TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

the ramadan of shaikh muĤ ammud zakariyyĀin which it states that iĥsān is the highest and final level ofDīn after īmān and Islam. This is something no Muslim candeny, since it is a rigorously authenticated hadith from Śaĥīĥal-Bukhārī. If one wants to gain īmān , he must first learn andthen believe in the prerequisites of īmān . Likewise, to practiceIslam one must first learn the pillars of Islam and then onebegins to pray śalāt, bow [rukū‘] and prostrate [sajda]. So, ifone is to gain the level of iĥsān he must first gain knowledgeof iĥsān, then strive to attain it. I don’t understand howscholars are so complacent in the matter of iĥsān, as if to saythat they have already achieved it, when in fact they haven’teven gained knowledge about iĥsān.This issue, which clouded my understanding for sometime, wasfinally resolved for me by the blessings of my shaikh. The issueis that knowledge of an action and the action itself are two verydifferent things. And then actions are themselves of two types.One is external action such as śalāt and fasting. The knowledgeof this type of action falls under the category of jurisprudence.The second type of action is internal action [īmān , iĥsān, sincerity,love, humility, trust in Allah u etc.] and falls under the subjectof taśawwuf. The means of gaining knowledge of both types[external and internal] are the mind and the heart, the onlydifference [between the two] being the actual manifestation ofthis knowledge. Knowledge of the external actions manifest in thelimbs, making it easy to recognize the difference between one whohas only attained the knowledge [of the external actions] and onewho has actually achieved the action itself. The example for thisamongst the people when Jibrā’īl e came upon him and asked him, ‘what isīmān?’ The Blessed Prophet s replied, ‘that you believe in Allah u, His angels,that you will meet Him, in His prophet, and that you believe in the Resurrection.He asked, ‘what is Islam?’ He replied, ‘Islam is that you worship and donot liken anyone to him, establish the śalāt, pay the zakāt, and fast in Ramadan.’Jibrā’īl e asked, ‘what is iĥsān?’ the Blessed Prophet s replied, ‘that you worshipAllah u as if you see Him, and that if you cannot see Him, that He seesyou…’” [Bukhārī, Su’āl Jibrā’īl e al-Nabiyy s]70