Bismihi Ta'ala

as-Salamu 'Alaykum

Just wanted to drop you a note to let you know how much I appreciate the booklet, Concentration in Prayer.

I believe it is the best work on Islamic Prayer I have read (outside of the "how-to-make-Salat" kinds of books).

I also believe it is a book that must be read and re-read several times a year. It is all too easy for us to become complacent, and that is when Shaytan inveigles his nonsense into our lives.

A few observations, if I may:

I think it is important for the person standing in Prayer to prepare him/herself - by that I mean, during the Adhan (call for prayer), I check to see that my shoulders and knees are relaxed. Sounds like a simple thing, but I have noticed people in prayer whose bodies are so tensed that they are adding stress, which detracts from the prayer experience.

Take one's time. It not only important to rest a moment between sujood (prostration), but before each step of prayer. Before I came to Shia, and I worshipped as a Sunni, I already knew the Hadith about being deliberate in one's prayer. Indeed, the prayer manuals I read all talked about juloos between sujood - Yet when I prayed in jama'a, there was never any "rest," and the congregation was on its feet before one could blink!

Pray slowly - This is not a content. Moreover, whose time is it? The person praying - or Allah, Who grants us existence in time.

I like to think of prayer as not just standing in the presence of Allah, but as a soldier standing before his officer giving a report. No soldier would slouch or be sloppy before his officer! And the report the person praying gives is an accounting of his sins.

Khushoo' is so necessary in prayer!

Thank you for listening.

May Allah reward you generously in this Dunya and the Akhira for the work you are doing.

Fi Aman Allah

Anwar Siraadj 'Ali al-Munir

Dear Jameel Bhai,

Salaam Alaykum!

Firstly - Mahe Ramadhan Mubarak - hope all is well with you!

Just wanted to let you know that your book "CONCENTRATION IN PRAYERS" is so excellent that we thought that all the families in our Mombasa Jamaat should have a copy and thus we took up 400 copies from Dar Tabligh in Tz for "Waqaf".

The above is just for your information - and we hope it was in order.

Please do remember us in your dua'as.

Warm regards,

Muslim Fazel.

Student Remarks About The Course