Central Khutbah: “Fix your prayer, and everything will be fixed”

Having someone we can always rely on is a deep human need. However, there are inner voids and longings that no created being can fill. Only the Creator can do so. He is the One who grants every blessing to a person, even if it is only a drop of water. A person is strong in proportion to the strength of his bonds. The bond with Allah, the Most High, is the noblest and strongest of all bonds. If it is not so, then in reality it is not a bond at all. In this relationship, a person must be present with both heart and body.

That is why prayer (ṣalāt) is the clearest and most sincere form of this bond. Allah, the Most High, says:
“Successful indeed are the believers, those who are humble in their prayer” (Al-Mu’minūn, 1–2).
Prayer is the path to fulfilling the deepest human needs. It is a conversation with the Lord of this world and the Hereafter. It is especially powerful when it is performed in the houses of Allah, in congregation. Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “Whoever performs the five daily prayers in congregation has filled the land and the sea with worship” (Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’, 2/162).

However, not every prayer represents the same bond. People may stand in the same row, perform the same prayer, yet the difference between their prayers can be immense. Ḥasan al-Kirmānī, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “People pray the same prayer together, but the difference between their prayers is like the difference between the heavens and the earth. That is because one is humble and attentive, while the other is negligent” (Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’, 6/71).

Allah, the Most High, has given a special warning against prayer that is devoid of inner presence. Speaking about the hypocrites, He says:
“Indeed, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but it is He who deceives them. When they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, showing themselves to people, and they remember Allah only a little” (An-Nisā’, 142).
Here, it is not about those who abandon prayer, but about those who perform it without heart, without sincerity, and without a true bond.

For this reason, sincere believers feared hypocrisy precisely in their prayer. Jubayr ibn Nufayr reported that he used to hear Abū ad-Dardā’, may Allah be pleased with him, frequently seeking refuge from hypocrisy at the end of the prayer. When he was asked what hypocrisy had to do with him, Abū ad-Dardā’ replied: “Leave me alone. By Allah, a person can lose his faith in a single moment” (Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalā’, 6/383).

Prayer leaves its mark on a person’s heart and character. Deficiencies in prayer give rise to deficiencies in behavior. If arrogance, harshness, or roughness appear in a person, this often indicates a shortcoming in his prayer. One of its greatest fruits is humility. Allah, the Most High, says:
“Their marks are on their faces from the traces of prostration” (Al-Fatḥ, 29).
This mark is not physical, but spiritual—it is the sign of humility and reverent submission.

If one notices laziness toward prayer in oneself or in one’s children, then one should return to the supplication of Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him):
“My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and [also] from my descendants. Our Lord, accept my supplication” (Ibrāhīm, 40).

The heart always responds to the state of the prayer. As the prayer is, so is what is shaped within a person. That is why the scholars said that before purifying the place of prayer, one must purify the intention and the heart. It is reported that Ḥudhayfa and Salmān, may Allah be pleased with them, asked a woman whether the place was clean for prayer. She replied: “Purify your heart, then pray wherever you wish.” They looked at one another and said: “She has understood the religion” (Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shayba, 35819).

Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that people differ in their prayer. Some are negligent and disregard its limits. Others preserve its outward form, but their hearts are occupied with thoughts. Others struggle against whisperings, and for them both the prayer and the struggle are recorded. Others fully uphold the rights of the prayer. And some have hearts completely turned toward Allah, without veils or distractions. The difference between these people in prayer is greater than the difference between the heavens and the earth. The first will be punished, the second held back for reckoning, the third will have their sins turned into good deeds, the fourth will be rewarded, and the fifth will be in closeness to their Lord (Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Al-Wābil aṣ-Ṣayyib).

Such a prayer transforms a person. The heart that is purified from heedlessness and showing off in prayer finds serenity. When such a servant raises a supplication, Allah opens for him the doors of help. It is reported that Isḥāq ibn ʿAbbād al-Baṣrī helped a person in distress after Allah moved him through prayer, and the distressed person said to him: “I seek help from the One who brought you out of your house and led you to me” (Rasā’il Ibn Rajab, 3/128).

Prayer is our strongest bond. It is rest for the weary, comfort for the sorrowful, and strength for the weak. When this bond is repaired, everything else in a person’s life is repaired as well.

(Central khutbah by the religious leader Hafiz Hilmija Redžić on December 26, 2025, at the “Centre Islamique Gazi Isa-beg” in Esch-sur-Alzette)