What Does Ihsan Mean?
By: Juman Rofarif
Once upon a time, the Prophet Muhammad Shalallahu alaihi wasallam received an important lesson about the meaning of faith, Islam, and sincerity from the Angel Gabriel who came to him by transforming into an ordinary human being.
Sequentially, the Prophet answered the question of the Angel Jibril’s test. What is faith? The Prophet replied, ”Faith is that you believe in Allah, the angels, the books of Allah, believe in an encounter with Allah, believe in the apostles, and believe in the day of resurrection.”
What is Islam? The Prophet replied, ”Islam is that you serve Allah and do not associate partners with him, perform prayers, pay zakat, and fast in Ramadan.”
What does sincerity mean? ”You worship Allah with the condition as if you see it with your eyes. If not, believe that Allah is looking at you,”replied the Prophet. (Reported by Bukhari from Abu Hurairah). Faith, Islam and Ikhsan are an integral and inseparable component of the Islamic religion.
These three components should be integrated in a balanced way in a Muslim’s Islam and such a sequence is not accidental. Faith comes first because it is the essence of Islam.
Furthermore, faith in the heart becomes meaningless if it is not manifested in concrete actions, which are implemented in Islam. The religion of Islam in a Muslim must be justified by heart (faith) and practiced by deeds (Islam).
Ikhsan is the union of faith and Islam. That is, a person will not be able to see Allah Subhanallahu wata’ala, if he does not believe in His Supreme Being, and does not practice what is His command and prohibition.
Ikhsan can be achieved if faith and Islam have become an inseparable unit within a Muslim. Because faith is meaningless without Islam and Islam without faith will be fragile.
However, there are some scholars who prioritize Islam, then faith, and sincerity. The reason is because Islam is a rational outward practice, whereas faith is a suprarational inner practice.
Ikhsan is the pinnacle of achievement of both and surpasses both. Why is it ended? It was a sign that he was a difficult thing to do. If Islam is limited to the outside, faith is limited to the inside, then Ikhsan is not limited to both, because it tries to focus our awareness on Allah Subhanallahu wata’ala at all times. (T/RE1)
Source: https://ihram.republika.co.id/berita/rmf5u3313/apa-arti-ikhsan
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)