SAEDEWS: Maintaining presence of mind and being free from worldly distractions while performing prayer is a personal matter. Each individual knows best which thoughts and concerns may prevent them from maintaining focus during prayer.
According to Saednews, Being fully attentive and spiritually present during prayer is very important. A person should strive and make a sincere effort to develop this state while praying. Someone who spends most of their life engaged in pointless activities, distractions, and entertainment may find it difficult to maintain concentration during prayer.
This is because whatever occupies a person's mind throughout the day can appear in their thoughts during prayer. The imaginative faculty, whose function is to create mental images, continues to bring those matters to mind. No matter how much a person tries to concentrate, unrelated thoughts, worries, and fantasies may suddenly arise and distract them.
On the other hand, a person who strives to make their actions and thoughts consistent with reason and religious teachings, and whose ultimate aim in everything they do is to seek the pleasure of God, can gradually develop the ability to protect themselves from distracting and unhealthy thoughts. Such a person can achieve greater presence of heart during prayer, and this eventually leads to a state of humility, reverence, and submission before God.
What can a person do—such as reciting a particular supplication or remembrance—to prevent their thoughts from wandering during prayer, especially during the Night Prayer (Tahajjud)? Despite making every effort, many people find that their minds become occupied with everyday problems and concerns. What should they do?
According to Hojjat al-Islam and Muslim scholar Hossein Ansarian, developing presence of heart requires several steps:
1. Practice and persevere.
Developing concentration during prayer requires consistent practice. Observe the conditions and habits that help create spiritual presence, and gradually this state will become easier to attain.
2. Make God greater in your heart and worldly matters smaller.
Develop enough spiritual understanding that worldly concerns become insignificant in comparison with God. When you are communicating with your Creator, no worldly matter should be powerful enough to draw your attention away from Him.
3. Reduce mental distractions.
Being involved in too many scattered and unrelated activities can make it difficult to concentrate. The more you are able to reduce distracting commitments and mental clutter, the easier it becomes to maintain focus during prayer and other acts of worship.
4. Choose an appropriate place for prayer.
The location where you pray can also affect your concentration. It is therefore recommended to avoid praying in places where objects or surroundings are likely to attract and occupy your attention.
5. Stay away from sin.
Avoiding sinful behavior is an important factor in developing spiritual presence. Sin can distance the heart from God and make it more difficult to maintain concentration during worship.
6. Understand the meaning of the prayer.
Learning the meaning of the words recited in prayer, as well as understanding the wisdom and purpose behind its movements and supplications, can greatly strengthen one's presence of heart.
7. Observe recommended practices and manners of prayer.
Following the recommended acts and etiquettes of prayer—both before the prayer begins and during the prayer itself—is encouraged and can help prepare the mind and heart for worship.
8. Be consistent and patient.
Above all, worship, like any other skill, requires discipline, practice, and persistence. If you continue following these practices for some time, concentration and presence of heart will gradually develop. If closing your eyes helps you concentrate better during prayer, there is no objection to doing so temporarily, until greater presence of heart becomes a natural habit.
