Dear Muslims!
In the verse I have recited, our Almighty Lord states: “Whoever submits themselves to Allah and does good will have their reward with their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve.”[i]
In the hadith I have read, our Prophet (saw) says, “Verily Allah has enjoined goodness to everything.”[ii]
Dear Believers!
One of the qualities of a believer is the consciousness of Ihsan. The essence of Ihsan is to have perfect faith. It means wholeheartedly believing that Allah the Almighty has created the universe out of nothing and governs it and that He (swt) is generous to His servants. It means loving our Lord (swt) more than anyone and anything else. It means sincerely accepting the Qur’an as a guide, our beloved Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (saw) as an example, and the life-giving principles of Islam as a standard. Ihsan means building our innermost self with tawhid and seeking our soul’s serenity in the remembrance of Allah.
Dear Believers!
Our Prophet (saw) says, “Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion, then you must consider that He is seeing you.”[iii] As expressed in the hadith, Ihsan means to be a servant only to Allah (swt) and to live as if one sees Him at all times.
The believer who lives with the sense of Ihsan turns their prayer into Mi’raj for themselves. Through zakat, they purify their earnings from spiritual impurities, make their wealth blessed, and strengthen their brotherhood. They protect themselves from evil through fasting and heal their body and soul.
Believers who are aware of Ihsan are kind; they do not hurt anyone. They are trustworthy; they do not betray the trust, nor do they violate the rights of other people and the public. They are pious; they never engage in lies and slander, backbiting and gossip, hatred, and envy.
Dear Believers!
Let us benefit from Ramadan’s climate of mercy and blessings by obeying the commandment, “And hasten towards forgiveness from your Lord and a Paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for those mindful of Allah.”[iv] Let us continue sharing the blessings our Lord (swt) has bestowed on us with our needy brothers and sisters. Let us follow the path of mercy to enjoy our Lord’s forgiveness (swt). Let us beautify our world and make our Hereafter prosperous through the consciousness of Ihsan, the zenith of servitude.
[i] Baqarah, 2/112.
[ii] Tirmidhi, Diyat, 14.
[iii] Bukhari, Tafsir, (Luqman) 2.
[iv] Al-i ‘Imran, 3/133.
https://tokyocamii.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023.04.14_Khutba_EN.pdf
FRIDAY KHUTBA of TOKYO CAMII April 14, 2023 SENSE OF IHSAN: THE ZENITH OF SERVITUDE