Imaam Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The secret of the Prayer, its soul and essence
is for the servant to give his attention to Allah completely while observing it.
Just as it is not permissible for him to turn his face away from the Qiblah to any
other direction while performing the Prayer; it is not allowed for him to turn
his heart away from his Lord towards any other than Him while observing it. He
should rather make the Ka’bah – which is Allah’s House - the Qiblah of his face
and body; and make the Lord of the Ka’bah – blessed and exalted be He - the
Qiblah of his heart and soul.
Allah will turn towards His servant in
proportion to the attention the servant gives to Him in his Prayer. If he turns
his attention away from Allah, Allah will turn His attention away from him. You
will be treated the way you treat others. Paying attention during the Prayer
has three levels:
First: A
servant should pay attention to his heart by guarding and rectifying it from
the disease of lusts, whisperings and the dangers that will nullify the reward
of his Prayer or reduce it.
Second: He
should direct his attention to Allah by being conscious of Him while observing
the Prayer so that he could worship Him as if he is seeing Him.
Third: He
should give his attention to the meanings and minute exposition of Allah’s
words, and the fact of the Prayer being an act of servitude so that he could give
it its right such as humility, calmness and the like.
It is by perfecting these three levels that he
would have discharged the rights of the Prayer, and the attention Allah will
give to the worshipper will be in proportion to that.
Source: Asraar
as-Salaah, p. 75 by Imaam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
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