Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "
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The Shaykh : We have previously discussed this hadith until we reached the words of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding what he quoted from Jibril, where he said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) Sahih Muslim 8a Ihsan is the opposite of is'ah (evil treatment), and the intended meaning of ihsan here is excellence in action. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained that ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him. For example, you pray as if you see Allah (Mighty and Majestic), you give zakah as if you see Him, you fast as if you see Him, you perform Hajj as if you see Him, you perform wudu' as if you see Him, and so on with the rest of the deeds. And this, namely a person worshipping Allah as if he sees Him, leads to sincerity, sincerity to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and to perfecting the work in following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Because anyone who worships Allah in this manner will inevitably have in his heart a love for Allah and a sense of His greatness that leads him to perfect and refine his work.
Sahih al-Bukhari 50 Meaning, if you do not worship Allah in this manner as if you see Him, then worship Him in the manner of surveillance and fear, for He sees you. It is known that worshipping Allah in the manner of seeking reward is more complete than worshipping Him in the manner of fleeing from punishment. So here there are two levels:
The first level is that you worship Allah as if you see Him, and this is the level of seeking reward.
And the second is that you worship Allah as if you know that He sees you, and this is the level of fleeing from punishment. Both are great levels, but the first is more complete and better.
Then Jibril said meaning regarding the establishment of the Hour in which people are resurrected and rewarded for their deeds. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said Mishkat al-Masabih 741 Meaning, if you, O Jibril, are ignorant of it, then I am likewise ignorant of it.
He (the inquirer) again said: Inform me about al-Ihsan (performance of good deeds). He (the Holy Prophet) said: That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, for though you don't see Him, He, verily, sees you.
أخبرني عن الإحسان قال أن تعبد الله كأنك تراه فإن لم تكن تراه فإنه يراكand if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is looking at you
فإن لم تكن تراه فإنه يراكThe first level is that you worship Allah as if you see Him, and this is the level of seeking reward.
And the second is that you worship Allah as if you know that He sees you, and this is the level of fleeing from punishment. Both are great levels, but the first is more complete and better.
Then Jibril said