What is Ihsaan?

كَنْزُالأَطْفاَل

(The Children's Treasure)

Taught by: Umm Hyatt al-Ameriki  حفظها الله

LESSON # 11

Q 17)  مَا هُوالإحْسان؟ - What is Ihsaan?

أن تَعْبُدالله:

كَأنَّك تراه *

فإن لم تَكُن تراه فإنَّهُ يَراك *

Answer:  It is to worship Allaah as if you see Him and even if we don't see Him, know that He sees you. Ihsaan has to do with actions that are 'hasan' (good) and perfection within that action. So, Ihsaan is from perfecting your actions (if you made this action good). 

Sheikh A'ala Sheikh حفظه الله mentioned in his book with regards to the explanation of this hadeeth in 'Forty Hadeeth' that every Mu'min (believer), every servant has some level of Ihsaan. He mentioned that no action is considered correct except with the presence of Ihsaan. So, he said every Muslim has a level of Ihsaan.

Read & Download Lesson #11

The Meaning of Worship..

Great blessings from Allaah due to direct consequences of tests & trials!

Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله said:

…If you ponder Allaah’s wisdom in that with which He tests His slaves and chosen ones, by means of which He directs them to achieve the highest goals and reach the highest positions, which they could not have achieved without these tests and trials… all these tests and trials are in fact a kind of honour, for while they appear to be trials and tests, in fact they are mercy and blessings.

How many great blessings from Allaah are the direct consequences of tests and trials?

Think about the story of our father Adam, and how his test ended with him being chosen and brought close to Allaah, and repenting and being guided and raised in status.

What does external closeness between creatures gradually lead do?

Ibn Taymiyyah said:

“… Allaah fashioned the human, as well as every type of creature, to naturally interact with similar creatures. The closer these two creatures are, the more they will interact and become similar to each other in their manners and characteristics, to the point that one would be unable to distinguish between them except in terms of their physical appearance.

Since human beings are closest to each other, their interaction with and imitation of each other is the strongest. Although not as strong, the closeness of humans to animals is intermediate, and there must be interaction and imitation between them to a certain degree as well. Although extremely weak, there is also a degree of closeness between humans and plants, and there must also be interaction and imitation between them to a certain degree.

The Fitnah of Wealth Is More than the Fitnah of Children

Question posed to Imaam Ibn Baaz رحمه الله: The mentioning of the wealth always come before the mentioning of the children in the Qur'aan although the children are more precious with the parent than his wealth. What is the wisdom behind that?

Answer: The fitnah of the wealth is more (than the fitnah of the children). That is because the wealth aids him upon fulfilling the prohibited desires and other than that. This is different from the children. Indeed it is possible that the parent is tested by them and he disobeys Allaah due to them. However, the fitnah of wealth is greater and more severe. Based upon this, Allaah began with (mentioning) the wealth before the children.

Like in His statement:

وَمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُم بِالَّتِي تُقَرِّبُكُمْ

“It is not your wealth or your children which gets you closer to Us.”

(Saba 34:37)

“Knowledge searches for action; if it does not find it, it will depart.”

 

Question: What is your advice regarding acting upon knowledge?

Answer by Sheikh Al-‘Uthaimeen رحمه الله : It is mandatory that a person acts upon his knowledge, because the fruit of knowledge is action. If a person does not act upon his knowledge, he will consequently be from amongst the first people to be punished in the fire on the Day of Judgement.

It was mentioned (in lines of poetry):

“The scholar who did not act upon his knowledge will be punished before the worshippers of idols.”

Thus, if a person does not act upon his knowledge, this will lead to failure in knowledge, loss of blessing, and forgetfulness of knowledge.

This is based on the statement of Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى:

فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِّيثَاقَهُمْ لَعنَّاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَاسِيَةً يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ وَنَسُواْ حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِ

'Due to their breach of their covenant, We cursed them and made their hearts grow hard. They change the words from their places and have abandoned a good part of the Message that was sent to them.'

(Al-Maa’idah 5:13)

By Remaining in her Home...

The Most Hated Affairs of Shaitaan is the Bond between Husband & Wife

Narrated Jabir رضي اللّه عنـه   that Allaah’s Messenger صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم  said:

"Iblees places his throne upon water & thereafter sends detachments (for creating dissension); the nearer to him in rank are those who are most notorious in creating dissension. One of them comes and says: I did so and so. And he says: You have done nothing. Then one amongst them comes and says: I did not spare so and so until I sowed the seed of discord between a husband and a wife. Shaitaan goes near him and says: 'You have done well.' A’mash said: 'He then embraces him.'"

[Saheeh Muslim – No: 2813]

Supplications & Prayers of refuge are like weapons...

Ibnul Qayyim رحمه الله said:

“…And I often find that people supplicate with certain prayers and have their prayers answered, and they couple their supplication with their neediness and turning towards Allaah, or a good deed they carried out that caused Allaah to respond to this supplication out of gratitude for this good deed; or they happened to supplicate at a time in which it is more likely to be accepted, etc. So his supplication was answered because of this.

One might think that the secret was in the specific wording of his supplication, and might therefore approach it simply from this angle while ignoring all of these other things that were coupled with it by the person supplicating. This is like someone who uses beneficial medicine at its proper time and in the proper manner and it benefits him as a result, and someone else thinks that simply using this medicine regardless of these other factors will bring about the same benefit. This person is wrong, and this is where many people fall into error.

An example of this is when a needy person supplicates near a grave. So, the ignorant one thinks that the secret of his supplication being answered lies in this grave, and he does not know that the real secret is in his neediness and full dependence on Allaah. So, if this happens in a House from the Houses of Allaah, this would be better and more beloved to Allaah.

Advice for Muslims Living in the Lands of the Non Muslims

Question:  We are living as a minority in the lands of the kuffâr (non Muslims). Many incidents of verbal abuse occur here. For instance, you may be driving a vehicle and some of the kuffar use hand signals or yell out to you. Are you able to retaliate with the like of them, i.e., make hand signals back or stop the car to threaten them or should you have sabr (patience) so that you can also give them Da'wah to Islâm?

Answered by: Sheikh Abdur-Razzaq bin Abdul-Muhsin Al-Abbaad حفظه الله

The answer is as the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم said: “The Muslim is not one who curses others nor is he one who is a constant criticizer nor does he have a filthy mouth or filthy actions.” ^[1] This type of filth that is done with hand signals and verbal threats/abuse is not to be retaliated with its like, because the Believer, as the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم said, is not filthy in his actions or statements.

Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى says when describing the servants of Ar-Rahmaan:

وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا كِرَامًا

"... and if they pass by some evil play or evil talk, they pass by it with dignity."

[Al-Furqaan 25:72]