If you feel that you are falling short in your performance, as you are not able to humble yourself and focus, and to perform the prayer properly, remember that this is something that happens to most Muslims.
What is required of us to do, is to persist in striving hard – so as to reach the point of finding joy in worship, which all the righteous strive to attain.
They should follow the example of Thaabit al-Banaani who said: I pushed myself to stand up and pray for twenty years, then I found joy in it for twenty years.
Narrated by Abu Nu‘aym in Hilyat al-Awliya’ (2/320).
Striving and persisting in worship, and trying one’s utmost to do it properly and attain sincerity and focus of mind therein, is the main concern of the righteous and pious.
Beware of becoming obsessed with your shortcomings when doing any act of worship, lest that make you lose interest in doing acts of worship altogether, for this is a trick of the Shaytaan that he uses to deceive people and make them think that they are people of deep insight who are able to notice subtleties and examine what is in the heart, and to say, What good is there in saying words of dhikr with the tongue when our hearts are not focused?
No one claims to have attained perfection in that regard, but at the same time, no one who is concerned about this matter should despair, for Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, does not like those who despair of His grace and mercy.
“And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for those astray?”
(Al-Hijr:56)
