It’s understood that human beings are created weak and in a state of forgetfulness. And, regardless of our continued efforts, we remain imperfect during the process to reach the level of praising Allah (swt) through worship as He, the Possessor of All Might and Majesty, ought to be entirely deserving awe for His Divine sublimity. As Muslims, most of the time, we struggle to keep up with our daily obligatory prayers prescribed for us as an honor during the most beautiful event (Al’Isra Wal-Mi’raj) in the history of mankind when the most beloved to Allah, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), was ascended beyond the physical realm of this earth crossing the celestial realm of the seven Heavens accompanied by the Angels, Prophets & Messengers (May Allah’s peace & blessings be upon them All) until he (ﷺ) came in the presence of his Lord, The Most-High.
An interesting way to go about praying while feeling Khushu (Complete devotion and mindfulness towards Allah, The Exalted) and becoming less distracted is to perceive it as a gift by which souls can take delight in and experience the proximity of God, The Benevolent. We know prayer is the means of direct communication between the Lord Almighty and His servants. It has been stated by the Salaf Al-Salih (Pious Predecessors), “The Salah (Prayer) is the Mi’raj (Ascension) for the Mu’min (believer).”
Abu Huraira (رضي الله عنه) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “The servant is closest to his Lord during Sujud (prostration), so increase your supplications therein.” [Sahih Muslim 482]
Internalize the following with the certainty of belief & complete conviction in the world of the unseen as you stand up for Salah (prayer) hoping to lead your spirit to ascend towards the nearness of God Almighty:
1) Begin praying as if it is your last. Imagine Hazrat Izraeel, the angel of death, arriving to take your soul by the command of Allah (ﷻ). Remember death as a reality that is to come upon all at an appointed time.
2) Kiraman-Katibin (the noble scribes), an angel on the right shoulder penning down our good thoughts, intentions, and action. Whereas, the angel on the left shoulder notes the evils of our Nafs (self) and whispers of Shaitan (Satan) that take the form of bad thoughts causing distraction from our ultimate goal; to be in the complete submission of our Lord.
3) Ahead of you are Munkir and Nakir, the two angels, who will visit your grave for interrogation. Then, we will come to know of the life of Al-Barzakh (the period between death and resurrection on the Day of Resurrection after the final hour.) Think about whether our soul registers in Illyeen (the place belonging to where the good souls take residence) or is it bounded to Sijjeen (where those souls who disbelieved are imprisoned and damned).
4) Before you conclude the prayer by saying “Asalamu Alaykum Wa’rehmatallah” (Peace be upon you and God’s mercy) and point your head to the right shoulder and then to the left shoulder. ” Imagine the scene of the Akhira (Hereafter). To the right is Paradise and the gates of Heavens, where the guardian of it is the Angel by the name of Ridwan (عليه السلام) who takes pleasure in saying “Asalamun Alaykum” (Peace be upon you) to the fortunate inhabitants. And, to the left is the blazing fire of Hell where its custodian Angel Malik (عليه السلام) stands in seriousness without a smile never to flinch due to the severity of his role to punish its unfortunate dwellers by the command of Allah (ﷻ).
Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, when the believer is ready to depart the world and is facing the Hereafter, angels from heaven descend with bright faces, as if their faces were the sun, with them are the shrouds and perfumes of Paradise, until they sit from him a distance as far as the eye can see. Then, the angel of death, upon him be peace, comes until he sits by his head and he says: O pure soul, come out to the forgiveness of Allah and His pleasure! He takes it out like a drop from a water-skin and holds it, never to leave his hand for the blink of an eye until he places it in that shroud and perfume. The scent coming from it is more pleasant than any musk you would find on the face of the earth. He ascends and passes by no gathering of angels but that they say: What a pure spirit! They say he is this person, son of this person, calling him by the best names by which he was known in the world until he stops at the lowest heaven and seeks entry and it will be opened for him. The company of each heaven brings him closer to the heaven following it until he stops at the seventh heaven. Allah Almighty will say: Write the record of My servant in the righteous register and return him to the earth, for from it I created them, to it I return them, and from it, I will take them out once again. His spirit will be returned to his body and two angels will come to sit by him, saying to him: Who is your Lord? He will say: My Lord is Allah. They will say: What is your religion? He will say: My religion is Islam. They will say: Who is this man sent to you? He will say: He is the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. They will say: How did you know? He will say: I read the Book of Allah, had faith in it, and believed in it. A heavenly announcement will be made: My servant has spoken the truth! Spread out carpets for him in Paradise, clothe him for Paradise, and open a gate for him to Paradise! Its comforts and fragrances will come to him and his grave will become spacious as far as his eye can see. A handsome man, with fine clothes and wonderful fragrance, will come and say: Glad tidings of what pleases you, for this was your Day you were promised! He will say: Who are you with such a handsome face? He will say: I am your righteous deeds! He will say: O Lord, begin the Hour that I may return to my family and property!”
The Prophet continued, “Verily, when the unbeliever is ready to depart the world and is facing the Hereafter, angels descend from heaven with darkened faces and with them sack-cloth. They will sit away from his as far as the eye can see. Then, the angel of death approaches until he sits by his head and he says: O filthy soul, come out to the displeasure of Allah and His wrath! He will be separated from his body like the tearing of skewers from wet wool and he holds it in his hand, never to leave it for the blink of an eye, until he places it in this sack-cloth. The scent coming from it is like the most foul corpse found upon the face of the earth. They will ascend with him and not pass by a gathering of angels but that they say: What a filthy spirit! They say he is this person, son of this person, calling him by the ugliest names by which he was known in the world, until he stops at the lowest heaven. They will request it to be opened for him but it will not open.” Then, the Prophet recited the verse, “The gates of heaven will never open for them, nor will they enter Paradise, until the camel goes through the eye of the needle,” (Holy Quran, 7:40). The Prophet said, “Allah Almighty will say: Write his record in the wicked register in the lowest earth. His spirit will be thrown down,” then the Prophet recited the verse, “It is as though he had fallen from the sky and was snatched by the birds or the wind carried him down into a remote place,” (Holy, Quran, 22:31). The Prophet said, “His spirit will return to his body and two angels will come to sit by him, saying to him: Who is your Lord? He will say: Uh, uh, I do not know! They will say: What is your religion? He will say: Uh, uh, I do not know! They will say: Who is this man sent to you? He will say: Uh, uh, I do not know! A heavenly announcement will be made: He has lied! Spread carpets for him in Hellfire and open a gate for him to Hellfire! Its heat and its flames will approach him, and he will be squeezed in his grave until his ribs press together. An ugly man, with hideous clothing and a foul stench, will approach him and say: Glad tidings of what despairs you, for this is your Day you were promised! He will say: Who are with your evil face? He will say: I am your wicked deeds! He will say: O Lord, do not begin the Hour!”
Source: Musnad Aḥmad 18534, Graded Sahih (Authentic)
May Allah (ﷻ) always allow us to continuously be in a state of Tawba (repentance) & constantly seek His forgiveness. May He (ﷻ) include us as His sincere devotees. Ya Allah (ﷻ) keep us protected from the evils of our Nafs (self) and the Waswas (whispers) of Shaitan (Satan). May He (ﷻ) allow us to have a good ending in this world and the Akhira (Hereafter). O’ Allah, consider our departure from this temporal abode only when we are pleased with You & You are pleased with us, and count us from the successful in the life after this, Insha’Allah (God-willingly).
Perception Enlightenment 