Ihsan

Ihsan (or Ehsan or Ahsan or احسان) is an Arabic term meaning "perfection" or "excellence," which is related to the word "goodness" (Ara. "husn"). It is a matter of taking one's inner faith ("iman") and showing it in both deed and action, a sense of social responsibility borne from religious convictions. In Islam, Ihsan is the Muslim responsibility to obtain perfection, or excellence, in worship, such that Muslims try to worship God (Arabic Allah) as if they see Him, and although they cannot see Him(Due to believing Allah is not made of materials), they undoubtedly believe he is constantly watching over them. That definition comes from the hadith (known as the "Hadith of Gabriel") in which Muhammad states, " [Ihsan is] to worship God as though you see Him, and if you cannot see Him, then indeed He sees you." (Al-Bukhari and Al-Muslim). [Mahmoud M. Ayoub, "Islam: Faith and History", pp. 68-69]

Ihsan, meaning "to do beautiful things," is one of the three dimensions of the Islamic religion (Ara. "ad-din"): islam, iman and ihsan. In contrast to the emphases of "islam" (what one should do) and "iman" (why one should do), the concept of ihsan is primarily associated with intention. One who "does what is beautiful" is called a "muhsin". It is generally held that a person can only achieve true ihsan with the help and guidance of Allah, who governs all things.

Some Islamic scholars explain Ihsan as being the "inner" dimension of Islam whereas shariah is often described as the "outer" dimension:

From the preceding discussion it should be clear that not every Muslim is a man or woman of faith ("mu'min"), but every person of faith is a "muslim". Furthermore, a Muslim who believes in all the principles of Islam may not necessarily be a righteous person, a doer of good ("muhsin"), but a truly good and righteous person is both a "muslim" and a true person of faith. [Mahmoud M. Ayoub, "Islam: Faith and History", p. 54]

Ihsan "constitutes the highest form of worship" ("ibadah"). [Mahmoud M. Ayoub, "Islam: Faith and History", p. 54] It is excellence in work and in social interactions. For example, ihsan includes sincerity during Muslim prayers and being grateful to parents, family, and God.

Ehsan or Ihsan is also a male name among Muslims.

References and Further Reading

cite book
last = Murata
first = Sachiko
coauthors = William C. Chittick
title = The Vision of Islam
publisher = I. B. Tauris
date = 2000
pages = pp. 267-282
isbn = 1-86064-022-2 The Mysteries of Ihsan: Natural Contemplation and the Spiritual Virtues in the QuranBy JAMES W. MORRIS

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References

External links

* [http://abdurrahman.org/salah/alihsan.html Al–Ihsaan - Perfection In Acts Of Worship] by Imâm al-Madîna al-Munawarrah 'Alî Abd-ur-Rahmân al-Hudhaifî
* [http://www.latinodawah.org/library/english/nawawihadiths.html#hadith2 Hadith of Angel Gabriel] Hadith #2 from An-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths
* [http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ABewley/ihsan.html Ihsan – the Gnostic Knowledge of Mankind ]
*http://www.geocities.com/faizee/ihsan1.htm
* [http://www.clearvisionpk.com/Ihsan.html Concept of Ihsan in the Quran]