Ihsan , also spelled
ehsan, is an Arabic term meaning "perfection" or "excellence" (Ara.
husn). It is a matter of taking one's inner
faith (
iman) and showing it in both deed and action, a sense of social responsibility borne from religious convictions. In
Islam, ihsan is the Muslim responsibility to obtain perfection, or
excellence, in worship, such that
Muslims try to worship
God as if they see him, and although they cannot see him, they undoubtedly believe that he is constantly watching over them. That definition comes from the
Hadith of Gabriel in which
Muhammad states, "[Ihsan is] to worship God as though you see Him, and if you cannot see Him, then indeed He sees you". (
Al-Bukhari and
Al-Muslim).
