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The concept of worship. What are ibadah and ihsan – and how do they lead to self development?

The concept of worship. What are ibadah and ihsan - and how do they lead to self development?

What is ihsan?

To break it down, the majority of the Arabic words are derived from three to four root letters. The The word “Ihsan” is derived from the root word “Hasan” (حسن), which consists of the letters Ha, Seen, and Nun (ح س ن). “Hasan” means something nice, something beautiful, or something good. “Ihsan” therefore carries the connotation of doing something in the best possible manner, with excellence, beauty, and goodness.

It derives from the very long hadith of Jibril. Jibreel walked into the mosque of the Prophet ﷺ in the shape of a man. Had he entered in his original angelic form—larger than the horizon—it would have terrified the congregation. Jibril sat directly opposite the Prophet ﷺ with his knees touching the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) knees and posed three questions. These questions were what are Islam (submission), Imaan (faith), and Ihsan (excellence in worship). These three answers shape our understanding of what Islam is providing us with the neat package that is the five pillars of Islam, the articles of faith, and tasawuf.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:

يَوْمًا بَارِزًا لِلنَّاسِ ‏.‏ فَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا الإِيمَانُ قَالَ ‏”‏ أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلاَئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَلِقَائِهِ وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْبَعْثِ الآخِرِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا الإِسْلاَمُ قَالَ ‏”‏ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ وَلاَ تُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَتُقِيمَ الصَّلاَةَ الْمَكْتُوبَةَ وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ الْمَفْرُوضَةَ وَتَصُومَ رَمَضَانَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا الإِحْسَانُ قَالَ ‏”‏ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ لاَ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

One day the Prophet (ﷺ) appeared among the people. A man came to him and said: ‘O messenger of Allah, what is Iman (faith)?’ He said: ‘To believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His Messengers and the meeting with, and to believe in the Final Resurrection.’ He said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what is Islam?’ He said: ‘To worship Allah (alone) and not to associate anything with Him; to establish the prescribed prayers, to pay the obligatory Zakat, and to fast Ramadan.’ He said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what is Ihsan? He said: ‘To worship Allah as if you see Him, for even though you do not see Him, He sees you.’  [Sunan Ibn-Majah]

To put this hadith in its historical context, it did not take place in the early years of revelation in Makkah. At that time, there Prophet’s ﷺ mosque had not been constructed, indeed the five pillars had not all been introduced. After the thirteen years the Prophet ﷺ spent in Makkah trying to disseminate the message to a hostile and unreceptive audience, he migrated to Madinah. Here he would spend the next ten years establishing Islam as a way of life to the fledgling community of believers.

Against this backdrop, in the 8th year 8 after the migration, Jibri AS walked into the mosque of the Prophet ﷺ and asked him, “Oh Muhammad, tell me about Islam.” And here the Prophet ﷺ enumerated the 5 pillars of Islam.

The five pillars

These pillars were introduced as obligations at various stages, as follows:

Shahada (Declaration of Faith): Introduced in Makkah.

Salah (Prayer): Obligated 18 months before the migration, during Isra wal Mi’raj.

Siyam (Fasting): Introduced in 2 AH in Madinah.

Zakat (Almsgiving): Also introduced in 2 AH in Madinah.

Hajj (Pilgrimage): This was the last of the pillars to be introduced, during the later years in Madinah, around 8 AH.

The 6 articles of faith

The articles of imaan (faith) in Islam are six fundamental beliefs that every Muslim is required to believe in. These articles of faith are:

1. Belief in Allah: The oneness of Allah, His existence, and His attributes. This includes belief in His sovereignty, His power, and that He is the only one worthy of worship.

2. Belief in the Angels: Belief in the existence of angels created by Allah, who carry out His commands and duties in the universe.

3. Belief in the Books of Allah: Belief in the divine scriptures revealed by Allah to various prophets throughout history, including the Quran, which is the final and complete revelation.

4. Belief in the Prophets and Messengers: Belief in all the prophets and messengers sent by Allah from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them all) to guide humanity. This includes belief in the finality of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as the last prophet.

5. Belief in the Day of Judgment: Belief in the Day of Resurrection and Judgment when all individuals will be held accountable for their deeds, and rewarded or punished accordingly.

6. Belief in Divine Decree (Qadar): Belief in Allah’s predestination, meaning that Allah has knowledge of, and has decreed, everything that happens in the universe. This includes belief in both the good and the bad that befalls individuals, as part of Allah’s divine wisdom.

Ihsan and Ibadah

When asked what is ihsan, the Prophet ﷺ said: “To worship Allah as though you can see him.”  

If you can’t achieve that state, then you should be sure that He sees you. Therefore there are two levels of ihsan. The highest level is to worship Allah as though you can see Him. In Surat al Fatiha, we say iyyaka na’budu, “You alone we worship) which comes from the word‘ibadah.

‘Abada with fatha over the ‘ba’ letter is different than ‘abd‘abd is a slave. But ‘abada it’s an action. It’s not a noun, it’s a verb. ‘Abada, ya’budu – it’s a verb. In Arabic we say, tareeq mu’abad. Tareeq mu’abad, paved way. Paved way. ‘Abada in Arabic it means humility, submission. Tathallul, in Arabic, yes. Thus the concept of ‘ibadah in Islam is that of full submission to Allah.

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ says ihsan is  أَنْ تَعْبُدَ, to worship Allah, it means to submit to Allah.

Unfortunately, in our minds, whenever we say ‘ibadah, we restrict it to the five pillars. While these pillars are fundamental elements of ‘ibadah, the concept extends far beyond them. ‘Ibadah is very broad and includes any actions or words done sincerely for Allah with the right intention and in line with prophetic guidance. All of these are considered ‘ibadah.

The highest form of worship is Salah, followed by fasting and the rest. However, going to work, with the right intention is a form of ‘ibadah. Studying, with the right intention is a form of ‘ibadah. Are we rewarded for that? Yes. If we have the right intention? Having the intention not to cheat, not to deceive people, to be honest, is a form of ‘ibadah. Therefore ‘ibadah is not simply standing up to pray, or refraining from eating and drinking during Ramadan. ‘Ibadah is much broader than that. Moreover it is having the consciousness of Allah’s presence.

 To worship Allah, you submit to Allah, as though you can see him, which is a high level.

Just imagine, you are working in an office, and you have your boss sitting next to you. Would you  play on your phone or text your friend, or check social media? No. you would focus on what you have to be doing during the working hours. You would be conscious of the quality of your work. If you have CCTV recording you, you would be disciplined, because you are conscious that you are being watched. This is just the workplace, but we know that Allah is with us. One of His names is Ar-Raqeeb, the Watchful. This is the second level.

The first level is to do things as if you can see Him. This is the perfection. You perfect your work because Allah sees you;, He is with you, He is watching you. Is it easy to get into this level? It depends on the state of your heart. The more connected your heart is to Allah, the more you can achieve this. The more your heart is heedless, in a state of ghafla state, the more you drift away from achieving perfection and excellence in your ‘ibadah.

How can ihsan make our life better?

The Prophet ﷺ taught us how to elevate ourselves from level to level, how to improve our connection to Allah from level to level. In Ramadan we see people ascend levels through devotion – fasting, recitation of the Quran, standing in night prayers and giving in charity. When Ramadan is over, their spiritual levels start to dip. So, the Prophet ﷺ wanted us to stay at the highest levels, and the way to do it is to worship Him as though you can see Him. This gives you ikhlas, which is sincerity.

What is the definition of sincerity? Doing things purely for Allah, regardless if you will be praised or criticised. You don’t do them because you will receive praise, and you don’t dismiss them because you are afraid of criticism. You simply do them because they please Allah. This is sincerity. This is ikhlas. Your intention is pure.  

However, when we do things we often have mixed intentions. Sometimes you attend an event because you were told to come, not because you intended to. Our intentions fluctuate like shares in the market, and like Bitcoin. Soaring and diving. You can control them by monitoring your heart. We achieve this through the prophetic practice, which is the remedy for the heart. In the morning, the Prophet ﷺ would say ‘astaghfirullah’ 100 times. And then repeat this in the evening. It is the washing and cleansing of the heart. The purer the heart, the clearer we can see which actions please Allah and which don’t.

In this way, ihsan brings this ikhlas to the forefront. Whenever you are doing something, you are checking your intention, monitoring your ikhlas. Am I doing this to get some likes, or some followers? Or am I doing this because it is the right thing to do, and what is pleasing to Allah.

Ihsan is about improving the quality of your action, not just doing the action.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ إِذَا عَمِلَ أَحَدُكُمْ عَمَلًا أَنْ يُتْقِنَهُ

Indeed, Allah loves that when any one of you does a task, he does it with excellence. (Al-Bayhaqi’s Shu’ab al-Iman.)

It’s the quality of your actions that truly matters. When you do something with quality in mind, you strive to do your best in everything—whether it’s salah (prayer), siyam (fasting), your homework, your studies, or your job. Knowing that Allah is watching you encourages you to avoid wasting time, cheating, or doing anything that displeases Him. This awareness and dedication to doing your best for Allah’s sake elevate you to the highest levels of faith and practice.

This is why we see the Prophet ﷺ confirming the importance of ihsan in our life. To live with Allah is to deliver the best you can. My best is different to your best, and her best, but whatever our ability, we try our best. As Allah stated He will not put us in hardship, He wants ease for us. At the end of Surat al Baqarah He tells us that He does not overburden a soul beyond what it can tolerate.

لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا

Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we forget or make a mistake. (2:286)

How to achieve ihsan

Number one, purify your hearts. This purification is a continuous process, achieved through the remembrance of Allah, morning and evening. Of course, salah (prayer) is the best form of dhikr (remembrance) of Allah, which brings us closer to Him. Through this, we can maintain the purity of our hearts. As the Prophet ﷺ explained to one of his companions, that salah was like bathing five times in a river that passes by your house. No dirt would remain on you. Salah washes away sins and impurities, purifying the heart and keeping you on the right path.

The second thing we need to do is improve our knowledge. To find your path, you need knowledge. Just as we use Google Maps to navigate, we need the right knowledge to guide us in life. It is incumbent on every Muslim to seek knowledge – the right knowledge from the right sources and the right people. These are people who understand both the text and the context. Some scholars might be well-versed in the text but lack context, and you need both.

We also need to develop both inwardly and outwardly. Outward development is through knowledge, while inward development is through intention, which I mentioned earlier. The top qualities of any leader include obedience to Allah, sincerity, truthfulness, and trustworthiness. These are the qualities of the Prophet ﷺ, who was known as As-Saadiq (the Truthful) and Al-Ameen (the Trustworthy). Without these qualities, you won’t achieve anything meaningful in life.

Lastly, and there are many qualities to consider, but the last one I’ll mention is humility (تواضع). The opposite of humility is arrogance, and Allah despises arrogance but loves humility. Humility was a defining quality of the Prophet ﷺ, and he is our role model. To improve ourselves, we need to work on both our inward and outward aspects. Inward improvement is through our connection and relationship with Allah, and outward improvement is through seeking knowledge.

Delivered by Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 1st June at Gilwell Hall. Transcribed by Zayna Sheikh

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Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.