This page is the map of one subject: the religion is learned in three levels, Islam, Iman [faith: what the heart believes and holds true], and Ihsan [excellence in worship]. The three are named together in one famous hadith [a report of what the Prophet ﷺ said or did], the Hadith of Jibril [Jibril: the angel Gabriel]. This page does not teach the levels by itself: it names them, says briefly what belongs to each, and points to where each is taught.
Nothing on this page is quoted; everything here is my own summary, kept short on purpose. The teaching itself stands on the pages linked below, where the passages are given word for word from the books in my library. If you are new here, begin with the narration itself.
Where the Levels Come From
The three levels are not a later arrangement; they come from a single narration. A man came to the Prophet ﷺ with his Companions and asked him about Islam, then about Iman, then about Ihsan, then about the Hour and its signs. At the end, the Prophet ﷺ told the Companions who the questioner had been and why he had come. The narration is known by the questioner’s name: the Hadith of Jibril. It stands in full, in the words of the book that explains it, on its own page, Hadith 2: The Hadith of Jibril. Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan’s explanation gives the narration a high rank at the head of its chapter; that chapter is the narration page’s source.
The Three Levels at a Glance
In the order the narration names them:
- Islam, the first level: the outward actions of worship. Its pillars are five: the two testimonies, the prayer, the zakah [the obligatory charity], fasting Ramadan, and the pilgrimage. Taught in full on What Are the Five Pillars of Islam?.
- Iman, the second level: the beliefs of the heart. Its pillars are six: belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the divine decree [what Allah has decreed for His creation], its good and its bad. Taught in full on Pillars of Faith (Iman).
- Ihsan, the third and highest level: it has one pillar, to worship Allah as though you see Him, for even though you do not see Him, He sees you. Treated where the levels are compared, on What Is the Difference Between Islam, Iman and Ihsan?.
How the Three Levels Differ
The short version is this: Islam is carried by outward deeds, Iman is held in the heart, and Ihsan is the same worship raised to its most perfect level. The full difference, with its passages quoted word for word, stands on What Is the Difference Between Islam, Iman and Ihsan?. That page also explains why the words Islam and Iman sometimes seem to change places in the texts. I do not repeat that treatment here.
The Signs Named in the Narration
The questioner also asked about the Hour. The Prophet ﷺ answered that the one who is asked about it knows no more of its time than the one who asks, and then named signs that come before it. Those signs, and the rest of the signs of the Day of Judgment, are treated on What Are the Signs of the Day of Judgment?, and they stand inside the narration itself on the Hadith of Jibril page. Named here only to complete the map.
References
No passage is quoted on this page. The summaries above rest on held books: for the narration and its rank, Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan, Explanation of Imam an-Nawawi’s 40 Hadith, Hadith Two (Dar Makkah International; my copy has no title or copyright page, so no edition or translator is named for it); for the levels and their difference, the two held explanations of the Three Fundamental Principles, by Shaykh al-Fawzan and Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen, quoted on the pages linked above. All are held and listed in the Book Library.
Further Reading
- Hadith 2: The Hadith of Jibril: the narration itself in full, with its explanation.
- What Is the Difference Between Islam, Iman and Ihsan?: the three levels compared from the books.
- What Are the Five Pillars of Islam?: the five pillars of the first level.
- Pillars of Faith (Iman): the six pillars of the second level.
- What Are the Signs of the Day of Judgment?: the signs named in the narration, and the rest.
Verified on 2026-10-24 against the books listed above.