Maintain a clean and quiet corner in your home dedicated for prayer.
Memorize your favourite surahs from the Qur’an and recite these in your prayers.
It is considered closer to the Sunnah for women to pray at home, though they may pray alongside other women, behind the men, in the masjid if they choose to.
Closely following the Islamic dress code is an act of worship. For salah, men and boys should cover their head with a cap and women and girls should extend their hijab to cover their hands. Look into performing additional sunnah and nafl (voluntary) prayers and commit to making these part of your daily routine if you are able.
Use the ritual of wudhu (ablution) to help you prepare your mind for the upcoming salat. Praying two rak’ah after wudhu is a sunnah.
Draw your focus towards Allah and nothing but Allah, the One that has created and maintains us, the One that will decide whether we enter Jannah (heaven) or Jahannam (Hellfire).
Women may wear a special prayer abaya, designed to be easily put on for salah.
Try to vary which surahs you recite during your salat, as this helps to keep them fresh and special. Make sure that you recite with correct pronunciation (tajweed) as well as passion.
Avoid praying solely for your own benefit, for showing off to others about the strength of your faith or to get your mind off things. Remember that completing the five daily prayers has been prescribed for the simple reason that Allah has decided that this is best for us. Remember that Allah originally prescribed 50 prayers every day until agreeing through His mercy to reduce it to just 5 when asked by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Remember that self-discipline is a characteristic of all good Muslims and the discipline of salah should be extended throughout our lives to help us stay within Allah’s limits.
Pray every salah as if it is your last, for it may be just that, and never forget the importance of completing it on time. Pray with a feeling of awe and submission to Allah.
Adopt your own way of reciting aloud, but softly without disturbing others. Make the required movements slowly and carefully as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be unto him) has taught. Pay attention to the contact points when in prostration (sujood). When in sujood a beautiful feeling of complete submission to Allah’s will should be experienced, which should be used to help develop a feeling of closeness to Allah.
A’udhu billahi minash shaitaan nirrajeem Remember that Shaitaan’s mission is to separate us from Allah and that one of his favorite tactics to do this is to try to make us lose concentration in salah. Never forget that Hellfire (Jahannam) is the destiny of those who do not pray correctly, in the way that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has taught us.
Plan out your personal duas beforehand and make sure that you leave sufficient time to say them all.
Allahumma a ‘inni ‘ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husn ‘ibadatika “O Allah, help me in remembering You, in thanking You and in worshiping You in the best way. "
Allahumma antas salamu wa minkas salam, tabarakta ya dhal jalaali wal Ikram (O Allaah You are the Flawless One, and from You comes peace and security. Exalted are You, O Possessor of Majesty and Honour) Subhan Allah “Exalted is Allah” (33 times), Alhamdullilah “Praise to God” (33 times), Allahu Akbar “God is the Greatest” (34 times)
Spending a few moments after each salat contemplating the reality of the Fire will drive you towards the obedience of Allah and away from sin. Remember that Allah has prepared the Fire for those that refuse to believe in Him or to live their lives in the way that He has prescribed. Never forget that only Allah can save us from the Fire, so we must obey Him and place all our hope in Him. There are many passages throughout the Qur’an describing the Hellfire, for example it’s inhabitants, levels, entrances, food, drink and punishments, which every Muslim should familiarize themselves with,
Allah humma salli ‘ala muhammadin wa’ala ali muhammadin,kama sal’layta ‘ala ibraheema wa’ala ali ibraheema innaka hameedum majeed. Allah humma baraka ‘ala muhammadin wa’ala ali muhammadin, kama barak ta ‘ala ibraheema wa ‘ala ali ibraheema innaka hameedum majeed O Allah, let Your Blessings come upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have blessed Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have blessed Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. Repeat durood as many times as you can every day as it will bring great reward.
Make dua praising Allah, acknowledging his wisdom, power and majesty, and thanking Him for His blessings, especially for bringing you to Islam. Ask Allah to strengthen your faith and for help with any specific difficulties you or your family, friends or others may be experiencing. Implore Allah to inspire and help you to acquire religious knowledge (ilm) and grow your connection with the Qur’an. Acknowledge each and every one of your sins, however seemingly small, sincerely promise not to repeat them, ask Allah for forgiveness and protection from punishment. Always remember that our only hope for forgiveness lies with Allah, but only those who truly repent will receive His mercy.
Organise your daily routine around the five salah times, rather than trying to squeeze them in when you can. Always be prompt with your salah and say them at the start of the appointed time. Consider what other acts of worship will help you develop your relationship with Allah, for example, voluntary prayers, reciting the Qur’an, dhikr (remembrance of Allah), fasting and Islamic study. Work these into your schedule around the five salah. The stronger your daily routine of worship, the easier you will find it to concentrate during salah, the more rewards you will accumulate and the easier time you will have on the Day of Judgement. The natural state of mind for every Muslim should be an awareness of Allah’s constant presence combined with a fear of incurring His displeasure. The Qur’an warns of severe punishment for those who neglect their salah and pursue their lust.
Study the Shariah and try to understand the rationale for the laws set out by Allah in the Qur’an and Sunnah, as well as the penalties (hudud) that are prescribed to deter us from straying anywhere near to sin. Learn to control your worldly desires, which include love of wealth, greediness, lust (outside of marriage) and jealousy. Instead commit yourself to a life in the service of Allah within the limits that He has set. Thoughts of the Afterlife should always be uppermost in your mind - every choice you make should be based on whether it will help you to reach Jannah (Heaven) or leads to Jahannam (Hellfire).
If your employer refuses to accommodate you and no solution can be found, then it may be necessary to take legal action or seek alternative employment, perhaps in an Islamic environment. Although it can be hard for young children to concentrate, they should be taught about the need for khushoo soon after they start learning salah at age 7 and may need to be disciplined after age 10 if they are neglectful with their prayer, just as Prophet Muhammad (peace be unto him) has taught us.
Read the morning adhkar prescribed by Prophet Muhammad (peace be unto him) every day between Fajr and sunrise. Allow 30 minutes or so in the evening before bed to say the evening adhkar, recite Surah al-Mulk, and making extensive dua to Allah. Establishing a strong and consistent daily routine of worship based around the five fardh salah is the key to improving khushoo. Praying tahajjud (the voluntary night prayer) is considered by many to be the key to establishing consistency in the fardh salah.
Always prioritize seeking the pleasure of Allah above all else. Thoughts of Allah are never far away from the mind of a good Muslim. Even activities such as sexual intimacy within a halal marriage are considered acts of worship if they are undertaken with the right intention, for example to grow the Ummah, rather than for selfish reasons. Use the hours spent engaged in routine tasks such as cooking, cleaning, traveling or shopping to make dhikr. Continuous recitation of beautiful phrases such as “SubhanAllah wal hamdulillah, wa la ilahaillAllah wa Allahu akbar” is one of the acts of worship most beloved by Allah. Listening to Surah Bakarah recited in a beautiful voice is a great way to bring peace and tranquility to the home. “Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction. “[9] X Research source
