How to Concentrate in Salah

Despite the fact that Salah is the second pillar of Islam, the first thing we will be questioned about on the Day of Judgement, and is comparatively the most important duty in a Muslim's life, our five daily prayers sometimes lack that concentration, focus and closeness with Allah that should be there. More and more Salah is becoming a hastened activity which is performed void of any real sincerity. Instead of having a conversation with Allah (as we should be doing) we unfortunately think about everything other than Salah's subject: which is Allah. 

However, this isn't to say we purposely drift in to other thoughts. Assuming the best, most of us do go in to salah with that firm and heartfelt intention that yes, Allah, I'm standing humbly in front of you ready to leave everything behind, and solely focus on you. This concentration lasts approximately for a rakah, two rakahs, and then somehow our minds drift off in to other places.

Why is this?

It is said that the thing that distinguishes a Muslim from  a non-Muslim is the salah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:'Between faith and unbelief is abandoning the prayer.' That one hadith should be enough to make you realise, that if you aren't currently praying, you must make a start.
 But how much of that salah is really having an impact on our lives if we are not giving it the attention and obedience it deserves? Instead of revolving your life around your plans, plan your life around salah. What do I mean by this? 

Make sure that if you are going out in to town, meeting with friends etc, that you keep in mind the times of salah, and also ensure there are facilities available for you to pray.
Now, it is one thing to pray salah, but as I mentioned, it is pivotal to pray it with steadiness and concentration, instead of rushing to finish it. So, here are 5 ways that will hopefully help you to concentrate when praying:

1. Before actually starting salah- get in the zone. Sit on the masalah 5, 10 minutes before starting your salah, and just think, recite, repent. Whether that means praying durood, dhikr or simply just closing your eyes and thinking purely and solely about Allah, do what suits you best. Think about the Day of Judgement, death, the fact that Allah is watching, He is Al-Basir the All Seeing. My teachers constantly urge us to imagine Allah, the day of Judgement, Jahannam beneath you, Jannah above you. Try to pray as if it is your last salah, imagine how slowly and sincerely you would pray. Whilst some of these thoughts can be quite scary and frightening to some, it is what will help you to become more sincere. Once these thoughts start flowing through your mind, it will be much easier to maintain that concentration for longer in your salah, providing the fact that you have left everything else behind. Often what we do, is we perform our salah whilst we're in the middle of something. We'll be in the middle of a task- eating, doing homework for example, and will hasten to pray. Nevertheless, despite the fact that it is good to pray as early as possible, if you are not concentrating in that salah properly, because all you can think of is that meal that needs to be finished, or that homework that you've left on your desk, then isn't it better to fully complete one thing, and then move on to the next thing? At least this way, you won't be rushing to go back to whatever it is you were doing. So as I said, getting in the zone and allowing the correct thoughts to enter you mind, is imperative. It may take some time, but it is definitely worth it
2. Another pivotal step that needs to be taken before performing salah is- get ready for Allah. What I mean by this, is actually prepare yourself physically, your body, clothes room etc. Ask yourself this: before you walk out of your door every day to face the world and meet people, don't you make sure you're looking flawless? Well, maybe not all of us, some of us are lazy and don't pay much attention to our appearance, but even the lazy ones will at the least make sure they look presentable. When going to flashy events we ensure we're wearing our best clothes, best shoes, best everything. We'd never dare walk out into town to meet with friends, or for an interview in our pyjamas. We make sure our teeth are clean, we smell nice, our hair is neat and tidy, clothes ironed. What I'm trying to say, is do the same for Allah! Your Lord who loves you more than anyone, your Protector, the one who is there for you no matter what. Some people may find it weird or strange to 'dress up' for Allah, because of course, they're praying in their bedroom where no one can see them. Try it. Wear a nice abaya, put on some perfume, make sure you're covering your awrah. Unfortunately, a lot of us rush to pray, hence we don't check beforehand if all our hair is covered, if our wrists are covered. I think we undermine the importance of making sure we are following the correct uniform for salah. I know many sisters who actually have 'salah clothes' which is a loose abaya and hijab they use just for salah. Other than your appearance, make sure you use the miswak! Look how merciful our Lord is, that if we use the miswak before praying, Allah increases our reward to 70 times more if we use the miswak! We are foolish if we miss out on this rewarding opportunity, so make sure you use the miswak! Again even with your surroundings, ensure it is clean and tidy. Personally, if I walk into my room, and it is messy, I find it a lot harder to pray, because my environment is cluttered. On the other hand, if I walk into my room, and it is clean, tidy, the bed is made, everything is in its right place, praying becomes so much easier. Praying salah in a messy environment, with clothes everywhere, the bed unmade, and everything in a clutter is a definite distraction.
3. So now you're both physically and mentally prepared to have your conversation with Allah. When you're actually in salah, try and mix it up. Do not read the same surahs again and again in every rakah. Using the excuse that 'I don't know that many surahs' is pathetic. If you don't know many surahs, then memorise some! Remember, you are a Muslim. You should know a good bunch of surahs by heart, not just Surah Ikhlaas, Surah Naas, Surah Falaq. Take time out of your busy schedule, 5/10 mins a day even, and try learning a couple of verses a day. The only way to maintain the memorisation of these surahs is to recite them in your salah. Take it a step further, and just do some light reading on the tafsir of the surahs you are reading in your salah. This way, you will understand at least some of the beautiful stories of the Qur'an.
4. This last way is short and easy and doesn't require much effort or time. A man approached the Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked him,'How do I concentrate in my salah?' The Prophet (pbuh) replied, 'Concentrate in your wudhu.' The Prophet (pbuh) also said:'The key to paradise is prayer, and the key to prayer is wudu (ablution)'. This should not only tell you the importance and status of salah, but also the significance of salah.
5. This does not necessarily link to salah itself, but I think too many of us now get caught up in our busy lives, and do not realise how weak our relationship is with Allah. It is one thing to pray 5 times a day, but this is the bare minimum that is expected of us. In order to attain that close relationship with Allah, where we feel we can tell Him anything, and always come back to Him, we must go the extra mile. A useful and practical way of going about this, is to pick a salah in the day where after that salah, you simply just sit, maybe read an Islamic book, watch a you tube video (mercifulservant, theprophetspath, talkislam etc), or even just sitting there and reading some Qur'an. Too many of us are forgetting that understanding our religion and researching about our ancestors is very important. Read about the seerah, stories of the Prophets, lives of the Sahabahs. Our beautiful religion contains so many interesting stories that we must learn about in order to benefit from Prophets and Sahabahs. Once you gain a true appreciation for Islam, and you see it's true brilliance, your relationship with Allah with strengthen Inshallah

Remember, treat salah as it should be treated. I'd like to end by mentioning some beautiful quotes about salah: