The 5 Types of People in Prayer - Shaykh Ahsan Hanif

Khutbah Opening

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

O people, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul, and created from it its mate, and spread among them many men and women. And fear Allah in Whom you ask for forgiveness and mercy. Verily, Allah is ever watching over you.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and say a firm word. He will amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has won a great triumph.

As for what follows: the best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guide is the guide of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And the worst of all things are newly-introduced matters, and every newly-introduced matter is an innovation, and every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

The Eternal Struggle with Shaytan

Shaytan made that pact before Allah — that he would misguide all of the children of Adam, except for the sincere slaves of Allah. From that moment onwards we have been in a constant struggle and fight with Shaytan. That's played out every single day, in many different ways and in many different scenarios. But one of the most continuous struggles that we face is the struggle that we face in our Ibadah.

It is hard enough — it is from the major struggles of the Jihad that we have to make every day — to motivate ourselves to worship Allah, to pray, to give Zakah, to fast. Each one of those can sometimes be difficult. And then not only that, but when you engage within the act of worship and you begin it, then to perform it and to complete it in a way that is pleasing to Allah, in a manner which is acceptable to Him, is also a struggle.

Because Shaytan doesn't just stop if a person starts to pray, if they start to read Qur'an, if they want to make Dhikr, if they want to give some Sadaqah. That's when he starts even more in some cases — his different tactics begin, in terms of diminishing a person's reward, or making sure that they don't take the full benefits and rewards of that act of worship that they want to perform.

I want to mention one of the greatest struggles that we have in terms of worship, and that is the Salah. Each and every single time you come to pray, whether it be in the Masjid or at home, whether it be an obligatory Salah or a voluntary Salah, whichever Salah it is, Shaytan is there to try to diminish that reward.

I want to mention to you a passage from the book of Ibn al-Qayyim, in which he speaks about the levels of people when it comes to the Salah, and he mentions that there are five types of people when it comes to the Salah. And these are very important, because most of us are unaware — or even if we're aware and we know that Shaytan is an enemy to us — in the middle of the Salah, we don't really pay attention, we're not alert to the different tactics of Shaytan, and his plans and plots.

The Five Types of People in Prayer

Type One: The One Who Does Not Fulfil the Conditions of Prayer

The worst of them — the first level — is that person who is going to pray, but he is not going to fulfil its conditions. He is going to pray, but he is not going to fulfil its obligatory components. He is going to pray and he has no khushu' in his Salah. He is going to pray just simply to tick a box, and to say that he prayed, but in reality he didn't really pray.

Like the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, told us in the hadith of Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, in Sahih Muslim — that is like the prayer of the munafiq, the hypocrite. He sits and he waits until the time of Salah is almost ending, and then he stands and he prays so quickly — up and down, up and down — he doesn't remember Allah, hardly anything in that Salah.

Or like the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to the man who didn't know how to pray — he came into the Masjid and he prayed, but he wasn't making ruku' correctly, didn't make sajdah correctly, didn't sit between the two sajdahs correctly, he was rushing his prayer. He would finish his prayer and he would come and give salam to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and the Prophet would reply, and then say to him:

"Go back and pray, for you did not pray." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 793; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 397)

The man prayed — meaning he did actions that we would look at and say, well, those are actions of Salah — but he didn't perform them correctly. Like the person who doesn't make wudu' correctly, they didn't fulfil the conditions of Salah. They come and they pray, but they didn't wash their feet properly, they didn't make wudu' and wash their arms correctly, or they missed out something else when it came to one of the conditions of the Salah.

And that is why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"The worst of people is the one who steals from his own prayer." (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 22642; Al-Hakim, Al-Mustadrak)

They said, "O Messenger of Allah, how can a person steal from his own Salah?" He said:

"He does not fulfil its ruku', and he does not fulfil its sujud."

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said about this first category of people: فَهُوَ مُعَاقَبٌ — this person will be punished for that, because he didn't really pray, even though he thinks that he prayed. That is how Shaytan has played with him — he is doing something and it doesn't even count. He didn't fulfil it in any one of its forms: neither its conditions, nor its obligations and pillars, nor in terms of the khushu' that he should have had in that Salah. So that person will be held to account and will be punished for that on Yawm al-Qiyamah.

Type Two: The One Who Prays but Is Barely Present

The second type of person when it comes to the Salah is the one who will pray at the correct time, and will make wudu' correctly, and will stand and whose Salah is acceptable in terms of fulfilling its basic components — but within that Salah, they are hardly present. Their mind is everywhere except in the Salah. They are busy and preoccupied because Shaytan has come and whispered to them, so now in their Salah all they're thinking about is their job, their family, what's for dinner, the chores they have to go and complete — everything except where they are in that Salah.

That's what Shaytan does. Shaytan comes and this person doesn't even realize, so he is not going to try to save his Salah. That whole Salah will finish, and he doesn't even know what he prayed. If you ask him, "What Surah did you hear the Imam recite, or what Surah did you read yourself in the Salah?" — he doesn't know. Did he pray two rak'ahs or three? He thinks he prayed three or four but he's not too sure. His mind is so absent in his Salah that he doesn't really realize what he did in that Salah. Very little quality.

And that is why in the hadith of Ammar ibn Yasir, may Allah be pleased with him, collected in the Sunan of Abu Dawud, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"A man may finish his prayer and have recorded for him only one tenth of it, or one ninth, or one eighth, or one seventh, or one sixth, or one fifth, or a quarter, or a third, or a half." (Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 796)

Because that's all that they remembered of it — that's all that they concentrated in it. That is from the traps of Shaytan, and how many of us fall into that trap. We're there, we're praying, we're present in body, but not in mind. We're performing the actions of Salah and saying the words, so it is fulfilled as a component. But in terms of its rewards and its benefits, in terms of the khushu' that should be present, that is all missing, all absent.

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said concerning this second category of person: فَهُوَ مُحَاسَبٌ — this person Allah will hold to account on Yawm al-Qiyamah. And he is in the hands of Allah. If Allah wills, He may forgive him. And if Allah wills, He may punish him. His affair is with our Lord. Because the Salah is not just about the outward actions and the words that you recite — it is about the state of the heart and how present it is in the Salah.

And that's why Allah in the Qur'an says:

Seek assistance in the prayer and in patience. And verily, it is indeed difficult — except for those who have khushu', attentiveness, in their Salah.

Type Three: The One Who Struggles and Fights Against Shaytan in Prayer

The third type of person when it comes to the Salah are those people who pray, and they do everything as they should, and they are even present in their Salah — but Shaytan will come at them time and time again. But the difference is this time they are alert and they are aware. So each time Shaytan comes and tries to take away their concentration, tries to distract them in their Salah, they are going to get distracted — but they are going to bring it back again. They are going to remind themselves. They are going to follow the Sunnah. They are going to seek Allah's protection from Shaytan.

Ibn al-Qayyim says that this person is not only in Salah, but in Jihad. They are in a constant fight and struggle in their Salah because they know what they need to do, and they are trying their utmost to do it — but Shaytan sometimes overcomes them and sometimes they overcome Shaytan. But they are aware and alert and trying their best.

And that is what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, told us in the hadith of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, in Sahih al-Bukhari — that when the Adhan is given, Shaytan flees from the Masjid. And when the Adhan finishes, he comes back. And then when the Iqamah is made, he flees from the Masjid again. But when the Iqamah is finished, he comes back. And then he comes to you and he whispers and he says:

"Remember this, remember that." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 608)

"Don't you remember what happened there? Think about this, think about that." And he will just come and whisper to you, whisper to you, until — the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says — the person doesn't even remember how much they prayed. And that is why the Prophet told us that if you forget how much you prayed or you are not sure of something, then make those two rak'ahs of Sajdat as-Sahw — the prostration of forgetfulness. He said:

"For verily it is a humiliation for Shaytan." (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 571)

Because that is one of the ways to suppress Shaytan. Shaytan didn't win. But that person is alert — they are aware of what Shaytan is trying to do. They are constantly in that struggle with Shaytan.

Most of us fall within these three categories — either we don't really know what we're doing in the Salah at all and we're not even praying correctly, or we're praying but we're not attentive in our Salah, or we're praying but we're in this constant struggle with Shaytan when it comes to the Salah.

This third person, Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said: فَهُوَ مُكَفَّرٌ عَنْهُ — this person Allah will expiate for them their weaknesses, because they are trying, they are making the effort, they have the intention, that sincerity, they are doing their level best — but sometimes they are overcome, and sometimes they overcome Shaytan. So Allah will expiate it for them.

Type Four: The One Who Prays with Complete Khushu' and Full Reward

The fourth type of person is the one who not only prays and does everything correctly and is attentive in their Salah, but now Shaytan has no power over them. Because they have made their Salah something which is between them and their Lord. They have taken away those distractions of the dunya. They understand the importance of the Salah, and so they approach each and every single Salah in a way that is pleasing to their Lord.

And that is an extremely difficult level to attain. It is one that takes months, if not years, of hard work and discipline and effort, and du'a to Allah that He helps you on that. But the reward of that is amazing. If you can be someone who can take out that 10–15 minutes every time there is a Salah and make it a quality Salah — most of us have experienced that, but just not often enough. We have it once in a while, maybe in Ramadan, maybe there's the odd Salah that you come to and you're there, and you're present for the whole of it, and you feel amazing. What we need to do is make sure that more salawat are like that.

In the hadith of Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, in Sahih Muslim, he said that no one comes to an obligatory Salah and perfects its wudu' — meaning the conditions before the Salah — and perfects its ruku' — meaning the components of the Salah — and perfects its khushu' — meaning they are attentive in it — except that it will expiate all of their sins that they did before that Salah, so long as they do not commit a major sin, and that will be for all of their life — meaning for every Salah you do that, you receive that reward.

And that's why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said that from one prayer to the next prayer, expiates everything in between. That's an amazing reward — those 10 minutes, but they are quality 10 minutes. That Salah you come to, and you know what it is that you are going to recite, and you are mindful, and you have planned, and you are prepared, and you have removed to the best of your ability any distraction that will diminish your Salah. You don't allow Shaytan any way to come in upon you.

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said this person is مُثَابٌ — this is the one who takes the true reward of the Salah. One of those benefits of the Salah that Allah mentions in the Qur'an:

Salah is something which will preserve you and protect you from sins, from evil. The many different rewards of the Salah — the expiation, the increase in reward, the multiplication of good deeds — those are the people who take the rewards of the Salah. That is the fourth type of person.

Type Five: The One Whose Heart Lives in the Prayer

The fifth type of person — and the best of them — is the one who all they want to do is be in Salah. They enjoy it. For them, it is not a burden, it is not a responsibility, it is not merely an obligation. For them, it is time that they can spend with their Lord. For them, it is everything. When they come to the Salah, nothing else matters. Everything else is insignificant. And they would love to spend as much time as they can in Salah.

So when they are in Dhuhr, they can't wait until 'Asr. And so in between Dhuhr and 'Asr, if they can make nawafil, they will do so. And when 'Asr comes, they can't wait until Maghrib, and so on and so forth. And then in the night, they will wake — they will struggle to get up, but they will wake up — and they will spend some of that time in Qiyam al-Layl. Just for the love of Salah.

As the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was — and this was his station, peace and blessings be upon him, when he came to Salah. He loved the Salah. And he would spend hours in the Salah. He could pray until his feet had blisters and he wouldn't even realize, peace and blessings be upon him. He would pray and he would read long Surah after long Surah — Al-Baqarah, Aal 'Imran, An-Nisa', and Al-Ma'idah — in a single rak'ah, peace and blessings be upon him. And some of the companions, learning from this, would complete the whole Qur'an in a single night of prayer. Because they loved the Salah.

Those people — those are the people for whom it is the enjoyment that they have of worshipping their Lord. Those are the people that have understood what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, found, and Allah gave them that blessing which is unique amongst His creation. It is rare amongst His creation that Allah allows you to take some of that and to act upon some of it. Those are the people that, as Ibn al-Qayyim said, have a unique portion. These are the people included in the hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in which he said, describing himself:

"And the coolness of my eyes has been placed in the prayer." (Sunan an-Nasa'i, Hadith 3940; Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 13722)

The coolness of my eyes — meaning the enjoyment of my dunya — is in the Salah. And that is why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, if something perturbed him, something worried him, he had anxiety about something — he would rush to the Salah. The Salah was everything for him, peace and blessings be upon him.

Those are the people that Shaytan finds no way to come upon, because they are protected and preserved by Allah's permission, and through the Salah that they offer in that manner.

A Call to Aspire

These are the five categories of people. And every one of us should be aspiring to reach, at the very least — the very least — category number four, if not category number five. May Allah give us the strength and the ability to do so.

Second Part of the Khutbah: Preparing for Ramadan

The reason why I mention this issue of Salah is because, as you know, very soon — within a number of days if not weeks — the month of Ramadan is upon us. It was from the practice of the Salaf that they would make du'a to Allah and ask Him that He gave them the ability and the life to see and witness the month of Ramadan. So we ask Allah on this blessed day, in this blessed Masjid, that Allah allows us to live and see Ramadan, that Allah allows us to benefit from it, that Allah allows us to make the most of this month of Ramadan.

We are in need of Ramadan. That is because we need to detox from the dunya — all of these issues, all of the problems, all of the distractions of the dunya that compound upon us each and every single day. Allah gives us this month so that we can unwire and detach ourselves from the dunya and focus upon what should be uppermost in the life of the Muslim — and that is the worship of Allah.

The quality of that worship is extremely important. The manner of your Salah in Ramadan. How much Qur'an you read, but also the quality of the Qur'an that you recite and read. Your fasting, but the quality of the fast that you perform in the month of Ramadan. The Sadaqah that you give, but the intention and the quality with which you give it. That is something that we should start focusing upon now.

It was the way of the Salaf that they would prepare for Ramadan. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would fast in the month of Sha'ban more than any other month outside of Ramadan, in preparation for Ramadan. Likewise, we have these two odd weeks left before the month of Ramadan comes — it is a time of preparation, a time for you to understand what it is that you are going to do when Ramadan comes. Because every moment, every day, every hour of Ramadan is precious.

Don't let Ramadan come upon you and have it take 2, 3, 5 days or a week before you realize what you want to do in Ramadan. Plan now for that first day, so that when the blessings of Allah descend upon us, it will be something from which you can take maximum benefit.

We ask Allah that He allows us to benefit from Ramadan and to see Ramadan, that He makes it a month of increase for us in reward and barakah, that Allah makes it a month of success and victory for the Muslims.