The Station of Ihsan

Your Eminence! Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says in *Madarij al-Salikin*, in his explanation of the station of ihsan, that one should worship Allah as if one sees Him. He says: There is no doubt that believing the report and being certain of it strengthens the heart until the unseen becomes like that which is seen with the eye. The one who has this station is as if he sees his Lord (Glorified and Exalted is He) above His heavens, on His Throne, looking down upon His servants, gazing at them, hearing their speech, and as if he hears it while he is speaking through revelation, then he departs, and as if he sees Him while He is pleased in all attributes. Then he says, in summary — here is the point — he sees with his heart a Lord by whom the messengers were known, just as the books were known by Him, and a religion to which the messengers called, and truths about which the messengers informed. So the witness of that stood in his heart as the witness of what the people of mass transmission informed about, even if he did not see it from the lands and events. This is his faith, which proceeds in the manner of direct vision, while the faith of others is pure imitation of the blind. We hope for an explanation, even if brief.
There is no doubt that certainty varies greatly. Sometimes it reaches a person to the point where the certainty of the report is like that which is seen with the eye.Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: (That you worship Allah as if you see Him) This is the high station. If you do not see Him, then worship Him as the worshipper of one who fears.And for this he said: (If you do not see Him, He sees you) This is what made Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) say: [The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) saw his Lord with his heart] meaning: with his heart, not with the vision of the eye. The vision of the heart is stronger than the vision of the eye in one respect, and the vision of the eye is stronger than the vision of the heart in another respect. In terms of certainty, the sweetness of faith, and the taste of faith, the vision of the heart is higher. In terms of perception, the vision of the eye is stronger; because one sees the thing as a tangible object before him. This rank —I mean: The rank of the vision of the heart — is a rank that only a few people attain. Most people’s faith is based on the mere truthful report, and that is sufficient as evidence. But the certainty that is obtained after this rank is stronger.And as for his saying at the end of his speech: And the faith of others is pure imitation of the blind. By this, he means the weak, flimsy faith, where its owner is almost saying, "I heard them say something, so I said it." As for true faith, it is not the imitation of the blind; because a person believes in it as a truth that he witnesses.