Do we really pray?

To know how well you have prayed and whether your prayers have been accepted or not, you have to weigh yourself against the following ayah (Verse) " and keep up the prayers,Verily the prayers restrain one from immorality and wrongdoing ..". It is clear from this verse that whoever performs his/her prayers in the prescribed manner will not be quick to disobey Allah. Prayers will guide someone towards good deeds and prevent against prohibited actions.  This begs the question do we really pray? do we just perform prayers like any other routine and thus fail to attain its enormous spiritual benefits? How many times do you see someone leaving the mosque after prayers and immediately embarking on a prohibited action just in front of the mosque. Actually we do many prohibited actions inside mosques these days.

Without dueling so much on our short comings when it comes to prayers, let us just remind ourselves two important aspects of prayers which will help us in reaping maximum benefits from our paryers in this world and in the hereafter Inshaalah.
a). Khushuu
Khushuu has been defined as a state of mind that contains serenity, tranquility, dignity and humility during prayer, which springs from one’s heart standing in front of Allah in humility and submission.
When describing the Muminuun (believers), Allah (SW) says " It is the believers who are successful: those who in their prayers are humble/submissive(khashioon)". Khushuu is one aspect of the prayer that we have taken for granted. We rarely have it in our prayers such that we hardly remember what we prayed. It is not something that comes all over a sudden and it has to be attained with practice. One has to put some effort and i just want to share with you some helpful tips that i came across sometimes back. These are just the starting points.
1. Perform your wudhuu (abulition) perfectly and slowly. wudhuu is the first part of the prayer and if its not done correctly then the prayer will not be complete.
2. Take some few minutes before the prayer to forget about worldly matters. Just think deeply and remind yourself that you are about to stand before Allah where you can directly talk to him. I am sure you always try to be in your best whenever you are about to meet an important person in life. Imagine you are about to meet Allah, how best should you do?
3. Recite verses and surah that you know their meaning or which you know well. Recite them slowly and try to absorb the meaning. If its an ayah that speaks of paradise and its good things, imagine yourself in it and how you need to work hard to attain it.
4. Do not rush out of the mosque immediately the prayer is over. Remain briefly and try to reflect on the prayer you have just performed. Do tasbih and dua as well.
4. Never forget to pray for yourslef and for your offsprings by receiting the ayah" Rabijalnii muqiima salati wa min dhuriyatii rabanaa wa taqabal dua"

b) Prayer timings
Prayers are meant to be performed during stipulated times. Whenever we fail to perform prayers at the right time chances are that we will perform them in a hurry and without proper concentration. The best way to achieve this is to ensure you perform prayers in the mosque.

Brothers and sisters, this is a reminder to me first and to you all.