The first method is the performance of wudu [ablution for Prayer] which everyone who is to offer Salat must carry out. The wisdom in this is that Allah the Exalted has created certain means for communicating thoughts and feelings to others. One of them is the nervous system. Through them the thoughts and feelings of man effect other things and the nervous system serves as a path. This is indeed why the Holy Prophet (sas) used to recite the Ayatul-Kursi and then blow upon his body. Was this just a frivolous act? Certainly not!
On the contrary, the truth is that the effect of thoughts is transferred using the nerves, the voice, and the breath. Thus, the Holy Prophet (sas) would combine all three of these ways. He would recite Ayatul-Kursi, then blow upon his hands, and then pass his hands all over his body. In short, the voice, the nerves, the sight, and the breath etc. are all ways for the thoughts to disperse; that is why the practice of 
— insufflation [blowing on someone after reciting some words of prayer etc.] by righteous Muslims is proven and, in fact, it is reported from the Holy Prophet (sas) as well. Thus, since thoughts emanate through the nerves and scatter, in order to keep them under control, the Holy Prophet (sas) has instructed us to perform ablution. And because the main points of their emanating are the arms, feet, and mouth; and it has been experienced that when water is poured over them, the stream of thoughts—which had hitherto been emanating from them—comes to a halt and thoughts cease to emerge. This is a proven phenomenon, and this is also one of the objectives for the doing of ablution.
There are many other points of wisdom in performing ablution, but this is also one of them that in this way the stream of thoughts comes to a halt and when this stream stops, a tranquillity is attained and when tranquillity is achieved, then attention can remain established. Thus, ablution is a high-ranking means for maintaining concentration. When you begin to do ablution you should also be thinking that you are doing this to stop scattered thoughts. When you do this, then you will achieve tranquillity in your Salat and thoughts will not be able to dissipate your attention.
The second method of achieving concentration is the one that the Islamic Shariah has prescribed—that Salat be offered at the mosque. It is a human characteristic that when one sees something, he conceives a thought about something else. For example, a person meets person X and also asks him about his son, person Y. Even though person Y is not in front of him, upon seeing person X, he remembers person Y as well. Thus, the design of the human brain is such that when something comes before it, then it also recalls those other things that are associated with it. Thus, if a man offers his Salat at a place which has no special connection with Salat, then he will not recall anything in particular. However, when he offers his Salat at such a place where Salat is offered morning and evening, he will certainly think that he is standing in the house of that God for whose worship that place had been built and it was incumbent upon him that he should follow and obey Him with full sincerity of heart.
This is indeed the reason why the Holy Prophet (sas) has instructed that Muslims should reserve a specific place for Prayer in their homes and they should not do anything else there except offering Prayers so that while they are praying there, they should think that that is the place for the worship of God Almighty.1
It is possible that some of you may have never had this thought pass through your mind even when you went to the mosque, but now that the wisdom behind going to offer Prayers in the mosque has become known to you and with this thought when you go to the mosque to offer your Prayers, your thoughts will immediately stop and you will attain tranquillity.
The third method is the instruction to face towards the Qiblah [direction of the Ka‘bah in Makkah] also helps in maintaining concentration. The holy city of Makkah holds many distinctions. By the command of God, a man had abandoned his wife and child in this place with no provisions, no population, and no protection. And because he had done this for the sake of God, God Almighty caused his progeny to grow so much that it is innumerable like the stars in the sky. Thereafter, many a Prophet were born in his progeny and finally, that man who came as a Prophet to the whole of mankind was from his progeny as well.
Thus, when someone stands up to pray turning his face towards Makkah, and he understands the wisdom behind the injunction to face in this direction to offer the Salat, the incident regarding Hazrat Ishmaelas immediately impacts him. There develops in his mind attention to the fact that God, for whose worship he is now standing, is the Lord of Great Honour and Immense Power. As this realization dawns, his scattered thoughts are removed and go down under the effect of the grandeur and glory of God Almighty.
The fourth method the Holy Prophet (sas) has enjoined the calling of the Adhan [Call to Prayer]. When it is proclaimed loudly, Allaho Akbar, Allaho Akbar [‘Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest’], then although Salat does not start immediately at that time, those who are to offer Salat are informed thereby that they should come to the mosque to offer the Salat, thoroughly reflecting and realizing that they are presenting themselves before the Glorious God of Great Honour. Thus, when anyone hears the Adhan, the grandeur and eminence of God Almighty will have a special effect upon him and, as a result of this, his attention will remain focused upon his Salat. The Holy Prophet (sas) has said that the Adhan is called to put Satan to flight. It is narrated in a hadith that when the Adhan is called, Satan runs far away.
Thus, when someone keeps in view that the purpose of the theme related in the Adhan is to draw the attention of everyone to the grandeur and glory of Allah the Exalted, he will come to remember its underlying wisdom as well. The people who have heard this wisdom today will recall this aspect when they hear the Adhan, and when remembered, it will have its effect as well. This is the rule that when one thought arises, then other thoughts are removed. Thus, when thoughts of the greatness and glory of God Almighty develop, other thoughts will vanish and concentration will be achieved.
The fifth method is Iqamat [an abridged version of the Adhan called out just before beginning the congregational Salat]. This also draws attention to the greatness and majesty of God and the wisdom mentioned concerning Adhan is indeed found in it as well. The Holy Prophet (sas) has also said about the Iqamat that Satan runs away at its sound.2
The meaning of this is indeed that evil whisperings are removed by it and attention towards God Almighty develops.
The sixth method is the formation of lines [in congregational Prayer]. Order in physical formation fosters order in thoughts as well, and safeguards them against scattering. And when the rows are physically formed, the inner zeal is also threaded into a string. And what an awe-inspiring spectacle it is when all the people are silently and quietly standing before the King of kings! The Holy Prophet (sas) has said, ‘Straighten your rows; otherwise, your hearts will become crooked.’3
What is the impact of a straight row? The same—that since the seen has an impact upon the unseen; for that reason, if there is no order externally, then internal regularity is also affected.
The seventh method is the Niyyat [Declaration of Intention for Prayer], because when man tells his soul that he is about to stand up for a task, then his attention focuses upon it. And Niyyat does not mean that you say that behind that Imam, so many rak‘at of Salat, facing the Holy Ka‘bah, etc., but rather one should make the intention in his own mind that he is going to offer the Salat.
It is said about a certain man that he had developed an insane passion for offering the Niyyat. And if he was standing in a row other than the one immediately behind the imam and would say his Niyyat that, ‘Behind this imam’, the thought would come to him that he was not standing behind the imam and that there was some other person in front of him. He would, therefore, move forward and say, ‘Behind this imam’. But he would again entertain the doubt that even then he was not behind the imam, so he would go and stand right behind the imam and, touching the imam, he would say, ‘Behind this imam.’ The people who suffer from such irrational doubts also commit a mistake and its result is very destructive, turning the Niyyat into an affliction.
The Niyyat is actually related to the heart, but as they stand up, some people do not have the slightest idea as to what they are about to do. Thus, when you are about to offer Salat, bring Salat to mind also and conceptualize what you are about to do. When you will come to understand this, you will begin to develop reverence from that very moment within you, and when reverence comes into being, then concentration can also be maintained.
The eighth method is congregational Salat because when offering Salat in this way, the words drawing your attention to the grandeur of God Almighty are made to fall upon your ears from the imam. And the person who may be heedless and falls into other thoughts is nudged. For example, when Allaho Akbar is called out, he is, as if, being alerted that—‘Beware! Stand with full attention, for the One in whose presence you are about to stand is Immensely Great.’
Then, when some time has been spent in the standing posture, and all manner of thoughts begin to arise within one’s heart, the imam again says in a loud voice, Allaho Akbar, that ‘Allah is indeed the Greatest.’ Again, after a while, when heedlessness rears its head, the sound of [Sami-‘Allaholi-man Hamidah—‘God listens to him who praises Him’]—is made to fall upon the ears reminding the person that Allah the Exalted hears and accepts the sayings of the person who praises Him. And in this way his attention is drawn that if he wants to gain some benefit, then he should engage in the praising of Allah the Exalted; otherwise, he will simply be wasting time.
In short, the imam continuously goes on reminding and alerting those offering their Salat behind him. This is indeed the reason why the imam has a rank above that of the followers because he goes on drawing their attention again and again that they are standing in the presence of the Greatest of all Kings—keep standing alert.
The ninth method of maintaining attention is that Islam has not adopted a single posture for Salat, but has kept it in different configurations. If someone becomes neglectful or gets absorbed in other thoughts while offering his Salat, his going into ruku‘ [bowing] and sajdah [prostration] draws his attention towards the Salat even if someone moves to these postures out of habit. However, movement is such a thing that it alerts a neglectful person. Worship in other religions does not have this characteristic; this excellence is possessed by Islam alone.
The tenth method—Performance of the Sunnah before and after obligatory Prayers is the tenth method.
It is a law of nature that when something is about to happen, some of its effect manifests beforehand, and some after it appears. For example, when the sun is about to rise—albeit not yet risen—the light still begins to diffuse. Similarly, even after it sets, the light lingers on for some time. An activity that is in accord with one’s wishes, from which pleasure is derived, or not doing which may lead to loss, dominates [the mind over] another task that has less impact in comparison.
For example, if someone is engaged in a task in which he does not see any significant benefit, and he has something to do afterwards from which he is hopeful of substantial benefits, or there is a danger of some harm if it is not carried out, or that task is in accordance with his desires, then, thoughts about the other task will be dominating the matter he is engaged in and his attention will remain occupied with it. Take, for example, a worker in an office. If he has to carry out a personal task after office hours, he will start thinking about it an hour or two before he leaves his office. And if an important task in the office business has triggered to attract his attention, then—even after finishing official duty—his attention will remain focused on it during the way [home] and for some time even at home. Only after some time will he attend to the matters he is busy with currently.
It is due to this very wisdom that the Holy Prophet (sas) has prescribed Sunnahs before and after the Fard [Obligatory] Prayers so that if the mind is occupied in any thoughts before starting the Salat they should not impact the Fard negatively and make them defective. Instead, burying them in the offering of Sunnah, a man should set his mind to rest content and be able to pay full attention to the Fards. Similarly, the Sunnah have also been appointed after the Fard Prayers, so that if there are other important chores to be done after the Salat, its thoughts should not find their way into the heart of the person and spoil his Salat before he completes the offering of the Fard. Thus, the person can attend to his Salat peacefully, because—as I have already stated—stray thoughts generally arise and disturb one when the task at hand is about to be completed and he is intending to start another. When a person thinks that he is not yet done—that the Sunnahs are yet to be offered—his thoughts will remain suppressed. And this is one great point of wisdom from among the many, that underlie the enjoining of the Sunnahs.
So, the Holy Prophet (sas) has designated the Sunnah in accordance with the different timings. Since the time of Zuhr Prayer [early afternoon] is a time of great involvement in other tasks, he has therefore appointed four or two Sunnah before, and two or four Sunnah after. It is as if he has appointed two sentries to safeguard the Fard, so that they stop the thoughts that may infiltrate them.
There are no Sunnah before ‘Asr [late afternoon Prayer] but there are Nawafil—one may observe them or skip them—the reason is that at the time of ‘Asr, one is, in a way, done with other activities. Secondly, because this is the time to finish doing all things, the Prayer for this time is therefore very brief, but there is dhikr after ‘Asr till Maghrib.
As I have stated before, there are no Sunnah before Maghrib Prayer because the time is very short, but there are two Sunnah after Maghrib. Generally, people eat after Maghrib and engage in other such activities, so these two Sunnah protect the Fara’id [pl. Fard, obligatory part of the Salat] from such thoughts.
There are no Sunnah before ‘Isha’ Prayer [night Prayer before going to bed] because the chores a person usually does before this Prayer are not the kind that their effect will stay after. However, there are Nawafil; if one wishes and feels the need, he can offer them. But after ‘Isha’, since it is the time to go to sleep and temperament is inclined towards rest after a whole day’s work, two Sunnah and three Vitr [three rak‘at prescribed as essential] are appointed afterwards from which the Vitr may also be performed at a later time.
There are two Sunnah appointed before Fajr [morning Prayer] so that there should not be any negligence in the Salat due to just having woken up from sleep. Those Sunnahs stop the carelessness and the thoughts resulting from sleep. There are no Sunnah afterwards because generally no particular work may be done thereafter until the time of sunrise. However, dhikr has been prescribed.
These are the ones that have been attached with the Salat by the Shariah to maintain concentration in the Salat, but benefit can be drawn from them only when man makes an effort to understand them as well. This is verily why I have mentioned them so that you may become acquainted with them and benefit from them, and—God willing—those people who act upon them, keeping in mind the underlying wisdom, will certainly derive benefit.
It should, however, be remembered well that just as the human body has joints, in the same way the words that are recited during standing, bowing, prostrating, etc. are the joints of Salat. Special attention must be paid to the words that are recited at these joints. If this is done, then the Salat will become very strong; otherwise, it will fall.
Now I will explain those methods for maintaining attention in Salat which are not included in the conditions of Salat, nor has the Shariah prescribed them as components of Salat, but if one follows these techniques, then concentration can be maintained during Salat.
The eleventh method—If you are unable to maintain attention while offering Salat, recite the words slower and slower. The structure of the human brain is designed in such a way that it instantly brings to the forefront the idea that is repeatedly introduced to it. And the one that comes before it occasionally, it can bring it forth only with difficulty. For example, if person X is seen daily, then, while thinking of him, his image will come to mind immediately, but if seen seldom, his image will appear only after a little while when his name is heard or spoken and even that will not be completely clear.
Then, look at the language that is learnt in childhood. If man speaks or hears any passage in that language, the meanings come to his mind along with its words. For example, if the word for water comes to mind, then—without any pause—the reality of water will also come to his mind. Or if the word for bread is heard from anyone, then—without any delay—the meaning of bread will show up in his mind.
However, this is not the case with a foreign language over which one has not acquired full mastery. Instead, the meaning comes to mind a long time after hearing the words. For example, children learning English: until they become fully proficient in English, when they read the word cat in a book, the reality of the word will come to their mind only after quite some time, but after uttering billi [the word for cat in Urdu], the image of that animal will come to their minds immediately.
This is indeed the reason why—apart from the people who speak Arabic—Muslims who are generally not familiar with Arabic cannot maintain their attention in Salat, because attention can be maintained only when the meanings of the words being said are also present in one’s mind. But due to the lack of familiarity with Arabic, when they are reciting the Arabic passages, the meanings of those words do not come along in their mind; instead, the meanings and the words get jumbled up.
For example, when a person says 
[Iyyaka na‘budu—You alone do we worship], not the meaning of this sentence, but the meaning of 
[Ar-Rahman-ir-Rahim—the Gracious, the Merciful], or maybe of 
[Maliki-Yaumid-Din—Master of the Day of Judgment] are transpiring in his brain. So for that reason, full attention cannot be maintained nor can the benefit of Salat be attained fully.
Accordingly, the people who are not well versed in Arabic and do not possess much command over it, so that—like the mother tongue—its words and their meanings occur simultaneously in the mind; they should not move forward when offering Salat, until the meaning of the sentence they are reciting appears in their mind. For example, when they recite 
[Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim—‘In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful’], then, until its meaning comes to their minds very clear, they should not say [Alhamdulillahi Rabb-il-Alamin—‘All Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds’], and until the meanings of this verse do not come to mind, they should not proceed to Ar-Rahman-ir-Rahim [‘the Gracious, the Merciful’], and they should do likewise with all the verses; because, if they do not do this, the words that they will be reciting with their tongue will be different from the meaning appearing in their minds, the consequence being that thoughts become dispersed. And when dispersion ensues, concentration cannot take hold. The people who know Arabic, even if they recite rapidly; though the meaning would come to their minds immediately, they [the meanings] will not get a chance to be absorbed into the heart. For this reason, they should also recite the Quran slowly and move forward with frequent pauses.
This is not important just for the Quran. Rather, the same should be done during counselling and advising. Once Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra), was narrating a hadith quickly and forcefully. Hazrat ‘Aishah (ra) asked who he was and what he was doing. He told her his name and said that he was narrating a saying of the Holy Prophet (sas). She asked, ‘Is this the manner in which the Holy Prophet (sas) used to speak?’
Upon hearing this he became silent.
In short, this is a sunnah [practice] of the Holy Prophet (sas) that not only in the recitation of the Holy Quran but also in general counselling or advising he would speak slowly. Thus, in order to maintain attention you should also act upon this command and sunnah. In this way, concentration will be excellently maintained because there will be no confusion where the tongue has one thing upon it while the mind perceives something different within it.
The twelfth method is the one that has been enjoined by the Holy Prophet (sas), but many people are negligent towards it. This method is that the Holy Prophet (sas) has said that when one stands up to offer the Salat, he should fix his sight toward the place of prostration. There are many people who shut their eyes after standing up and think that in that way their attention will take hold, whereas attention can be maintained by keeping the eyes open. This is indeed the reason why the Holy Prophet (sas) has advised us that upon standing up for Salat, we should fix our gaze upon the place of prostration.
In his book Awarif-il-Ma‘arif, Hazrat Shihab-ud-Deen Suhrawardi (rta) writes that during ruku‘ [bowing posture in Prayer], the eyes should be focused between the two feet and in my view this is correct.4 This is also beneficial for the eyes and causes greater reverence to develop as well.
There is a very great wisdom in limiting the scope of view and it is that God Almighty has placed this feature in the creation of man that when one of his senses is functioning, the other senses become senseless. For example, when the eyes concentrate perfectly, the ears become disengaged. Thus, when the eyes are busy looking at something with full power, if someone hollers, it will not be heard. And, when the ears are so totally occupied in listening to something, the nose’s ability to smell is suspended. And when the nose is fully occupied in smelling something with all its ability, the ears and eyes suspend the execution of their tasks. Thus, when one sense is engaged in operation and reaches its optimal performance, the other senses do not function, but when all the senses are idle and none of them is engaged in doing its work, the defect develops that various and sundry thoughts become excited.
The reason for this is that when one sense is functioning, then the thoughts related to the other senses do not arise. This is indeed the reason why that sense stops other thoughts from transpiring. Thus, when the eyes are occupied in performing their task during Salat and are involved in seeing, then various and sundry thoughts will not arise in the mind. This fact has come to light these days through an actual physical experiment, but look, keeping this natural wisdom in mind, 1,300 years beforehand the Holy Prophet (sas) had given the instructions to keep the eyes open during Salat. Moreover, he realized that when that particular sense is engaged in operation, the individual will escape assorted thoughts.
Had the sense of smell been employed, it would have been necessary first to arrange for scents, but then the sensing ability of the nose cannot be delimited. If different people who would be present together offering the Salat or passing by, were users of different scents, then, the attention, instead of being focused, would be wandering from one side to the other. Just like the sense of the nose, the sense that the ear possesses also cannot be delimited. It is not in the power of man that he should only hear what he wishes to hear and refuse to hear what he does not wish to hear. Whatever number of sounds that arise at any given time, man is forced to hear them all. Rather, if many sounds ascend at once, a man can hear nothing at all. Thus, if ears are allowed to work, they will either hear all the sounds or nothing at all.
However, in contrast to these senses, eyes are under man’s control. He can keep them at one place and keep them away from what he doesn’t want to see without any fuss. He can focus his eyes on the thing that he wants to see without difficulty. Thus, under the commandment of God Almighty, the Holy Prophet (sas) selected this sense for achieving concentration in Salat and directed that we keep our eyes focused toward the place of prostration during the Salat.
Nevertheless, he simultaneously directed there should be no beautiful thing at the place of prostration, but rather there should be a uniformity of view; meaning, of the same kind. When a Muslim focuses his sight upon the place of prostration, then, first, the thought of prostration prevailing over his mind will keep him occupied in the thought of worship. Second, in this way his other senses, which as a rule must either be left totally free or be totally shut down, will shut down. The third benefit will be that since thoughts are in fact prompted by external influences—which, in turn, are perceived through the senses—but because the eyes have been put to work, the other senses become non-operational to an extent, and because there will be nothing before the eyes that could raise any thoughts other than Salat, the person engaged in Salat will have his attention remain focused on Salat alone. It is proven from the Holy Prophet (sas) that once, a decorated sheet was placed in front of the place where the Holy Prophet (sas) offered his Prayer. He instructed it to be removed, pointing out that due to it, attention cannot be maintained in the Salat.5 He gave this instruction for the benefit of his Ummah.
The thirteenth method—As I have already mentioned, when someone stands to offer Salat, he should do so having made the Niyyat and Qasad [Declaration of Resolve]. Similarly, he should also make the determination that he will not let any thought enter Salat. Of course, everybody knows that he should not permit thoughts to come, but old matters become forgotten. So for this reason when one stands up to offer Salat he should remind himself at that time that he will not permit any other thought to come to mind during the Salat.
The fourteenth method—When a believer stands behind the imam to offer the Salat, the recitation of the imam keeps him awake and alert. It is as if the imam is safeguarding him. (From this, one can learn how essential it is to offer the Salat behind the imam.) But when offering Prayer alone, one should follow this excellent method employed by the Holy Prophet (sas), his companions (ra), and many great sufis, and that is to repeatedly recite those special verses of the Holy Quran that inculcate the fear of Allah. For instance, when reciting Surah al-Fatihah, repeat the following verse often:
So much so that if one’s soul is involved in scattered thoughts it should feel remorse and think that with his mouth he is claiming to be a slave and servant of Allah the Exalted, but practically he is running here and there.
The fifteenth method—I tell this method for those people who cannot hold their resolve for very long. Just like an infant needs to be nursed at short intervals because he cannot bear hunger for very long and cannot digest all food together, similarly some people are in need of being provided support every so often. They should follow this method that when they stand up in qiyam they should resolve to not let any thoughts come until the ruku‘ and when they go into the ruku‘ they should say that they will not let thoughts intervene till they stand up. In this way, at each stage they should make a new resolve. This will give them such a power by which their scattered thoughts will go away.
The sixteenth method—If a man falls prey to scattered thoughts, they will not stop chasing him, but if he confronts them and resolves not to let them in at all, they will stop. Therefore, they should be fought well, and whenever any thought encroaches, it should be stopped immediately. For example, if the thought begins to take hold that one’s child is lying ill—‘What will become of him?’—one should immediately stop this thought by saying that the child is not going to get any better by him raising this thought in his mind nor is he going to get any worse if he does not raise this thought. So, he doesn’t bring up the thought at all. Continue this practice about every matter until you achieve a command over such thoughts.
The seventeenth method—When you offer Nawafil at home, recite loud enough so that the voice continues reaching the ears. Its benefit is that since the ears are not plugged with anything, they continue to be functional to some degree. When remembrance of Allah is done with the voice as well, then attention gets a better hold, because the ears also begin to pay attention to the dhikr. This method should mostly be practiced during the Prayer at night. If you put the ears to use during the day, instead of benefiting, there is a danger of attention being divided by all kinds of noise prevalent in the surroundings during those times.
The eighteenth method—This method is under the wisdom that a new thought always develops due to a new movement. The movements that are made during the Prayer—this very thought develops in them that worship be done; so, there is no harm in them, but the result of other movements is that the attention goes to the other direction. That is why the Holy Prophet (sas) has instructed that apart from the necessary movements no other movements should be made in the state of offering Salat. Certainly, thoughts scatter because of making unnecessary movements.
For example, someone touches his coat for no reason. While touching it, a thought arose in his mind that this coat is really old and he should have a new one made. Upon this, the thought arises that where will the money for the coat come from—the salary is so meagre. Then, that it has been a long time since the salary was paid. Again, if the delay in the salary had been due to the fault of the officer, then he will curse out the officer. Then he will get lost in the thoughts that he will do such and such with him. While doing that, the voice will be heard, Assalamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullah and he will also finish his Prayer.
Thus, because a new movement produces a new thought, the Holy Prophet (sas) has commanded that no new movements should be made during the Prayer. He has gone so far as to declare that even if there are pebbles at the place of prostration, they should not be removed and if they cause too much pain they may be removed once. Therefore, while praying, such movements should be avoided altogether.
The nineteenth method—Perform qiyam, ruku‘ [bowing], and sajdah [prostration] energetically. That is to say, when standing for qiyam, do so with vigour and alertness and not in the manner of putting all of the weight on one leg, leaving the other leg hanging loose, because when you are slack, the enemy overpowers you. Then, outer alertness affects the inner alertness. This is why the Holy Prophet (sas) has commanded that all movements must be performed with alertness.
The twentieth method—Some sufis have used excess in it. Though I do not like excess, a believer can benefit from it. [Hazrat] Junaid (rta) of Baghdad was a great saintly man. One of his followers was Shibli (rta), who possessed great sincerity and fear of Allah. He was the governor of a province. Once, when he was present in the court of the king, he witnessed a major chief being bestowed a royal mantle as a reward for some very great service that he had performed. This chief was suffering from a cold; his nose was running. The chief had forgotten to bring a handkerchief. When he thought the king was not looking, the chief wiped his nose with the same royal mantle. The king noticed it and said very angrily, ‘Is this the value of our royal mantle in your sight!’
As Shibli (rta) had the fear of Allah in his heart, he was so overwhelmed by this incident that he fell unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he said, ‘I wish to resign from the governorship.’
When the king asked him for the reason, Shibli (rta) told the king, ‘You gave this chief a royal mantle which he did not value appropriately, and you became so furious with him, whereas I have been granted innumerable bounties by God. How great will be His punishment if I do not value them properly and do not render thanks for them?’
After this he went to Junaid (rta) and asked to be accepted as his pupil. He said, ‘I cannot accept you as a student; you have been a governor and in that capacity you must have committed many types of excesses against the creatures of God.’
He asked, ‘Is there any cure for this?’
Junaid (rta) told him that he should go to every house in the area that he had been the governor of, and say that if he had committed any excess against anyone, they should take revenge for it. Accordingly, he did exactly that.
It is written about him that when he offered the Nawafil and would find any kind of slackness in his body or if any thoughts would come into his mind which would try to distract his attention towards any other direction, he would take a stick and start hitting his body with it until the stick would break and then he would recommence offering (his Nawafil). In the beginning he used to keep a bundle of sticks with him. What he did was excessive and in my view Islam does not look favourably upon it. However, since the matter is related entirely to his personal self, I do not level any criticism upon him.
There is, however, a way of disciplining the self in my view. If in any rak‘at a distracting thought develops, you should identify the portion which you were reciting when this happened. When you determine this, you should again start offering the Prayer from that very point. By doing this when the self will see that this man is actually inclining to God Almighty and is not listening to me, it will cease creating dispersion [of thoughts] and calm will be attained.
The twenty-first method—This is, in a way, a very great and very highly useful method. And that is:
—Surah al-Mu’minun, 23:4
Believers do not do anything vain. Those people who are used to vain thoughts are the very people in whose hearts the other thoughts arise during Prayer, but if they act to prevent such thoughts from arising on the very first day, the condition of dispersion will not arise. Nonetheless, most people remain engrossed in vain thoughts like [the proverbial] Shaikh Chilli, even though there is no benefit from them. The mind should never be permitted to indulge in thoughts that are only speculative and conjectural. Yes, there is no harm in thinking of useful and beneficial things. Particularly, it is the height of ignorance to be bothered by thinking about the incidents that have already occurred and it could be of no use to think about them now.
It is an obvious matter that in whatever direction human capabilities and powers are employed, they become attentive to those very things. Thus, when someone turns his mind towards unreasonable thoughts, he loses the ability to attend to reasonable things. Accordingly, preventing one’s mind from engaging in vain thoughts, one should employ it to work on lofty and beneficial ideas. When this effort is made, you will always become disposed towards deliberating on beneficial matters. And to think of other things while being involved with one task is vain and not beneficial, except what God wills. Thus, the mind of a person who has trained it to focus on beneficial matters will not wander here and there at the time of offering Prayer.
The twenty-second method—This is also a method of great magnificence and takes one to the pinnacle of spirituality. The Holy Prophet (sas) was asked, ‘What is ihsan [goodness].?’ 
[‘To worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, but as a minimum be aware that He is seeing you’] (Sahīh al-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Īmān, Bāb Su’āli Jibrīl an-Nabiyya ‘anil-Īmān wal-Islam wal-Ihsān wa ‘Ilmis-Sā‘ah; Hadith 50).
Thus, when you stand for Prayer, fix this scene before your eyes that you are as if standing in the presence of God Almighty and He is visible right in front of you—not in any physical form but in His glory and majesty. In this way, the grandeur and omnipotence of God Almighty is impressed upon the heart, and the soul comes to understand that at such time it should not perpetrate any frivolous act.
If you cannot visualize God, believe with certainty, as a minimum, that God is watching you and that He is reading all thoughts that are passing through your mind. One should see that if, while he is uttering Alhamdulillah [‘All praise belongs to Allah’] with his tongue, whether his heart is also saying Alhamdulillah or is it occupied with some other thought? And if the heart is otherwise engaged, he should censure it and make it join his tongue.
The Holy Prophet (sas) says that that servant of God who offers even two rak‘at in such a way that he does not communicate with his self, shall have all his sins forgiven. Now, ponder concerning that man who avails this condition always—how much of excellence would he be able to attain! Therefore, maintaining attention fixed towards God Almighty in the Salat is no ordinary matter. So these methods which I have informed you about, purely by the grace and beneficence of God Almighty, should not be considered to be ordinary, but they should be put to full use, and remember that if you will put them to use you will receive immense blessings.
The saying of Assalamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullah at the conclusion of the Prayer, also contains a wondrous indication. In it, man’s attention has been drawn to the need to maintain his attention. You see, you say Assalamu ‘alaikum when you come from somewhere. When a believer says Assalamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullah at the conclusion of his Salat, he is stating as if he had gone to express his servitude in the presence of God Almighty and has now returned from there and he has brought us peace and mercy; but since he was always physically present there, the only meaning that could be drawn from this is that it was his spirit that had been prostrating at the threshold of Allah the Exalted—and he was so engrossed in worship that it was as if he was absent from this world.
Thus, saying Assalamu ‘alaikum at the conclusion of Prayer testifies to the fact that it is essential for a believer to be alert in safeguarding his Salat, because he is, at that time, present in the Court of God Almighty. This is indeed why God Almighty has also said:
—Surah al-An‘am, 6:93
It is the great quality of believers that they keep a watch over their Prayers very well; that is, Satan wants to spoil their Prayers but they safeguard it from his attacks very well. Therefore, everyone should guard his Salat and when he stands up to offer his Salat he should understand that he has gone into the presence of God and when he concludes his Salat he should convey the good news to the people on his right and on his left that he has brought back peace for you. However, if some person does not go into the presence of God, and remains engrossed in his own thoughts, he should consider how egregious a lie he utters when he says Assalamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullah. He wishes to tell the people that he is returning from the presence of God, whereas he had never gone there.
Therefore, you should all strive to fully safeguard your Salat and continue battling with Satan fiercely who tries to move you away from the presence of God. And remember that even if you keep battling with him during the entire Salat and do not fall before him, God Almighty will indeed consider you to have been present in His Court, but if you fall, then He too will leave your hand. So for this reason you have to keep battling. If you do this, then in the end, indeed, you will be successful.
