Aida Masuri Mustafa بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Alhamdulillah. From the Rahmah of our Rabb is that He has given us numerous opportunities for us to do good, to work on our shortcomings, and to be better than yesterday. While many of us enter the Gregorian year with new goals, aiming to work on new habits, there is one lifelong mission that we should always strive towards — and that is reaching the station of ihsaan.
Rasulullah salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (ﷺ) said:
“Ihsaan is to worship Allah as if you see Him,
and if you do not achieve this state of devotion,
then (know that) Allah sees you.
Ihsaan is the highest station of imaan that a servant of Allah can and should aspire to reach. Ihsaan means excellence; that we strive to achieve excellence in every single thing we do for the sake of seeking the ridhaa (pleasure) of Allah alone.
In the above hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ explained the exact meaning of ihsaan, and that is to worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala as though we can see Him. But we can never see Allah in this dunyaa (temporal world), so what did Rasulullah ﷺ mean by this?
It means that when we worship Allah, we remember His Beautiful Names and Lofty Attributes.
When we say “Allahu akbar” in our salaah, we remember that Allah is truly The Greatest, that all of our problems are miniscule in comparison to Him, that He alone can remove every single worry and obstacle in our lives, and therefore we should direct our focus only on Him.
We remember Allah is Al-’Aleem (the All-Knowing), Who knows the exact actions of our limbs, the subtle movements of our lips, and the unspoken griefs in our hearts which He alone can wipe away with a single ‘Kun’ (be)!
We try to bring forth to our hearts and minds of the Majesty of Allah. But if we cannot do this, then Rasulullah ﷺ said to at least remember that Allah sees us. Why?
Think about it. When we realise someone who is highly respectable and prestigious is watching us, we would put on our best behaviour. We would hate to show our shortcomings or do a half-hearted job in their presence.
And to Allah belongs the best example. So when we sincerely remember that He subhanahu wa ta'ala is Ever Watching us, we will become fearful to disobey Him, hopeful for His reward when we do good, and strive to worship Him in the best manner that we can possibly do. This is the station of ihsaan!
To further help us achieve ihsaan in our salaah, consider this amazing hadith where Rasulullah ﷺ said:
“Allah ta’ala said: I have divided salaah between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.
When the servant says: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
(All praise is due to Allah, the Rabb of the worlds)
Allah responds: My servant has praised Me.
When he says: الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
(The Gracious, the Merciful)
Allah responds: My servant has exalted Me.
When he says: مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ
(The Master of the Day of Judgement)
Allah responds: My servant has glorified Me, and My servant has submitted to Me.
When he says: إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
(You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help)
Allah responds: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant will have what he has asked for.
When he says: اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ * صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ
(Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom You have favoured, not the way of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray)
Allah responds: This is for My servant, and My servant will have what he has asked for.” [Sahih Muslim 395a]
Allah responds to us when we recite Surah Al-Fatihah in our salaah — how amazing is that, subhana Allah. Rasulullah ﷺ also said: “Whenever anyone of you stands for salaah, he is speaking privately to his Rabb.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari 405]
So one of the ways for us to attain ihsaan in our salaah is to always bear in mind that when we pray, we’re actually talking privately to Allah, and He subhanahu wa ta'ala truly responds. What greater honour than to have the Rabb of all worlds responding to us!
It’s also important to know that ihsaan is not just limited to our relationship with Allah, but it encompasses all good deeds including our relationship with His creations as well.
When we’re giving charity, helping our parents, removing an obstacle from the road, feeding a stray animal, cooking meals for our family, and so on — bring ihsaan in each of those deeds. And we can achieve this, in shaa Allah, by carrying out those deeds sincerely for Allah, seeking reward from Him, while striving to do the deeds in the best manner that we can.
And so, when we worship Allah, worship Him to the best of our ability.
When we pray, pray as best as we can.
When we work, work as best as we can.
When we interact with others, show them the best akhlaaq that we can.
When we do da’wah, do da’wah as best as we can.
When we write, write as best as we can.
Because Allah sees our deeds, Allah will not belittle our deeds, and Allah will reward our deeds. Every single moment in our lives is an opportunity for us to reach the station of ihsaan. And Allah ta’ala says:
لِّلَّذِينَ أَحۡسَنُواْ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰ وَزِيَادَةٌ۬ۖ
“For those who have done ihsaan is the best (i.e. Jannah) and even more (i.e. the honour of seeing Allah in Jannah).”
[Surah Yunus 10 : 26]
So for those who wish to be a beloved servant of Allah, make ihsaan your lifelong goal.
For those who wish to earn Jannah, make ihsaan your lifelong goal.
For those who yearn to see Allah in Jannah, make ihsaan your lifelong goal.
For there is nothing more honourable than the honour of meeting Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in Jannah.
و السلام عليكم
Your sister in Deen,
Aida Msr
