How to attain the sweetness of prayer

Question
I pray, all thanks to Allaah, but I do not taste the sweetness of prayer. I listen to prayer sometimes, but now I want my tongue to be busy with the Remembrance of Allaah. What advice do you have for me?
Answer

As long as you pray, then you are upon goodness. However, the sweetness of prayer is the tranquility the Prophet ﷺ was referring to when he said,

Bilaal! Make us comforted by the prayer.”’ (Musnad of Ahmad 23,087)

and it is related that when the Prophet ﷺ was restless about something, he would stand to pray (Abu Daawood 1319). Therefore, there is no doubt that the prayer is enjoyable for a believer and a source of peace and tranquility. A person who struggles to find this should strive to focus his mind in the prayer and leave all worldly distractions and focus completely and absolutely on Allaah. He should focus on what he is reciting or what he is hearing from the Imaam. Then, God willing, he will find the sweetness of faith. If he cannot, then there are obstacles. What is apparent to me is that the obstacle is listening to songs. There is no doubt that songs accompanied with music, which contain profanities or sexual words, or the like, which stir up sexual desires, are prohibited according to scholars. This is what stops a person from getting engaged in the Remembrance of Allaah. He would say, ‘Now I want my tongue to be busy with the Remembrance of Allaah,’ so if you want your tongue to be busy with the Remembrance of Allaah, Most Exalted, then do not listen to music. This is because listening to songs and music does not work with finding the sweetness of reciting the Qur’aan and the sweetness of performing the Remembrance of Allaah, as mentioned by Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allaah’s Mercy be upon him) and others. Therefore, you have to stop listening to songs and music and face Allaah, Most Exalted, and pray with sincerity and devotion. If you do that for the Sake of Allaah, He will give you something better than that, which is the sweetness of reciting the Qur’aan and the sweetness of doing the Remembrance of Allaah.