Prioritizing acts of Ihsan (cont.)

• Prevent burnout by knowing the purpose, destination, and intention of the good deed.
• Get clear on expectations from oneself and others.
• Focus on contributing in areas of one’s expertise.
• Learn to set boundaries and say NO when required.
• Manage time and energy.
• Form meaningful connections. 
• Practice self-care and renewal.

Reasons to learn to say NO

• To avoid other peoples’ priorities taking precedence over ours.
• Have time for family and close friends.
• To rest and recuperate
• To avoid frustration and stress.
• To make ourselves available for deeds that are in alignment with our purpose and ability to contribute.

LINKS: 

SURAH AL-HASHR [59:19]

SURAH AL-MAIDAH [5:105]

HADITH OF UNWAN BASRI

‘THE POWER OF A POSITIVE NO: HOW TO SAY NO AND STILL GET TO YES’ by William Ury

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Receiving Ihsan- rights of those who do good to us:

• Receive the Ihsan with grace and kindness.
• Pray for those who have done Ihsan on you.
• Thank them for their kindness.
• Spread good mention about them in public.
• If possible, do something in return for them.
• Ask for forgiveness for them.
• Pay it forward.
• Give them something they need.
• Allow others to partake of the good deed.

Who deserves acts of Ihsan from us?

• Anyone who is in need.
• Unilateral virtue- Do good to the people who are deserving and to those who don’t deserve it. We are ambassadors of the faith and must follow in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and the AhlulBayt (AS).
• Our family has special rights over us when it comes to doing Ihsan towards them.

However, enabling someone towards unhelpful behaviour is not Ihsan. 

Prioritizing acts of Ihsan

• Focus on quality and intention rather than on quantity.
• Recognize our limitations and set boundaries.
• Focusing on quantity when doing acts of Ihsan can lead to burnout.

LINKS:

SURAH AL-MAIDAH [5:2]

SURAH MULK [67:2]

SURAH AL-BAQARAH [2:263]

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DEFINITION OF ISLAM: Rahma- dealing with people with more than just justice. 

REFERENCE: SURAH AL-ISRA/BANI-ISRAEL- THE NIGHT JOURNEY

When you do ihsan, you do it for yourself. We have the freedom of choice to choose our actions but we do not choose the consequences of our actions. 

Physical benefits of doing good to others: 

• Causes longevity
• Reduction of early death
• Reduced incidence of brain decline

Mental and emotional benefits of doing good to others:

• Helper’s high: Engaging in good deeds results in the brain releasing feel-good chemicals that are associated with happiness.
• Brain chemicals are also released: oxytocin, dopamine, endorphins
• Tend and mend response- we want to approach people and build relationships. 
• Helps keep our problems in perspective. Having a larger purpose helps direct your attention and keep it in perspective.
• Starts a virtuous cycle that cements relationships and strengthens families, communities. 
• A kindness bank is created in our brains. Every time we think about those good actions we feel good. 
• You win hearts when you do good deeds.
• Must do it consistently in order to gain its benefits.

However, you must do the deed with the correct intention or it will not benefit you. Do it out of the goodness of your heart rather than to gain something in return. 

Certain etiquettes whilst doing ihsan: 

• Underestimate and undervalue the good act. 
• Do not make a person feel obligated towards you for helping them out.
• Conceal the good deed from the rest of society.
• Only reveal the good deed if it will encourage others to partake of the deed too.
• Hastening the completion of the good deed. Don’t make people wait for your help once you have offered it. 
• Forget about the deed once it is completed.

Narration of Imam Ali (AS): To be in this world is not good except for two types of people:

1. Someone who is doing more good deeds and ihsan
2. Someone who has done bad deeds and is trying to compensate by doing tawba. 

LINKS: 

• Surah Al-Isra- The Night Journey- [17:7]
• Tuhaf al Uqul no. 403

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TOPIC OF THE YEAR: The pursuit and practice of Ihsan

The primary purpose of these gatherings is to give our condolences to the household of the beloved Holy Prophet of Islam.  

BLESSINGS OF THESE MAJLIS:

• It revives not only our deen but us too.

• It helps us realign what really matters.

• Commemorating the tragedy has kept our religion alive. 
• It is only the Grace of God and this huge sacrifice by the most beloved of his creatures that has kept this deen alive till today. 
• It allows us to get in touch with ourselves and remind ourselves of where we need help and transformation in our life. 

An important part of these days is to pass on the message of Kerbala to others.

Hadith by Imam Reza (AS): “By learning our knowledge and teaching it to people. If people knew the merits of our knowledge they would follow us.” 

Imam Hussain’s (AS) message: Living with the concept of ihsan- kindness, excellence, and virtue. 

COVID- Challenges and opportunities:

• Safety and protection
• Intention and action
• Motivation to attend

The Holy Family as inspiration

Fatima Zahra (SA): 

• “Best of people on the earth in origin, dignity and honour.”
• Pillar of Islam
• An axis of intercession
• Her children- Hasan, Hussain, Mohsin come from the same root word- h-s-n.
• Hasan: one who is virtuous and does good. 
• Hussain: derivative of Hasan. 

Basic foundations of morality and righteousness

• Adl: Give people their due which has been asked of them. Imam Ali (AS) said that, “Adl is the foundation on which the world rests.”
• Ihsan is going above and beyond justice and acting with nobility and kindness. Imam Ali (AS) says, “When you are focused on doing more than is required, that’s how people fall in love with you.” 

‘Hasana’ is a key root word of the Quran. 

• It appears 194 times in the Quran.
• It means inner beauty, living a life of virtue. 
• Allah is the ultimate ‘mohsin’- one who does ihsan. 
• When we do things that are hurtful to ourselves or others, He deals with us only that we deserve. But when we do good, he multiplies it. 

LINKS:

• Fara'edoh-Samtayn vol.2 p.68

• Beharul-Anwar, vol.43 pp.4-18

• Beharul-Anwar, vol.8 p.51

• Surah Al-Nahl [16:90]

• Surah Qassas [28:77]

• Surah An-Najm [53:31]

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If they are not controlled and hindered in their first steps, man will get alerted when the die is cast. Thus when the first temptations of spreading lewdness or any sin get manifest, they must be immediately withstood, so that defilement does not get prevalent.

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Divine grace and bless has sometime religious aspect, that has come forth through mission of prophets, revelation of heavenly books, legalization of ordinances, glad tidings and warnings.

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This Sura contains 64 verses and it has been sent down in Medina.

When a group of hypocrites, who were apparently Muslim, also wanted to use this event maliciously for causing Islamic society harm and for the sake of their own interest and weakening the common reputation of the Prophet (S), these verses were sent down and so this incident was dealt with in an unprecedented resoluteness. And so the insulting astray-goers and sinister hypocrites were firmly suppressed.

The holy Qur’an, without mentioning the main phenomenon in this verse, says:

“Verily those who brought forward the lie are a band of you...”

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This Sura contains 64 verses and it has been sent down in Medina. The reason why it has been named An-Nur (light), is its thirty fifth verse in which Allah has been introduced as: “the Light of the heavens and the earth”.