Iman, Islam and Ihsan

We are blessed to be born and raised in an Islamic community, where we are face to face with Islam and where Islam is inscribed in our very identity. Even if we are not born in a country where Muslims are the majority, we should know that we are particularly blessed to have been granted the gift of iman. Some of us may have found the righteous path of Islam later in life rather than through parental education. That is a gift of Allah we can never be thankful enough for. In any case, we either live Islam as a habit or through conscious and deliberate choice.

Genuine Islam begins with iman, matures with worship, and reaches perfection with ihsan. We learn these three fundamental elements in the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) famous ‘Jibril hadith.’

Jibril (alayhissalam) once appeared as a man and joined a gathering of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and his Companions, whereby he posed questions and sought answers pertaining to iman, Islam, ihsan, and the signs of the Last Day.

We should recognize and acknowledge our Islamic identity within the context of this hadith, fully conscious of our deeds and conduct.

As narrated by Umar bin Khattab (radiyallahu anh):

“One day, whilst we were sitting with the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), a man whom none of us knew, wearing white clothing, with dark hair and a pleasant smell, and with no indications he traveled from afar, suddenly appeared. He came and sat before the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), putting his knees against his, and placing his hands on his thighs and said:

‘Oh Muhammad, tell me about Islam’ he said. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) replied:

‘Islam, is to testify that there is no other deity worthy of worship other than Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger; to perform the salah (obligatory prayers); to give zakat; to fast during the month of Ramadan, and if (physically and financially) able to do so to visit the House of Allah (perform the Hajj).’

‘You have spoken the truth,’ said the man.

We were astounded by his behavior as he asked the questions and then affirmed the Messenger of Allah. Then he asked:

‘Tell me about Iman.’

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) replied:

‘Iman is the belief in Allah, His angels, His Revelations, His Messengers, the Day of Judgment, that all, good and evil, is preordained by Allah.’

‘You have spoken the truth,’ said the man and:

‘Tell me about Ihsan?’ he asked.

‘Ihsan, is to worship as if you can see Allah. For although you cannot see Him, He sees you,’ replied the messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

The person then asked:

‘Tell me about the Hour (Judgment Day)?’ The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) responded:

‘The one being asked the question concerning this matter is not more informed than the one asking.’

The person then asked:

‘Tell me about some of the Signs?’ After the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gave some details regarding some of the signs of the Last Hour, the individual stood up, walked amongst the congregation, and disappeared from sight. A little while later, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) turned towards me and said:

‘Umar, do you know who the person asking the questions was?’

‘Allah and His Messenger know best,’ I replied. The Messenger of Allah (alayhissalam) then declared:

‘Verily, that was Jibril. He came to teach you about your religion.’”

(Al-Bukhari; Muslim; Abu Dawud; Tirmidhi; Ibn Majah)

Other accounts of this hadith cite ‘iman’ as the initial question posed by Jibril. However, what is certain is that we learn from the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself with the testimony of the Angel of Revelation, Jibril (alayhissalam), that deen (religion) is built on three core principles. These are iman, Islam and ihsan.

Let us examine these three principles separately.

Iman in hearts, Islam in deeds

Iman is the acceptance of and bearing witness to the belief in the presence and oneness of Allah; that there is nothing like unto Him; that He alone creates and sustains all; it is He who eradicates life, and it is He who resurrects it; He is free from all imperfections; that He is the only deity worthy of worship. Furthermore, it is the belief in Allah’s angels, His messengers, His revelations, that all good and evil is created by Him; the belief in the Day of Judgment, that all will be resurrected and judged; and the belief in the existence of Heaven and Hell and that mankind and the jinn will abide therein.

Many ayahs detail whom one should worship and how. One such ayah is:

“The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers.’ And they say, ‘We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return.’” (Al-Baqarah, 285)

In his Jibril hadith, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has separated iman and Islam. He described good deeds as Islam. The hadith, “Islam is openly manifested, whereas iman is within the heart” (Musnad Ahmad, 12404), differentiates the two. When the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) led janazah (funeral) prayers, he would recite the following prayer:

“O Allah, whomever you give life from among us, give him life in Islam, and whomever you take away from us, take him away in Faith.” (Abu Dawud, 3201)

Ahlu’s-Sunnah scholars have described iman as, “affirmation by the heart and confession by the tongue.” It is a prerequisite for a person to confess their iman openly for them to be duly accepted as a mumin (believer). However, what is essential for iman is the recognition of the qalb (spiritual heart). Any word not entirely accepted by the heart is an indication of imperfection.

Every believer is a Muslim because one who affirms the essentials of iman, and instills it in the deep recesses of their heart will surely obey the commandments of Islam. If a person’s iman does not allow them to put into practice the commandments set by Islam, their iman is not embedded within their heart, and they will not be among those whose iman has reached perfection.

Moreover, all those who practice the commandments of Islam are not necessarily perfect believers. Some may not have reached perfection and may have not iman firmly established in the depths of their hearts, but nevertheless put into practice the laws and commandments of Islam and will still be considered Muslim. This is described in the following ayah:

“The Bedouins say, “We have believed.” Say (O Prophet), “You have not believed; instead, you (should) say, ‘We have submitted’ and the belief has not entered your hearts so far.” (Al-Hujurat, 14)

Tafsir scholars say the people in this ayah who are said to have no faith are not hypocrites or munafiqun but rather those whose iman is weak. Allah rejected the words of those desert Arabs who declared themselves as believers as soon as they embraced Islam. The conclusion one can deduce from this ayah is that the term iman carries more significance when compared to the term Islam. That is to say, iman is an expression (statement) of affirmation and recognition in the heart. In contrast Islam, as well as being weaker in regard, in this instance, expresses the reality of submission through various means.

Where do we stand?

Do we truly believe, are we true believers, or do we just abide in Islam? How can we understand exactly where we stand? Some of the qualities of a true believer are explained in the following ayahs:

“Certainly, the believers are those whose hearts are filled with awe when (the name of) Allah is mentioned; and when His verses are recited to them, it makes them more developed in faith; and in their Lord they place their trust.

(They are) those who establish salah, and give away from what We have given to them.

Those are the believers in reality. For them there are high ranks with their Lord, and forgiveness, and dignified provision.” (Al-Anfal, 2-4)

“...put your trust in Allah if you are believers indeed.” (Al-Maidah, 23)

“…fear Me, if you are believers.” (Ali Imran, 175)

The Messenger of Allah (alayhissalam) also made mention of the characteristics of those who have iman in many of his hadiths.

“Whoever is pleased with Allah as (his) Lord, and Islam as (his) religion, and Muhammad as (his) Prophet, then he has tasted the sweetness of faith” ( Tirmidhi 2623)

“Whoever possesses these three qualities will surely sense the sweetness of iman:

• To find it more worthy to love Allah and His Messenger above all else.
• To love someone for the sake of Allah.
• To be thrown into the fire is dearer to him than going back to blasphemy after Allah has saved him from it.” (Bukhari; Muslim; Tirmidhi)

“The highest degree of iman is to be mindful that no matter where you are, Allah is with you.” (Tabarani; Haythami)

“None of you will have true iman until I am more beloved to him than his children, his father, and all the people.” (Bukhari; Muslim; Ahmad bin Hanbal)

“None of you will have true iman unless he loves for the sake of Allah and despises for the sake of Allah. For if he loves for the sake of Allah and despises for the sake of Allah, then he will surely merit the reward of those nearest to Allah.” (Ahmad bin Hanbal)

“ If anyone loves for Allah's sake, hates for Allah's sake, gives for Allah's sake and withholds for Allah's sake, he will have perfected his faith.” (Adu Dawud, 4681)

When asked about the highest degree of iman, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) declared:

“– To love for the sake of Allah, to despise for the sake of Allah, and to keep your tongue busy with dhikr (remembrance of Allah).

– And what else, O Messenger of Allah?

– To love and seek for yourself what you love and seek for others; to not wish upon others what you yourself find unpleasant and distasteful.” (Ahmad b. Hanbal 22130)

In another hadith:

“A true believer is he who is pleased with his righteous deeds and is displeased with unrighteous deeds.” (Tirmidhi; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal)

Aside from the qualities mentioned above, a true believer must also encompass akhlaq (good character) and be able to get along with their fellow believers. Some of the hadiths related to this are as follows:

“With regard to iman, the best among you are those with the best akhlaq.” (Tirmidhi, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal)

“For a surety, you will not have attained true iman unless you desire for his brother what you desire for yourself.” (Bukhari; Muslim; Tirmidhi)

“You see the believers in regard to their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well, then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it.” (Bukhari; Muslim; Ahmad ibn Hanbal)

When the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) proclaimed three times, “I swear by Allah that he has not believed!”

“O Messenger of Allah, who is he that does not believe?” asked the companions.

“One whose neighbor does not feel safe from his evil.” replied the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). (Bukhari; Muslim)

“A believer is the mirror of his brother. A believer is the brother of another believer. He protects him against loss and defends him behind his back.” (Bukhari; Abu Dawud)

“One is not a true believer when his neighbor next door is starving and he is full.” (Hakim; Abu Ya’la)

As a general rule, one can summarize these ayahs and hadiths to reach the following conclusion:

The believer who believes in the existence and oneness of Allah, and the prophethood of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), will owe obedience to Allah and His Messenger; they will obey His commands and safeguard themselves from what Allah has prohibited. They will want to learn the divine laws, and once they do, they will follow them.

Using these guidelines, we must evaluate if we are true believers—never try and gauge someone else’s faith—or if we have simply built a religious life around the community in which we live, our culture, and its traditions.

As for the warning in the ayah, “The Bedouins say, “We have believed.” Say, “You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], 'We have submitted,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts…” (Al-Hujurat, 14) we can determine where we fall in the range of the levels of iman by looking at the ayahs and hadiths above.

At this point, one can understand why the tasawwuf discipline exists and the extent to which it has gained acceptability and credibility in the wider Islamic society. The good manners and methods of tasawwuf are there to perfect the weak iman, to raise the believer to the level of true, genuine iman rather than merely imitating their deen (religion). It is the pleasure one derives from their iman that ultimately leads to the spiritual state of ecstasy called halawat-uliman. It is the transition from a Muslim to a mumin. According to Junayd al-Baghdadi (quddisa sirruhu), the starting point of tasawwuf is the tawhid, “there is no deity worthy of worship other than Allah,” and the ending is, “there is no deity worthy of worship other than Allah.” However, the difference between the two is that the Muslim at the first stages of the path of tasawwuf is beset by ghaflah and their iman is a form of taqlid, an imitation, whereas the mumin who has perfected their iman through the many arduous stages of tasawwuf has the clarity of yaqin, the certainty in one's knowledge and iman, and thus has achieved tahqiqi iman (true iman with no imitations).

As if seeing Allah Himself

The word ihsan mentioned in the Jibril hadith is defined in dictionaries with entries such as “performing a good, beneficial action; performing a task properly, beautifully and accurately; doing good deeds and offering something generously.”

As a religious term, “ihsan” includes meanings such as worshipping Allah as if seeing Him, performing our obligatory duties, avoiding haram and suspicious things, being honest and sincere, wishing for others what we wish for ourselves, turning to goodness and directing ourselves to do good, forgiving the mistakes and offenses against ourselves, and obeying Allah at all times and under any circumstances regardless of whether we are distressed or peaceful, joyous or sorrowful.

Allah the Exalted wants us to be of those who possess ihsan, that is, a muhsin (one who achieves perfection or excellence in his worship and actions toward Allah). He requires us to perform our duties both to Him and the public with due diligence and to the best of our ability.

To be a muhsin, one must meet the requirements of proper iman by conforming to it knowingly, desiring it, and longing for it with complete sincerity and devotion.

By clarifying the word ihsan as “worshipping Allah almighty as if you could see Him,” the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) tells us that the servant must worship Allah the Almighty in this state of being and with this awareness. This is a state in which one feels themselves constantly in the presence of Allah; they must always be mindful that Allah is closer to them than their jugular vein and that they are in His presence at all times. When this state is achieved, it enables the servant to feel awe, khashyah (reverent fear), and haybah (worshipful veneration) towards Allah.

Ibn Omar (radiyallahu anh) narrates: “Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) took hold of me and said: ‘worship Allah as if you see Him.’”(Al-Bukhari 48)

According to Anas bin Malik (radiyallahu anh), the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said to a man who sought advice from him:

“Perform your salah as best as you can as if it is your last salah. As much as you may not see Him, He sees you.” (Tabarani; Haythami)

In another narration, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) asked Harithah (radiyallahu anh):

– How did you wake up, O Harithah?

– I woke up as a true believer, he replied.

– Be aware of what you say. Indeed, every word bears some truth. 

– I abstained myself from the world. I stayed vigil all night (with worship). I fasted during the day. It is as if I can see the Arsh of My Lord clearly, (distinctly). It is as if I can see the people of Jannah and how they greet each other. It is as if I can see the people of Fire, and how they wail.

In response, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

– Continue with what you do; (you are a) servant whose heart has been enlightened by Allah with the nour of iman. (Tabarani; Bayhaki; Haythami)

The two states of the mumin

An arif once said, “Those who worship Allah in the full knowledge that Allah is observing them are called mukhlis. Those who worship Allah as if they see Him are referred to as arif.” These words point to two positions of maqam (rank). The first is ikhlas. It is being aware that Allah is constantly observing you, that He is aware of your every move and is very close to you. If the servant conducts all their actions with the awareness that Allah is observing them and that He is with them at all times, they will attain true ikhlas, for, in this state, they will praise none but Allah.

The second maqam is the maqam of mushahadah (witnessing). This maqam involves the servant worshipping Allah as if they are seeing Him with their heart. The heart will be illuminated with the light of iman, and the realities of the unseen will be made apparent to them.

This is the maqam highlighted in the Jibril hadith.

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) pointed toward the maqam of ihsan with his hadiths on various occasions: once when he said “The most righteous iman is the awareness that no matter where you are, Allah is with you,” and again when he replied to the question “with what can man cleanse his nafs (ego)?” with “With the awareness that Allah is always with you no matter where you are.”

There are many ayahs which clearly relate that Allah is very close to His servants:

“And when My servants ask you about Me, of course, I am near. I respond to the call of one when he prays to Me; so they should respond to Me, and have faith in Me so that they may be on the right path.” (Al-Baqarah, 186)

“And He is with you wherever you are, and Allah is watchful of whatever you do.” (Al-Hadid, 4)

“Indeed We have created man, and We know what his nafs whispers to him, and We are closer to him than (his) jugular vein.” (Qaf, 16)

There are also hadiths pertaining to Allah’s nearness to His servants:

“"He who prays holds an intimate conversation with his Lord.” (Bukhari; Muslim; Ahmad bin Hanbal)

“O people! Don’t raise your voice. For you are not calling one who is deaf or absent but One Who is with you. No doubt He is All-Hearer, ever Near (to all things by His knowledge). ” (Bukhari 56/221)

In a hadith qudsi Allah declares:

“I am whatever presumption my servant makes of Me. I am with him as he remembers Me. And if he remembers Me in his heart, I also remember him in My Heart. When he remembers Me in a gathering, then I will remember him in a more esteemed gathering. When he draws nearer to Me by the length of a hand, I will draw nearer to him by a cubit. When he draws nearer to Me by a cubit, I will draw nearer to him by a fathom. When he takes a step toward Me, I will take strides toward him.”( Muslim 2675)

Who Keeps Watch?

Muadh bin Jabal (radiyallahu anh), one of the great sahabah, used to work as a zakat collector during the Caliphate of Umar bin Khattab (radiyallahu anh). He would travel to the homesteads of different tribes, collect their zakat and bring the sum to the state treasury known as baytu’l-mal.

It was another day of Muadh (radiyallahu anh) making his rounds between several tribes, collecting and delivering their zakats and finally returning home. He was struggling to make ends meet. His wife sometimes felt at the end of her rope seeing him in this situation. When she saw her husband return home empty-handed yet again, she said reproachfully:

– You have been wandering the desert for days and collecting zakat from the rich. You should have put something aside for yourself and brought it home. Besides, who could know? Who would hear?

– How can I do that? There’s someone who constantly watches me. I can’t bring anything home for fear of him, Muadh (radiyallahu anh) answered his wife’s displeasure.

– What do you mean? Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) trusted you, Abu Bakr trusted you, but Umar didn’t trust you and sent a watcher to spy on you? I’ll go ask him, she said and left the house furiously. She walked up to the caliph and said:

– O amiru’l-muminin (leader of the believers)! My husband Muadh is a trustworthy person. No watcher was sent to keep an eye on him before because he is a loyal man! Why did you send someone now? she asked.

The caliph, flustered, said that he did no such thing. The woman returned, embarrassed, and began to rebuke her husband:

– What right do you have to make me feel ashamed before the caliph? Why did you lie and say that he sent a watcher after you?

– No, I’m not lying. I said there is a watcher who constantly watches me. I didn’t say that it was the caliph who sent him after me. The watcher pursuing me at all times isn’t that of the caliph but of Allah Himself. Don’t the scribe angels of Allah keep a record of every action, good or bad? Doesn’t Allah know everything we do? Is it possible to remove oneself from His knowledge? Aren’t the smallest speck of a good deed and the smallest speck of a bad deed going to be brought to account on the Day of Judgment?

Muadh’s wife thought about this answer and realized how wrong her previous thoughts were, brought about by the hardships endured in poverty. She decided not to complain to her husband about this again.

On the other hand, the Caliph Umar bin Khattab (radiyallahu anh) summoned Muadh (radiyallahu anh) and said:

– What is the reason behind the things your wife said?

Muadh (radiyallahu anh) explained everything, and Umar (radiyallahu anh) laughed at the story that had finally been told in full. He handed him some gifts and added:

– Take these to your wife. (Imam Ghazali, Kimya-i Saadat)

Tasawwuf and the rank of ihsan

The Jibril hadith is important because it lays the foundations of Islam. Imam Qurtubi (rahmatullahi alayh) refers to this hadith as “ummu’s-sunnah,” which can be taken to mean the essence of sunnah. According to the 13th-century Islamic scholar ibn Daqiq al-Id, “The Jibril hadith covers all the required inner and outer actions. All knowledge of the religion of Islam returns to this hadith; it is the roots, and from there, all knowledge branches out. This hadith embodies the complete sunnah knowledge, to the point of being the mother of sunnah just as surah Al-Fatiha embodies the complete meaning of the Quran and is accepted as the mother of the Quran.

In the Jibril hadith, the rank of ihsan is the final phase. After asking the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) about Islam and iman, Jibril (alayhissalam) asked about ihsan. The Messenger of Allah’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) reply was, “Ihsan, is the act of worship as if you can see Allah. For although you cannot see Him, He sees you,”

Allah commands us to worship Him as if we see Him, that we must always be aware that He is overseeing our every action, and that He is very close to His servants. Is this too difficult?

Let us remember this: the commandments of Allah are not such that they are beyond the capabilities of the average person insofar as they do not require higher intelligence or exceptional skills. A person with average intelligence and ability is just as responsible to observe the laws and commandments of Allah as one with extraordinary intellect. In essence, Islam is simple and uncomplicated.

We need to set our sights on achieving the rank of ihsan. Then, we need to realize that the two enemies who stand between us and our goal in this worthy effort, the nafs and shaytan, will frequently head us off this path and that we are equipped with the means and qualifications to overcome them.

It is not difficult to find and avail ourselves of a spiritual guide to make the journey easier and the path shorter. It is also well-known by those who have benefited from their prayers and blessed, nurturing gaze that their assistance on this path awakens an enthusiasm and a passion for the journey ahead.

The objective of tasawwuf and the journey of sayr wa suluk is to guide the heart to the exalted rank of ihsan. The heart will awaken from its apathetic slumber with the dhikr of Allah (invoking the name of Allah); it will be cleansed of all spiritual impurities with Allah Almighty’s divine nur (light) and affection, ultimately finding true peace in Allah the Most High. With the heart awoken and the spiritual impurities cleansed, the servant will have attained the spiritual position of yaqin (certainty of faith). The heart attains total consciousness and diligent, scrupulous sensitivity as if seeing Allah the Most Glorious.

There is an institution dedicated to nurturing students to attain such levels: the institution of tasawwuf. The great wali Shah-i Naqshband (quddisa sirruhu) summed up tasawwuf in his remarks below:

“The objective of this path and its ultimate achievement is to be constantly in the presence of Allah the Exalted. During the time of the Companions, this was called ihsan. One achieves ten maqams (stations) on this path through the annihilation of the desires that stem from our nafs, being wholly absorbed in the divine light and the states of being experienced by the heart and the soul, attaining the levels of fana (annihilation) and baqa (subsistence), and conducting oneself with exceptional character and morals.”

Siraceddin Önlüer