I Want to Worship But I Can't Concentrate...

Follow @AhleDhikr So attaining Taqwa is the goal and it is the advice of Allah, the Most High, for those nations that were sent before and also with the latter nations. So if someone prays and he doesn’t have Taqwa in his heart but only does the actions without having humility in his body, then he misses out on the purpose and sweetness of that action. 

So he may give in Zakaat as a ritual, but in his heart he hasn’t paid it any attention, he doesn’t intend by it to purify himself and his wealth, he doesn’t intend to help others. If this is the case then it is like he just given away his money without benefiting from it at all.

If one intends to fast and doesn’t have a firm sense of Taqwa within himself, meaning he doesn’t stay away from what is Haraam or to do what is Waajib, then he has gained nothing except starvation and thirst.

Likewise, when most people pray, they stand in front of Allaah and despite the status of as-Salaah being so high, they return home just like they left it. They leave their houses intending to a Waajib action and they return to their homes eating Haram. It’s like that they haven’t benefited from their Salaah at all. And in origin, as-Salah prevents us from this:

Verily, As-Salat (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahsha' (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed, etc.) [Al-Ankaboot 29:45]

This is divine information, a piece of information that cannot be incorrect or have a lie within it, 

And who is truer in statement than Allah? [an-Nisaa 4:87]

So the person himself is to blame. He prays but doesn’t pray the way the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] prayed, as he said “Pray as you have seen me pray.” [Narrated by al-Bukhaaree (6705)] (i.e. with humility and submission)

Likewise we see people during Ramadan, they eat, they pray Fajr, sometimes they don’t even do that, then they sleep the length of the day until Maghrib. Is this the fasting that is prescribed?

…that you may become Al-Muttaqun… [al-Baqarah 2:183]

They miss praying their obligatory Salawaat during the day and they think this is what is required from them?

Likewise we some people stay in the masjid in I’tikaaf and instead of benefiting from this time to get close to Allaah, to abandon the Dunyaa, we’ve seen some people enter the Masjid with newspapers to help keep themselves occupied!? What does he gain from I’tikaaf? Has he got closer to Allaah, the Almighty? And as soon as ash-Shawwal has been announced, he’s gone. By Maghrib he’s praying in his home!?

So what’s the cure to all of this? 

Inn al-Qayyim [May Allaah have Mercy on him] has given over twenty ways and causes. He states that the sickness of the heart is like the sickness of a dead person. So what is incumbent upon this person is to seek to bring his heart alive in his Salaah, in his Dua’a, in the time he recites Qur’aan, in his Dhikr and if he misses out on all of this then it is as if his heart is closed, locked away from goodness. 

How many recite the Quraan and they don’t know what they are reciting and when they stop, they don’t know where they have stopped in the Qur’aan? How many people whiz through the pages and have not contemplated even on one Aayah. How many people recite from Yoonus (Surah 10) to Yoosuf (Surah 12) and their hearts have not trembled, despite the Prophet saying, “Hood (Surah 11) and it’s sisters have made my hair turn grey” [al-Silsilat al-Saheehah (2/679)].

So this affair is not something to be taken lightly and it requires a great deal of attention. People are wasteful in their times, in this bodies, in their manners, in their food and in their sleep. If food is placed in front of some people, he eats as if he is about to die. As if it’s his last meal. 

I don’t say that people should be like Imaam an-Nawawee [May Allaah have Mercy on him] - do not sleep on your bed except rarely. Most often than not, he would fall asleep doing some act of worship and when he wakes, he would continue, such as reciting the Quraan or Dhikr or on his desk whilst writing.

The religion of Allaah is easy, we are neither extreme nor negligent, but how many people do you see wasting their time? Two, three hours during the night spent on their social lives. They spend time with others in Istiraahah (rest houses) talking about the whole world, whilst not benefiting from what people have talked about at all. You don’t hear any form of Dhikr from them and this even occurs in the sittings of the students of knowledge. 
And To Allaah I complain.

Shaykh ‘Abdul-Kareem bin ‘Abdullah al-Khudayr [May Allaah Preserve him]
Member of Permenant Committee of Senior Scholars and Member of Council of Senior Scholars
Jaami’ Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ar-Raajihi, Shibrah, ar-Riyadh
17/11/1433 – 3/10/2012

Read the complete article:

http://ahledhikr.blogspot.com/2012/10/hajj-begins-with-taqwaa-and-ikhlaas.html