How to Focus in Salah and Connect Deeply

Imagine you’re at a conference. A speaker is on stage, passionately delivering a speech. But the topic is incredibly boring, or perhaps it’s completely beyond your comprehension. This feeling of disconnection is similar to what many of us experience when struggling with how to focus in salah. You mentally disengage and shift your focus elsewhere. Now, imagine a distinguished guest from China or Germany is giving a powerful, motivational talk! Would you be motivated? Certainly not. Why? Because you don’t understand their language. If you can’t grasp what they’re saying, how could you possibly stay focused? Instead, you’d feel annoyed and want to leave as soon as possible.

Understanding the Meaning: The First Step on How to Focus in Salah

This is precisely what many of us do when we perform Salah (the Islamic prayer). Do we truly understand what we’re reciting? For most of us, the answer is no. If we did understand, our minds wouldn’t wander, and the whispers of Shaytan wouldn’t fill our heads with worldly thoughts. A key part of learning how to focus in salah is knowing what you are saying.

The reality is, we don’t know what we’re reciting, and so our minds drift away. We recite the Surahs, the Tashahhud, and the Tasbih, yet we still lack concentration because we don’t know the meaning. Had we understood the meanings of the Arabic verses, our focus would remain anchored in the prayer. Have you ever tried to learn the meaning of the praises you repeat in Ruku (bowing) and Sajdah (prostration)? The meaning of Surah Al-Fatiha? Has the question never sparked in your mind: What am I actually saying to Allah every single day?

Common Mistakes in Salah: The Grave Cost of Pronunciation Errors

Let’s set aside understanding for a moment. Is our pronunciation even correct? Have you ever thought about it? There are many letters in the Arabic alphabet that, due to incorrect pronunciation, we consistently misread. These Mistakes in Salah can cause the meaning to become completely distorted.

For example, when reciting “قُلۡ” (Qul), many of us pronounce it as ‘Kul’. This is completely wrong. The letters ‘ك’ (Kaf) and ‘ق’ (Qaf) have entirely different points of articulation and meanings.

“قُلۡ” (Qul) means ‘Say’. And “كُلۡ” (Kul) means ‘Eat’.

In the first verse of Surah Al-Ikhlas, the correct recitation is ‘Qul huwallahu ahad,’ which means, “Say, He is Allah, the One.” But because many pronounce it with a ‘Kaf,’ the meaning is corrupted to become, “Eat, He is Allah, the One.” These types of pronunciation errors are serious Mistakes in Salah. What a terrible distortion! We seek Allah’s forgiveness for such grave mispronunciations. So how can you assume that your prayer is correct?

This is just one small example. In this way, we are unknowingly making countless mistakes, which can sometimes become major sins. Instead of earning rewards, we are accumulating sins. It is narrated from the scholar Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him):

رُبَّ قَارِئٍ لِلْقُرْآنِ وَالْقُرْآنُ يَلْعَنُهُ

“Many are the reciters of the Quran whom the Quran itself curses.”

(Ihya’ Ulum al-Din, Imam Ghazali)

This happens when a reciter ignores the Quran’s commands or distorts its meaning, becoming deserving of a curse instead of a reward.

How to Focus in Salah Despite Our Excuses

The 29 letters of Arabic are pronounced from 17 different points of articulation (Makharij), and reciting with proper Tajweed is essential. Now, if you say, “But Arabic is not my native language,” consider this: We spend thousands of dollars on worldly knowledge, becoming proficient in multiple languages. Hefty sums are paid for coaching to master physics and chemistry. Yet, the one thing that is most necessary is the one we neglect. Taking the initiative to hire a Qari (Quran teacher) to learn Arabic properly is often overlooked. The simple act of opening the Quran to memorize the meanings of essential Surahs is something we can’t be bothered with. This is truly our misfortune.

Conclusion

Salah is a special conversation between the Creator and the creation. This conversation only becomes meaningful when we comprehend what we are saying and pronounce it correctly. Otherwise, our prayer is reduced to a mere physical exercise, devoid of any spiritual connection. Instead of seeking an accepted prayer, we risk earning sin through severe yet common Mistakes in Salah.

Therefore, let us abandon this negligence. A crucial part of learning how to focus in salah is to actively improve its quality. Let’s learn to recite the Quran correctly and understand the meanings of the Surahs and supplications. When a person in Sajdah understands that they are at their closest point to their Lord, their focus will not shift to worldly matters. This effort may be what breathes life into our prayers and makes them worthy of being an accepted prayer in the court of Allah. May Allah grant us the ability to understand, implement, and perfect our prayers in both meaning and pronunciation. Ameen.