What Is the Meaning of Khushu’ (Humility) and Its Importance? – Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad

Answered By Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad

Question

What is the meaning of khushu‘ (humility) and its importance?

Answer

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. Blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, his Family, and his Companions.

Khushu’ (Humility)

Khushu’ is the presence of the heart and stillness of the limbs, where the servant performs his prayer, understands its meanings, tastes the sweetness of worship, sees Allah, and converses with Him in his prayer. Tranquility descends upon him, and he feels humility, submission, and dependence on the Creator. He becomes emotionally affected and interacts with the act of worship in prayer. Allah (Most High) says:

“Successful indeed are the believers: those who humble themselves in prayer.” [Quran, 23:1-2]

Ibn ‘Abbas said: “They are fearful and still.” Qatada said: “Khushu‘ in the heart means fear and lowering the gaze during prayer.”

Definition of Khushu‘

Linguistic Definition: Khushu‘ in the language means submission and stillness. Allah (Most High) says: “On that Day all will follow the caller (for assembly), (and) none will dare to deviate. All voices will be hushed before the Most Compassionate. Only whispers will be heard.” [Quran, 20:108], meaning: they will be still.

Terminological Definition: Khushu‘ is the state of the heart standing before the Lord with submission and humility.

Essence of the Khushu‘

Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (Allah have mercy on him) said: “The essence of khushu‘ is the softness, gentleness, stillness, submission, and the brokenness of the heart. When the heart is humble, all the limbs and organs follow in humility because they are its followers. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Indeed, there is a piece of flesh in the body, if it becomes good (reformed), the whole body becomes good; but if it gets corrupted, the whole body gets corrupted. Verily, it is the heart.” [Bukhari; Muslim] [Ibn Rajab, al-Khushu‘]

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to seek refuge in Allah from a heart that does not have khushu‘. When he prayed, a sound like the boiling of a pot could be heard from his chest due to his weeping. His prayer at night was a marvel due to his deep humility and devotion.

The righteous predecessors were extremely keen on khushu‘ in their prayers. They revered it greatly and advised each other regarding it.

Mujahid said: “A scholar, when he stood for prayer, would fear the Most Merciful so much that he would not let his gaze wander to anything or occupy his mind with worldly matters.”

Mujahid also said: “When Zubayr stood in prayer, he would be like a stick, and it was said that Abu Bakr was like that too.”

Muslim Ibn Yasar would not turn around during his prayer. One side of the mosque collapsed, causing panic in the market, but he did not even turn around.

Ali Ibn al-Husayn, when he finished his ablution for prayer, would tremble and shiver. When asked about this, he replied, “Woe to you! Do you know before Whom I stand and Whom I intend to converse with?”

It is disliked for a person to feign khushu‘ while his heart is heedless and distracted. Abu Darda said:

“Seek refuge with Allah from the khushu’ of hypocrisy.” When asked what that was, he replied: “That you see the body showing khushu‘ while the heart is not.”

When ‘Umar (Allah be pleased with him) saw a man lowering his neck in prayer, he struck him with a stick and said: “Woe to you! Khushu‘ is in the heart.”

Fudayl Ibn ‘Iyad said: “It was disliked that a person be seen showing more khushu‘ than what is in his heart.” These reports refer to pretension, not true khushu‘.

One of the virtues of khushu‘ is that it makes prayer easy and light for the servant. It becomes his comfort, solace, and delight in this world, acting as a balm for his soul, without feeling any difficulty in performing it, and it passes quickly without him realizing it. On the other hand, the heedless and distracted person finds prayer burdensome and heavy, feeling restless even during short prayers. Allah (Most High) says:

“And seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, it is a burden except for the humble.” [Quran, 2:45]

One of the greatest virtues of khushu‘ is that the reward and merit of the prayer are determined by the level of khushu‘ and mindfulness. ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Anama said: “I saw ‘Ammar Ibn Yasir enter the mosque and pray quickly. When he finished, I approached him and said: ‘O Abu Yaqzan, you prayed quickly.’ He replied: ‘Did I diminish any of its essential parts?’ I said: ‘No.’ He said: ‘I hastened to avoid the distractions of Satan. I heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) say: “A servant may pray, and only a tenth, ninth, eighth, seventh, sixth, fifth, fourth, third, or half of it is written for him.”’” [Ahmad; Ibn Hibban; Nasa’i]

Ibn ‘Abbas said: “You only have from your prayer what you are mindful of.”

Many of us today complain about the lack or absence of khushu‘, performing prayer with mere mechanical movements, devoid of spirit and joy, even if outwardly appearing pious and sound. This is a deficiency and ailment that pains the believer, causing sorrow and regret. Hudhayfa (Allah be pleased with him) said:

“The first thing you will lose from your religion is khushu‘, and the last thing you will lose from your religion is the prayer.” [Hakim; ‘Abd al-Razzak; Ibn Abi Shayba]

We ask Allah to grant us complete khushu‘ in our prayers, so we may be among the successful and victorious. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the Responsive.

[Shaykh] Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad

Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad, born in Damascus, Syria, in 1965, pursued his Islamic studies in the mosques and institutes of Damascus. A graduate of the Islamic University of Medina in 1985, he holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from Bahauddin Zakariya University in Pakistan.

He has extensive experience developing curricula and enhancing the teaching of various academic courses, including conducting intensive courses. Shaykh Awad has taught Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Quranic sciences, the history of legislation, inheritance laws, and more at several institutes and universities such as Al-Furqan Institute for Islamic Sciences and Majma‘ al-Fath al-Islami in Damascus.

He is a lecturer at the Sultan Muhammad al-Fatih Waqf University in Istanbul, teaching various Arabic and Islamic subjects, and teaches at numerous Islamic institutes in Istanbul. Shaykh Awad is a member of the Association of Syrian Scholars, a founding member of the Zayd bin Thabit Foundation, a member of the Syrian Scholars Association, and a member of the Academic Council at the Iman Center for Teaching the Sunna and Quran.

Among his teachers from whom he received Ijazat are his father, Shaykh Muhammad Muhiyiddin Awad, Shaykh Muhiyiddin al-Kurdi, Shaykh Muhammad Karim Rajih, Shaykh Usama al-Rifai, Shaykh Ayman Suwaid, Shaykh Ahmad al-Qalash, Shaykh Muhammad Awwama, and Shaykh Mamduh Junayd.