Awareness of God [Ihsan]
The phrase “awareness of God,” is my translation of the word ihsan, which literally means “doing what is beautiful.” I have rendered it as “awareness of God” in view of the sound hadith in which the Angel Gabriel [alayhis Salaam] asked the Beloved Prophet Muhammad [Allah shower His Mercy Upon Him & give Him Peace], “What is ihsan ?” He replied, “Ihsan is that you should worship God as if you see Him; and if you do not see Him, [you should know that] He sees you.” The concept of ihsan, with particular attention to its Qur’anic roots, occupies an entire chapter in what is arguably the best book in English on basic Islamic concepts, Murata and Chittick’s Vision of Islam.
The first Sufi to compose a compendium on Tasawwuf, Sarraj (d. 378/988-89), linked ihsan to “vigilant awareness” (muraqaba). He stated, “Vigilant awareness is for a servant who indeed knows and is certain that Allah is aware of and knows what is in his heart (qalb) and consciousness (damir). So he stays vigilantly aware of despicable thoughts that [would otherwise] preoccupy the heart and keep it from remembering his Master. Qushayri (d. 465/1072), like Sarraj, saw ihsan to be related to “vigilant awareness” (muraqaba). Specifically, he referred to the aspect of ihsan mentioned in the part of the hadith, “If you do not see him [know] that indeed he sees you” as alluding to “vigilant awareness” because “vigilant awareness” “is the servant’s knowledge of the Lord’s constant awareness of him.”
