There was once a man named Isam son of Yusuf who was disciplined in praying, but he was always afraid that he did not concentrate enough. He always asked other people who are more experts to continuously perfect his praying.
One day Isam attended a congregation of an expert named Hatim al-Isam and asked, “Dear Father Abdurrahman, how do you pray?”
Hatim said, “When I pray, I would cleanse wudhu my body and soul”
Isam asked, “What is cleansing wudhu body and soul?”
Hatim said, “Bodily cleansing is the normal washing of your body parts as specified, while soul cleansing consists of:
1. Remorse and regret (ask for forgiveness)
2. Remorse over previous sins
3. Not pursuing the world
4. Do not expect people’s esteem (Riya’)
5. Leave arrogance
6. Leave deception and trickery
7. Leave hatred
Hatim said, “When I pray, I would cleanse wudhu my body and soul”
Isam asked, “What is cleansing wudhu body and soul?”
Hatim said, “Bodily cleansing is the normal washing of your body parts as specified, while soul cleansing consists of:
1. Remorse and regret (ask for forgiveness)
2. Remorse over previous sins
3. Not pursuing the world
4. Do not expect people’s esteem (Riya’)
5. Leave arrogance
6. Leave deception and trickery
7. Leave hatred
Hatim continued, “Then I go to mosque and prepare all my body to face kiblat. I will stand cautiously as if Allah was there in front of me, heaven on my right, hell on my left, and angel of death behind me, and I will picture myself praying above ‘Sirratul Mustaqim’ bridge (a strand of hair split 7 times for hell crossing), and think of it as my last prayer. I will say my intention and say takbir praise to Allah to the best of my capability. I ensure that I understand every citation and every prayer. Then I do ruku’ bending and kneel sujud with sincerity, tasyahud (vowing one God and a messenger) full of hope, and a greeted salaam unconditionally. That is the way I have been praying for 30 years.
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