Episode 5

Hamza Yusuf – Foundations of Islam Series: The Concept of Ihsan

About this lecture

In this lecture from the Foundations of Islam Series, Hamza Yusuf explores the concept of Ihsan — the third and most often neglected dimension of the Hadith of Jibreel — situating it within the broader historical and intellectual crises of the Muslim world, from the fall of Andalusia and the colonial encounter to the rise of political Islam and one-dimensional religiosity. He then presents a traditional West African text on spiritual purification, guiding listeners through the stations and diseases of the heart — from repentance and God-consciousness to envy, vanity, and the love of the world — culminating in the station of Ihsan as the lived experience of the divine presence.