Achieving Khushu' in Prayer Starts with Proper Wudu

Normatively, the value of a person's prayer is measured by the level of khushu' (devotion and concentration) they have during the prayer. A prayer performed without khushu' is like an empty barrel—it may appear full from the outside, but in reality, it contains nothing. It lacks its essence. The soul of the prayer itself is khushu'. The more khushu' a person has in their prayer, the greater its weight and value.

There is often a misconception that the "content" is more important than the "barrel." Some might argue that if someone is able to concentrate and remember Allah without actually performing prayer, then they are allowed to skip it. This is clearly incorrect. Such a statement contradicts the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

After receiving the revelation commanding prayer, the Prophet never abandoned it, except during the Fajr prayer on the 27th of Rajab, after the night of Isra' Mi'raj. This was because the Angel Jibril had not yet taught him how to perform the prayer properly.

Thus, it is clear that even though the Prophet—whose level of khushu' was the most perfect—still performed prayer consistently, then how could his followers be excused from it?

Being able to perform prayer, especially with khushu', is a tremendous blessing. Allah says in the Qur’an:

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ، الَّذِينَ هُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِمْ خَاشِعُونَ 

Indeed, successful are the believers. Those who are humble in their prayers."

(*Al-Mu’minun: 1–2*)

The main purpose of Allah’s command when the Prophet was taken on the Isra’ and Mi’raj journey was to assign the duty of performing the five daily prayers.

After that, conditions and pillars of prayer were established, one of which is that a person must be in a state of purity—free from both major and minor impurities. This creates a cause-and-effect relationship: if a person’s ablution (wudu) or ritual bath is valid, then their prayer is valid. Conversely, if the wudu is invalid, then the prayer is also invalid.

Spiritually, Imam Asy-Sya’rani stated that the level of concentration in prayer is determined by the level of khushu' present in one's wudu. And this has been proven true.

In conclusion, wudu plays a very important role in the validity and quality of a person's prayer. If the wudu is not valid, the prayer is not valid. If the wudu is not performed with focus and sincerity, the prayer too will lack khushu'.