During a virtual mulaqat of the students of Jamia Ahmadiyya Ghana with Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V^(aba) which was held on 5 December 2020, a student asked how one could find pleasure in Salat. Huzoor^(aba) gave the following reply:

“How can you attain pleasure in Salat? The Promised Messiah^(as) has taught us a very simple method for attaining this. He said that one should bring about such an expression on their face as if they are crying. When a person physically displays certain facial expressions in order to reflect a particular emotion, then those intended emotions begin to develop from within the heart as well.

“Therefore, when a person displays an expression of one who is crying and, whilst reciting Surah al-Fatihah, continues to repeat and ponder over the words, اِیَّاکَ نَعۡبُدُ وَ اِیَّاکَ نَسۡتَعِیۡن [Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for help], then soon one will genuinely begin to cry. When one begins to cry and a state of heartfelt emotions and fervency begins to develop, then one will begin to attain the pleasure and delight from Salat. Then, when you go into ruku‘ and supplicate, you will again attain pleasure from that. Similarly, when you say ‘sami‘allahu …’ [Allah listens …] and stand up from ruku‘, you will again feel pleasure in that and when you go into sajdah, your soul will become anxious and you will attain a certain pleasure in that particular state as well.

“Therefore, a person has to display the physical expressions that are required to reach the desired inner state. However, this can only be attained by undergoing a concerted effort and by striving. If one endeavours to strive in this way, they will continue to derive pleasure from Salat. And when a person experiences that pleasure and delight once, then they will always endeavour to stand before their Lord whilst weeping in order to attain the pleasure and delight from being in that state. The pleasure that one attains by weeping before Allah in sajdah is far greater than any other pleasure.

“And pray to Allah the Exalted that He may enable you to fulfil the oath with which you have come to Jamia Ahmadiyya. May you become an excellent murabbi and muballigh, and may He enable you to preach to your own people in such a manner that they turn towards Allah the Exalted. And then may such people emerge from among them who are amongst those who experience pleasure and delight in their worship.”