Discover the meaning of the term Ahsn (أحصن) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 2 min readAhsana the man: he married; he is then muhsan, and she muhsanah. In the Noble Quran: 'and the muhsanat among the women' (An-Nisa', 24), that is: the wife of another may not be married. Living in chastity ('iffah). In the Noble Book: '... the muhsanat among the believing women and the muhsanat among those given the Scripture before you' (Al-Ma'idah, 5). Ahsana the thing: to guard and preserve it. In the Noble Revelation: '... she who guarded her chastity' (Al-Anbiya', 91). Ahsana the woman: to marry her. Al-ihsan: preservation; marriage; chastity; free status. In the Shari'ah: it applies only to two meanings: the marriage with which intercourse takes place, and the mere contract (Ibn Hazm). In the Shari'ah there are five divisions: the first, ihsan in fornication, which entails stoning: intercourse within marriage; the second, the ihsan of the slandered one: chastity; the third: free status; the fourth: marriage; the fifth: Islam (al-Nawawi). In the Shari'ah: the five preceding divisions; or: the marriage contract and majority (al-Bajirmi). According to the Hanafis: free status, religious obligation (taklif) and Islam, and intercourse within a valid marriage; this ihsan entails stoning in fornication, while ihsan in the case of slander lacks two elements: marriage and penetration. According to the Shafi'is: being clothed with religious obligation, free status, Islam and chastity: that is ihsan in slander; as for ihsan in fornication, it is like the Hanafis' view. Al-hasan: the chaste woman (plural: husn).