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Readers' column
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| IhsanAs a Conduct | |
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| By Yassine Hicham, 02-03-2007 |
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| The holy Prophet peace be upon him has stated the foremost purpose of his being sent down in this world and the prophetic method of his call to the people in these words: “I have been sent only for the purpose of perfecting good morals.” (AI-Muwata’) |
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| That great message which has left an indelible impression on the history of life, and for propagating which and for bringing people under whose influence Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him worked ceaselessly. Its purpose was nothing else but to strengthen the moral character of the people so that the world of beauty and perfection may be illuminated before their eyes and they may try to achieve it consciously and with knowledge. Worshipping has been made compulsory in Islam, and it has been included in the basic pillars of faith. But the Islamic forms of worship are not some sort of mystic exercises that link men with some unknown, mysterious being, and which subject men to perform useless acts and meaningless movements. All the Islamic compulsory forms of worship are designed as exercises and training to enable people to acquire correct morals and habits and to live righteously, and to adhere to these virtues till the end, whatever be the changes in their circumstances. |
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| It is well understood by most scholars across all generations that the best definition of the so rampant term Ihsan is in a Hadith, part of which follows: “It’s to worship Allah as if you are seeing Him and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari) |
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| This is the Prophetic definition of the term and it completely signifies that a person who is characterized with Ihsan does everything perfectly as he knows his God is watching him. Indeed Ihsan is a comprehensive concept which governs not only the daily conduct and manners of people as is usually translated into perfection or excellence, though it denotes doing things completely, nicely and in a tasteful manner rather it goes over all actions and deeds of worship addressed to God the Almighty. It is divided by some into four components: |
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| 1. Sincerity (Ikhlas)2. Completeness3. Tastefulness (doing things in a nice manner), and4. Correctness (doing things in the right way). |
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| The importance of Ihsan is further emphasized by the fact that it is mentioned abundantly in the Qur’an, sometimes with regards to Iman and Spirituality, as in: “…Then, they continue to fear Him and do well [ihsan], and Allah loves those who do well [al-muhsinin].”, and at other times with regards to Islam, as in: “Indeed, whosoever submits himself to Allah, practising Ihsan, then he has grasped the firmest handle.” At other times it is also associated with taqwa and good deeds and in Surat Al-Mulk (67) this concept is mentioned as one of the two main purposes and core elements of human creation, where Allah the Almighty says: "The One Who created death and life so that He may test you which of you is best of conduct." The term ‘amalan in its Arabic selected form as mentioned in Surat Al-Mulk implies any kind of deed. It is not just the religious deeds (ibadah), but also all that we do which is lawful. Everything should therefore be done according to the concept of Ihsan and we should exert our efforts to live according to its implications. |
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| The way we look and dress, the way we eat, the way we sleep, our work, our profession, our call, teaching and learning, our relationship with our family, relatives, neighbors, and with others in general - Ihsan should be observed and practiced in all these actions. These actions and good deeds can all be considered as worship. |
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| It must be noted however, that the above definition contains a principle and provides a metaphor of applying that principle. This is a Prophetic method, to enable Muslims to apply the same principle to other similar situations. It can also be said that providing the metaphor is a way of explaining the principle so it is easily understood. As a result neither the metaphor let alone the principle should be forgotten. Undoubtedly, the path towards perfection in our worship and in our deeds may be long and hard, although we must constantly remind ourselves of God’s words to help us along and to enjoy the journey that we undertake for His sake alone: “Nay, whoever submits his whole self to Allah and is a doer of good (Ihsan) he will get his reward with his Lord; on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (Al-Baqarah: 112) |
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