The Concept of Perfection of Action (Itqan)

Transcript of the Friday Sermon delivered by Dr. Munawar

Haque on Sept 27, 2013
In todays khutba, I intend to discuss the Islamic concept of itqan. The Arabic
word Itqan is used to indicate the highest level of quality work and the correct and
complete performance of duties. It has to do with arranging and doing things in a
way that yields the most perfect results. Itqan or perfection of action is a part
of ouramanah. Being thorough in doing something is an obligation upon
Muslims.
In Islam, quality work has a special spiritual flavor because of its association
with Allah (SWT). The itqan or perfection with which Allah (SWT) creates
everything is mentioned in numerous ayat of the Quran.
For
example, ayah 27 of Surat an-Naml tells us:

This is the handiwork of God who has perfected all things (alNaml, 27:88).
Ayah 7 of Surat as-Sajdah mentions that Allah (SWT) perfected everything
which He created.

Surat at-Teen says that Allah (SWT) created man in the best of forms.

We also get a glimpse of the perfection of Allahs creation in Surat Al-Mulk,

He who created the seven heavens, one above the other; you will
not see any flaw in what the Lord of Mercy creates. Look again!
Can you see any flaw? Look again! And again! Your sight will
turn back to you, weak and defeated (al-Mulk, 67:3-4).

Itqan means to strive for perfection, without sacrificing the

quality of the work one is engaged in. Itqan is a criterion for
achievement and excellence, which comes through working hard
and not giving up. Indeed this is what has been shown by our
beloved Prophet (SAW). He did not give up while spreading the
message of Islam to his people despite the obstacles that came in
his way. Through hard work, patience, persistence, and
perseverance, he not only changed a pagan community into a
civilized society, but was supremely successful on both the
religious and secular levels. All his actions were done at the
highest level of itqan. His companions followed him in his
footsteps and with enormous effort and itqanmanaged to spread
the message and blessings of Islam to a large part of the globe
including Asia, Africa and Europe in less than a hundred
years. According to a hadith, the Prophet (SAW) said,
Indeed Allah loves one who when he does a work, he does it
with itqan. In other words, Allah is pleased with the person who
when he performs a deed, he executes it with excellence. Itqan in
this hadith refers to the attitude of being careful, meticulous,
diligent and excellent in carrying out responsibilities and tasks. If
a person is willfully negligent, waists his or her time, then of
course this person will incur the displeasure of Allah. We have in
Surat at-Taubah:

Do deeds! Allah will see your deeds, and (so will) His
Messenger and the believers. And you will be brought back to

the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen. Then He will inform
you of what you used to do(at-Taubah, 9:105).
This ayah tells us that our deeds will be shown to us on the Day
of Judgment. Indeed, we have to be very careful and very
watchful of whatever we do.
Iman or faith should propel a person to work in as perfect a
manner as possible, be it for welfare of this world or for the
afterlife. When doing anything at the level of itqan, our attitude
always remains positive. We do not become complacent and we
do not become selfish. Therefore, we do not have to doubt the
quality of the work we produce. A society having itqan in its work
ethics is more proactive, more responsible, and more sensitive
towards others. Doing something without itqan leads to an
attitude of mediocrity or taking things for granted. This attitude
prevents a person from achieving any kind of success. We need
to educate ourselves, our families, and our children to avoid this
mediocre attitude. Success does not come by doing things halfheartedly.
People with negative attitudes always utter words of
discouragement to themselves and to those around them. Rather
than achieving excellence in what they do, they continue to
criticize, condemn, complain and make excuses. They always
complain about not having enough time, enough resources, and
enough opportunities. They usually have very low self-esteem of
themselves and lack confidence in themselves. And what they
love to do is to give up halfway and let go of responsibilities. They
also love blaming others for their own shortcomings and
weaknesses.

Let me share with you a very positive cultural practice of the

Japanese people. It is the culture of the Japanese people to strive
for total professionalism in whatever they do. Any task is taken
seriously, and is done with utmost dedication. In Japanese
organizations, employees at all levels are expected to seek
perfection in their respective professions. This is true even for
low-grade workers. The general attitude is that the only way to do
a job is to do it perfectly. The Japanese are known to practice a
simple philosophy called Kaizen, which means "to become good
through change." It is a philosophy of continuous improvement;
of restructuring and organizing every aspect of a system to ensure
that it remains at peak efficiency. Itqan is doing all this and much
more. It is a value that has been emphasized by our beloved
Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
I invite myself and you to strive to improve. Let today be better
than yesterday and let tomorrow be better than today. Let us keep
improving ourselves in our daily duties and dealings with family
members, friends, and all others, at all times and all places.

(.
)
Islam requires; rather it demands that whatever we undertake to
do, we do it really well. There are no half-hearted measures in
Islam. No sloppy, shoddy work. If you are a Muslim, and you do
something, you have to do it well. But unfortunately this is

something many of us have forgotten. This is one of those

important lessons of our culture and history that we need to relearn. When we do something, whatever it may be, those looking
at our work should be able to say: Ah, a Muslim must have done
it! That is how our Aslaaf (our predecessors) used to be, and that
is what we need to become. Excellence and superior performance
need to stop at us. Our dedication and commitment to our work
will not only let us progress further in work, but will earn for us
the blessings and mercy from Allah (SWT). The Prophet (SAW)
said in a hadith,
O people, Allah is good and He therefore, accepts only that
which is good. This hadith encourages us to work carefully and
responsibly to earn the pleasure of Allah (SWT). Regardless of
the nature of job, be it a ritual; a mode of worship, be it
maintaining good relationships with our fellow human beings, or
be it any other work, we are called upon to have itqan. If we
perform our prayers merely to fulfill a responsibility, then our
prayers may not have the desired effect on us. In our professional
lives, if we do our jobs and perform our duties just for the sake of
earning a livelihood, we may remain mediocre all our lives. As
students, if we study just to pass the exams and our feelings are
devoid of the quest to learn deeper into what we study, then we
will end up being ordinary students and not outstanding ones.
As a community, we must always look for ways to improve our
situation. We must discard any poor image of ourselves, and our
work ethics. Do we make appointments and not stick to them? Do
we make promises and not fulfill them? Do we undertake a job
and settle for poor performance by not working hard enough? We

have to strive to change this general image of Muslims. Good

practices and work attitudes of other communities should be good
examples for us. Of course, we are fortunate to have the best guide
and the best model is our beloved Prophet (SAW). We can change
and improve when we truly desire to do so, and when we make
sufficient effort to do so. The Quran tells us that our situation
will not change for the better, if we do not put in any effort to
change it ourselves.

God does not change the condition of a people unless they

change what is in themselves. (Al-Rad, 13:11).

May Allah (SWT) give us the tawfiq and guidance to improve for
the better, and to have itqan in all that we d1o. Aamin Ya Rabb al 'Aalamin.