Hayya las Salah, Hayya Lal Falah: Rush to Prayer, Rush to Success
Think about Salah for a moment, and the power it has to fight
distractions when performed properly and full concentration. When the
athan goes off, we physically get up, leave everything we do, cleanse
ourselves with a purifying ritual called wudhu, walk to the nearest
mosque, perform a set of pre-defined actions with full concentration and
thought, then head back home feeling completely refreshed.
This happens 5 times a day at a minimum. Have you ever thought about
the effect this action has in our day to day focus and for our spiritual
productivity?
Islam emphasises the importance of one’s focus on their Salah, in
fact focus and concentration are linked to success in this life and the
Hereafter. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala reminds us in the Qur’aan that:
“Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offer their Salah (prayers) with all solemnity and full submissiveness”
[Surah Al-Mu’minun 23: 1-2)
Since Islam teaches us to develop complete focus on our submission
and relationship with Allah, this focus is not only meant for our daily
prayers, but should stretch to every aspect of our life. Living a
distracted life might be ‘fun’ but it’s not productive, and to be
honest, I would suggest that a distracted life is one of the tricks of
Shaytaan to keep our focus away from what is truly important in our
lives.
Remember, for a Muslim, the key to success in this life and Hereafter
is truly dependent on being able to fully concentrate and FOCUS in
salah, and give our undivided attention to our Creator – Allah
(Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala).