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LESSON #14:
Chapter 2: Verse 83-91
…وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَاناً وَّذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ …
Allah demands Ihsan from us (specifically for):
1: Parents
2: Close relatives
3: Orphans
4: Needy
5: Everyone in general – “…And speak to people good …” – وَقُولُواْ لِلنَّاسِ حُسْناً
They are mentioned in a descending order – starting from blood to weak to everyone in between.
But what is Ihsan? – We need to know this because Allah says that He loves Muhsineen.
The root words for Ihsan is ḥā sīn nūn (ح س ن), which occurs 194 times in the Quran.
Ihsan is defined as follows.
It comprises of four main components:
1: Sincerity (Ikhlas)
2: Completeness
3: Tastefulness (doing things in the best manner possible)
4: Correctness (doing things the right way).
This concept is translated by commentators and interpreters as “Excellence”. Being a comprehensive concept, the term Ihsan cannot be translated word by word because there is no word in the English language that gives its exact meaning.
Ihsan in the light of ahadith:
1: Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: “Indeed Allah has decreed Ihsan in everything. So … when you slaughter, then do the slaughtering well. Let one of you sharpen his blade, and let him comfort his animal (before slaughtering).” [Bukhari]
2: The man again asked, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) What is Ihsan (i.e. perfection or Benevolence)?” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not achieve this state of devotion, then (take it for granted that) Allah sees you.”
Exercise:
Do Ihsan on parents because Ihsan starts at home. Or pick any closest blood relation (siblings, children etc.).
Do something extra for them and let us know after a week as to how you applied it in the comments below. Of course, you’d be doing this for the sake of Allah but sharing your idea will boost others to do the same in shaa Allaah (which is a sadaqa jaariyah for you).
NEXT: Lesson #15 (verse 92-103)
: Verse 83-91. *Ihsan*){kind=link}
beautifully written.. very precise in words, yet so elaborative… May Allah bless you…
Jazakillah khair Noor. Don’t forget to share how you applied this week’s exercise 🙂
I ironed my brother’s clothes 😀 we fight a lot so it was a big deal :p
I serve my In-Laws even when Islam didn’t make it mandatory for me 🙂
At fajr time i am superr sleepy and want to go to bed right after praying yet i make my dad breakfast because thats when he likes to have his breakfast right after fajr (May Allah accept)
Would also like to mention how awesome my dad is he appreciates it and gives me duas,as i serve it to him, EVERY SINGLE DAY! Makes it so worth it.
Alhamdulillah 🙂 may this love increase every single day. Aameen
Aameen. Masha Allaah. May Allaah bless you with righteous ones, when its your time to be a parent, who become sadaqah jariyah for you.