Thinking of How the Salaf Were When They Prayed It will increase one’s khushu to think of how the Salaf were when they prayed, and motivate one to follow their example. “If you were to see one of them when he stood up to pray and started reciting the words of his Master, it would cross his mind that he was standing before the Lord of the Worlds, so he would be filled with overwhelming awe.” (Al-Khushoo’ fi’l-Salaah by Ibn Rajab, p. 22). Mujaahid, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “When one of them stood in prayer, he would be too fearful of his Lord to allow his eyes to be drawn to anything, or to turn aside or to fidget by playing with pebbles or anything else or to think of any worldly matter, unless he forgot, during prayer.” (Ta’zeem Qadr al-Salaah, 1/188) When Ibn al-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, stood up to pray, he would be like a stick (i.e., immobile) with khushu. Once he was prostrating when a missile from a catapult was launched at him, when Makkah was b...