Acts of worship such as Salat (prayers) are more meaningful when done in a state of Khushu. This is a state in which one attains a state of complete concentration and focus while standing before Allah. The prophet (Sallellahu Alayhi Wa Sallam)’s fear of Allah and the gratitude that he felt for The Almighty drove him to stand all night in complete concentration in voluntary prayers. When those of us who cannot attain even a fraction of that state of concentration in obligatory prayers (let alone the voluntary prayers), then that is an indication of the weakness of our faith (lack of sincerity). Such weakness also comes to light when we fail to concentrate in other ibadat such as during reading of the Quran, doing dhikr, making dua, etc.
We should not forget that worship to Allah is meant to strengthen our connection with Allah and not meant to be a mere mechanical act; it requires thinking about what one is saying and focusing on its meaning.
Let us remind ourselves that such Ibadat performed with a heedless heart may not be accepted by Allah.
We know from a hadith that Allah “does not accept the du’a of one whose heart is heedless of Him.”
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi).
Let us also not forget that Allah has described those who take salat lightly as hypocrites. He states in the Quran:
“… and when they stand up for prayer, they stand up with laziness…”
[Quran (Surah An-Nisaa :142)]
Other signs of lack of sincerity with regard to prayers are: failing to attend prayers in congregation, not feeling any remorse or guilt if one of the obligatory prayers is missed, not offering a sunnah prayer that is strongly encouraged, deliberately omitting doing anything that is sunnah or fard, and so on. Having an attitude of such indifference goes contrary to what Allah described the believers. He says in the Qur’an:
“… they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us.”
[Quran (Surah Al-Anbiya’:90)]
May Allah (SWT) Grant Us Sincerity And Concentration In Our Ibadaat (Wirship)!
Aameen!