Thinking during salat.

I sometimes practice meditation i.e. just relaxing and experiencing the environment. It is possible to empty your mind and I find that in addition to doing what the other fantastic answers say, that this practice allows you to have a better control on praying.

asalaam aleykum

الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنْ صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ ﴿107:5﴾

(107:5) but are heedless in their Prayers, *9

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*9 The words used are an-salat-i him sahun and not fi salat-i-him sahum.

In case the words fi salat-i him had been used, the meaning would be that they forget in the course of their Prayer.'

But forgetting in the course of the Prayer is no sin in the eyes of the Shari ah, nothing to say of its being hypocrisy, nor is it a fault or anything blameworthy. The Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) himself sometimes forgot in the Prayer a nd to compensate for it he prescribed the method of sajdah sahv. On the contrary,an salat-i-him sahum means that they are neglectful of their Prayer. Whether they perform the Prayer, or do not perform it, it is of little importance to them. They are not regular at the Prayers. When they perform it, they do not observe the prescribed times, but offer it carelessly at the eleventh hour. Or, when they rise up for the Prayer, they rise up soullessly and perform it with an unwilling heart, as if it were a calamity imposed on them. They play with their garments, yawn and betray absence of every trace of Allah's remembrance in their hearts. Throughout the Prayer they show no feeling at all that they are performing the Prayer, nor of what they are reciting; their minds wander and they perform articles of the Prayer without due attention; they somehow perform a semblance of the Prayer and try to be rid of it as soon as ,possible. And there are many people who would perform the Prayer only when they must, otherwise the Prayer has no place in their lives. The Prayer time comes but they show no concern that it is the Praver time; they hear the call to the Prayer but do not understand what the caller is calling to, whom he is calling and for what purpose. These in fact are the signs of absence of faith in the Hereafter. The claimants to Islam believe thus only because they do not believe that they would be rewarded for performing the Prayer, nor have the faith that they would be punished for not performing it. On this very basis, Hadrat Anas bin Malik and Ata bin Dinar say: "Thanks to God that he said 'an salat-i-him and not fi salat-i -him. That is, we do forget in the course of the Prayer but we are not forgetful and neglectful of it; therefore, we shall not be counted among the hypocrites." The Qur'an at another place has described this state of the hypocrites, thus: "They come to offer their Prayer but reluctantly, and they expend in the way of Allah with unwilling hearts." (At-Taubah: 54). The Holy Messenger of Allah has said: "This is the Prayer of the hypocrite; this is the Prayer of the hypocrite; this is the Prayer of the hypocrite ! He watches the sun at theAsr time until when it reaches between the two horns of Satan (i.e. when the time of sunset 'approaches), he gets up and performs the Prayer carelessly, in which he remembers Allah but little." (Bukhari, Muslim, Musnad Ahmad) Mus'ab bin Sad has related from his father, Hadrat Sad bin Abi Waqqas: "When I asked the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) about the people who are neglectful of their Prayer, he said: "These are the people who perform their Prayers when the prescribed time for it has passed." (Ibn Jarir, Abu Ya'la, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn abI Hatim, Tabarani in Ausat; Ibn Marduyah, Baihaqi in As-Sunan. This tradition has been related as a statement of Hadrat Sad himself also as a mauquf hadith and its sanad is stronger. Its being a marfu' narration of the saying of the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace). has been regarded as weak by Baihaqi and Hakim). Another tradition from Hadrat Mus'ab is that he asked his father: "Have you considered this verse? Does it mean giving up the Prayer, or wandering of one's attention in the course of the Prayer?-Who among us has not his attention divided? He replied: No, it implies wasting the prescribed time of the Prayer and performing it when its time has elapsed." (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Shaibah, Abu Yala, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Marduyah, Baihaqi in As-Sunan): Here, one should understand that coming of other thoughts in the mind in the course of the. Prayer is one thing and bing unmindful of the Prayer and thinking other things during it quite another. The first state is a natural human weakness. Other thoughts do interfere without intention, and as soon as a believer 'feels that his attention is wandering from the Prayer. he gathers it and brings it back to the Prayer. The other state is of being neglectful of the Prayer, for in it man only goes through an exercise of the Prayer mechanically, he has no intention of the remembrance of God in his heart. From the commencement of the Prayer till its completion his heart is not turned towards God even for a moment, and he remains engrossed in the thoughts with which he entered the Prayer.

http://www.tafheem.net/tafheem.html

Salam,

Masha'Allah may Allah reward you for your effort because your are concern about your Salah as you want to please Allah and none other then a believer thinks this way,

As for your case you are in a state of what we call Jihad and that is your fighting against the shaitan who whispers when your in Salah and you are rewarded for it as Allah says, [Did I not enjoin upon you, O children of Adam, that you not worship Satan - [for] indeed, he is to you a clear enemy] [36 v69] also says, [And that you worship [only] Me? This is a straight path] [36 v61]

The cure for this is that the Prophet [saw] have said when you get this thoughts in Salah seek refuge with Allah and spit lightly on your left side three times after that the shaitan will run away and will not return Insha'Allah. Allah knows best.

Salam brother!! I am also experiencing the same thing some times!! I think you should first check your intention! Prayer is the most important time where you meet Allah the most merciful. We should cleanse our mind of all things and only think of meeting God before starting the prayer. You should concentrate your sight to the point where you prostrate your head upon at all times coz its a sunnah!

I hope this helps! :D

it is normal but u must do your best to concentrate on your prayer. I remeber a story that the prophet brought to peices of clothes and told Ali that if he could concentrate on his prayer without thinking of anything else, he would give him the precious peice. But when Ali was praying in the 2nd rak3a, he thought of the two peice of clothes and the one he want. When he finished, he told the prophet. The prophet smiled and told him that shytan made him think of this.... Shytan always take this chance to make humans think of otherthings, even make them remember things they tried to remember... It is a usual thing most of us do. But we must do our best not to think of any thing except Allah....