The lexical meaning of 'Ihsan' is help, aid, support etc. But, to understand its usage in Islam via the Qur'an and Hadith, we have to see how the Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) has defined it.
The term Ihsan is beautifully explained by the epitome of Ihsan, Muhammad Rasulullah (S.A.W)
thus:
"An ta'budAllaha ka'anaka tarahu, fa'in lam takun tarah fa'inahu yaraka"
That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you don't see Him then truly He sees you
When questioned as to what Ihsan is, Allah's Apostle (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) explained that it is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must remember that He is seeing you. (Bukhari)
So, we can say that Ihsan consists of two parts --
1. to worship Allah as if we see Him
2. to worship with the thought that He is seeing us
Ihsan is the highest state of Islam. It implies the deep attachment, profound love, genuine faithfulness and sacrifice which make a Muslim identify himself completely with Islam.
It is impossible to find a word in the English language which can express, to any fair degree, the real meaning and import of ihsan. It means to do a thing well, in the best possible manner; to achiever excellence; to aim at beauty and prefection; and most importantly, to do it as an inner compulsion and urge, and not as a consequence of external prodding and urging. In brief, ihsan is a labour of love, not merely a duty. This can result only from an inner sense of presence before Allah and love for Him.
The essence of Taqwah is fear of Allah which may enable a person to escape His anger. The essence of Ihsan is love of Allah, which motivates man to try and win His pleasure, thus divorcing himself from all that displeases Him. He feels ashamed to sin and earn His displeasure, in view of the numerous bounties of Allah Ta'ala upon him.This is Ihsan.
The difference between the two may be illustrated by the following example:
Among the employees of a government may be some who scrupulously discharge the functions entrusted to them, doing nothing to which one can take exception, but who are not otherwise committed. Others, however, may be loyal, devoted and totally committed to the Government. They do not just carry out the duties that have been assigned to them but are always zealously concerned to promote the interests of the Government. They exert themselves beyond the call of duty, being perpared to sacrifice their lives, property and children in defence of their country. Any violation of the law hurts them personally, any sign of rebellion is enough to arouse them. Far from deliberately harming the Government they will spare no effort to support it. More than anything, they want to see their own Government paramount in the world and their flag high in all corners of the earth.
The first kind of people are Muttaqin of the Government and the other its Muhsiniin.
Though the Muttaqin are regarded as good servants, exceptional honour and reward are reserved for Muhsiniin.Though the Muttaqin are valued and trustworthy people, the Muhsiniin make up the real strength of Islam. Hence it can be deduced that Ihsan is of a higher level than Taqwa and that the highest level of Taqwa is Ihsan.
The first step towards Ihsan is to adopt Taqwa and restrain oneself from sins, however one needs a guide on this road to Divine Pleasure. It is common knowledge that a person requires a guide for any hazardous journey, if he cannot read a map. In the same way Allah has gifted us the map to Him which is the Quraan and Ahadith, however our condition is such that we recite the Quraan but fail to heed it's warnings and advices and disregard the Sunnah of Nabi(S.A.W). We have such guides in our midst who have traversed this path and who offer to guide us as well, for no fee whatsoever. These are the true Ahlullah (Friends of Allah) who desire no retribution and have their gaze on Allah Ta'ala alone. There are many Ahlullah around us, and Allah Ta'ala has pledged to maintain them in every era and time, so that weak slaves like myself attain His Divine Pleasure. We need to now go and search for them and derive maximum benifit from them.
May Allah make us make us from the Muhsinin and grant all Muslims his Divine Pleasure.
Ameen!
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