The Meaning of Ihsan

Ihsan. One word with many incredible meanings.

Derived from the Form 4 Verb أحَْسَنَ, meaning to do right/act well/to master, a comprehensive English translation of its meaning has stumped Arabic translators for centuries.

Charity, the performance of good deeds, beautification, excellence, courtesy, grace, kindness. It holds all these meanings and more.

The key to its meaning was given to us by the Prophet of Allah ﷺ. When asked about Ihsan, he said: “It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you.”

In the Noble Qur’an it says: هَلْ جَزَاء الْإِحْسَانِ إِلاّ الْإِحْسَان Will the reward for doing good (ihsan) be anything other than good (ihsan)? (55:60)

We chose Ihsan Arabic for our name because it captures our guiding principles and our aspirations so perfectly. Teaching in a beautiful manner and to the best of our ability, we hope to inspire our students to approach the Arabic language with ihsan.

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