is something called the mihrab, isn't there? The mihrab comes from the word harb. Harb means war. You ask yourself a question: why would Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala name a certain part of a mosque the area of war? It is because the Maharab is you entering a war with Shaytan [Subhana Allah].
The first step of an attitude in concentrating before Salah, is that your attitude is Ia m very well, but there is definitely a battle today. Those of you who approach any sport know there is a battle. You psych yourself up and are ready for the opponent.
With the attitude, when it comes to concentrating on Salah, I know that that mihrab means I am in a harb [war] with Shaytan, and that my attitude has to be that if my prayer is five minutes, let me see how many of those five minutes my mind doesn't waver anywhere else. Because if my mind does waver anywhere else, he has defeated me in the harb. Whereas if for five minutes, I noticed the human being, put him with his attitude watching a soccer match or a football match, 90 minutes. His attitude can be like a zombie where no one can interrupt him. Put him five minutes with Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, he doesn't have the discipline to stay on concentration. Why?
Because his attitude approaching Salah isn't an attitude that "I'm really benefiting." The attitude is, "I'm praying this, because I heard if you don't pray this, you are going to burn in Hell one day. So I want to stay away from Hell."
Amir ul-Mu'minin used to say there are three types of worshippers. There is the one who worships You out of fear of Hell. That is the worship of a slave. There is the one who worships You because he wants heaven. That is the worship of a businessman. Then there is the one who worships You, because even if there is no Heaven or Hell, he recognizes he becomes free through worshiping You. Notice, therefore, the Qur'an said the Qur'an said there are two types of people, you see, who, when they approach Salah, will never achieve concentration.
The first of them: Bismi-Llah, Al-Rahmani, Al-Rahim. The Qur'an says: "Ya aiyyuha alladeena amanu, la taqrabu as-Salata wa antum sukara" (4:43). Do not approach Salah in a state of intoxication. Intoxication means what? We said that intoxication could mean alcohol. Imam an-Nasa'i used to state what? He used to say that 'Abd al-Rahman Ibn 'Awf, one day when he left Salah while in a state of intoxication, the verse was revealed about him, that do not approach Salah while you are drunk.
Would you believe that some people say, well, we are Muslims and we don't drink. In the Middle East, there are certain Arab countries where you will find certain Arabs who will go out on a night of partying. He will party, and he will party, and he will party, and he will have enough drink. Then Masha Allah, he comes to pray Salat al-Fajr in the the mosque. When he comes to pray Salat al-Fajr in the mosque, you look at him and you say, what are you doing in the mosque? He replies by saying, well, I have come to pray to Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. Say to him but you have come in. The Qur'an says don't approach in a state of intoxication.
Why not? Because in a state of intoxication, you will never be able to concentrate, will you? That intoxication, the Qur'an went a step further by saying do not approach Salah "wa antum kusala" (4:142; 9:53). Kusala means what? Don't approach Salah in a state of laziness. I find it ironic that there are people who pray after work, not at work. You find that the Qur'an said don't approach Salah while you are lazy. Why? Because the first step in concentration in Salah is your attitude.
On a night like this, a man said when he was struck: Fuztu wa Rabb al-Ka'ba", I have won by the Lord of the Ka'ba. Do you know why? Because in the mihrab of the war with Shaytan Ali ibn Abi Talib won.
Many times when you know your killer is around, you can't concentrate, can you? So now you've got two enemies: Shaytan and Ibn Muljim. But if your attitude is a perfect attitude, and you have mastered your disciplines, then you find that the son of Abu Talib when he was struck he says: "fuztu"you know I have won. You know, they tried to take my mind away with their behaviour, but I have won, because the only time he could kill me is in the Salah.
Therefore, the first area is attitude, the second area of concentration on Salah and a key development. Do I believe there are benefits in the Salah for me or no? If you go to a Muslim today, you ask, what's the benefits of Salah? What do you benefit? He says that "I don't know know what I benefit in this thing. I heard that it is obligatory, so I do it." When you answer like that, there is no way you will concentrate. Why?
Because when a human being performs a task, if he believes there is a benefit psychologically, you will see that he will make sure he performs it in the best of way. If he doesn't see any benefits behind the task, he doesn't perform the task properly. When a non Muslim asks you today, what is the benefit behind Salah? You can't simply reply by saying "Allah ordered me to pray Salah". The main benefit, the first one behind Salah was what? It builds humility in an otherwise arrogant creation. This human being will never bow down to anyone. Never.
If you ask a human, put your head down on the ground to anyone, he will say what? Who do you think you are? Me bowing before you? Allah needed something where the human being remembered that one day he came from clay, and that there will be another day when he returns to clay. So it is good for him to go down five times a day, and remember where he came from.
The same man who died on this night used to say "Mankind, you came from a drop of semen and you leave as a piece of dust. You don't know when you came, and you don't know when you are going. So why do you walk around like you know everything?" [Subhana Allah].
Sometimes the human has to chill out. He has to calm down because some human beings you see him as like a peacock walking on the earth. Peacock. You tell him: excuse me, calm down. What's wrong with you? You are nothing on this earth. Nothing. There will be a day when you can't control even when the angel of Death comes, he's going to take your soul away.
Amir al-Mu'minin used to say: look at the peacock. It is the most insecure animal. Why? Arrogant people are always insecure about something in their life. So what you find with the peacock? Imam in Nahj al-Balagha says you see, when a peacock stretches its feathers, it wants you to look at what? It wants you to look at what? It wants you to look at its feathers, because it is insecure about its skinny legs. The peacock has got such skinny legs, it doesn't want you to focus on them. So the peacock says: look at my colors. Look at my colors. Because it is insecure about its legs.
Likewise, Salah was introduced why? To bring humility into us. That when you approach Salat adh-Dhuhr, what you really want to think in your head is "Ya Allah, I want to pray because if it is making me more humble, and I know you love the humble, then ya Allah, allow me to pray more and more and more towards You".
Our fourth Imam used to say: if you knew how much reward you are receiving while you are in sujood, you would never lift your head from Sujood. Never. You are in that ultimate level. And the Arabs, as I said a couple of nights ago, why did the Arabs not pray their Salah? The Arabs, when they didn't join us and they used to say, "Muhammad, are you saying that our backside will be higher than our head?". Because the arrogant creation will never accept his backside being higher than his head. Whereas really, the first benefit of Salah to us as Muslims, where we hold on to it and really want to concentrate on it, is that, number one, it makes us humble human beings.
Number two. And the next step in concentration is that it teaches us the discipline of time. Because punctuality is the greatest and most important of attributes. All of us who work here know very well. Without punctuality you cannot call yourself a human being. You will never survive in this world without being punctual. So Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala wanted to teach us you want to concentrate in this prayer: "inna as-Salata kanat 'ala al-Mu'minina kitaban ma'wquta" (4:103). The prayers have been set at times for the Mu'mins. Notice, the Qur'an what does it say? It says if Salat adh-Dhuhr at 11;15. Don't pray it at 7;45. You will never concentrate properly. If Salat al Maghrib is at 7;30, don't pray it is at 11;45. You will never concentrate properly.
The third essence to concentrating in Salah is test yourself by doing the following practical example. Draw a timetable at home, and just stick it on your fridge if you want to. Sometimes we stick these things on our fridge. Stick your timetable on a fridge. Write down Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Fajr, Dhuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, Isha'. Tick the boxes of how many of them you prayed on time that week. Then you will notice why you are lacking concentration in Salah. Because there are some people, if they truly tick those boxes, we will find there is not many times they tick any of them.
Because Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala wanted to teach us, if you can master praying on time, and you have that much love for being punctual on time, then I will provide you with the light that allows you to remove Shaytan's Waswasa in Salah. Notice. If I know I have an appointment with a creation whose life is in their hands. Who? My life is in their hands, my wages are in their hands, my future is in their hands. They tell me, if you want a job at this place, turn up at 9;45 in the morning. I will make sure that I have turned up at that place at 9;30 in the morning.
If I am willing to turn up on time for the creation, then why am I not turning up on time for the Creator? How many of us for the creation, when we have a job interview, make sure that we leave the house and get there on time. But when it comes to the Creator, that is Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, we are willing to postpone that meeting. Tell me. My life is in the hands of the creation or the Creator? My rizq is in the hands of the creation or the Creator? My health is in the hands of the creation or the Creator?
When Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala tells you, "Come to me at this time", there is the secret behind it. What's the secret? That "Oh mankind understand. The more you pray on time towards me, the more I look after your concentration within your Salah. We, the Shi'a, are the only school in Islam who, when we come to the mosque, our intention, Maghrib, Isha', finish.
The Sunna prayers were meant to be an appetizer to get you in the energy for Salah. Before Fajr, you prayed two rakhas. Before the Dhuhr, eight rakahs. Before Asr, eight rakahs. After Mahrib, four rakahs, after Isha', four rakahs. They were meant to be given to you as an energy booster. Before Salah. Why did Imam say 51 rak'ah? We all in this hall pray 17. If you add the Nawafil and you add Namaz-e-Shab, Salat al-Layl, you will reach 51.
I am surprised when a person says, "I am a Shi'a". Don't ever say you are a Shi'a. I say, "I am trying to be a Shi'a" [Ahsant!]. Maytham is a Shi'a, Qambar is a Shi'a, Hujar is a Shi'a, Malik is a Shi'a, Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr is a Shi'a, these are Shi'a. We are trying. Why? Because they appetizer before Salah we are not willing to even try doing it. Sayed Al-Khomeini in his book on Salah has a lovely line. May Allah bless his soul. Do you know what he used to say? He used to say, "Oh, brothers, have you heard the Hadith which states from Allah .Hadith Qudsi. Not the hadith of the Prophet. Hadith Qudsi. 'My servant seeks nearness to Me through the Nawafil. Until he attains My love for him. I become the eyes by which he sees, and the ears by which he hears, and the mouth by which he speaks. When he calls upon Me, I answer him. When he asks Me, I give him'".
Notice that Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, would say nothing is more beloved to Me from My servants, than the Nawafil. Allah doesn't say the Wajibat. No, the Nawafil. Why? Because if you can praise the Nafila before the main Salah, then watch the difference in your Salah. Before you begin a dinner, they tell you start off with starters, so you will enjoy the main meal. Likewise, Allah knew with the human being if I throw him straight into the Salah, there is no way he will enjoy it. If I tell him to do the appetizer before then, he will be looking forward to the main one.
And that's why the Prophet would be told by Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala: " Wa min al-layl, fa tahajjad bihi nafilatan laka 'asa an yab'asaka Rabbuka Maqaman Mahmuda" (17:79). And from the night-time pray a few extra ruka'as spiritual boost for you. So I will raise you to the Maqam Mahmud. Makam Mahmud is the highest level Rasul Allah could reach. Why would he reach it? Not because of his wajib Salah, but because he was willing to praise a Nawafil with the wajib.
When Imam looked at that Shi'a and the Shi'a said, "I am a Shi'a and I pray five times a day". Imam said, "you call yourself a Shi'a? The real Shi'a are the ones who pray 51 rukah's a day. They pray 17, then they add the eleven for Salat ul-Layl. Then they add the rest for the Nawafil. That is the Shi'a and the follower of Ale Muhammad.
And I really tell you, try praying the Nafila of Fajr tonight. Just fajr, two rakats before Salat ul-Fajr. "Usalli Nafilat al-Fajr, when you do the Niyyah, pray Nafilat al-Fajr and see what happens. Pray two rak'ah before Fajr. Then when you are going to pray Fajr, your energy is so high already from Salah that you are going to flow through Salat al-Fajr. Try tomorrow. To do what? Try tomorrow to pray eight rakat before Dhuhr. Someone says, what do you mean? One whole Salah of eight rakah? No, 2, 2, 2, 2. Then you pray Dhuhr. You are already so energetic.
Imam Amir al-Mu'minin was struck in his Nafilah, not in his wajib. And that's what made him win. If he was struck in his wajib, okay, but do you know why he was struck in his Nafila? Many times people say Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljim, how did he reach him? If there are lines, how did he get through the lines? It is because there were no lines. Everyone was praying their Nafila before Fajr. Jama'h was going to begin. And Imam Ali, Allah made him achieve his victory in his Nafila before Fajr.
It is as if Imam Ali's secret to his greatness in Salah, was not the wajib, was the fact that he was praying Nawafil before he would pray the main Salah. That is why once you pray nafila, and you then move into what? You then move into the fact.
