What is khushu’? Is it one of the conditions of the prayer?

- What is khushu’?
- In what sense is it used in the Quran?
- What did scholars and sufis say about khushu’?
- Is khushu’ one of the conditions of the prayer?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Khushu’ is a term used in the sense of being in tranquility and humility during worship, primarily the prayer, as a necessity of the respect toward Allah.  

The word khushu’, which lexically means “remaining silent and calm, being humble, surrendering to God, softness, ease, etc.” means showing humility and surrendering to Allah with the consciousness of being in His presence.

Khudu‘ also has the same meaning but it generally expresses bowing down bodily whereas khushu’ expresses the tranquility and humility in the heart, reflected outside with acts. 

Khushu’ is a spiritual and ethical state coming from inside and originating from the grandeur of the addressee in principle but khudu’ might be a surrendering that occurs as a result of being forced. As a matter of fact, the word khudu’ is used in this sense in the Quran. (ash-Shuara 26/4)
The word khushu’ is used as a noun in one verse (al-Isra 17/109) and its derivatives are used in sixteen verses. (see M. F. Abdulbaqi, al-Mujam, “khsh’a” item)

It is stated in some books about the relationship of the meanings of words that the word khushu’ is used in the following senses in the Quran:
- “humility” (al-Baqara 2/45),
- “fear and refrainment” (al-Anbiya 21/90),
- “standing by looking at the ground without moving” (al-Mu’minun 23/2),
- “despair” (lowering oneself) (Taha 20/108; al-Qamar 54/7; al-Qalam 68/43). (Ibnul-Jawzi, p. 276-277; Husayn b. Muhammad ad-Damaghani, p. 158-159)

However, it is possible to determine the meaning of the word khushu’ as follows based on the position it is used in some verses: “abandoning all kinds of claims of egoism due to the respect and exaltation felt in the presence of Allah, surrendering to Him and the manifestation of it seen on deeds.” (see Aal-i Imran 3/199; al-Isra 17/109; al-Anbiya 21/90; al-Mu’minun 23/2; al-Hadid 57/16)

Some Islamic scholars hold the view that khushu’ is a spiritual thing (peculiar to the heart) like fear while others think it is an attitude related to the body like being calm and solemn; yet others think it is a state related to both the heart and the body.   (Fakhruddin ar-Razi, XXVIII, 77)

In fact, khushu’ includes both of those deeds, its roots being in the heart and signs on the body.

Its aspect related to the heart is the slave’s being in the state of modesty with a great feeling of respect in the face of Allah’s majesty; its aspect related to the body is the slave’s displaying a an appearance, stance and attitude expressing calmness and solemnity as a result of the reflection of that feeling of respect and modesty on the organs.  

For instance, the khushu’ a slave feels in his heart in the prayer becomes manifest in the from of his eyes looking only at the place of prostration and not looking anywhere else. (Elmalılı, V, 3428)

In fact, any deed that expresses formal respect does not have any religious value unless it stems from the feeling of respect and fear in the heart and hence it is not described as khushu’.

As a matter of fact, Hasan al-Basri states that khushu is a constant fear that is necessary for the heart and that does not separate from it (Maturidi, I, wr. 20); Junayd Baghdadi states that it means the heart’s surrendering to Allah due to high respect and love (Qushayri, p. 116).
Since khushu’, which sufi writers regard as a deed peculiar to the heart, means, first of all, a state in which a person is very respectful toward Allah and surrenders in calmness and solemnity by feeling that he is in the presence of Allah, it is the attitude that needs to be shown by a slave not only during certain deeds of worship but in all moments of life in the presence of Allah.

However, when the word khushu’ is uttered, the first thing that comes to mind is the stance in the prayer because the prayer is the most appropriate deed of worship for experiencing servitude deeply and expressing it in the form of acts.

Therefore, the basis of the prayer is khushu’ and sincerity. “The believers must (eventually) win through,- Those who humble themselves in their prayers.” (al-Mu’minun 23/1-2) This verse shows the importance of khushu’ in the prayer.

Therefore, Abu Bakr al-Wasiti describes khushu’ as “performing the prayer with full sincerity for Allah without expecting any returns.” (Ayni, V, 280)

Some Islamic scholars understand khushu as a person’s immersing himself in worship so much as not to know who stands on his right and on his left during the prayer. (Maturidi, II, wr.  423b)

Ghazzali points out the importance of khushu in the prayer; when he explains the hadith “Whenever anyone of you offers his prayer he speaks in private to his Lord” (Bukhari, Mawaqit, 8; Salah, 33), he states that dhikr, which is the essence of the prayer, means speaking to Allah and that pronouncing words and letters in heedlessness is not regarded speaking to Allah. For, the heart will be in heedlessness unless the meaning of the verses and supplications are thought. Therefore, the prayer consists of moving the back and the head, and bending the body if there is no khushu’. (Ihya, I, 159-160)

The Prophet (pbuh) attracted attention to khushu in the prayer, as he did to other deeds of worship, on various occasions; he warned those who performed the prayer in a way that would harm the state of khushu’; besides, he himself served as a model to his ummah by keeping both his mind and his body away from heedlessness and heedless acts in the prayer, which he regarded as the apple of his eye.

You can find detailed information about the form and spirit of the prayer in hadith collections and fiqh books under the headings like the sunnahs, manners, makruhs of the prayer and the things that invalidate the prayer.  

Some fiqh scholars regard khushu’ as one of the conditions of the prayer but acting upon the fact that khushu’ has some involuntary aspects, that obtaining khushu’ necessitates a certain process of education and hence it is not possible for every Muslim to maintain the tranquility of heart constantly during the prayer, the great majority states that khushu is not one of the conditions of the prayer but one of the sunnahs that ensures its perfection.

In order to attain khushu’, a person is advised
- to turn toward Allah heartily and to try to keep away from all kinds of worldly thoughts,
- to think about the meaning of the verses he reads,
- to look at the place of prostration and not to do unnecessary acts.

The Prophet
- wanted us to avoid looking at the right and left by turning the face in order to attain divine consent and mercy, that is, he wanted us to avoid the acts that would harm khushu, the spirit of the prayer. (Musnad, VI, 130, 443; Abu Dawud, Salah, 165),
In addition, since
- starting the prayer when a meal is ready (Bukhari, Adhan, 42; Muslim, Masajid, 64),
- performing a prayer though one may have difficulty in keeping his wudu when there is enough time for the time period of that prayer to end (Muslim, Masajid, 67)
and similar deeds that are contrary to the manners of the prayer could keep the mind of the person performing the prayer busy, he did not regard it appropriate to start the prayer in such states. (see TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi, Huşu item)

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