Powerful Guidelines For Salah 1/2 - The Four Levels

The verse I quoted at the beginning of this lecture is in Surah 23, verse three. Bismi-Llah, Al-Rahmani, Al-Rahim. "Qad aflaha al-mu'minoon" (23:1). "Alladheenahum fi Salatihim khashi'oon" (23:2). The Surah is called al-Mu'minoon. Naturally, the Qur'an is an index for me. When I open the first page of the Qur'an, I am looking at the index.

I see a Surah called al-Kafiroon. I don't want to be with them. I see a Surah called al-Munafiqun. I do not want to be with them. But I see a Surah called al-Mu'minoon. I say I want to be with them. Let me see what the criteria is for a mu'min.

Notice Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala, the first criteria He gives for a mu'min is what? Mu'minoon successful are the believers. "Alladheenahum fi Salatihim khashi'oon" (23:2).Those who achieve a level of concentration and humility in their Salah. Notice Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala, doesn't say those who pray. Every Tom, Dick and Harry can pray.

Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala, says no. Those who achieve concentration to a level, it brings them humility in their prayer. Even those of you who have read the dua after 'Asr of us read the du'a: "Allahumma inni a'udubika min nafs la tashba'a". I seek refuge from You from a prayer that doesn't raise me. I don't want to pray a normal prayer. Anyone can pray a normal prayer. I want to pray a Salah, Salah turfah. Turfah means what? Means something which is raised. I want a Salah that actually raises me.

That's why Rasul Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam [Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa Aali Muhammad] used to always state: "as-Salah mi'raj al-Mu'min. Salah is the Mi'raj of the Mu'min. We know that on the night of Mi'raj, the Holy Prophet, he went to the highest of the heavens and above. When he said: Salah is your mi'raj, what did he mean? He meant the same stations I saw to reach on that night. Your Salah should take you near those stations as well.

But we find a problem, because we feel when we look in the mirror that none of our Salahs take us anywhere near there. The reality is three, four minutes and we want to finish them as soon as possible and get on with our life. There are many of us who could actually say that our Salah we have reached moments in our Salah where we reach the highest level. And that's why you find the scholars of spirituality divide those who pray into four.

They say the first group are those who are negligent of the laws of Salah. They make many mistakes in their Salah. The second are those who Shayatan and whispers in their air throughout Salah, that if you ask them at the end of a Salah, did you really understand what you were doing? He will say, to tell you the truth, I just went through it as quickly as I can.

The third are those who strive to a level where what? Where they are able to overcome Shaytan for most of their Salah. Maybe if they are Salah it's five minutes long like Salat Al-Fajr, they are able to overcome Shaytan for four minutes out of the five. The highest level are those who Shaytan does not come near in their Salah.

That they reach a level where they see Allah before their Salah. They see Allah during their Salah, and they see Allah after their Salah. When the scholars looked at these four, what did they say? They said, the first of these groups are punishable. The second of them are accountable. The third of them are striving towards Allah.

The fourth of them are Godly human beings on earth. Therefore, when we come tonight to examine how Amir Al-Mu'mineen reached a level of concentration in his Salah, the title of our analysis is what are the techniques we can learn which helps Amir Al-Mu'mineen achieve concentration in his Salah? Hopefully, these techniques, if we begin from fajr tonight, you will see a change in your Salah as it helped me in a change in my own Salah. Let's examine.

You find that within the stages, number one: how important is our attitude when it comes to concentration in Salah? Number two: how important is it that we know the benefits of Salah? Number three: how important are the timings of Salah to our concentration? Number four: what was the appetizer before Salah that Ahl ul-Bayt focused on, that their Shi'a are lazy on, and that Imam 'Ali was struck in?

This fourth area is a unique area which we need to come to in a minute. Number five: how do I stand in Salah and how does it affect my Salah? And number six: how important is it that I actually recognize that someone is responding to my words in Salah? When you go through these stages, you will find why Al-Mu'mineen's greatest moment came in his Salah.