Also on the authority of `Umar (radi Allaahu ‘anhu), who said:
| “One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no signs of journey were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down in front of the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam), with his knees touching against the Prophet’s (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and placing the palms of his hands on his thighs he said: “O Muhammad, tell me about Islaam.”The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Islaam is to testify that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allaah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, to perform prayers, to give zakaah, to fast in Ramadaan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so.”He said: “You have spoken rightly”; and we were amazed at him asking him and saying that he had spoken rightly.He (the man) said: “Tell me about Eemaan.”He (the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “It is to believe in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, and to believe in divine destiny (qadr), both the good and the evil of it.”He said: “You have spoken rightly.”He (the man) said: “Then tell me about Ihsaan.”He (the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “It is to worship Allaah as though you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then (knowing that) truly He sees you.”He said: “Then tell me about the Hour.”He said: “The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner.”He said: “Then tell me about its signs.”He said: “That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, and that you will see barefooted, naked destitute shepherds competing in constructing lofty buildings.”
Then he (the man) left, and I stayed for a time. The he (the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “O `Umar, do you know who the questioner was?” I said: “Allaah and His Messenger know best.” He said: “It was Jibreel, who came to teach you your religion.” It was related by Muslim |
Brief Commentary
- Ihsan is of two levels:
- مشاهدة (observing): To perform actions while feeling that Allah is actually seeing you at that moment [higher level]
- مراقبة (being watched): To perform actions knowing and being mindful that Allah is watching you
- Both levels of ihsan are derived from the wording of the hadith. The first part is talking about mushahadah which is to worship Allah as if you see him, then the hadith says and if you can’t/don’t see him, then i.e. If you can’t achieve this level, then try the level of muraqabah which is to worship Allah knowing that he sees you
- One should find peace and tranquillity when alone and prefer to be alone with Allah than sitting with friends
- One of the rewards of ihsan is to see Allah’s face, as in [Yunus:26] {For those who have Ihsaan is a goodly reward and more}. The goodly reward is Jannah, and more is to see Allah’s face
- Jibreel asked when the hour is to show that no one knows when it is, not him, nor the Messenger (peace be upon him), so if the best of angels and the best of mankind do not know when it is then no one else from the creation does
- Both signs mentioned in the hadith are minor signs of the hour and they both follow the same concept (as with the majority of the minor signs), which is that of things happening out of the norm
- Characteristics of the minor signs:
- These signs are many. Some books have listed over 130 of them
- They are not supernatural
- They do not come in a particular order
- They can happen more than once
- They are not necessarily very close to the hour
- They are not necessarily felt by everyone or happen everywhere
- Characteristics of the major signs
- There are 10 major signs
- They are supernatural
- They follow each other directly
- They are felt by everyone
- They are directly followed by the hour
- The major signs are:
- The coming of Al-Dajjal
- The descension of Eesaa (alayhi assalam)
- The coming of Ya’juj & Ma’juj (Gog & Magog)
- Major landslide in the East
- Major landslide in the West
- Major landslide in the Arabian peninsula
- The smoke
- The coming of the creature/beast
- The rising of the Sun from the west
- Fire will emanate from Yemen and will push the people to the mahshar (the gathering)
Benefits and action points
- Benefits of attaining ihsan:
- You will be well mannered with Allah
- You enter Jannah, and get to see Allah’s face, as in the verse
- You have nothing to hide
- It brings happiness and content
- It brings tranquillity and peace in the heart
- You never feel lonely
- It can lead to having the seven things that lead to being under Allah’s shade
- You put forward what Allah prefers
- You don’t waste time
- To attain ihsan, we should have full knowledge and awareness of Allah’s knowledge and presence
- It can only be attained by pondering and studying the Qur’an and Sunnah
- Another method is to have remembrance of Allah. Remembrance is of three types:
- الثناء: constant praising of Allah
- الدعاء: constant asking of help from Allah. The more du’aa you make, the stronger tawheed you have, as you realise your weakness and need for Allah
- الرعاية : Remembering Allah verbally all the time in your life. It is when you remember Allah in every incident you are in. [highest level]
- Benefits from not knowing when the hour is:
- It makes us more fearful of Allah, so it creates a sense of urgency in our hearts and we worship Allah all the time
- It makes us turn to Allah more as we know that he knows many things which we don’t know
- Principles when looking at the signs of the hour:
- We only take what is found in the Qur’an and the Sunnah
- Refer what we think or feel, to the scholars
- Teaching the people what they understand
Hadith Commentary 