Ihsan (Best or Righteous Conduct)

In the name of Allah, most Compassionate, most Merciful

'To Allah belongs whatever is in the east and in the west: and whereever you turn, there is the countenanace of Allah. Behold! Allah is Infinite, All knowing.' (2:115)

The third aspect of the concept of Tauhid (attestaion to the Oneness of Allah) after Iman (faith or conviction) and Islam (practical submission and obedience to Allah), is Ihsan.

What is the meaning of Ihsan?

Ihsan in Arabic means: "best conduct, performance of good deeds, righteousness, excellence", etc and basically it pertains to the quality of our attesting to the Onesness of Allah. If Iman serves to strengthen one's conviction, and Islam guides one's practices in life, then Ihsan completes the attestion to the Oneness of Allah.

What is righteousness or best conduct?
Responding to this question, the Prophet Muhammad saw said:
"Ihsan(righteousness or best conduct) - it is that you serve (and worship) Allah as though you are seeing Him, while you see Him not yet truly He sees you". (hadith reported by Muslim)

From this statement, we may understand that the worth or merit of our striving to attest to the Oneness of Allah is in the attitude of doing it - 'as though you are seeing Him'. Although we may have developed a strong faith and are doing the correct practices, ultimately, merit lies deeper than this. Fuller understanding perhaps can be found in another statement of our Prophet Muhammad saw:
"Action is but by intention, and every man shall have but that which he intended..." (hadith reported by Bukhari and Muslim)

Sincerity the crucial criteria
Standard of righteousness in Islam is an absolute one i.e. it must be according to that which is acceptable to Allah. And in the Holy Quran, Allah swt says: ".... they were not enjoined aught but that they should worship Allah sincerely in their faith in Him alone, turning away frm all that is false." (98:5)

From this we must understand that we should never fall prey to conceit nor forget the actual reason for our striving to do good i.e. as an act of attesting to the Oneness of Allah; serving and worshipping only Him. To be sincere means to negate alll other considerations except that it is for Allah alone. This consciousness must accompany all our striving for it to be deservedly categorised as true attestation. Therefore with Ihsan, a Muslim is to always regard himself solely the servant of Allah, always conscious that Allah sees and knows all things both secret and apparent. It is because of this consideration that he patiently perserveres, neither expecting human recognition nor for the purpose of pandering to his vanity and falling prey to the desire to exalth himself. It acts as a genuine act of serving his Creator; to be steadfast whether in public or in private, hoping only for the acceptance of Allah swt, the Lord of the Universe unto whom we shall be made to return.

(Excerpts from Beginners' Manual on Islam by my ustaz Zhulkeflee Hj Ismal)