17th Hadith - Prescription of 'Ihsan' (Perfection) [Muslim: 1955]

الحديث السابع عشر 

عَنْ أَبِي يَعْلَى شَدَّاد ابْنِ أَوْسٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ : إِنَّ اللهَ كَتَبَ اْلإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الْقِتْلَةَ وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذِّبْحَةَ وَلْيُحِدَّ أَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهُ وَلْيُرِحْ ذَبِيْحَتَهُ

[رواه مسلم] 

17th Hadith Translation

Abu Yala Shaddad-Ibn-Aus (R.A.) reported that the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) said:

"Verily, Allah has enjoined excellence (Ihsan) with regard to everything. So, when you kill, kill in a good way; when you slaughter, slaughter in a good way; so everyone of you should sharpen his knife, and let the slaughtered animal die comfortably." (Muslim: 1955)

Brief Narration

Ihsan is a comprehensive concept. It denotes doing things completely, nicely and in a tasteful manner. It comprises four components:

1. Sincerity (Ikhlas) 
2. Completeness.
3. Tastefulness (doing things in a nice manner), and 
4. Correctness (doing things in the right way). 

The concept of Ihsan is translated by commentators and interpreters as Excellence. Being a comprehensive concept, the term “Ihsan” cannot be translated for word because there is no word in the English language that gives its exact meaning. Therefore, it is better to use it as it is.

The concept of Ihsan means that a Muslim is a responsible person and a person of quality where he does things in a very good manner, in a complete sense, in a nice and tasteful way and is never satisfied with anything other than a quality job in all that he/she does, motivated by realizing that Allah prescribed Ihsan to everything and to all deeds.

The hadith mentions one way of dealing nicely or being merciful with animals and that is in the case of slaughtering. In another hadith the Prophet (S.A.W.) said: “Whoever shows mercy even when slaughtering a bird, Allah will have mercy on him on the Day of Judgement.” (Recorded by Al-Bukhari)

The hadith contains a principle and provides an example of applying that principle. This is a Prophetic method and it enables Muslims to apply the same principle to other similar situations.

  (Reference: Commentary of Forty Hadiths of An-Nawawi by Dr. Jamal Ahmed Badi)