THE ON GOING BATTLE!

This is what you needed to hear, a talk on guarding your connection with Allah through prayer. It says that salah is like a tree, when you focus and achieve the connection with Allah  this tree won't  fall easily when swayed by the strong wind or when knocked by a car. But the same salah could be like a weak tree that would fall any time if knocked because it was offered without concentration .You really want your salah to be that strong tree. You want to guard that connection with Allah. But you can't seem to feel it. 

After a few days you read this book that quotes the prophet S.A.W saying, " salah is the Isra wal Miraj of a believer ". It is that moment where you speak directly to your Creator.It is a chance for believers to experience spiritual ascension five times every day. 

The book even quotes on the dialogue you have with Allah when reciting Suratul Fatiha in prayer . 

اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَۙ‏ ﴿۱﴾

All praise and thanks to Allah who is the God of all the worlds. The most gracious, the most Merciful.

Allah replies: My slave has pleased me.

الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِيۡمِۙ‏ ﴿۲﴾

The most gracious, the most Merciful

Allah replies: My slave has Extolled Me. the only owner of the Day of Judgment.

مٰلِكِ يَوۡمِ الدِّيۡنِؕ‏ ﴿۳﴾ 

The only owner of the Day of Judgment

Allah replies: My slave has glorified Me.

اِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَاِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِيۡنُؕ‏ ﴿۴﴾

You Alone we worship and from you Alone we ask for help

Allah says: This is between Me and My slave and My slave shall get what he is asking for.

اِهۡدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الۡمُسۡتَقِيۡمَۙ‏ ﴿۵﴾  صِرَاطَ الَّذِيۡنَ اَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ۙ ﴿۶﴾  غَيۡرِ الۡمَغۡضُوۡبِ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا الضَّآلِّيۡنَ

Guide us to the straight way: the way of those on which You bestowed Your grace not the way of those who earned Your anger and who went astray

Allah replies: This is between Me and My slave and My slave shall get what he is asking for.

You promise yourself to think about this dialog while in prayer so that you can feel that connection with your Master. 

You are certain to connect with Allah based on all this information,it will just flow this time . You take ablution prior enough to keep your mind set for the meeting with the Lord of the Worlds. Once you stand on the prayer mat you don't even notice how you started thinking about your problems or perhaps the last post you uploaded . It's not really intentional, you really want to connect with Allah. Sadly, you probably can't remember  the raka’at you are in. 

You get up promising yourself not to be deceived by the devil again. But then it happens that he takes every chance. And when you sit down to reflect on your prayers, you  have countless sijdatu Sahwi. But you still push yourself to pray. 

When the caller calls people to success , your heart shrinks with emptiness, you don't think you are doing enough for the prayer.It feels like your prayer is some cardio exercise . But quiting the prayer is a no go zone. The punishment takes you out of this precious faith.Not to mention the specific door in hell (saqar) for those who don't pray. Anyway, you still drag your body to prayer. Hoping that one day you will feel that connection with Your Maker in that state of prayer. 

You keep on looking into YouTube and the world's information source (Google) for a video or article on how to stop being distracted in prayer.But it seems the concept of connecting with Allah in prayer is a process. It is also something to safeguard. It may be there today but lost tomorrow but you have to guard it. So the struggle is on going.And that thug called shaytan is still hanging around to steal that precious connection with your Lord. 

You have to keep trying because the prayer itself is awarded. Those who focus in their prayer achieve a higher percentage. Some get 10% some below that. So just as you try not to get below average in a math test, and you achieve the goal, you can also get above average in your salah.And you can also get an excellent score. 

It's a choice that is based on what you do before the prayer, how much you understand what you recite in prayer, and it's also a gift that you should ask from Allah.