Inner Dimensions of the Prayer

Ibn al-Qayyim's Asrar al-Salah takes the reader through the stages of the prayer and the spiritual significance of each, set against the physical actions that carry submission and surrender. The book opens on a diagnosis rather than a rule: that masjids are running on the hollowness of their congregations and homes have gone dry of personal uplift, because of a distinct lack of understanding of what the prayer means and what it demands. The author identifies the impediments to reaching khushu', explains the wisdom behind the actions performed and the words prescribed, and adds a concise note on the psychological effect of listening to the Qur'an, drawing a comparison with music. Ninety-six pages from Dar as-Sunnah, in the pocket format these treatises are given here.