Ihsan (or Ehsan or Ahsan or احسان) is an Arabic term meaning "perfection" or "excellence." 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, they undoubtedly believe he is constantly watching over them. That definition comes from the hadith in which Muhammad states, "“ It (Ihsan) is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state then you must remember that He is seeing you.” (Al-Bukhari and Al-Muslim).

The concept of Ihsan has been understood differently by various Islamic scholars. For example, some scholars explain Ihsan as being the "inner-dimension" of Islam whereas shariah is often described as the "outer-dimension". Ihsan is excellence in worship, work, and in social interactions. For example, ihsan includes sincerity during Muslim prayers and being grateful to parents, family, and God.

Sufis have divided Ihsan into two parts

• Muraqaba i.e. to worship with the thought that The God is seeing us .

• Mushahada i.e. to worship The God as if we see Him

External links

• Hadith of Angel Gabriel Haddith #2 from An-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths
• Ihsan – the Gnostic Knowledge of Mankind
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• Ihsanic Intellgence Think-tank who published of 'The Hijacked Caravan', a landmark study into suicide bombing released a day after the July 7 bombings in London

Islam | Aqidah