Meaning of Iman, Islam and Ihsan

25-2-2004 | IslamWeb

Question:

Explain the meaning of al-Iman, al-Islam, al-Ihsan in the light of Quran and Hadeeth of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam).

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Islam has three stages: Islam, Iman, and Ihsan.

Islam: The meaning of Islam is as defined by the Prophet when he was asked by the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) : “To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is His Prophet (), to establish the prayers, to give the Zakat, to fast the month of Ramadan, and to make pilgrimage to Makkah, if one is able to do so.”  [Reported by Muslim and others]

Iman: The Prophet () said that Iman is, "To believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, to believe in meeting Him, to believe in His Messengers, the Resurrection and the predestination." [Reported by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and others]

This is the meaning of Islam and Iman if they are mentioned in one context.  However, if only one of them is mentioned, then each one encompasses the meaning of the other one.  If the word Islam only is mentioned, it includes the meaning of Iman, and vice-versa.

By the definitions of Islam and Iman, we notice that Iman is about inwardly actions, and Islam is about outside actions.

Ihsan: Ihsan is exclusively the highest status of religion, its meaning is: "To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him, He sees you."  This is the definition of Ihsan as stated by the Prophet ().

That’s to say that Ihsan has two stages: the highest one is to worship Allah as if you see Him; if you cannot attain this status of worship, then worship Him being certain that He sees you and that He is All-Aware of your actions and deeds.

Allah knows best.