The Servant's State

A thread on the tapestry of الإحسان

Bismillah!

Most of life happens unseen. Words said when no one is listening. Choices made when no one will know. Thoughts entertained and dismissed in the quiet of the chest.

Islam does not overlook these moments. It centers them. There is a name for living with care in the unseen, for refining what no one applauds. The Prophet ﷺ called it Ihsaan

Ihsan is often translated as excellence(إتقان العمل), but the word does not begin with perfection. It begins with awareness, a state of presence,a life lived under the gaze of Allah سبحانه.

The religion consists of three foundational levels: Islam, Iman, and Ihsan.

Ihsan is the third and highest rank of the religion. It has one foundation:

The Prophet ﷺ explained Ihsan when he was asked about it, saying:

“To worship Allah as though you see Him; and if you do not see Him, then know that He sees you.”

Thus, ihsaan is to be mindful of Allah in private and in public, in speech and in action. It is to perform good deeds in the most complete manner, seeking the pleasure of Allah.

Al-Tabarani narrated from Abu Salamah, from Mu’adh (رضي الله عنهم اجمعين), who said:I said, “O Messenger of Allah, advise me.”He said:“Worship Allah as though you see Him; count yourself among the dead; remember Allah at every stone and every tree; and if you commit a bad deed, follow it with a good one. Let what is done in secret be matched by what is done openly.”

The Muslim is required to pursue Ihsan in all of their affairs and in every action they perform, for it is a legal obligation that Islam commands in every area of life.

{إن الله يأمر بالعدل والإحسان}

“Indeed Allah Commands Justice and Excellence”

Surah Nahl :90

Ihsaan is not limited to a specific field, nor confined to one type of behavior; rather, it encompasses all aspects of a Muslim’s life.

The word ihsan is derived from husn (goodness, beauty) and encompasses all that is beautiful. The religion of Allah essentially rests on ihsan, which can be either ihsan in worship of Allah or ihsan towards His creation.

The scholars explain ihsan as perfecting one’s actions،religious or worldly,by exerting one’s full effort to perform them in the best possible way.

وقالو أيضا في الإحسان: «فعل الخيرات على أكمل وجه». «تحسين الظاهر والباطن». «الإتيان بغاية ما يمكن من تحسين العمل المأمور به، ولا يترك شيئاً مما أمر به». «امتلاء القلب بحقيقة الألوهية كأنه يشاهد الله عياناً». «مراعاة الخشوع والخضوع».

The Salaf also said regarding Ihsaan

“Performing good deeds in the most perfect manner.”

“Beautifying both the outward and the inward.”

“Reaching the utmost possible level of excellence in improving the commanded act, leaving nothing of what one was ordered to do.”

“The heart being filled with the reality of divinity, as though one is witnessing Allah with the eye.”

“Observing humility and submission.”

The Qur’an ties Ihsan to the oversight of Allah in all our affairs, shattering any illusion of anonymity:

“Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who are doers of excellence (muhsinūn).” (Surah an-Nahl, 16:128)

“And put your trust in the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful, Who sees you when you stand, and your movements among those who prostrate. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.” (Surah ash-Shu‘arā’, 26:217–220)

“And you are not engaged in any matter, nor do you recite any portion of the Qur’an, nor do you perform any deed, except that We are witnesses over you while you are engaged in it.” (Surah Yūnus, 10:61)

And so excellence begins inward, long before it is seen.

Accordingly, the greatest benefactor is truly Allah Almighty, the owner of bounty, grace, generosity, and ihsan towards His servants. Every blessing they possess is from Him, exalted be He, and whatever good they have is granted by Him.

“And whatever blessings and good things you have, it is from Allah.” (An-Nahl 16:53)

Forms of Ihsan

1. Ihsan in Worship To perform acts of worship, prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, and others, correctly and completely, fulfilling their conditions, pillars, and etiquettes. This is only achieved when the servant feels strongly that Allah sees and observes them.

Ihsan in worship has two levels:

• Worshipping Allah as though you see Him (a level of longing and aspiration) -مقام المشاهدة . To have the heart illuminated by faith as if the unseen feels like seen

For this when ʿUrwah proposed marriage to Ibn ʿUmar’s daughter while they were performing ṭawāf, Ibn ʿUmar did not respond to him at all. Later, he saw him again and apologized to him, saying:

“We were in ṭawāf, imagining Allah before our eyes.” <كنا في الطواف نتخايل الله بين أعيننا>

(Al-Ḥilyah, Abū Nuʿaym)

• Worshipping Allah knowing that He sees you (a level of fear and reverence)-مقام المراقبة

قال الحارث المحاسبي: «أوائل المراقبة علم القلب بقرب الرب»،

وقال بعض السَّلف: «من عمل لله عَلَى المشاهدة فهو عارف، ومن عمل عَلَى مشاهدة الله إياه فهو مخلص

Al-Hadith Al muhasibi said:

“The beginning of vigilance (Muraqaba) is the heart’s knowledge of the nearness of the Lord.”

And some of the righteous (salaf) said:

“Whoever acts for Allah upon witnessing Him is a knower (‘Arif), and whoever acts while conscious that Allah is watching him is sincere (mukhlis).”

This means the servant worships Allah with the awareness of His nearness and presence, as if seeing Him. This brings about reverence, fear, and humility, leading to sincere, perfected worship.

2. Ihsaan in Physical Actions By mastering one’s work, perfecting one’s craft, and avoiding deception and fraud.

“إن الله يحب إذا عمل أحدكم عملا أن يتقنه” والإتقان إحسان الصنع.

llah loves that when one of you does a deed, they do it with excellence.”

And it an (إتقان) means doing something with perfection and mastery.

3. Ihsaan in Dealings with People Ihsan applies to all people, even non-Muslims, through benefit, honesty, justice, mercy, humility, patience, good speech, and refraining from harm. This includes:

• Ihsan through wealth (spending, charity)

• Ihsan through status (intercession, fulfilling needs)

• Ihsan through service (relieving hardship, visiting the sick, guiding the lost)

  4. Ihsaan to Specific Groups

Parents: obedience, kindness, supplication

Relatives: mercy and maintaining ties

Orphans: protection and nurturing

The poor: meeting needs without humiliation

Neighbors: kindness and restraint

Spouses: Ihsan in marriage, divorce, and after separation

Children (especially daughters): good upbringing and care

Those who wrong you: forgiveness and returning harm with good

Animals: feeding, gentleness, and mercy

The environment and roads: cleanliness and removing harm

Helping people and relieving their difficulties are traits of the prophets and messengers. For instance, prophet Musa عليه السلام despite his fear and exile, hastened to water and help two women at the well in Midian

(Qasas 28:24).

Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام was known for kindness even in prison and after becoming the ruler of Egypt (Qasas 28:15, Yusuf 12:90).

Our Prophet ﷺ is the leader of the doers of ihsan. Our mother Khadijah رضي الله عنهاsaid:

By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You uphold kinship ties, speak the truth, bear burdens, give to the poor, entertain guests, and help those in distress.”

The noble companions followed this path: Abu Bakr milked sheep for the weak, Umar cared for the elderly, and others served their communities with humility and generosity (the story of the date seed!).رضي الله عنهم أجمعين

For this reason, the Prophet ﷺ said:

«اتق الله حيثما كنت، وأتبع السيئة الحسنة تمحها، وخالق الناس بخلق حسن»

“Fear Allah wherever you are, follow a bad deed with a good one and it will erase it, and treat people with good character.”

The Rewards of Ihsan

Among its fruits in this world:

1. Multiplication of reward and recompense:

Abu Dharr رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“If one of you perfects his Islam, then every good deed he performs is recorded for him as ten times its like up to seven hundred times, and every bad deed he commits is recorded as one like it, until he meets Allah.”

2. Allah’s companionship, love, and support

3. Acceptance of deeds

4. Protection from calamities

5. Answered supplications

6. Inner peace and contentment

7. Increased provision, wisdom, and guidance

8. People’s love

وكما قال الشاعر:أحسن إلى الناس تستعبد قلوبهم .. فطالما استعبد الإنسان إحسان

as the poet said:

“Do good to people, and you will enslave their hearts

for indeed, kindness has long enslaved mankind.”

And in the Hereafter:

9. Paradise & Seeing Allah! “For those who do good is the best [reward] and extra.” (Yunus 10:26) — The “extra” meaning the honor of witnessing the unveiling of Allah!

اللهم أنا نسألك لذَّة النظر إلى وجهك الكريم، والشوق إلى لقائِك، في غيرِ ضرَّاء مُضرة ولا فتنة مُضلة»

10. Forgiveness of sins

11. Eternal reward and honor

12. Relief from hardships on the Day of Judgment: “Whoever relieves a believer’s distress, Allah will relieve his distress on the Day of Judgment.”

The affairs of the servants are not a distraction from worship. They are its proof. Ihsaan polishes what people excuse. It governs tone, intention, and restraint. It asks not only, Is this permissible? but Is this pure and beautiful and in accordance of what Allah loves?

إنَّ الله تعالى طيب لا يقبل إلا طيبًا، وإنَّ الله أمر المؤمنين بما أمر به المُرسلين

Indeed, Allah سبحانه is pure and accepts only what is pure, and indeed Allah has commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers.”

It produces a person who is careful without being anxious, principled without being harsh, and sincere without being performative.

13. Allah promises love to such people. Nearness. Reward beyond calculation

. “Is there any reward for ihsān except Ihsan?”

The call to ihsan in the Book of Allah is abundant and diverse in approach. Sometimes it is a direct command; other times, it informs that Allah loves the doers of good, is with them, rewards them with goodness and increase, and does not let the deeds of the doers of good go to waste.

Sometimes it is linked with faith, sometimes with piety, or with righteous deeds, all emphasizing the virtue and great reward of ihsan with Allah.

قال ابن تيمية: (جعل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم الدين ثلاث درجات: أعلاها الإحسان، وأوسطها الإيمان، ويليه الإسلام. فكل محسن مؤمن، وكل مؤمن مسلم، وليس كل مؤمن محسنا، ولا كل مسلم مؤمنا ..)، ثم قال: (وأما الإحسان فهو أعم من جهة نفسه، وأخص من جهة أصحابه من الإيمان، والإيمان أعم من جهة نفسه، وأخص من جهة أصحابه من الإسلام، فالإحسان يدخل فيه الإيمان، والإيمان يدخل فيه الإسلام، والمحسنون أخص من المؤمنين، والمؤمنون أخص من المسلمين).

Ibn Taymiyyah said; The Prophet ﷺ made the religion three levels: the highest of them is Ihsan, the middle is iman, and after it comes Islam Thus, every muḥsin is a believer, every believer is a Muslim, but not every believer is a muḥsin, nor every Muslim a believer…”

“As for Ihsan, it is more encompassing in itself yet more specific in its adherents than īmān; and īmān is more encompassing in itself yet more specific in its adherents than Islam. Thus, iḥsān includes Imaan, and Imaan includes Islam . The muḥsinūn are more select than the believers, and the believers more select than the Muslims.

This pillar is the work of those brought near to Allah, the goal of the worshippers, the rank of the successful, and the path of those journeying to the Lord of the worlds.

نسأل الله تعالى أن يجعلنا من المحسنين ، وآخر دعوانا أن الحمد لله رب العالمين ، وصلىالله وسلم وبارك على عبده ورسوله سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين.

رزقنا الله الإحسان والإخلاص في القول والعمل