Excellence · a Light
Excellence was defined as working as if you were watched
A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him about islam, then about iman, then about ihsan. The answer to the third was that you worship Allah as though you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then He sees you. The questioner was Jibril, and the report is the standard summary of the religion in three levels: practice, belief, and the quality of both. Ihsan comes from the root h s n, which covers what is good and what is well made in one word. Arabic offers no convenient way to say that a thing is morally right but badly done.
The hadith of Jibril
Source · Sahih Muslim 8
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The words
More Lights
- Patience in Arabic is a word about restraintRoot s b r, to bind and restrain
- God consciousness is built on a word meaning to shieldRoot w q y, to guard and to shield
- Gratitude shares a root with a beast that thrives on littleRoot sh k r, a return larger than the gift
- Trust in God uses a word from commercial lawRoot w k l, to appoint an agent