How to Develop Khushoo in Salah?

I would like to share 3 techniques before the Salah, in the Salah and outside of the Salah to develop Khusoo in Salah.

Before the Salah:-

1. When you are about to get ready for Salah you need to get into the frame of mind for Salah. We often see people when they come to Salah; Salah is a big burden upon them. Its sth they want to do and just get over with. But if you actually you want to enjoy Salah then you come with the frame of mind that I am dedicating this time only for Salah now. I won’t be doing anything else. So you come with the intention to pray peace pray and tranquil. And you are not focused on anything else. So you get into the frame of that mind and you know this time is now going to be dedicated to Salah and Salah is not a play rather you have to think it is a conversation between you and Allah SWT.
2. Eliminate all distractions from Salah and this includes varieties of things.

a) Firstly is that of hunger."If dinner has been put out and the Iqaamah has been given for prayer, eat dinner first and do not rush to finish it." (Al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Aadhan, Baab idhaa hadara al-ta’aamu wa uqeemat al-salaah; Muslim, no. 557-559).

b) Eliminate the distraction of going to the toilet. How amazing is that when we say Allahu Akbar and started the salah all of a sudden it is then we have to go to toilet. So before salah relieve yourself from going to the toilet. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade praying when one is suppressing the urge to urinate or defecate. (Reported by Ibn Maajah in his Sunan, no. 617; Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 6832).

c) Relieve yourself from the world itself. We often use technology which makes life progress. Yes this is very true but with this progression problems arise as well. When you are constantly in touch with the world and you are constantly access other people and people are able to access you, this complicates life. People always want to be in touch. So when you are about to go into salah make sure you turn off your cell phone. Don’t let your cell phone distract you from your salah.

3. Follow the advice of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH and he said: "Remember death in your prayer, for the man who remembers death during his prayer is bound to pray properly, and pray the prayer of a man who does not think that he will pray any other prayer." (al-Silsilat al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 1421. It was reported from al-Suyooti that al-Haafiz ibn Hajar classed this hadeeth as hasan). As you are about to say takbir think about death at that time very moment, because the one who remembers death at that time then he will pray his salah properly. And he will pray as if this is his last salah and imaging what type of salah that would be. Take your time in recitation, take your time in ruku and sujood and take your time in everything else. So remembering death in salah is one of the primary ways to gain khusoo.

Inside the Salah:-

1. Prophet Muhammad PBUH commanded us to seek refuge in the salah. When you start the salah you are supposed to say Awzubillah minis shaitanir rajim. And this is what you are supposed to seek refuge from when you start the salah and you see the wisdom behind this is shaitan due to his arrogance was not able to perform sijda to Allah and like he doesn’t want anyone else do that as well. So the time shaitan attacks you the most is actually in salah so much so that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us the following methods of combating the wiles of Shaytaan and getting rid of his waswaas: Abu’l-‘Aas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that he said, "O Messenger of Allaah, the Shaytaan interrupts me when I pray, and I get confused in my recitation." The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "That is a shaytaan whose name is Khanzab. If you sense his presence, seek refuge with Allaah from him, and spit [dry spitting] towards your left three times." [Abu’l-‘Aas] said: "I did that and Allaah took him away from me." (Reported by Muslim, no. 2203)
2. Contemplate the sayings and actions of the salah. When you say Allahu Akbar what does that actually mean? You are saying Allah is the greatest and at this very point when you are starting your salah that nothing else matters because Allah is the greatest and this what you are focusing upon. And you will see how amazing it is that the more you are contemplating upon the sayings of salah you will see that the more conducive that sayings are, actually they are establishing khusoo. And you go down to ruku and say Allahu Akbar again and you say Subhana Rabbil Azim and you go down to do sijda and you say Subhana Rabbil ‘ala ie my Lord the Most High glory be to Him. How can a person not be humble at that point when he is down sijda. He is low to the ground and all he is doing is praising Allah SWT. So think about the sayings in salah and think about what you are uttering in salah. And one of the best things you can do is to read the translation of Quran so you can know what you are actually saying in salah.
3. Doing the acts which are recommended from the sunnah of Messenger PBUH. Have you ever wondered why we actually put our right hand over left hand in salah? The wisdom behind this is we aren’t doing anything else with hand. Imagine if your hands were behind your back or beside you, then you actually don’t know what to do with the hands. So the actual sunnah acts of salah can be more conducive towards khusoo of salah.

Outside the salah:-

1. As Allah SWT and His Messenger PBUH commanded us to make dua to Allah. The Prophet PBUH used to make dua frequently Allahumma inni awzubika min kalbin la yaksha that O Allah I seek refuge in you from a heart that will not have khusoo(Riyadus Saliheen Hadith 1479). So make dua to Allah SWT that he grants us hearts with khusoo so that we can live the love of salah. So the salah actually becomes the coolness of your eyes and warmth our heart. And this will unengage us from the problems of life and unengaged us from the glimmer and glitter of this world.
2. Learn about the salah actually itself. So take the time read and attain halaqa on salah. Learn how to pray and you will see that there is wisdom behind each and every act in salah and its relationship to khusoo.
3. Lastly there are certain things that you can purchase that will help you to increase khusoo. Two books first one is Prayer and its affect on increasing iman and purifying the soul by sheikh hussain Al Awaisha and the second book is one of the great scholar from the past name Imam Ibne Rajab Al Hanbali called Humility in prayer.