Peak Performance (part 1 of 12): Doing everything with ihsan

We are often reminded by khateebs and imams to do things to the best of our ability. And, we often respond by nodding our heads and thinking, “when is he going to stop talking?”

But, the real issue at hand is not whether we know doing our best is important, but rather “how do we know we are doing, or did, our best?”

Before I answer that question, why is this important to know?

Peak Performance- Intro.

I begin in the name of Allah.

There are many ayaat of the Quran and ahadeeth of the Prophet (SAW) that refer to ihsan. I chose the following hadeeth, because it is the most explicit command towards ihsan.

As narrated by Abu Ya’la Shaddad bin Aws (RA): He narrates the Messenger of Allah (SAW) as saying “Verily, Allah prescribed excellence in all things.”

Usually when excellence, or ihsan, is referred to, we assume that it is in regards to how we stand in salah, or some other religious act. However, the excellence that is required of Muslims goes beyond the typical devotional acts that we do on a daily basis. In fact, excellence goes beyond any physical act, because an act that is considered to be excellent for one person may be a simple, or even lazy, effort for someone else. Rather, excellence is a mindset to be achieved as often as possible.