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The Famous Ḥadīth Defining Iḥsān
The clearest and most complete definition of iḥsān comes from the famous ḥadīth of Jibrīl, where the angel came in human form and questioned the Prophet ﷺ in front of the companions. When he asked about iḥsān, the Prophet ﷺ answered:
“That you worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then truly He sees you.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al‑Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
This concise statement contains the essential meaning of iḥsān. It is about the quality and depth of worship, not just the outward actions. Islam deals with the body and visible actions, īmān with belief in the heart, and iḥsān with the excellence and perfection of how the heart is present with Allah during those actions.
Iḥsān is therefore the highest level of the religion. The Prophet ﷺ described Islam, īmān, and iḥsān in one single ḥadīth, and at the end he said:
“That was Jibrīl. He came to teach you your religion.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
This shows that iḥsān is not something extra outside Islam, but a core part of the religion. It is the peak that a believer strives for after entering Islam and affirming īmān.
The Linguistic Meaning of Iḥsān
In the Arabic language, the word iḥsān comes from the root “ḥ‑s‑n,” which carries the meaning of beauty, goodness, and excellence. From this root comes “ḥasan” which means “good” or “beautiful.” Iḥsān linguistically means to make something good, to perfect it, or to do something in a beautiful, excellent way.
This linguistic sense appears clearly in the Qur’an, for example where Allah speaks about doing good to others and calls it iḥsān:
“Indeed, Allah orders justice and excellence (al‑iḥsān) and giving to relatives, and forbids immorality, bad conduct, and oppression.”
(Qur’an 16:90)
Here, iḥsān means excellence in dealing with Allah’s creation, doing more than just the bare minimum, and doing so with beauty and kindness.
The basic linguistic idea remains the same when we speak about the religious level of iḥsān. It is to make one’s worship of Allah as good, as beautiful, and as perfect as possible in obedience, sincerity, and presence of heart.
The Sharʿī (Religious) Meaning of Iḥsān
From the ḥadīth of Jibrīl, scholars derive a complete religious definition of iḥsān. In simple form:
Iḥsān is to worship Allah with such awareness and sincerity that you are as if you see Him, and if you do not reach that level, then you constantly remember that He truly sees you.
The first level is “as if you see Him.” This means that the heart is so filled with faith, love, awe, and awareness of Allah’s greatness that the person’s worship becomes extremely focused and sincere. The believer imagines the reality of standing in front of Allah, seeing His reward, His Paradise, His punishment, His Hellfire, and thus worships with total presence.
The second level, which is the foundation for all, is “He sees you.” Even if a person does not reach the highest state of witnessing with the heart, he or she holds firmly to the knowledge that Allah is always watching. This constant awareness of Allah’s sight and knowledge shapes the person’s behavior, even when alone and unseen by people.
Allah reminds us of this reality in many verses:
“And Allah is Seeing of what you do.”
(Qur’an 49:18)
“Indeed, Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.”
(Qur’an 4:1)
“He knows the stealthy glance of the eyes and what the breasts conceal.”
(Qur’an 40:19)
When this awareness settles in the heart, it produces iḥsān, the excellence of worship that goes beyond mere outward performance.
Iḥsān is the perfection of worship in both outward action and inward state, so that a person worships Allah as if seeing Him, or at least with certainty that He always sees and knows everything.
Iḥsān as Excellence in Worship of Allah
The primary field of iḥsān is the relationship between the servant and Allah. It is not just doing the acts of worship correctly, but performing them in the best, most sincere, and most focused way a person can.
Allah says about those who have iḥsān in their relationship with Him:
“Yes, whoever submits his face to Allah while being a muḥsin (one who does iḥsān), then his reward is with his Lord, and there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.”
(Qur’an 2:112)
To “submit his face to Allah” means to turn one’s whole being to Allah in obedience. When this submission is done with iḥsān, Allah promises security from fear and grief in the ultimate sense.
Another verse:
“And whoever does iḥsān, does so for his own soul. And Allah is Free of need of the worlds.”
(Qur’an 29:6)
Allah is not in need of our worship. When a believer reaches towards iḥsān, it benefits the believer’s own heart, purifies it, and raises it in rank.
In every act of worship, iḥsān appears in how the heart is present with Allah. In the prayer, it appears in humility, focus, and sincerity. In fasting, it appears in patience and guarding the tongue and limbs from sin. In charity, it appears in giving secretly, purely for Allah’s sake, without showing off or seeking praise.
While the detailed description of specific acts belongs to other chapters, what is unique here is that iḥsān always looks to the inner quality. Two people might perform the same action, but the one who performs it with iḥsān has a far greater reward in the sight of Allah.
Iḥsān in Dealing with People and Creation
Although the highest meaning of iḥsān is about the heart’s state with Allah, the word is also used to describe excellence and goodness towards people and even animals.
Allah commands:
“And do iḥsān (goodness, excellence) to parents, relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful.”
(Qur’an 4:36)
Here iḥsān is applied to social relationships, calling the believer to treat all these categories of people with kindness, fairness, and excellence.
Similarly, Allah says:
“And do iḥsān. Indeed, Allah loves the muḥsinīn (those who do iḥsān).”
(Qur’an 2:195)
The Prophet ﷺ also extended the command of iḥsān to every aspect of life, including how one deals with animals:
“Indeed Allah has prescribed iḥsān in all things...”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
He then gave examples about slaughtering animals in the least painful way, which shows that excellence and mercy should fill every action of a believer.
From these texts, scholars mention that iḥsān has a general sense and a specific sense. The general sense is excellence and goodness in all dealings, with Allah and with creation. The specific sense, which is the subject here, is the excellence of the servant’s heart and worship of his Lord.
The Inner Dimension of Iḥsān: Consciousness of Allah
At its core, iḥsān is about living with a constant inner consciousness of Allah. The Qur’an describes the people of iḥsān as those who are mindful of Allah when alone and in private, not just when among others.
Allah says:
“Who fear their Lord unseen, while they are of the Hour apprehensive.”
(Qur’an 21:49)
And He says:
“Indeed, those who fear their Lord unseen will have forgiveness and a great reward.”
(Qur’an 67:12)
To “fear their Lord unseen” means to be conscious of Allah when others do not see, when there is no one to praise or blame, no one to watch except Allah. This fear is not panic, it is a reverential awe mixed with love and respect, which makes a person careful about every action and word.
This inner state is what the ḥadīth of Jibrīl points to. When a person worships “as if he sees Allah,” he remembers Allah with the eye of the heart. He thinks about Allah’s names and attributes, His mercy, His knowledge, His power, His nearness to the servants, and this transforms the way he prays, speaks, and acts.
The second part “if you do not see Him, He sees you” anchors the believer in the certainty of Allah’s constant observation. The believer knows that Allah is al‑Basīr, the All Seeing, and al‑Samīʿ, the All Hearing.
“Indeed, Allah is ever Hearing and Seeing.”
(Qur’an 4:134)
When this knowledge becomes alive in the heart, it turns into iḥsān. It protects from hypocrisy, showing off, and hidden sins, and encourages secret acts of worship and quiet obedience that only Allah knows.
The Rank of the Muḥsinīn
Those who live with iḥsān are described in the Qur’an with a special title, “al‑muḥsinīn,” the people of iḥsān. Allah attaches special love and closeness to them.
Allah says:
“Indeed, Allah loves the muḥsinīn.”
(Qur’an 3:134)
And He mentions their reward:
“For those who do iḥsān is the best (reward) and more.”
(Qur’an 10:26)
The “best” here is Paradise, and “more” is explained by many scholars as the greatest gift, which is seeing Allah in the Hereafter. This is a special reward related to the people who reached iḥsān in this life, those who worshipped Allah as if they saw Him.
Allah also mentions how He supports them:
“And thus do We reward the muḥsinīn.”
(Qur’an 37:80)
This pattern appears in many stories of the prophets, where Allah saves and honors His servants whom He calls muḥsinīn.
While the details of reward in the Hereafter belong to other chapters, it is important here to understand that iḥsān is not just a theoretical rank, but a living state of the heart that brings a person into Allah’s special love and care.
Allah explicitly states His love for the people of iḥsān, the muḥsinīn, and promises them the best reward and more in the Hereafter.
Iḥsān as the Highest Level of the Religion
In the ḥadīth of Jibrīl, the Prophet ﷺ taught that Islam, īmān, and iḥsān are three levels of one religion. Islam is the foundation of submission, īmān is the strengthening of belief, and iḥsān is the perfection of worship and character.
Iḥsān is therefore the highest level that a servant aims for. It is not a different religion nor is it something reserved only for a few special people. Every Muslim is called to strive for iḥsān according to his or her ability.
Allah praises those who combine Islam, īmān, and iḥsān together, like when He mentions people who surrender to Him, believe in Him, and then continue to do iḥsān throughout their lives:
“Whoever submits his face to Allah while he is a muḥsin, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold.”
(Qur’an 31:22)
The “most trustworthy handhold” is secure and unbreakable. It belongs to the one who not only submits outwardly, but also beautifies that submission with iḥsān.
The definition of iḥsān therefore gathers together three key ideas. It is conscious worship of Allah, as if seeing Him. It is awareness that Allah sees and knows everything. And it is excellence and beauty in everything a believer does for Allah’s sake.