how to concentrate on salah?

Pops

What I do is is simply concentrate on God's presence, which leads to an increased awareness of God's presence.

filipinomuslim

What I do is is simply concentrate on God's presence, which leads to an increased awareness of God's presence.

thaks but it is realy hard to get rid of songs or music in my head which is difficult. Any advice on how to silence your mind during salah? is there a certain sound that you allow to play in your head like nature sounds or something? cuz sometimes it is very frustrating.

filipinomuslim

Peace justamuslim

I beg to differ with you, salat has been rituallistic for a long time, if one wants
to perform the ritual payer or not is a personal decision.

Sahih Internationa And when you are among them and lead them in prayer,
let a group of them stand with you and let them carry their arms. And when
they have prostrated, let them be behind you and have the other group
come forward which has not prayed and let them pray with you, taking precaution
and carrying their arms. Those who disbelieve wish that you would neglect your
weapons and your baggage so they could come down upon you in one attack.
But there is no blame upon you, if you are troubled by rain or are ill, for putting down
your arms, but take precaution. Indeed, Allah has prepared for the disbelievers a
humiliating punishment.

Once you complete your Contact Prayer (Salat), you shall remember GOD
while standing, sitting, or lying down. Once the war is over, you shall observe the
Contact Prayers (Salat); the Contact Prayers (Salat) are decreed for the believers
at specific times

Chapter (19) ayat 58 srat maryam (Mary)
Sahih International Those were the ones upon whom Allah bestowed favor from
among the prophets of the descendants of Adam and of those We carried
with Noah, and of the descendants of Abraham and Israel, and of those whom We
guided and chose. When the verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them, they
fell in prostration and weeping.

After them, He substituted generations who lost the Contact Prayers
(Salat), and pursued their lusts. They will suffer the consequences.

O0

So do you still pray the traditional way with rakas and stuff or do you just s tand, bow and prostrate and just glorify and recite and supplicate in any position. Because me, when I pray i usualy start with the recitation of the quran in the standing position, but i dont usualy recite the al-fatiha but mostly the last two surah's in the quran..because of my situation. Then i do my bowing with all my glorification and then prostration with all my duas of forgiveness and other stuff..lol..well that's how I pray . Can you share to me how do you pray?...just curious.

hawk99

So do you still pray the traditional way with rakas and stuff or do you just s tand, bow and prostrate and just glorify and recite and supplicate in any position. Because me, when I pray i usualy start with the recitation of the quran in the standing position, but i dont usualy recite the al-fatiha but mostly the last two surah's in the quran..because of my situation. Then i do my bowing with all my glorification and then prostration with all my duas of forgiveness and other stuff..lol..well that's how I pray . Can you share to me how do you pray?...just curious.

Peace filipinomuslim,

I have become very busy suddenly and will have to get back to you in a few days.

May Allah accept all those who praise him.

supportpeacenotwar

Ok I have been wondering and please brothers and sisters help me out because it is been a huge problem to me. Ok I don't know if you guy believe in waswas but whenever I pray I get alot of distracting thoughts. First, I keep getting images on my head about people. It's like the image is telling me to worship them. And I keep getting songs stuck on my head wether it's secular or not (nashed).
Now the images I can handle, since all I have to do is just focus on the words and read of my prayers. Meaning, If I'm going to perform my salah, Im just going to read of the words from my mind. But The song part is realy difficult. I tried not listening to music it failed. I tried to pray louder, it failed. I tried focusing on the words and echoing the words in my head but it still failed. I tried playing a nashed on my head but I heard your not suppose to do that. Now what am i going to do now I feel like im doom PLEAE ANY ADVICE?

It's natural to sometimes have a song "stuck" in your mind. Just let it be and then continue with your prayer. It usually goes away on its own. As long as your own current focus is on the salat and communicating with Allah - that is what matters.

justamuslim

Peace justamuslim,

Can you provide us with infomation that supports your conclusion or is this just
your personal opinion. Did you ignore ?

O0

No, it is not "my personal opinion". Absolutely, i have NOT ignored the verses you have referenced.

Salat is clearly mentioned in the Koran but can you tell me where in the Koran it is defined as this ritual prayer that involves standing, bowing, prostrating to be done a certain number of times?

Is salat a ritual prayer?

Ok - let's take the verse you mention and see if it makes any sense at all to define salat to be this physical ritual prayer. First off, I don't like to take a verse or part of it and run with it. I look at the sura and the context. So let's look at 4101 through 104.

The verses are referring to going to war or being in a war or traveling in a land where there are enemies. Agree?

Looking at various translations by Asad, Picktall, Yusuf Ali, Ahmed Ali, Khalifa, the one on this free minds website....there are nuances/differences. You can pick any or all of them.

Verse 4101. This verse refers to going to war. Traveling in the land where there might be or are unbelievers/enemies. So far agree?

In this verse, God is telling the prophet that it is no sin to shorten "salat" if he fears that unbelievers will attack or harass them.

Ok let's think about this. How large do you suppose the army that prophet Muhammed led was? Thousands? Ok so he is leading thousands of soldiers to war and traveling though the land. On the way to war, they are passing towns, taking up shelter, camping at various sites.

And if you define salat as ritual prayer to be done 5 times a day after doing ablution, then the thousands of soldiers while they are traveling in the land, the thousands of soldiers have to be up before sunrise, put down their arms, find water or use sand to do their ablution and all stand facing the kabba performing salat, focusing and concentrating on salat using a moderate tone and to do that 5 times daily.

If they fear being attacked or harassed, then God says to shorten their salat. Not skip it but to shorten it.

If you define salat as ritual prayer consisting of x number of rakats, can you tell me where in the Koran God says how many rakats the salat consists of and what to shorten it to if there is fear of being attacked?

What did God tell prophet Muhammed to say while in the standing position of salat, bowing down position, prostrating and sitting positions while traveling in the land on way to war or being in war? Given the importance of salat that one has to perform even in danger of being killed, why are there no details of rakats, what to say in salat?

Hadith followers response this is why we need hadiths but where are the details in the books of Bukhari and company? The response from the Koran aloners is - true there are no details which means you can say whatever or do whatever as long as there is standing, bowing, prostrating....

Ok according to the Koran, numbers do matter if you define salat as a ritual worship. God says to SHORTEN the salat and it is no SIN or ERROR if you shorten salat if you fear being attacked or harassed. So in other words, salat has to be of a certain length or number at all other times. But what is the number or length?

Hawkninetynine or anyone on this forum, can you tell me the number or length of salat mentioned in the Koran? Where are the details in the Koran on this?

So, if you fear that enemies will attack you how will shortening the salat save you from being attacked? You think the enemies will back off not attack you, if you did only one or two rakat as opposed to 4 or 8? Does this make sense?

Ok God knows that these believers are going to war. They are traveling through some unfriendly territory where there are enemies. They are in danger. They are fighting in way of God and God is putting them in a vulnerable position by commanding them to preoccupy themselves with doing ablution and salat, putting their arms down knowing very well that the enemy will pounce on them?

While making military plans and strategies, prophet Muhammed had to figure out how to undertake this task of performing salat on the battlefield...

Continuing....

4102 - this verse as it is translated is referring to being in battle and God is telling prophet Muhammed how to perform salat while in battle.

Muhammed is commanded to first let one group of soldiers to come stand up with him to pray. But let's not forget, before standing up for prayer they have to do wudhu if there is water. Which means they have to take their shoes off, wash their feet, hands, face. If they are wearing armor/shields, it means they have to take them off to do wudhu. They have to put down their arms to do ablution.

BUT God says to remain cautious and armed telling the believers how the enemies wish to find them neglectful of their arms and provisions so they can pounce on them. When you are in war, you are looking for a weakness in your opponent to take advantage of. So you have to do your ablution and salat while being fully armed and cautious? But how do you do that?

Logistically, how do you picture this scenario? Ok in the front are soldiers who are bowing down, prostrating with the prophet and in the rear are soldiers who are guarding the people in the front who are praying. I don't know what kind of battlefield this is where the enemies are only attacking you from the back so the soldiers in the back are fighting the enemies and protecting the soldiers in the front who are praying. 5 times a day, the soldiers have to do two things - one attack/defend from the enemy and at the same time defend/protect the other half of the soldiers who are engaged in worshipping God.

Let's picture soldiers fighting and it is time for prayer. So a group is to stop the fighting, find water to do wudhu or find sand if there is no water. And then while enemies are attacking, you have to figure out which way is the kaba and then face the kaba performing your salat in a moderate tone. And when they are done, then they put on their armor, shields, take up arms, go to the back and the soldiers in the back go up to the front line to perform the salat.

To do salat in the battlefield, sure involves a lot of coordination and much training to be done to carry it out. Prophet Muhammed had to do a lot of planning all of this in advance taking into consideration the elements of the condition in war and this had to be done 5 times a day. At fixed times, half the soldiers were not available for fighting the enemy as they had to pay homage to God. The army was weakened by half. To start out they were outnumbered by the enemies and while half the congregation was praying, leaving only half to battle the enemies?

What if you are being attacked from the front, the sides? In order for this verse translated as is to make any sense, the believers are marching along when they are being attacked by the back. Ok, if I am being attacked by the back then I would turn around and fight the bad guys in which case how will I then lead my army to do their salat? What if enemies attacked on all sides, the front, the sides, the back? Then this verse of a party of soldiers standing in the front praying and then going back in the line for the soldiers in the rear who haven't prayed to come up front to pray.... Makes little sense.

Back in those days of the prophet, people didn't have guns, tanks. They fought with bow/arrows, spears, and on back of horses. So while the soldiers are charging the enemy on back of horses wearing armor, shields, holding their spear or knife in the dominant hand....and it is time for salat, how do you picture them doing their salat? How about the horses? What were the horses doing while the soldiers are doing salat? The soldiers have to figure out a way to tie the horses in the midst of the battlefield..... While the soldiers in the front are done with their prayers and are exchanging positions with the soldiers in the back, who is engaging the enemy? Didn't the enemies outnumber the believers in battle?

And then in this verse, God is warning prophet Muhammed that the enemies are wishing that they will put down their arms so that the enemies can attack them. But on the other hand, God is telling the believers that even in the battlefield they have to do salat. Ok how do you suppose you do salat and at the same time be cautious and not put your arms down.

And then God says that it is not wrong if you put your arms down if it rains or if you are sick. Ok - soldier who is sick is not sent out to the battlefield. Now, God doesn't say that it is not wrong to put your arms down if you are doing salat. Again, how do you do wudu/salat in full armor without putting your arms down?

Sounds contradictory - one hand be on alert don't put your arms down and on the other hand, put your arms down and worship me in the middle of the battlefield.

Btw ok what if you are in Vietnam in the jungle fighting the Vietcong and it is time for salat and you have to use a moderate tone in performing your salat. Or you are holed up in a fox hole and it is time for salat. Standing up to say salat using a moderate tone sure will get you and others killed especially when you are on reconnaissance.

If you define salat as contact prayer involving standing, bowing, prostrating, and to be done after ablution then clearly God knows nothing about war or how to fight a war and commanding the soldiers to do salat on the way to war or in the war is more than a hardship as it weakens the army placing soldiers in harms way.

Bottom line is that NO ONE under ANY circumstances are exempt from doing salat. Even in the battlefield, when it is time for salat you have to do it. You can shorten it but can't skip it. Agree?

Ok if you don't agree then tell me what is it that you don't agree.

Btw, I don't know about anyone here but if I am in battle all charged up ready to fight, performing salat sure would be distraction. Not only that but I sure can't imagine how I would concentrate in salat in a battlefield. Heck, the person who started this post can't even concentrate in the security of his comfy home with songs coming to his head. How about in the middle of battlefield?.

Continuing on....

Let's go on to the next verse 4103

"When you are finished salat, remember God standing, sitting or lying down...."

Ok aren't you remembering God in salat in different positions - standing, sitting, prostrating? So, this sentence is a bit odd and then God goes on to say that ...."and when you are once again secure, observe your prayers "

Again we are talking about war. Verse 101, soldiers traveling in land to go to war. Verse 102, soldiers in war on the battlefield. in verse 103, God is saying when you are out of danger (not fighting and feeling secure) then do the full length salat.

So the salat at the beginning of the sentence is referring to the shortened version. Ok so the soldiers did the shortened version but then God is saying that after they are done with the shortened version to remember him in different positions? ok, are the soldiers in battle fighting the enemies or worshipping and remembering God?

Verse 4104 - God is telling the believers not to relent basically not to give up in fighting their enemies. Kind of pumping up her believers in their fight.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Ok verses 4101 to 104 is dealing with war but talking about salat and remembering God. One thing that I am noticing is how there is no continuity or flow of thought in places in the koran. When you are talking about a subject, topic, in the middle of the sentence or thought, do you go off talking about something else. There is another place where divorce is addressed and then in the middle of talking about divorce and handling a family situation, there is a verse about salat and being on horseback and then back to the subject of divorce.

Hmm...either God suffers from thought disorder or the translations are poor. If you define Salat as contact prayer that involves standing, bowing, prostrating to be done after wudu, Verses 4101 to 104 make little sense and not only that but is incoherent and contradictory within the verse and when compared to the general and overall message of the Koran. The translations and the understanding portray God as incoherent, egomaniac self absorbed commanding people fighting the enemy to stop, put their arms down, weaken their positions exposing to danger and worship him while enemies are attacking....

It seems people feel a strong need to hold onto fabrications and innovations. And there is much resistance to letting go of such. Salat has been defined as contact prayer involving standing, bowing, prostrating some number of times and people simply cannot divorce themselves from this definition and seem bent on finding verses in the Koran to give support to this definition with twisted or inaccurate translations and understanding of God's words.

There seems to be so many questions, confusions when it comes to salat. And why is that? It is not because God is confusing and not clear leaving behind a Koran lacking in details but it is because people have innovated, fabricated and twisted the meanings and definitions of God's word. SALAT is but one example.

Where in the Koran does God define salat as contact prayer involving standing, bowing, prostrating a certain number of times? Referring to verses in the Koran where salat is mentioned does not still answer my question. Taking this definition of salat and applying this definition to verses like 4101 to 104, simply defies at least my sense. It simply doesn't make sense.

For those who claim to follow only the Koran, are you really being honest and earnest in trying to understand salat and other subjects from the Koran only? From where do you derive your beliefs and understanding of "salat" then?

If we understand the true definition and meaning of salat, then there won't be much confusion. If we as Muslims establish SALAT upholding our salat and being firm, the world would be very different place to live.

unknownuser

Try thinking if you still life or not at 5 minutes later or more,so yo will be scared and course can more consentrate

Second do salah when your brain is calm and lonely, so don't do salah after you did something which can make your brain not calm and cannot concentrate, example joke and laughing with friends

supportpeacenotwar

And if you define salat as ritual prayer to be done 5 times a day after doing ablution, then the thousands of soldiers while they are traveling in the land, the thousands of soldiers have to be up before sunrise, put down their arms, find water or use sand to do their ablution and all stand facing the kabba performing salat, focusing and concentrating on salat using a moderate tone and to do that 5 times daily.

If they fear being attacked or harassed, then God says to shorten their salat. Not skip it but to shorten it.

If you define salat as ritual prayer consisting of x number of rakats, can you tell me where in the Koran God says how many rakats the salat consists of and what to shorten it to if there is fear of being attacked?

What did God tell prophet Muhammed to say while in the standing position of salat, bowing down position, prostrating and sitting positions while traveling in the land on way to war or being in war? Given the importance of salat that one has to perform even in danger of being killed, why are there no details of rakats, what to say in salat?

I don't follow any rakat etc approach with salat - but is it possible that salat can mean something slightly different depending upon the context that it is used in? So in some contexts it can refer to a form of communication with God but in other contexts something else? This is straight off the top of my head really, I don't know if this is or isn't the case. It would take some closer examination of the Quran - which inshaAllah I'll get round to because right now I'm looking into other areas.

I can't say I know the variety of meanings that salat is - but as a form of communication with Allah, then it seems important that it varies from individual to individual so there is no set outline because it is personal and unique.

Btw, I don't know about anyone here but if I am in battle all charged up ready to fight, performing salat sure would be distraction. Not only that but I sure can't imagine how I would concentrate in salat in a battlefield. Heck, the person who started this post can't even concentrate in the security of his comfy home with songs coming to his head. How about in the middle of battlefield?.

If Salat is a type of communication with Allah, then it could be that in your salat you communicate to Allah about the battle itself, any issues and almost "work" through it on a personal level. It may help emotionally in terms of dealing with what lies ahead. Ablutions can be performed with dry sand - which is very simple in that regard. Again, these are just some thoughts, I'm not saying I have the one right answer.

Hmm...either God suffers from thought disorder or the translations are poor. If you define Salat as contact prayer that involves standing, bowing, prostrating to be done after wudu, Verses 4101 to 104 make little sense and not only that but is incoherent and contradictory within the verse and when compared to the general and overall message of the Koran. The translations and the understanding portray God as incoherent, egomaniac self absorbed commanding people fighting the enemy to stop, put their arms down, weaken their positions exposing to danger and worship him while enemies are attacking....

I agree the translations are "clunky" and poor in many places but the Quran does still seem to have a unique and unconventional structure. The preservation of this style of structure in itself, can be a proof for the Quran and Islam.

GODsubmitter