Question Summary:
Negative thoughts and feelings while praying salāh.

Question Detail:

I pray that this email reaches Mufti Saheb in the best of health and imaan.
Any solution to the situation below?
I am having this salaah problem. I am not sure where the problem is. There are times when i am praying salaah and whilst praying salaah i feel the following:
1. It doesn't feel right
2. i feel physical  pain in my chest (similar to when i used to watch haram on the internet) during the salaah and after
3. a constrictive feeling in the spiritual heart.
4. The longer i pray the salaah the harder it is to pray
5. the longer i pray i can feel a haram urge in my private parts
6. If i ignore this then everytime i pray salah the haram urge in my privates increases to such an extent that i want to watch haram on the internet, i want to masturbate (which i through Allahs fadhl and an alims article have not done since childhood)
7. It goes so bad that i feel depressed because i can't take the spiritual pain and wish and want death.
8. In this phase i feel lazy, feel like sleeping and getting up for fajar becomes harder (in some cases i wake up but don't get out of bed and make fajar qadha). Can't be bothered to go markaz, gusht etc.
9. Due to the presence of this haram urge, i feel weakness in my body. My body is expecting to watch porn so it makes my body weak.
 
This goes on a for a few salaats i pray and then i can' t take it so i have to guess where i could have gone wrong with regards to my purity. I may have a bath or change my clothes/pants/trousers etc and then when i pray the salaah after this it feels ok, no physical pain in the chest during and after salaah, no constrictive feeling but a positive feeling, a happy feeling, i can pray for longer, no urge in my private parts and to abstain from sins becomes easy. This continues until  i go to the toilet to pass stool after which when praying the next salah if i feel the constrictive feeling in my heart and the above other feelings i change my pants and trousers and then when i pray the next salaah it feels ok again.
Any solution to this? 

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Brother-in-Islam,
It is encouraging to note your zeal for fixing your salāh and strengthening your connection with Allāh Ta`ālā. May Allāh Ta`ālā increase your love for salāh and grant you his proximity. Āmīn.
Allāh the Almighty says in the Holy Qur’ān:
أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ 
Establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allāh knows that which you do. [Al-Qur’ān, 29:45]
From the verse above, we understand that Salāh has the potential to stop us from committing sins and other indecent acts.[1] However, this potential can only be realized if one truly prays with one’s heart while fully focusing on Allāh Ta`āla and praying as if one is in the presence of the Almighty. This effect is further felt if one brings oneself to understand that this prayer may be the last action before death comes knocking at one’s door.[2] Conversely, if one continues to engage in sin and commit evil acts, then it will always remain difficult for one to truly feel the spiritual effects of Salāh.[3]
Based on your query, it seems that while you may be trying to focus your attention on your Salāh, the thought of engaging in the vile act of masturbation and watching indecency continues to plague you during your Salāh. As a result, not only does this impede on your concentration, but it also forces you to sever your connection with Allāh Ta`ālā and give in to your desires. Such feelings typically reveal themselves if one remains in an environment where one is oft reminded to commit evil acts such as the ones mentioned in your query. Furthermore, Shaytān always attempts to brainwash the minds of Muslims and make them believe that they are suffering from some unknown and incurable spiritual maladies while it is the simple things that are truly hindering them from reaching proximity with Allāh the Almighty.
In order to rid yourself of these problems, we offer the following advice:
1) Clear your mind before beginning your prayer and do not let Shaytān trick you into thinking about these “spiritual effects”. The more you convince yourself that you have spiritual maladies, the more you will fall into the clutches of Shaytān.
2) Distance yourself from all types of sins. Accumulation of sins hinders one from realizing the true potential of one’s Salāh. If you continuously have an urge to pleasure yourself and watch indecent things on the internet, take steps to completely cut off  yourself from any avenues that remind you or leave you free to take even a single step towards such things. The following article may be of help:
http://www.askimam.org/public/question_detail/22005
3) Learn the meanings of Sūrah Fātihah along with any other small Sūrahs that you normally recite in Salāh. After doing so, concentrate on these meanings and do not let your mind drift towards these dark thoughts that you often experience.
4) While standing in Salāh, keep your gaze on the place of Sajdah.[4] Avoid looking up or in any other direction as it allows your mind to think about thoughts other than your Salāh.
5) Frequently make istighfār and du`ā’ to Allāh Ta`ālā so that he rids you of this problem.
With patience and effort, you will surely see a difference in your Salāh.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Bilal Mohammad
Student Darul Iftaa
New Jersey, USA 
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net