1. Remind Yourself in Your Salah
a. Remind yourself that you are worshipping the Great and High and Exalted and Majestic Lord Who sees you, hears you, knows you, understands you, and watches over you.
b. Remind yourself of your Lord’s Glory, Grandeur, Power, Majesty, and Splendor.
c. Remind yourself of your standing before Him (Exalted be He).
d. Remind yourself of Allah putting His Face to yours during Salah; it is authentically reported that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Allah commands you to offer Salah. When you are offering Salah, do not turn away; for Allah directs His Face towards the face of His praying servant, as long as they do not turn away”
(Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi)
The great scholar Ibn Al-Qayyim clarified that the act of turning away that is prohibited during Salah falls into two categories:
The first is the heart turning away from Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, to something else.
The second is the eyes turning away from Allah to something else.
2. Try Felling This Way during Salah
a. Try to feel every movement and statement you make during Salah and resolutely focus on performing every part of it slowly and deliberately. Avoid performing it mechanically and unconsciously as a passionless routine, without attention and awareness, or just praying with the tongue without engaging the heart.
b. Be keen to perfect your prayer so you do not miss out on its reward. Remember that a person praying will only be rewarded for the portion they performed with proper presence of mind and humility. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“A person may offer Salah and nothing of it is recorded for them except one tenth of it, one ninth of it, one eighth of it, one seventh of it, one sixth of it, one fifth of it, one quarter of it, one third of it, or half of it”
(Narrated by Imam Ahmad)
c. Prepare yourself before entering into Salah and meet any basic human needs that may distract you from focusing on it, as the hadith says:
“You should not pray when food is served or when resisting the urge to urinate or defecate”
(Narrated by Muslim)
d. Choose a quiet place to pray, free from noise, motion, and distractions (like people walking or chatting around you, or telephones ringing, or the TV playing in the background), so you can focus on your Salah.
