This is my work on "Mental and Spiritual Preparation For As-Salaat" contained in an (e)-book entitled "Aqeemus Salaat Establishing As-Salaat (The Prayer) According to the Qur?an Only!", that I am working on for free online publication soon, Allah willing.

For those of you who do not believe that "As-Salaat" is a "formal" prayer with movements, etc., you may not want to waste your time on this post. I have read almost all of the articles and posts on the subject, and understand that there are varying opinions on the issue. Obviously at this point I am not in agreement with those who believe that "As-Salaat" is not a "formal" prayer with structure and movement. Therefore if you believe that, you posts supporting that or giving me the links that I have already read will be of no use.

For those of you who do still believe that "As-Salaat" is a formal prayer that we should be conducting daily, I would love to hear what you think about this section involving the call to As-Salaat. My approach is by using the words of the Quran and subject matter to make connections and understanding for what Allah is relaying to us. Plus feel free, as I know you will, to use your dictionaries, lexicons, knowledge of Arabic and logic with reason to disagree, agree or point out any mistakes and/or additions that you think are revelant.

In my research on the topic, using portions of many of the articles on this site and others, as well as my own background and understanding from Al Quran, I have found the entire As-Salaat to be detailed in the Quran with all that we need to understand how to perform this act of submission, obedience, and worship.

I may posts additional portions of the book as time passes, but I am still reviewing it and making changes or additions as I come across new information or a better understanding of the process. I am very comfortable with what I have so far and I enjoy making As Salaat much more each day now than I ever did before when I practised it the "sunni" way.

May Allah continue to have Mercy on us all and guide us to the Siratul Mustaqeem, Insha Allah

Here it is

3. MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL PREPARATION FOR AS-SALAAT!

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Transliteration WaistaAAeenoo bialssabri waalssalati wa-innaha lakabeeratun illa AAala alkhashiAAeena
Literal And seek support with the patience and the prayers and that it truly is a great/burden (E) except on the humble.
Nay, seek (Allah's) help with patient perseverance and prayer It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit,-

In this ayat, Allah is speaking about how to seek help, with patient perseverance and prayer. From this we can understand that a sincere devotee and servant of Allah should first and foremost approach As-Salaat with a humble mind. Further evidcence of this is provided in what is to follow. It would indeed be hard to approach it correctly in any other way!

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Transliteration Allatheena yathunnoona annahum mulaqoo rabbihim waannahum ilayhi rajiAAoona
Literal Those who suppose/think that they are meeting their lord and that they are to Him returning.
Who bear in mind the certainty that they are to meet their Lord, and that they are to return to Him.

One should be firmly grounded in the fact that they will meet Allah one day on their return to Him in which they will have to account for all that they did in this life; good and bad.

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Transliteration Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo la taqraboo alssalata waantum sukara hatta taAAlamoo ma taqooloona wala junuban illa AAabiree sabeelin hatta taghtasiloo wa-in kuntum marda aw AAala safarin aw jaa ahadun minkum mina algha-iti aw lamastumu alnnisaa falam tajidoo maan fatayammamoo saAAeedan tayyiban faimsahoo biwujoohikum waaydeekum inna Allaha kana AAafuwwan ghafooran
Literal You, you those who believed, do not approach the prayers and you are intoxicated, until you know what you are saying, and nor distant from God/impure, except crossing a road/way, until you wash yourselves with water, and if you were sick/diseased or on a long distance travel, or any of you came from the safe and hidden depression in ground used for human discharge (toilet) or you touched repeatedly/touched and felt repeatedly (could mean had intercourse with) the women, so you did not find water, so wipe your hands and face with dust, pure/good dust, so wipe with your faces and your hands, that God was/is often forgiving/pardoning, forgiving.
O ye who believe! Approach not prayers with a mind befogged, until ye can understand all that ye say,- nor in a state of ceremonial impurity (Except when travelling on the road), until after washing your whole body. If ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from offices of nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no water, then take for yourselves clean sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands. For Allah doth blot out sins and forgive again and again.

Mental approach, intentions, and readiness for As-Salaat are of the utmost importance. This ayat gives us more knowledge from Allah about what is acceptable when approaching As-Salaat. One should not be intoxicated or in state that their mind doesn?t know exactly what they are doing. This ayat also states not to do so until you can understand or know all that you say. This also gives us the insight to know that one must be able to understand, whether intoxicated or not, anything that they say when they are reciting in Salaat. When someone else is leading you in Salaat, as will be discussed later, they must understand all that they say, although you may not if you are not yet fully fluent in the language of Qur?anic Arabic. But the desire is clearly for every believer who makes As-Salaat, to be fully able to comprehend what is being said or recited during the performance there of.

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Transliteration Qad aflaha almu/minoona
Literal The believers had succeeded/won.
The believers must (eventually) win through,-

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Transliteration Allatheena hum fee salatihim khashiAAoona
Literal Those who in their prayers they are humble/submissive.
Those who humble themselves in their prayers;

Next Allah gives us the right frame of mind to be in from a conscious point of view. We are to be humble and submissive (khaashi?een) in our minds. This word also denotes that we should be lowering in our voices, moved in our spirit and touched in our hearts by humility during As-Salaat. So to approach As-Salaat in any other mental state is to go against the word of Allah preserved for us as guidance in the Qur?an. The person intending to make As-Salaat can determine for themselves how Allah will view such an approach other than what He has given.

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Transliteration Hafithoo AAala alssalawati waalssalati alwusta waqoomoo lillahi qaniteena
Literal Observe/guard on the prayers, and the prayers the middle, and stand/call to God obeying/worshipping humbly.
Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers, especially the Middle Prayer; and stand before Allah in a devout (frame of mind).

This ayat tells the believer who is conscious of their duty to perform and establish As-Salaat that they are to be conscious of their duty to do so by guarding and preserving it. This is a mental preparation that denotes that a believer would make preparations ahead of time to be able to perform As-Salaat at the given times. This means that they need to plan ahead of time to be able to do anything necessary in order to carry out this obligation to the best of their ability. Difficulties will come up, and Allah has given us the exceptions on how to deal with them. But as noted in the section dealing with the command to establish As-Salaat at the written times, only the circumstances that Allah details for us in the Qur?an are accepted for not making proper As-Salaat as described by Him. Allah does not tell us that we can make up As-Salaat that are missed, but there are prayers that we can do for extra credit (dealt with under tahajjud) as well as asking Allah for forgiveness as He instructs us to do in the Qur?an (dealt with under istaghfurallah).

Secondly, this ayat tells the believer clearly that they are to establish As-Salaat for Allah in a devout frame of mind (qaaniteen). This word Qaaniteen is from ?qa-na-ta? which means to be obedient, submissive and humble. Qaaniteen denotes the doer of the act and also the adjective or description of the act itself.

So to sum up how to mentally prepare for As-Salaat

(1) The individual or group of believers that are to make As-Salaat should be conscious before the time of As-Salaat to have ample preparation and intention to perform As-Salaat in the time frame given by Allah to us in the Qur?an;
(2) The person or group of people should have clear minds that are not intoxicated in any way,
(3) they should make sure that the person leading As-Salaat understands the ayah that they are going to be reciting;
(4) they should as individuals and/or as a group if performing it in congregation, intend to be humble, submissive, engaging their hearts, and touched in their spirit when preparing to start As-Salaat;
(5) When they stand up to establish and perform As-Salaat, they should also be obedient and devout while making sure that they are serious in their behavior involved in As-Salaat!

Your comments, additions, pointing out of errors, and critical analysis are greatly appreciated.