In Search of Excellence: Ihsan or Itqan?
IN SEARCH OF THE RIGHT WORD
From the 1970’s I have been reading a lot, and in 1982 I picked up the book In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman. It became a business classic that shaped management thinking for decades. “Excellence” became a benchmark for organizations seeking to outperform competitors and sustain growth.
Forty years later I discovered the profound word that signifies an internal state for excellence, and the word is ihsan. The word takes on a spiritual lens. Beyond efficiency, KPIs, or customer satisfaction, ihsan asks: how do we bring beauty, sincerity, and God-consciousness into our work?
WHO DOESN’T WANT TO BE LOVED BY GOD?
“Forty years later” meant the time I read about ihsan being one of five sources of Spiritual Energy in the book The Productive Muslim by Mohammed A. Faris. He quoted a short version of the translation of a Hadith:
“Allah loves that if one does a job, he perfects it.” (emphasis mine)
Of course I want to be loved by Allah! I then resolved to do my work in the best possible way, with excellence and with ihsan. I began regarding everything that I do is a presentation to Him, and I know He sees me all the time.
To lead with ihsan is to shift my mindset: from working for outcomes to working as an act of worship.
IHSAN AND ITQAN
In the inaugural meetup of Faith-Conscious Professionals that I hosted in February 2024, I found another word: itqan
The excerpt below from the meetup had Omar Angri عمر انجري, Aliza Kim and I begin discussing ihsan and itqan.
In the meetup, it was Aliza Kim who pointed out that itqan, with its focus on precision, craftsmanship, and proficiency, may be more directly applicable to workplace execution.
The above version of the translation of the Hadith uses the English word “perfect,” with Mohammed Faris retaining the word ihsan for the purpose of the book, whereas the original Arabic word in the Hadith is actually itqan.
Later, in the May 2025 meetup of Faith-Conscious Professionals, participants Mohar Ibrahim, Darul Farik Abdul Karim, Sharif Shawky, Dr. Sheikh Shahruddin Sheikh Salim, Nurhayati Sabandi and I went on to discuss the nuanced difference: ihsan is a broader spiritual state of striving for excellence with sincerity before Allah, while itqan emphasizes the perfected detail and discipline in the act of work itself.
The Malay word for itqan is tekun.
This distinction is important. Leaders are often measured by outcomes, e.g. profitability, efficiency and growth. But teams and organizations are shaped by the how, not just the what. Ihsan ensures that our inner compass is aligned: intention, sincerity and striving for excellence in all that we do. Itqan ensures that our execution is refined: high standards, discipline and consistency in the way we deliver results.
For leaders, combining these two means:
- Setting a tone of sincerity and integrity (ihsan) in how goals are defined.
- Building systems of discipline and high standards (itqan) in how those goals are executed.
- Recognizing and rewarding both the spirit and the craft of excellence within teams.
CAN WE BRING THIS INTO THE WORKPLACE?
Interestingly, this is not just theory. At MIT Technologies, ihsan is placed at the very center of their corporate Purpose:
I spoke with their CEO, Ahmed Tahoun. Beyond leaving it as a slogan, he and the management team communicate to their people the value and essence of ihsan at every possible opportunity. It’s displayed boldly on their walls and embedded into their culture.
Imagine walking into an organization where the first word you see is ihsan. That shapes how people feel about their work and their company’s mission.
(It brings me back to my 1980’s work in IBM with its three basic beliefs then: respect for the individual, service to the customer and the pursuit of excellence. If I could turn back the clock, I’d translate the last word to ihsan-itqan. ☺️)
The MIT Technologies example is powerful because it shows that excellence, when framed as ihsan, and/or itqan, can move from being an individual aspiration to a collective organizational ethos. When leaders embrace ihsan as a company-wide value, it creates cultures where people strive not just for targets, but for beauty, sincerity and meaningful impact.
For me, seeing ihsan in a corporate Purpose statement is both inspiring and humbling. It reminds me that our responsibility as leaders is yes, to achieve results, but we also need to nurture cultures where striving for excellence is anchored in values deeper than profit, i.e. values that echo into eternity.
