The Islamic Bulletin Volume X IX No. 24 Page 14 HOW TO CONCENTRATE IN YOUR PRAYERS 1. Repeat what the mu’adhin (person who calls prayers) says 2. Make dua between adhan and Iqamah 3. Make fresh wudu for Salah 4. Use siwak before Salah 5. Dress in fine clothes for Salah 6. Move through Salah with tranquility 7. Pray as if you will die after this Salah 8. Think about the verses and dhikr you are reciting in Salah 9. Repeat verses for added contemplation 10. Memorize and use new passages of Quran 11. Pause at the end of each ayah 12. Recite in a beautiful voice 13. Maintain eyesight on your prostration location 14. Recite dhikr after prayer, patiently (use sample on page 16) 15. Don’t look around in prayer 16. Suppress your yawning during prayer 17. Don’t stick to the same prayer place in the Masjid 18. Arrive early for Salah 19. Pray as soon as the time enters 14 : Not fasting because of exams or work Exams or work is NOT one of the excuses allowed by the Shariah to not fast. You can do your studying and revision at night if it is too hard to do that during the day. Also remember that pleasing and obeying Allah is much more important than good grades. Besides, if you will fulfil your obligation to fast, even if you have to study, Allah will make it easy for you and help you in everything you do. “Whosoever fears Allah, He will appoint for him a way out and provide for him from where he does not expect, Allah is Sufficient for whosoever puts his trust in Him.” (Surah at-Talaaq 2-3) 15 : Mixing fasting and dieting DO NOT make the mistake of fasting with the intention to diet. That is one of the biggest mistakes some of us make (especially sisters). Fasting is an act of worship and can only be for the sake of Allah alone. Otherwise, mixing it with the intention of dieting may become a form of (minor) Shirk. 16 : Fighting over the number of Rakaah of Taraweeh There is no specific number of rakahs for Taraweeh prayer, rather it is permissible to do a little or a lot. Both 8 and 20 are okay. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said: “No one should be denounced for praying eleven or twenty-three (rakaah), because the matter is broader in scope than that, praise be to Allah.” 17 : Praying ONLY on the night of the 27th Some people pray ONLY on the 27th to seek Lailat ul-Qadr, neglecting all other odd nights, although the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: “Seek Lailat ul-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan.” (Bukhari, Muslim) 18 : Wasting the last part of Ramadan preparing for Eid Some people waste the entire last 10 days of Ramadan preparing for Eid, shopping and frequenting malls, etc. neglecting Ibadah and Lailatul Qadr. Although, the Prophet (SAW) used to strive the hardest during the last ten days of Ramadan in worship (Ahmad, Muslim) and not in shopping. Buy whatever you need for Eid before Ramadan so that you can utilize the time in Ramadan to the max. Aishah (RA) said: “When the (last) ten nights began, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) would tighten his waist-wrapper (i.e., strive hard in worship or refrain from intimacy with his wives), stay awake at night and wake his family.”• (Buhaari and Muslim) . 19 : Iftaar parties Although inviting each other for breaking fast is something good and encouraged, some people go to extremes with lavish Iftaar parties with all sorts of disobedience to Allah, from flirting, mixing of the sexes, to show-off and extravagance, to heedlessness to Salah and Taraweeh. WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND? I am reminded of an inspirational story of a young man who had three friends. A judge ordered this young man to appear in court with a witness to testify on his behalf that he had good character. This seemed like a daunting task for the young man when all human decency seemed to have broken down. However he met his first friend whom he asked to testify that he had good character. The first friend said “You are good,” but grumbled that he could not go to the court with him. The second friend was uncertain about helping the young man. He said “I will vouch for your good character, and I will go to the court with you; but I will stop at the doors of the court for I cannot enter.” The third friend said “Don’t worry I will go with you. I will enter the court and will testify that you have good moral character, I will stay with you until the problem is solved. I will be with you.” Who do you think is the best friend? This is what will happen when all of us die. The first friend is like our wealth. Our wealth basically stays behind when we die. The second friend is much our family and loved ones. Our family and loved ones no matter how much tehy care about us, when the time comes they will arrange for our funeral but our loved ones will not enter our graves with or for us. The third friend is your deeds. Everything else will remain behind, your wealth and your family and loved ones but your deeds will go with you. Our deeds are both good and bad. Our deeds are all that will remain with us, so we must be sure that they, inshallah are good deeds. What really strikes me is that each one of us has an opportunity to increase our good deeds every day. The essential flow that we all have is old habits that die hard. But hopefully, we can take small steps during this blessed month, to rid ourselves of these bad habits so Inshallah we all can enter Paradise.
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