 And notice the human being, put him with his attitude watching a soccer match or a football match. 90 minutes, his attitude can be like a zombie where no one can interrupt him. Put him five minutes with Allah SWT, he doesn't have the discipline to stay on concentration. The first step of concentration in Salah and the technique to be used in the 21st century without a doubt is about your attitude in approaching Salah. We know very well that psychologists have said when a human being wants to complete a task, 70% of completion depends on attitude and 30% on intellect. What do we mean? We mean if you think about any task you've sought to perform in your life, it's not so much about your intellect, it's about your attitude before the task. If you noticed when we were at college, there were certain students at college who you would find were geniuses. But their attitude was so arrogant that sometimes those less smart than them got higher grades than them. Why? The genius approaches the class with what? 70% attitude, 30% intellect. You find he is more 70% intellect, 30% attitude. His attitude is all over the place. When he comes to class, he's not interested in learning. He is interested in finishing the class and coming to the exams at the end of the year. We find however that the person who's not a genius but his attitude is correct is managing to achieve the highest grades. The same applies to Salah without a doubt. Why? Because with Salah, the first step to concentrating in your Salah is reflecting on your attitude before you approach Salah. What do I mean? Notice in this mosque, if you look at the building of the mosque, in the main Mosalah, there is something called a Mihrab, isn't there? The Mihrab comes from the word Harb. Harb means war. You ask yourself a question. Why would Allah SWT name a certain part of a mosque the area of war? It's because the Mihrab is you entering a war with shaitan. The first step of an attitude in concentrating before Salah is that your attitude is I'm very well that there is definitely a battle today. Those of you who approach any sport know there's a battle. You psych yourself up and are ready for the opponent. With the attitude when it comes to concentrating in Salah, I know that that Mihrab means I'm in a Harb with shaitan. And that my attitude has to be that if my prayer is five minutes, let me see how many of those five minutes my mind doesn't waver anywhere else. Because if my mind does waver anywhere else, he's defeated me in the Harb. Whereas if for five minutes and notice the human being, put him with his attitude watching a soccer match or a football match, 90 minutes his attitude can be like a zombie where no one can interrupt him. Put him five minutes with Allah SWT. He doesn't have the discipline to stay on concentration. Why? Because his attitude approaching Salah isn't an attitude that I'm really benefiting. The attitude is I'm praying this because I heard if you don't pray this, you're going to burn in hell one day. So I want to stay away from hell. Amir al-Mumin used to say there are three types of worshipers. There is the one who worships you out of fear of hell. That's the worship of a slave. There is the one who worships you because he wants heaven. That's the worship of a businessman. Then there's the one who worships you because even if there's no heaven or hell, he recognizes he becomes free through worshiping you. Notice there for the Quran say, the Quran said there are two types of people you see who when they approach Salah will never achieve concentration. The first of them, Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim, the Quran says, Ya ayyuhal ladina aaminu la taqrabus salata wa antum sukara. Do not approach Salah in a state of intoxication. Intoxication means what? We said that intoxication could mean alcohol. Imam al-Nasa'i used to state what? He used to say that Abdul Rahman ibn Awf one day when he led Salah while in a state of intoxication, the verse was revealed about him that do not approach Salah while you are drunk. Would you believe that some people say, well, we are Muslims and we don't drink? In the Middle East, there are certain Arab countries where you'll find certain Arabs who'll go out on a night of partying. He'll party and he'll party and he'll party and he'll have enough drink. Then, Masha'Allah, he comes to pray Salat al-Fajr on the mosque. When he comes to pray Salat al-Fajr on the mosque, you look at him and you say, well, what are you doing in the mosque? He replies by saying, well, I've come to pray to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta'ala. You say too much. You've come and the Quran says, don't approach in a state of intoxication. Why not? Because in a state of intoxication, you'll never be able to concentrate. Will you? That intoxication, the Quran went a step further by saying, do not approach Salah while antum kusala. Kusala means what? Don't approach Salah in a state of laziness. I find it ironic that there are people who pray after work, not at work. You find that the Quran said, don't approach Salah while you are lazy. Why? Because the first step in concentration in Salah is your attitude. On a night like this, a man said, when he was struck, fuztu wa rabbil ka'bah. I have won by the Lord of the Ka'bah. Do you know why? Because in the mihrab of the war with shaitan, Ali ibn Abi Talib won. Many times when you know your killer is around, you can't concentrate, can you? So now you've got two enemies, shaitan and ibn muljam. But if your attitude is a perfect attitude and you've mastered your disciplines, then you find that the son of Abu Talib, when he struck, he says fuztu, you know I've won. You know they try to take my mind away with their behavior, but I've won because the only time he could kill me is in the Salah. Therefore, the first area is attitude. The second area of concentration in Salah and a key development, do I believe there are benefits in the Salah for me? Or no? If you go to a Muslim today, you ask, what's the benefits of Salah? What do you benefit? He said, do you know what I benefit in this thing? I heard that it's obligatory, so I do it. When you answer like that, there's no way you'll concentrate. Why? Because when a human being performs a task, if he believes there's a benefit psychologically, you'll see that he'll make sure he performs it in the best of way. If he doesn't see any benefits behind the task, he doesn't perform the task properly. When a non-Muslim asks you today, what's the benefit behind Salah? You can't simply reply by saying, Allah ordered me to pray Salah. The main benefit, the first one behind Salah was what? It builds humility in an otherwise arrogant creation. This human being will never bow down to anyone. Never. If you ask a human, put your head down on the ground to anyone, he'll say, what? Who would you think you are, me bowing before you? Allah needed something where the human being remembered that one day he came from clay, and that there'll be another day when he returns to clay. So it's good for him to go down five times a day and remember where he came from. The same man who died on this night used to say, mankind, you came from a drop of semen and you leave as a piece of dust. You don't know when you came and you don't know when you're going. So why do you walk around like you know everything? You know, sometimes the human has to chill out. He has to calm down because some human beings, you see him as like a peacock walking on the earth. Peacock. You tell him, excuse me, calm down. What's wrong with you? You are nothing on this earth. Nothing. There'll be a day when you can't control even when the angel of death comes, and you're going to take your soul away. Amir al-Mumir used to say, look at the peacock. It's the most insecure animal. Why? Arrogant people are always insecure about something in their life. So what you find with the peacock, Imam al-Nahj al-Balaq says, you see when a peacock stretches its feathers, it wants you to look at what? It wants you to look at what? It wants you to look at its feathers because it's insecure about its skinny legs. The peacock has got such skinny legs. It doesn't want you to focus on them. So the peacock says, look at my colors. Look at my colors because it's insecure about its legs. Likewise, Salah was introduced. Why? To bring humility into us. That when you approach Salat al-Duhur, what you really want to think in your head is Ya Allah. I want to pray because if it's making me more humble and I know you love the humble, then Ya Allah allow me to pray more and more and more towards you. Our fourth Imam used to say, if you knew how much reward you were receiving while you're in Sujood, you'd never lift your head from Sujood. Never. You're in that ultimate level. And the Arabs, as I said a couple of nights ago, why did the Arabs not pray their Salah? The Arabs, when they didn't join Islam, they used to say, Muhammad, are you saying that our backside will be higher than our head? Because the arrogant creation will never accept his backside being higher than his head. Whereas really the first benefit of Salah to us as Muslims, where we hold on to it and really want to concentrate in it, is that number one, it makes us humble human beings. Number two, and the next step in concentration is that it teaches us the discipline of time because punctuality is the greatest and most important of attributes. All of us who work here know very well, without punctuality, you cannot call yourself a human being. You will never survive in this world without being punctual. So Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala wanted to teach us you want to concentrate in this prayer that Salat was on the believers on the website. The prayers have been set at times for the believers. Notice the Quran, what does it say? It says, if Salat al-Zuhar is at 115, don't pray it at 745. You'll never concentrate properly. If Salat al-Maghrib is at 730, don't pray it at 1145. You'll never concentrate properly. The third essence to concentrating in Salat is test yourself by doing the following practical example. Your timetable at home and just stick it on your fridge if you want to. Sometimes we stick these things on our fridge. Stick your timetable on a fridge. Write down Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Fajr, Zuhar, Asr, Maghrib, Asha. Take the boxes of how many of them you prayed on time that week. Then you'll notice why you're lacking concentration in Salat because there are some people that they truly take those boxes. We'll find there's not many times they take any of them because Allah SWT wanted to teach us if you can master praying on time and you have that much love for being punctual on time, then I'll provide you with the light that allows you to remove Shaytan's was-wasa in Salat. Notice, if I know I have an appointment with a creation whose life is in their hands, who my life is in their hands, my wages are in their hands, my future is in their hands. They tell me if you want a job at this place, turn up at 9.45 in the morning. I'll make sure that I've turned up at that place at 9.30 in the morning. If I am willing to turn up on time for the creation, then why am I not turning up on time for the Creator? How many of us for the creation when we have a job interview, make sure that we leave the house and get there on time? But when it comes to the Creator that is Allah SWT we are willing to postpone that meeting? Tell me my life is in the hands of the creation or the Creator? My Rizq is in the hands of the creation or the Creator? My health is in the hands of the creation or the Creator? When Allah SWT tells you come to me at this time, there is a secret behind it. What's the secret? That all mankind understand the more you pray on time towards me, the more I look after your concentration within your Salah. We the Shia are the only school in Islam who when we come to the mosque our intention, Maghrib, Asha, finish. The Sunnah prayers were meant to be an appetizer to get you in the energy for Salah. Before Fajr, you pray two Ruk'ahs, before the 8 Ruk'ahs, before Asr 8 Ruk'ahs, after Maghrib 4 Ruk'ahs, after Asha 4 Ruk'ahs. They were meant to be given to you as an energy booster before Salah. Why did Imam say 51 Ruk'ah? We all in this hall pray 17. If you add the Nawafil and you add Namaz Ashab, Salat al-Layl, you'll reach 51. I am surprised when a person says, I'm a Shia. Don't ever say you're a Shia. Say, I'm trying to be a Shia. Meetham is a Shia. Qambar is a Shia. Hujr is a Shia. Malik is a Shia. Muhammad bin Ababat is a Shia. These are Shia. We are trying. Why? Because the appetizer before Salah, we are not willing to even try doing it. Saydel Khomeini in his book on Salah has a lovely line. May Allah bless his soul. Do you know what he used to say? He used to say, Oh brothers, have you heard the hadith which states from Allah? Hadith Qudsi, not the hadith of the Prophet. Hadith Qudsi. My servant seeks nearness to me through the Nawafil until he attains my love for him. I become the eyes by which he sees and the ears by which he hears and the mouth by which he speaks. When he calls upon me, I answer him. When he asks me, I give him. Notice that Allah SWT would say, Nothing is more beloved to me from my servants than the Nawafil. Allah didn't say the Wajibad. No, the Nawafil. Why? Because if you can pray the Nawafil before the main Salah, then watch the difference in your Salah. Before you begin a dinner, they tell you start off with starters. So you'll enjoy the main meal. Likewise, Allah knew with the human being. If I throw him straight into the Salah, there is no way he'll enjoy it. If I tell him to do the appetizer before, then he'll be looking forward to the main one. And that's why the Prophet would be told by Allah SWT, women of the night. Fata hadjad bihi naafilatallak asaa ayyab'ataka rabbu ka maqam mahmuda. And from the night time, pray a few extra rukh as a spiritual boost for you. So I will raise you to the maqam mahmud. Maqam mahmud is the highest level Rasulallah could reach. Why would he reach it? Not because of his Wajib Salah, but because he was willing to pray the Nawafil with the Wajib. When Imam looked at that shi'a and the shi'a said, I am a shi'a and I pray five times a day. Imam said, you call yourself a shi'a? The real shi'a are the ones who pray 51 rukh as a day. They pray 17. Then they add the 11 for Salat al-Layl. Then they add the rest for the Nawafil. That is the shi'a and the follower of al-Muhammad. And I really tell you, try praying the naafilat of Fajr tonight. Just Fajr. Two rukh as before Salat al-Fajr. Osalli. Naafilat al-Fajr. When you do the niya, pray naafilat al-Fajr and see what happens. Pray two rukh as before Fajr. Then when you're going to pray Fajr, your energy is so high already from Salat that you're going to flow through Salat al-Fajr. Try tomorrow to do what? Try tomorrow to pray eight rukh as before Zohar. Someone says, what do you mean? One whole Salat of eight rukh? No. Two, two, two, two. Then you pray Zohar. You're already so energetic. Imam Amir al-Mu'mineen was struck in his naafilat, not in his wajib. And that's what made him win. If he was struck in his wajib, okay. But do you know why he was struck in his naafilat? Many times people say, Abdur Rahman ibn Muljam, how did he reach him? If there are lines, how does he get through the lines? It's because there were no lines. Everyone was praying the naafilat before Fajr Jama'ah was going to begin. And Imam Ali Allah made him achieve his victory in his naafilat before Fajr. It's as if Imam Ali's secret to his greatness in Salah was not the wajib, was the fact that he was praying naafil before he'd pray the main Salah. That's why once you pray the naafilat and you then move into what? You then move into the fact.