There are three stages of fatih. Islam is surrender, or obedience to commands. Eeman is faith in the heart which empowers this obedience. Ihsan is the highest level, which means living in presence of God. Slides use Surah Shu'ra to demonstrate the condtion of Ihsan in Prophet Ibraheen AS. For writeup/video, see http;//bit.ly/AZihsan

1. Ihsan: Living
in Presence
of God
DR ASAD ZAMAN
Writeup: http://bit.ly/AZihsan

3. Surah Ash-Shu’ara’ (The Poets)
Ayah 69-89
Allah Tabarako wa T’aala lovingly mentions Ibraheem AS, honored with the title
of His friend, as a vivid example of Ihsan, for us to follow
The Quranic material – ayat, translations, audio – have been taken from
website: Islam Awakened
https://www.islamawakened.com/

4. In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate,
Most Merciful.
ِ‫ح‬‫ه‬‫الر‬ ِ‫ن‬ َٰ‫م‬ْ‫ح‬‫ه‬‫الر‬ ِ ‫ه‬
‫اَّلل‬ ِ‫م‬ْ‫س‬ِ‫ب‬
‫يم‬

5. ‫ا‬‫ْر‬‫ب‬ِ‫إ‬ ‫أ‬‫ب‬‫ن‬ ْ‫م‬ِ‫ه‬ْ‫ي‬‫ل‬‫ع‬ ُ‫ل‬ْ‫ت‬‫ا‬‫و‬
‫يم‬ِ‫ه‬
Tell them the story of Abraham,

6. when he asked his father and his people,
"What do you worship?"
‫ت‬ ‫ا‬‫م‬ ِ‫ه‬ِ‫م‬ ْ‫و‬‫ق‬‫و‬ ِ‫ه‬‫ي‬ِ‫ب‬ ِ
‫ِل‬ ‫ال‬‫ق‬ ْ‫ذ‬ِ‫إ‬
‫ُون‬ُُ‫ب‬ْ‫ْع‬

7. They replied, “We worship idols, to which we are
fully devoted.”
‫ظ‬‫ن‬‫ف‬ ‫ا‬ً‫م‬‫ا‬‫ن‬ْ‫ص‬‫أ‬ ُُُ‫ب‬ْ‫ْع‬‫ن‬ ‫وا‬ُ‫ل‬‫ا‬‫ق‬
‫ين‬ِِِِ‫ا‬‫ع‬ ‫ا‬‫ه‬‫ل‬ ُّ ‫ل‬

8. ‫ت‬ ْ‫ذ‬ِ‫إ‬ ْ‫م‬ُِ‫ون‬ُ‫ْع‬‫م‬ْ‫س‬‫ي‬ ْ‫ل‬‫ه‬ ‫ال‬‫ق‬
‫ون‬ُ‫ع‬ُْ
Abraham asked, “Can they hear you when
you call upon them?

9. ُّ ‫ر‬ُ‫ض‬‫ي‬ ْ‫و‬‫أ‬ ْ‫م‬ُِ‫ون‬ُ‫ْع‬ِ‫ن‬‫ي‬ ْ‫و‬‫أ‬
‫ون‬
Or can they benefit or harm you?”

10. They replied, “No! But we found our forefathers
doing the same.”
َٰ‫ذ‬ِ ‫ا‬‫ن‬‫اء‬‫آب‬ ‫ا‬‫ن‬ُْ‫ج‬‫و‬ ْ‫ل‬‫ب‬ ‫وا‬ُ‫ل‬‫ا‬‫ق‬
‫ون‬ُ‫ل‬‫ْع‬ِْ‫ي‬ ِ‫ل‬

11. Abraham responded, “Have you ˹really˺ considered
what you have been worshipping—
َٰ‫ذ‬ِ ‫ا‬‫ن‬‫اء‬‫آب‬ ‫ا‬‫ن‬ُْ‫ج‬‫و‬ ْ‫ل‬‫ب‬ ‫وا‬ُ‫ل‬‫ا‬‫ق‬
‫ون‬ُ‫ل‬‫ْع‬ِْ‫ي‬ ِ‫ل‬

12. you and your forefathers?
‫ون‬ُ‫م‬ُْ‫ق‬ ْ
‫اِل‬ ُ‫م‬ُُِ‫ؤ‬‫ا‬‫آب‬‫و‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ت‬‫ن‬‫أ‬

13. They are ˹all˺ enemies to me,
except the Lord of all worlds.
‫ر‬ ‫ه‬
‫َّل‬ِ‫إ‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ل‬ ٌّ‫ُو‬ُ‫ع‬ ْ‫م‬ُ‫ه‬‫ه‬‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬‫ف‬
‫ين‬ِ‫م‬‫ال‬‫ْع‬ْ‫ال‬ ‫ه‬‫ب‬

14. ˹He is˺ the One Who created
me, and He ˹alone˺ guides me.
‫ي‬ُِْ‫ه‬‫ي‬ ‫و‬ُ‫ه‬‫ف‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ن‬‫ق‬‫ل‬‫خ‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ذ‬‫ه‬‫ال‬
‫ن‬

15. He is˺ the One Who provides
me with food and drink.
ْ‫س‬‫ي‬‫و‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ن‬ُ‫م‬ِ‫ْع‬ْ‫ط‬ُ‫ي‬ ‫و‬ُ‫ه‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ذ‬‫ه‬‫ال‬‫و‬
‫ين‬ِ‫ق‬

16. And He ˹alone˺ heals me when
I am sick.
‫ي‬ِِْ‫ش‬‫ي‬ ‫و‬ُ‫ه‬‫ف‬ ُ‫ت‬ْ‫ض‬ ِ
‫ر‬‫م‬ ‫ا‬‫ذ‬ِ‫إ‬‫و‬
‫ن‬

17. And He ˹is the One Who˺ will cause me to
die, and then bring me back to life.
ُ‫ي‬ ‫ه‬‫م‬ُ‫ث‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ن‬ُ‫ت‬‫ي‬ِ‫م‬ُ‫ي‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ذ‬‫ه‬‫ال‬‫و‬
‫ين‬ِ‫ي‬ْ‫ح‬

18. And He is ˹the One˺ Who, I hope, will forgive my
flaws on Judgment Day.”
‫يئ‬ِ‫ط‬‫خ‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ل‬ ‫ر‬ِِْ‫غ‬‫ي‬ ‫ن‬‫أ‬ ُ‫ع‬‫م‬ْ‫ط‬‫أ‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ذ‬‫ه‬‫ال‬‫و‬
‫ين‬ُِ‫ال‬ ‫م‬ ْ‫و‬‫ي‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ت‬

19. “My Lord! Grant me wisdom,
and join me with the righteous.
ْ‫ق‬ ِ‫ح‬ْ‫ل‬‫أ‬‫و‬ ‫ا‬ً‫م‬ُِْ‫ح‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ل‬ ْ‫ب‬‫ه‬ ِ‫ب‬‫ر‬
‫ين‬ ِ‫ح‬ِ‫ل‬‫ا‬‫ه‬‫ص‬‫ال‬ِ‫ب‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ن‬

20. Bless me with honourable mention among
later generations.
ِ‫ف‬ ٍ‫ق‬ُْ ِ
‫ص‬ ‫ان‬‫س‬ِ‫ل‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ل‬ ‫ل‬‫ْع‬ْ‫اج‬‫و‬
‫ين‬ ِ
‫ر‬ ِ‫خ‬ ْ
‫اْل‬ ‫ي‬

21. And make me among those who
will inherit the Garden of Bliss.
ِ‫ة‬‫ه‬‫ن‬‫ج‬ ِ‫ة‬‫ث‬‫ر‬‫و‬ ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ن‬ْ‫ل‬‫ْع‬ْ‫اج‬‫و‬
‫يم‬ِ‫ْع‬‫ه‬‫ن‬‫ال‬

22. Forgive my father, for he is
certainly one of the misguided
ِ‫م‬ ‫ان‬ِ ُ‫ه‬‫ه‬‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ب‬ ِ
‫ِل‬ ْ‫ر‬ِِْ‫غ‬‫ا‬‫و‬
‫ين‬ِ‫ال‬‫ه‬‫ض‬‫ال‬ ‫ن‬

23. And do not disgrace me on the
Day all will be resurrected—
ُ‫ث‬‫ْْع‬‫ب‬ُ‫ي‬ ‫م‬ ْ‫و‬‫ي‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ن‬ ِ
‫ز‬ْ‫خ‬ُ‫ت‬ ‫َّل‬‫و‬
‫ون‬

24. the Day when neither wealth nor children will
be of any benefit.
ُ‫ن‬‫ب‬ ‫َّل‬‫و‬ ٌ‫ل‬‫ا‬‫م‬ ُ‫ع‬ِ‫ن‬‫ي‬ ‫َّل‬ ‫م‬ ْ‫و‬‫ي‬
‫ون‬

25. Only those who come before Allah with a
pure heart ˹will be saved˺.”
ٍ‫ب‬ْ‫ل‬‫ق‬ِ‫ب‬ ‫ه‬
‫اَّلل‬ ‫ى‬‫ت‬‫أ‬ ْ‫ن‬‫م‬ ‫ه‬
‫َّل‬ِ‫إ‬
‫يم‬ِ‫ل‬‫س‬

26. The Quran is the word of God, a
treasure of infinite value.
Every aya’ contains depths of meaning, beyond capacity of humans to express in words.
We will focus on the quality of “Ihsan” and extract some simple surface pearls of wisdom from these
verses of the Quran.

27. The Heart is built for M’aarifat
Indeed in the body there is a lump of flesh, if it is good, the entire body will be good, and if it
is corrupted, the entire body becomes corrupted, and that is the heart.
(23:78) He it is Who hath created for you ears and eyes and hearts. Small thanks give ye!
The Universe is far too small to contain Allah T’aala, but He enters the heart of a Mo’min.
IHSAN: the transformation from “Admitting with the Tongue” to “Testifying with the Heart”

28. Hearts of Unbelievers Testify to
Falsity of Their Gods.
At the start of the dialog, elders of Ibraheem AS tribe ADMIT that their Gods cannot help them or
harm them. They are only following the customs of their elders.
When Ibraheem AS destroyed the idols with an ax, and suggested that perhaps the biggest of them,
holding the ax, had done it – it was convincing evidence that Idols cannot harm or hurt anyone. They
knew it was impossible. So, MINDS also testify to the impotence of false idols.
So WHY do We continue to worship false idols? Our minds and hearts are CLOUDED by false
ideologies we have absorbed. CLEANSING the heart (TAZKIYA) is essential to progress towards IHSAN
and QALB-E-SALEEM.

29. To Differentiate Us from Them
Our Hearts must testify to Allah
We must KNOW that Allah T’aala hears us when we pray to Him
We must KNOW that Allah T’aala ANSWERS our prayer – he helps us in times of difficulty
How to create this knowledge within our hearts?
The eyes, the ears, and the heart are sense organs.
How can our hearts sense the presence of God?

30. How is the Heart to be Cleansed?
ISLAM: Acting upon the orders of Allah. But just action is not enough – it has to be done with the right
intentions (HEART).
All are in danger, except those who believe. Believers are in danger, except those who act. Actors are
in danger, except those with Ikhlas. And those with Ikhlas are in the greatest danger.
Ihdanas Siratal Mustaqeem – The long road to the Great Success – at every step, we are in need of
guidance. At every step, we make mistakes – Recognizing mistakes, repenting, correcting, and trying
again, repeatedly, persistently, sustainedly – this is the path, according to many of the elders.
In every action, make an effort to ENGAGE the heart.

31. Five Opportunities Every Day
Standing in the presence of God. Engage heart at the beginning of Salat. (Islam)
Imagine yourself in front of Ka'ba. Kiss the stone raise your hands and see the square building.
Imagine a circle of angels around Ka'aba which form your saf.
Say & FEEL: My prayer and my sacrifice/struggle, my living and my dying are ALL only for you O Allah,
Lord of all creation.

32. The Model of Ibraheem
Da’wah must engage the hearts of the audience
Hearts speak to hearts.
We must fill our hearts with the LOVE of ALLAH, if we are going to make D’awah to the love of Allah.
Your false Gods are the enemies of the truth, OBSTACLES on the path to Allah.
And now, taking the name of ALLAH creates the LOVING Hamd – it is an automatic process – so much
reflection (ZIKR) has been done on the name, that the response is triggered automatically

33. (Allah) Who:
CREATED me and GUIDED me
Creation is the first creation (not birth) when Allah T’aala showed us His Beauty and Perfection as the
Lord of all creation and took an OATH of fidelity from ALL of us.
The EFFECT of this oath is printed on our hearts. That is why the message is a REMINDER.
That is why CALLS to Allah, done with engaged hearts, are immensely powerful. They re-awaken
powerful built-in messages.

34. (When I am hungry)
He feeds me
(When I am thirsty)
He gives me drink

35. When I am sick
He heals me
BECOMING SICK IS A NATURAL PROCESS
HEALING IS AN INTERVENTION OF GOD – AMAZING PROCESS

36. He will give me death
And bring me back to life
THE ENGAGED HEART MOVES TO THE CONTEMPLATION OF THE
AKHIRA

37. From whom I have hope – that
He will forgive my mistakes
on the day of Judgement
THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT IS THE GREATEST CRISIS WE WILL FACE
ATTENTION IS NOW FOCUSED ON THAT DAY AND GOD

38. Shifting of Audience:
Demonstration of Ihsan
Oh my Lord: Grant me Wisdom, and Join me with the righteous.
Bless me with honourable mention among later generations.
(complex, irrelevant, discussion of seeking fame)
‫ين‬ ِ‫ح‬ِ‫ل‬‫ا‬‫ه‬‫ص‬‫ال‬ِ‫ب‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ن‬ْ‫ق‬ ِ‫ح‬ْ‫ل‬‫أ‬‫و‬ ‫ا‬ً‫م‬ُِْ‫ح‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ل‬ ْ‫ب‬‫ه‬ ِ‫ب‬‫ر‬
‫ين‬ ِ‫ر‬ ِ‫خ‬ ْ
‫اْل‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ف‬ ٍ‫ق‬ُْ ِ
‫ص‬ ‫ان‬‫س‬ِ‫ل‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ل‬ ‫ل‬‫ْع‬ْ‫اج‬‫و‬

39. And make me among those who
will inherit the Garden of Bliss.
ِ‫ة‬‫ه‬‫ن‬‫ج‬ ِ‫ة‬‫ث‬‫ر‬‫و‬ ‫ن‬ِ‫م‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ن‬ْ‫ل‬‫ْع‬ْ‫اج‬‫و‬
‫يم‬ِ‫ْع‬‫ه‬‫ن‬‫ال‬
ِ‫م‬ ‫ان‬ِ ُ‫ه‬‫ه‬‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ب‬ ِ
‫ِل‬ ْ‫ر‬ِِْ‫غ‬‫ا‬‫و‬
‫ين‬ِ‫ال‬‫ه‬‫ض‬‫ال‬ ‫ن‬
Forgive my father, for he is
certainly one of the misguided

40. "All creatures are [like] a family of God: and He
loves most those who are kindest to His family."
Love of God translates to the love of the CREATIONS of God.
Feeding the poor, out of the love of Allah –
In the middle of contemplation of God, Ibraheem AS asks for forgiveness and guidance for his father.
Goes on to ask that “Do not disgrace me on the day of judgement” and then reminds himself that the
worldly blessings – wealth and children – will be of no use on that day. ONLY those with a pure heart
will be saved.
THIS is La-Ilaha (rejecting the worldly goods – wealth and power) and seeing the true goal,
purification of the heart.

41. Self-Analysis:
Who is my AUDIENCE?
Who do I want to please?
Praise from whom makes me happy?
Criticism from whom makes me sad, angry, bitter?
THESE are my audience.

42. Ihsan:
Making Allah T’aala your audience
Say, “Surely my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are all for Allah—Lord of all worlds”
ُ‫ن‬‫و‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ت‬‫َل‬‫ص‬ ‫ه‬‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ ْ‫ل‬ُ‫ق‬‫ين‬ِ‫م‬‫ال‬‫ْع‬ْ‫ال‬ ِ‫ب‬‫ر‬ ِ ‫ه‬ ِ
‫َّلل‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ت‬‫ا‬‫م‬‫م‬‫و‬ ‫اي‬‫ي‬ْ‫ح‬‫م‬‫و‬ ‫ي‬ُِِ‫س‬ُ‫ن‬‫و‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ت‬‫َل‬‫ص‬ ‫ه‬‫ن‬ِ‫إ‬ ْ‫ل‬ُ‫ق‬
‫ا‬‫م‬‫م‬‫و‬ ‫اي‬‫ي‬ْ‫ح‬‫م‬‫و‬ ‫ي‬ُِِ‫س‬
‫ين‬ِ‫م‬‫ال‬‫ْع‬ْ‫ال‬ ِ‫ب‬‫ر‬ ِ ‫ه‬ ِ
‫َّلل‬ ‫ي‬ِ‫ت‬

43. Links to related materials
Writeup of this lecture: http://bit.ly/AZihsan
Reaching Beyond the Stars: http://bit.do/azrbs
Farewell to IIIE Students: http://bit.do/aziiie
Slides for: Unlearning Jahiliyya and Relearning Islam: http://bit.ly/PPTunlearn