The Prayer You’ve Been Neglecting
We all know the feeling. The day flies by—deadlines, messages, responsibilities pulling us in every direction. And somewhere in between, the call to prayer echoes. Allahu Akbar.
Maybe we stand, maybe we don’t. Maybe we rush through it, saying the words but not feeling them. Maybe we tell ourselves, I’ll focus next time.
But what if there is no next time?
Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "When you stand to pray, pray as if it is your last prayer." (Ibn Majah, Sahih)
We hear that hadith all the time, but when was the last time we actually took it seriously? Imagine standing for Salah knowing it’s your final one. Would you rush? Would your mind wander to that text you forgot to reply to? Or would you beg, with everything inside you, for Allah’s mercy?
It’s not that we don’t know how to pray. We know the words, the movements, the timings. But something is missing. Presence. Connection. Heart. We stand before the One who created us, yet our minds are everywhere but there.
Ibn Al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) said: "A person's level of Khushu in Salah is determined by how much their heart is focused on Allah outside of Salah." (Madarij As-Salikeen)
We spend hours scrolling, distracting, numbing ourselves—then expect our hearts to suddenly switch into deep focus the moment we say Allahu Akbar. Maybe the problem isn’t our Salah itself. Maybe it’s everything we do outside of it.
Ask yourself:
Do I rush through prayer just to get it over with?
When was the last time I felt my Salah rather than just performed it?
If I treated my Salah like an actual conversation with Allah, how different would it look?
We give hours of our day to things that don’t even matter, but when Allah invites us to stand before Him, we act like we have something more important to do.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Before you pray next time, pause. Take a deep breath. Remind yourself: I am about to stand before the King of the heavens and the earth. Slow down. Focus on what you’re saying. Stay in sujood a little longer. Pray like this is your last chance, because one day, it will be.
The next time you hear the Adhan, don’t see it as an interruption. See it as an invitation. Allah is calling you. Will you respond?
What’s one thing stopping you from having better Khushu in Salah?
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