Are you a Muhsin (a good doer)?
O man, in order to behave in a perfect way that is derived from the Perfection of Allah the Almighty, you should be muhsin (a good doer). Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, says:
﴾ (And whosoever submits his face (himself) to Allah (i.e.(follows Allah's Religion of Islamic Monotheism), worships Allah (Alone) with sincere Faith in the (1) Oneness of His Lordship,(2) Oneness of His worship, and (3) Oneness of His Names and Qualities), while he is a Muhsin (gooddoer i.e. performs good deeds totally for Allah's sake without any show-off or to gain praise or fame etc. and does them in accordance with the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger Muhammad SAW), then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold (La ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah)). And to Allah return all matters for decision.) ﴿
Allah the Almighty is Muhsin to you, since He has provided you with the blessings of existence, provision, and guidance.
Actually, being muhsin is the most typical trait of the believer. He is muhsin in his speech, and so he never uses dirty words, he never hurts others by his criticizing words, he never makes fun of others by his harsh words, he never badmouths others, and he never tells dirty jokes that embarrass others. He is muhsin in his speech, behavior and manner, visits to others, driving his vehicle, and organizing his job.
Ihsan (Doing good) is the quality of Al-Wahid (Allah the One), and Ad-Daiyyan (Allah the Judge), so every believer should derive this quality from Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. Man should be muhsin in raising his children, in his relations, in his appointments, in his invitations, and in his happy and sad occasions.
In fact, Ihsan is an all-inclusive quality. Your Ihsan should be manifested in dealing with others the same way Allah's Ihsan is manifested in His Creation.
The husband should be muhsin to his wife as mentioned in the following Ayah:
﴾ (...and live with them honorably) ﴿
He should be muhsin in raising his children as mentioned in the following Hadith:
(( (Teach others and do not scold, for the teacher is better than the scolder) ))
[ [Al-Jame' As-Saghir, on the authority of Abi Hurairah] ]
He should be muhsin is performing his deeds as mentioned in the following Hadith:
(( (Verily, Allah the Almighty loves for the servant to perfect his deeds when he performs them.) ))
[ [Al-Jame' As-Saghir, on the authority of A'ishah] ]
It is incredible that there is such a comprehensive quality. Ihsan is manifested in one's words and the way he punishes others. When you punish others, avoid hitting them in their face, and this is one manifestation of Ihsan while punishing others. Hence, as a father, when you want to discipline your son, avoid hitting his face, because it is man's dignity. Regarding this point, the Prophet, peace be upon him, prohibited us from hitting the face upon punishing. The purpose of punishing is to draw the attention of the wrongdoer to the mistakes he has committed and not to cause him serious pains.
Once, the Prophet, peace be upon him, sent his lad to bring him something, but the lad forgot about it and instead he played with other lads on his way. The Prophet got angry with him when he came back late. He had a siwak-stick with him and said:
(( (Were it not that I fear retaliation on the Day of Resurrection, I would hit you severely with this swiak-stick.) ))
Let me stress this fact, the word Ihsan is incredibly wide, as you can be muhsin in your speech, in your behavior, in raising your children, in treating your wife, at your work, in your happy and sad occasions, and in everything else.
Allah the Almighty orders Ihsan to be reflected in everything, and the believer is muhsin, and he derives this exalted quality from Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He:
﴾ (And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them…) ﴿
This means get closer to Allah the Almighty with perfection that is derived from Allah's Perfection.
