What would happen if we only practised religion as a formality, without loyalty and quality in worship? In his sermon, Ustadz Farhat Umar invites us to move up a class—from just being ordinary Muslims to a higher degree: mukmin and muhsin.
During the rapid flow of modern life, Muslims are required not only to be Muslims formally but also to appear as loyal and quality servants of Allah. Ustadz Farhat Umar, who is a regular speaker at the DKM Halalan Thayyiban LPPOM study, raised this important theme in one of his sermons, referring to the hadith of Gabriel narrated by Umar bin Khattab radhiyallahu ‘anhu. This monumental hadith summarizes the three main pillars of Islam, namely Islam, faith, and Ihsan.
In the hadith, the Angel Gabriel disguised himself as a man and asked the Prophet Muhammad SAW questions about Islam, faith, and Ihsan. The Prophet’s answer then became the foundation of Islamic teachings, namely the pillars of Islam, the pillars of faith, and the concept of Ihsan. Ustadz Farhat explained, “The religion of Islam includes three things: Islam, faith, and Ihsan. Ihsan has a higher position than faith, and faith is higher than Islam.”
This explanation is emphasized by Allah’s word in Surah Al-Hujurat, verse 14, which distinguishes between Islam and faith. Allah stated that the Bedouin Arabs only claimed to have faith, even though faith had not yet entered their hearts. This means that someone can claim to be Muslim, but their faith is not necessarily valid in Allah’s sight.
“Islam is not considered valid unless there is faith in it. And the goodness of faith is not considered perfect unless there is Ihsan in it,” said Ustadz Farhat, quoting the explanations of scholars such as Imam Ibn Taimiyah. Ihsan here means offering quality deeds, not just ordinary routines of worship. Allah emphasizes the importance of quality in deeds of worship.
In Surah Ali Imran verse 92, Allah emphasizes that a person will not achieve perfect virtue until he spends on the wealth he loves. “If you only share your wealth in moderation, then your virtue is not perfect,” explained Ustadz Farhat. Quality charity is characterized by sacrifice for things that are loved for the sake of Allah’s pleasure.
To make it easier to understand, he gave an analogy with the world of work. In one company, there are three types of workers: (1) workers who work without loyalty, (2) workers who are loyal but whose work performance is mediocre, and (3) workers who are loyal and always maintain the quality of their work. In the context of religion, the first type of worker is an ordinary Muslim, the second type is a believer, and the third type is a Muhsin—the highest degree in Islam.
From this description, it can be seen that not every Muslim is a believer, and not every believer reaches the level of muhsin. People who get the level of Muhsin are people who are loyal to Allah and His Messenger and offer their best deeds, as stated in His word: “Indeed, the mercy of Allah is very close to those who do good.” (QS. Al-A’raf: 56)
Ustadz Farhat also mentioned an interesting incident when an orientalist asked an Egyptian cleric, Sheikh Sa’rawi, about why Muslims could be defeated by the infidels even though Allah said in Surah An-Nisa: “And Allah will never give the infidels a way to dominate the believers.” The Sheikh replied, “Because the majority of us are still Muslims, not yet believers.” The difference between believers and Muslims lies in faith and loyalty.
Loyalty to Allah and His Messenger is a belief servant’s absolute requirement. In Surah Al-Ahzab verse 36, Allah states that it is not proper for a believer to choose another opinion if Allah and His Messenger have determined a provision. That is a form of total loyalty, not half-hearted loyalty.
Furthermore, loyalty is shown by siding with (wala’) fellow believers. Allah forbids taking infidels as guardians (close friends and helpers) by abandoning the believers (QS. An-Nisa: 144). “Hypocrites are those who appear to be Muslims but have no loyalty to Islam,” said Ustadz Farhat.
At the end of his lecture, he invited the listeners to pursue the status of Muhsin through quality deeds. The Messenger of Allah saw. said, “You should worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not, be sure that He sees you.” Worship that is carried out with the awareness that Allah is always watching will encourage us to offer the best.
“Allah does not use the term ‘the best deeds’, but ‘the best good deeds’ (ahsanu ‘amala),” explained Ustadz Farhat, quoting Surah Al-Mulk and Al-Kahfi. This indicates that Allah is looking for not just quantity but the quality of the good deeds we offer.
So, my friends, let us climb the spiritual ladder of Islam with sincerity: from Muslim to believer and from believer to muhsin. Become a loyal servant to Allah and His Messenger and be of quality in every good deed. Because only with loyalty and quality are we worthy of mercy, help, and love from Allah SWT. (YN)
