One day, while the Prophet (saw) was sitting with his companions, engaging in conversing with them, a person appeared with no signs of travel, dressed in white, with pitch-black hair, whom no one knew. He sat down next to the Prophet, touched his knees to the Prophet’s knees, and began to ask questions about what Islam is and what iman is. At each of the Prophet’s (saw) answers to his questions, the stranger said, “You are telling the truth” which surprised the companions. One of the questions asked by the stranger, whose identity the Prophet (saw) later informed to the companions by saying, “This was Jibril who came to teach the people their religion,” was, “What is ihsan?” The Prophet’s (saw) answer to this question was the most comprehensive definition of the concept of ihsan up to that time and summarized the philosophy of the life of the Muslims. The answer of the Messenger of Allah to this question was as follows: “Ihsan is serving Allah as if you see Him for even though you cannot see Him, He sees you.” (Bukhari, Iman, 36)
Ihsan, one of the qualities that complement religion, is the only way to live by iman and Islam at an epitome level, and this concept has a world of meaning for both Allah and His servants. When used in reference to Allah, ihsan means that He bestows favors on all His creatures, provides them with sustenance, and treats them with mercy. From the perspective of the servants, there are four stages of ihsan.
Ihsan towards oneself
It is not possible for people to know Allah the Almighty and reach the absolute truth without knowing and recognizing themselves, both in terms of creation, knowledge, and ability. The most important way to know and recognize oneself is to be in a state of ihsan toward oneself. Knowing the purpose of their creation and being aware of the fact that they will be held accountable for what they have done is the greatest ihsan for people. This consciousness will lead to peace in this world and salvation in the eternal realm.
Ihsan towards Allah the Almighty
As seen in the above[1]mentioned hadith, one of the most important meanings of ihsan is to live as if one sees Allah. Likewise, ihsan is taking the verse “... And He is with you wherever you are. For Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.” (Hadid, 57:4) as a principle and acting accordingly. In this respect, ihsan is the pinnacle of servanthood. Muslims who conduct themselves if they see Allah in every breath they take and are aware that they are in the presence of Allah in every step they take will refrain from engaging in any action that harms themselves or others.
Ihsan towards other people
Ihsan also means to do good deeds without asking for anything in return and to display good behavior. It is also ihsan when people want for their Muslim brothers and sisters what they love and want for themselves. Similarly, it is ihsan to do good deeds and do favors for people, to be a remedy for hardships, heal hearts, and guide those who have lost their way. In short, it is ihsan to do all kinds of good deeds that benefit humanity. Believers who prioritize ihsan in their lives can potentially make new discoveries, akin to numerous Muslim scholars who have achieved breakthroughs in science and can contribute innovations that facilitate the endeavors of Muslims and people worldwide, particularly in the fields of informatics and technology. There is no doubt that it is much better to be useful to others and engage only in obligatory acts of worship than to spend a lifetime in supererogatory acts of worship without being useful to others. In fact, the Prophet (saw) expressed this truth with the following words: “The best of people is the one who is beneficial to others.” (Tabarani, Al-Mu’jam al-Awsat, VI/58; Bayhaqi, Shu’ab al-Iman, X/115)
Ihsan towards all living and non-living beings
Treating all living and non-living beings with kindness is also a form of ihsan. The Prophet (saw) reported that Allah the Almighty enjoins goodness in all things.
In addition, ihsan can also be defined as doing something in the best way. Based on this meaning, believers should be in a state of ihsan in every aspect of life and act accordingly. Examples such as scientists aiming to benefit humanity and all other living creatures in their research, food producers keeping halal and harmless ingredients in the food they produce, and engineers constructing a building in a sound and aesthetically pleasing manner are all requirements of the concept of ihsan. In addition, the principles that Islam emphasizes, such as treating people with justice, entrusting property to trustworthy people, and prioritizing merit, will only survive with the concept of ihsan.
In short, ihsan is to do everything in the best and most beautiful way, knowing that Allah sees everything, and to do everything to the best of one’s ability. When the consciousness of ihsan is lost, the consciousness of people and the reverence in worship are also lost. Therefore, it is the duty of the believers to strive to live in a state of ihsan in their worship or worldly pursuits, whether they are in public or alone and to draw their last breath in this state.
