Ihsan (Excellence)
The highest level of worship: to worship Allah as if one can see Him.
Ihsan (excellence) is the highest level of religious practice in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) defined ihsan in the Jibril hadith: "That you worship Allah as if you see Him — for even though you do not see Him, He sees you" (Sahih Muslim). Ihsan represents the spiritual dimension of prayer.
Regarding prayer, ihsan is about praying with full awareness of Allah's presence (muraqabah), with humility (khushu), and with complete devotion. It is not enough merely to perform the physical movements of prayer — ihsan requires that the heart be fully present. Imam al-Ghazali dedicated large portions of his "Ihya Ulum al-Din" to describing ihsan in prayer.
Ihsan is the third level in the famous triad: islam (outward practice), iman (inner faith), and ihsan (spiritual excellence). Imam al-Nawawi included the Jibril hadith as the second hadith in his famous 40 Hadith, underscoring its fundamental importance. Striving for ihsan in prayer is a lifelong journey for the believing Muslim.
Related terms
Muezzin (Caller to Prayer)
The person who calls to prayer by reciting the adhan.
Iman (Faith)
Belief in Allah's oneness, His angels, books, messengers, the Day of Judgment, and divine predestination.
Marja' al-Taqlid (Religious Authority)
The highest religious authority in Shia Islam, whom the believer follows in prayer and legal matters.
Usul al-Fiqh (Principles of Jurisprudence)
Islamic legal theory that defines the methods for deriving legal rules from the sacred sources.
Jumu'ah (Friday Prayer)
The weekly congregational prayer on Friday, which replaces Dhuhr.
Qiyas (Analogical Reasoning)
Legal analogy used to derive Islamic rules for new situations based on established rules.