Originally posted 2024-04-10 15:23:59.

Comprehending the language of the Salah is the fastest way to experience khushu` and therefore turning our Salah into an experience.

Have You Ever Found Yourself in a Difficult Situation?

Have you ever been in desperate need of something?
Have you ever felt hurt by what someone said or did to you?

If your answer to any of these questions is “yes”—and for most of us, it’s probably a resounding yes—then what is the solution? How do we deal with moments like these?

The answer is actually simple. In fact, it’s a one-word solution: Salah (ritual prayer).

Salah is the means to ease our difficulties, fulfill our needs, and heal the wounds we’ve been carrying for so long. It’s what lifts the fog of confusion from our hearts, minds, and lives.

But here comes the next question:

“I’ve been praying Salah for ten, fifteen, or even twenty years… but I don’t feel any of this. It doesn’t seem to serve that purpose in my life. Why?”

The answer is again just one word: Khushu‘ (deep focus and humility in prayer).

It’s a word we’ve heard in khutbahs, read in books, and seen on countless websites. But the million-dollar question remains:

How do we get Khushu‘?

We know it’s important, we long for it—but how do we actually develop and implement it in our prayer?

The Quickest Way to Experience Khushu‘

The fastest, most effective way to experience khushu‘ is very straightforward: Understand what you say in Salah.

Yes, that simple. Comprehending the words of the Salah turns a ritual into a real experience—one filled with meaning, connection, and transformation.

Let me give you just one example: Surah Al-Fatihah.

There’s a hadith qudsi where Allah responds to each verse of Al-Fatihah when it is recited with understanding, sincerity, and devotion. Every verse we read becomes a personal dialogue with Allah.

And yet… most of us have lived our whole lives oblivious to this incredible opportunity.

A Life-Changing Weekend

That’s why I’m asking you for just one weekend of your life. Dedicate it to truly learning the beauty and depth of the words we recite in our Salah.

We’ll take every word—every dhikr, every du‘a, every phrase—from the beginning of the prayer until the very end. We’ll explore:

• The root of each word

• Its meanings and nuances in the Qur’an and Sunnah

• The eloquence created when these words come together in a full statement

• The spiritual impact of internalizing each phrase

We’ll cover everything—from the opening supplication (du‘a al-istiftah) to the tashahhud, salawat, du‘a al-qunut, and even du‘a al-istikharah.

And once we understand every word, we’ll finally begin to feel what the Prophet ﷺ meant when he said:

“The coolness of my eyes has been placed in Salah.”

We’ve been praying for ten, twenty, thirty, maybe even forty years—yet how many of those prayers have we performed without knowing what we were saying, or what we were asking from our Creator, our Sustainer?

All I ask is for you to take one weekend to change that.

May Allah make this journey of understanding a means of deep benefit for all of us, and may He grant us the ability to pray as the Prophet ﷺ prayed—with focus, sincerity, and heartfelt connection.