Understanding Islam with Dr. Chris Hewer - Season 2 Episode 12

The journey deeper into a life lived according to God’s guidance is traditionally seen as being threefold. These three stages go with the keywords islam, iman and ihsan [Q.49:13-14; 16:90]. The first stage, islam, is the outer submission of every human act in obedience to the will of God, as transmitted by the Prophet. The second stage, iman, is faith based on the revealed Word of God in the Qur'an. Now we turn to the third
stage, ihsan, which is “living the good and beautiful,” and is normally spoken of as “to worship God as if you see him.” This is a wide term, which applies to all Muslims, and can be thought of as “authentic religious experience.” It is often associated with the sufis.

Sometimes this is referred to as the mystical dimension of Islam; a journey into the depths of the human heart and also the ascent of the heart to God. The heart is seen as the centre of life: of consciousness, intelligence and intentionality. The heart can thus be seen as the true “self.” This heart or self needs to be “polished” or purified so that it radiates the light of God through the entire person in both thoughts and actions. This invisible spiritual presence, sometimes called the love of God, permeates all aspects of Islam.

In a text often quoted amongst the sufis, God says, “I was a hidden treasure, so I loved to be known. Hence I created the creatures so that I might be known.” The great sufi poet Rumi uses the image of God as a beautiful woman sitting on a rooftop, who throws a stone into the crowds of people down below. The stone is the creation. It is not made to be admired in itself but rather to draw attention to God who created it. In this way, the act of God provokes the response of love, worship, service and obedience on the part of human beings. Bringing forth this response is the heart of the
sufi way of living constantly in the love of God.

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