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Ihsan (excellence in worship)

الإحسان

The third level named in the hadith of Jibril after islam and iman, defined by the Prophet as worshipping God as though you see Him, for even if you do not see Him, He sees you. In his commentary on Shaddad ibn Aws's hadith 'God has prescribed ihsan upon everything' Ibn Rajab extends it from the station of watchful worship to a ruling written upon all things — reaching excellence even in execution and slaughter — noting that the wording of 'writing' entails obligation for most jurists and usul scholars.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
Review
Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

CreedSpirituality and Sufism

Summary

"Ihsan" is what the Prophet defined in Gabriel's hadith, saying: "That you worship God as though you see Him; if you do not see Him, He sees you" 1.

Its place in the hadith

Ihsan comes third, after the two questions on faith and Islam 1. The hadith is what al-Bukhari included in the "Book of Faith" in the chapter of Gabriel's questioning the Prophet; at its end the Prophet said: "That was Gabriel, who came to teach the people their religion" 1.

Explaining the word

The editor explains the phrase "as though you see Him" as presence of mind, emptiness of self and gatheredness of heart — as though the worshipper were beholding the divine presence 1.

What is not covered here

Ihsan is connected to Sufism and spirituality in Islamic history; those sayings will be added from their sources in a later batch, and nothing not present in the hadith is attributed to it here.

Connections

Based on
Arba'un 2 — the hadith of JibrilArba'un 17 — God has prescribed ihsan upon everythingGoodness of Islam — leaving what does not concern one
Basis for
Iman (faith)

People and things also explored

Prophetic adab (proper conduct)Islam (the religion and the term)Iman (faith)Istiqama (steadfast uprightness)Arba'un 2 — the hadith of JibrilLove for one's brotherGoodness of Islam — leaving what does not concern oneArba'un 12 — leaving what does not concern one

Sources

  1. Sahih al-Bukhari, 50
  • Tanzil Project, Qur'an text v1.1
  • Jami' al-Ulum wal-Hikam — Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Ihsan (excellence in worship)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/ihsan/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.

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Wing

Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Prophetic adab (proper conduct)

The body of proper conduct the believer is commanded in his words, deeds and relations with God and His servants; from the formula 'whoever believes in God and the Last Day' in Abu Hurayra's hadith Ibn Rajab derives that these traits are of the traits of iman and that deeds enter into iman, dividing the hadith's three commands into what belongs to God's rights — speaking good or keeping silent — and what belongs to His servants' rights — honouring the neighbour, withholding harm from him and honouring the guest; he transmits Aswad ibn Asram's report of the Prophet's counsel 'do not say with your tongue except what is good and do not extend your hand except to good', and that the tongue's uprightness is of the traits of iman; Abu Amr ibn al-Salah reports from Abu Muhammad ibn Abi Zayd, the Maliki imam of his time, that the conduct of goodness and all its reins branch from four hadiths: speaking good or keeping silent, leaving what does not concern one, 'do not become angry', and loving for one's brother what one loves for oneself.