Excellence and Mindfulness

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Excellence and Mindfulness الإِحسَان والمُرَاقَبَة

Umar ibn al-Khattab reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

الْإِحْسَان أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ

Excellence is to worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He surely sees you.

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 8, Grade: Sahih

And the Prophet said:

اعْبُدِ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ وَاعْدُدْ نَفْسَكَ مِنَ الْمَوْتَى وَاذْكُرِ اللَّهَ عِنْدَ كُلِّ حَجَرٍ وَشَجَرٍ وَإِذَا عَمِلْتَ السَّيِّئَةَ فَاعْمَلْ بِجَنْبِهَا حَسَنَةً السِّرُّ بِالسِّرِّ وَالْعَلَانِيَةُ بِالْعَلَانِيَةِ

Worship Allah as if you can see Him and prepare yourself for death. Remember Allah by every rock and tree. If you commit a bad deed, accompany it with a good deed, secretly for a secret deed and publicly for a public deed.

Source: Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 34325, Grade: Hasan li ghayrihi

Al-Qushayri commented on this tradition, writing:

المراقبة علم العبد باطلاع الرب سبحانه وتعالى عَلَيْهِ واستدامته لِهَذَا العلم مراقبة لربه وَهَذَا أصل كُل خير لَهُ ولا يكاد يصل إِلَى هذه الرتبة إلا بَعْد فراغه من المحاسبة … فيعلم أَنَّهُ سبحانه عَلَيْهِ رقيب ومن قلبه قريب يعلم أحواله ويرى أفعاله ويسمع أقواله

Mindfulness is the knowledge of a servant that the Almighty Lord is aware of him. Persistence in this knowledge is ‘mindfulness’ of one’s Lord. This is the origin of every virtue. One can hardly achieve this rank unless he exhausts himself in self-discipline… So he knows that his Almighty Lord is watchful over him and is close to his heart. He knows his inner-states, He sees his actions, and He hears his words.

Source: al-Risālat al-Qushayrīyah 1/329