TOO OFTEN, OUR salah feels like plugging in a phone to charge without turning on the power. You return expecting it to be recharged—but it’s still flat. It’s disheartening. We’re left wondering: Where is the sweetness we’re supposed to feel in prayer? Where is the humility, attentiveness, and submission of the heart before Allah?
Allah says:
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى صَلَاتِهِمْ خَـٰشِعُونَ
“Successful indeed are the believers: those who have khushoo in their prayers.”
(Al-Mu’minoon: 1–2)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Verily, a man may return from his prayer and nothing good is written for him but a tenth of his prayer, or a ninth, or an eighth, or a seventh, or a sixth, or a fifth, or a fourth, or a third, or a half.” (Abu Dawood)
Why is Khushoo So Hard to Attain?
Part of the struggle lies in our lack of understanding—especially for those who don’t speak Arabic. When we don’t know what we’re saying, the prayer becomes a ritual, something we do merely out of obligation, fearing punishment if we don’t.
Allah says:
مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِى سَقَرَ قَالُوا۟ لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ ٱلْمُصَلِّينَ
“What led you into Hell?” They will say, “We were not of those who prayed.”
(Al-Muddaththir: 42–43)
But fear alone is a weak and unsustainable motivator. We need purpose and a positive motivator that makes us yearn to connect.
Salah: A Divine Conversation
Salah isn’t just a ritual. It’s a personal, direct conversation with your Creator. You may not see or hear Him—but He sees and hears you, so long as your heart is present.
Think of it like a Zoom call—if you’re distracted, scrolling your phone or mentally absent, the connection feels meaningless. But when you’re engaged, present, and intentional—it becomes powerful.
So how do we restore that connection?
Whilst there is purpose in each step of the salah, reconnection starts before the prayer begins: by preparing the heart, resetting our mindset, and rediscovering the purpose of salah.
Rediscovering the Purpose
Salah is the space to express:
- Hamd – Praise of Allah
- Shukr – Gratitude to Allah
- Dua – Asking Allah for our needs
Let’s reflect on each.
Praise (Hamd)
The one who truly contemplates creation is inevitably drawn to praise the Creator.
Look up: the sky, the clouds, the sun, the moon, the stars.
Look around: the mountains, the rivers, the forests, the oceans.
Look down: the earth from which sprouts life, the ores from which we derive benefit.
Look within: the beating of your heart, the complexity of your body, your very breath.
Every part of existence declares: SubhanAllah!
Yet many of us have become disconnected. We marvel at man-made graphics and digital “realism,” forgetting the unmatched beauty Allah has already placed around—and within—us.
Gratitude (Shukr)
When we pause to reflect, how can we not be grateful?
As a passionate photographer, I’ve used high-end cameras, but no lens sees the world like the human eye. That eye, clear and precise, was given to me for free.
Consider your body, your health, your senses, your loved ones, your food. These are gifts that we often overlook.
In a world driven by materialism, we’re conditioned to consume without reflection. We must re-learn to trace blessings back to the One who bestowed them.
Supplication (Dua)
Dua is a recognition of our neediness, our helplessness. But again, secular thinking has desensitized us—we no longer link our daily struggles to Allah’s power and mercy. In fact, our struggles may not even align with that which Allah created us for.
We ask Allah to be on the path of those He has favoured.
صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ
the Path of those You have favoured—not those You are displeased with, or those who are astray. (al-Fatiha 7)
But who are they? Allah says:
وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم…
Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger will be in the company of those whom Allah has favoured: the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous—what an honourable company! (An-Nisa: 69)
These people were not passive—their path was one of constant striving for Allah’s cause. They made dua from a place of struggle, relying entirely on Allah’s help. If you’ve never been engaged in da’wah, never striven for the cause of Allah and never sacrificed for the success of Islam, then you may never fully grasp the sincerity of that kind of dua. Today, our daily struggles are not so much about Allah’s cause but about our own- career, wealth, influence etc.
Consider this. Is the dua of one living in safety the same as one under bombardment? Is the dua of the one imprisoned for speaking the truth the same as the one who sits in silence? Is the dua of the one who seeks the akhirah the same as the one who seeks the dunya?
Reframing salah
With the right mindset, salah is transformed from a burden to a privilege.
It’s our appointment with Allah—to:
- Praise the One who deserves all praise
- Thank the One who gave us everything
- Ask the One who controls all outcomes
It becomes a moment we look forward to, five times a day. A moment to reconnect, realign and reinvigorate the soul to its purpose.
