The other day, a client told me that her goal during Ramadan was to upgrade her prayers. And even though she looked for resources about what the “Salah” is all about, they all seemed to be very technical and dry.
This is a common problem.
In a traditional madrassa, or in any course covering the ‘fard ain’ (knowledge that’s essential for every individual Muslim), the topic of wudu (ritual washing) and salah (prayer) is usually covered with a chapter or 2 from a book on fiqh (jurisprudence).
I don’t know if you’re a fan of reading books on jurisprudence, but to many, it can seem somewhat dry, which is quite ironic given that the prayer is the heart and soul of the spiritual life of a believing Muslim. One would think that manuals on prayer would fill us with motivation and spiritual gems that keep us energised for years to come. As Dr. Jeffrey Lang pointed out years ago, this is, unfortunately still not the case.
Here are 3 methods that can help, if you want a deeper sense of connection, love and enjoyment in doing the daily ritual that’s designed to slowly but surely transform your life, when you do it right.
METHOD #1: Be Fully Present
In case you’re new ‘round here, let me give you a heads up: presence is a pretty big deal. It’s the essence of every single spiritual ritual and it’s psycho-spiritual state that underpins real ‘zikr Allah’ (bringing Allah to mind). According to al-Ghazali (ra), without presence, prayers are internally, spiritually invalid.
The good news is, you can easily, rapidly train yourself to become intensely present, at will. In fact, in Module 6 of the Instant Ihsan program, I give you my take on the hadith (prophetic saying) on “ihsan” (spiritual excellence), which gives you 4 ways to directly, intentionally enter this state of mindfulness instantly, at will.
METHOD #2: The Professional Meeting
This gem is beautifully emphasised by my brother-from-another-mother, Iqbal Naseem in his excellent course called, “Transform My Prayer”, which I highly recommend.
When I was coaching my client on this I asked her:
“When you set a meeting for work, with a client, or a supervisor, or your team… do you tend to show up for the meeting?”
“Yeah, of course”, she said without hesitation.
“Do you ever miss appointments you set with clients?” I asked.
“No, I would never. Maybe if there was a big emergency or something, but I can’t even remember a time when I didn’t show up.”
“What would happen if you treated your spiritual rituals like the consummate professional that you are? The prayer is literally a meeting with Allah. What would it look like if you scheduled it into your work calendar as a 15-minute meeting with the Source of all the income and goodness in your life and work?”
This stopped her in her tracks. “Well, then I would never miss a prayer again.”
Bingo.
These two mind-set shifts alone would completely transform your prayer life. But there’s a 3rd secret that I learned from al-Ghazali’s Book on Prayer, from the Revival of the Religious Sciences.
METHOD #3: The Presentation
Think of a prayer well-performed, with all the specific physical movements and words, the speed and precision with which you recite the Quran in prayer, and each and every detail as a beautiful presentation you’re making to your Lord.
It’s as if you’re not just ‘communicating’ with Him. You’re displaying before Him the very best of what you’ve got.
It’s as if you’re saying:
“This is where I’m at, in this moment today, dear Allah – this is the culmination of my physical strength, the level of concentration I’ve developed, the accuracy and beauty with which I can recite the Quran, the sections of the Quran I’ve memorized. Here it all is. This is my best effort at presenting myself to you.”
Just as when you have a work meeting, you show up. In the same way when you have a work presentation, you prepare and give it your best.
It’s important to note that this ‘presentation’ is just between you and your ‘boss’, your Loving Lord. No-one else can see, or will care, how well you’re doing. It’s just between you and the Most Loving.
The ultimate aim of all of this is the hope that sooner or later, Allah blesses you with a high spiritual state and some insight into the true knowledge of God.
When you get a big insight during prayer, don’t be surprised if you feel unworthy of it. As Ibn Ata’illah says in the Hikam:
“Do not worry about your lack of deeds… Do you not see that while He grants insightful knowledge of Himself to you, you only have deeds to offer Him?
What He presents to you… what you present to Him… what a difference there is between them!”
If you want in-depth training on how to intentionally develop the spiritual states we’re aiming for in prayer and in our spiritual lives, then join the “Instant Ihsan” program. I’m re-teaching it live this Ramadan.
It might just be the reason you look back years from now and say “that was the Ramadan that turned my life around.”
You also get a few other gems that I’ve put together for you in this special “Ramadan Transformation” package:
