His words: “al-ihsan.” This is the third level, called ihsan (spiritual excellence). It means that the servant perfects what is between him and Allah in the act of worship. The Prophet ﷺ defined ihsan, saying: “Ihsan is to worship Allah as though you see Him; but if you do not see Him, He certainly sees you.” In other words, you must possess certain knowledge that Allah sees you wherever you are. (31) His words: “Each level has arkan.” Arkan is the plural of rukn, the element on which something rests. The arkan of a thing are its inner supports without which it cannot stand, whereas its shurut (conditions) are external prerequisites. Thus the conditions of prayer occur before the prayer, while its arkan lie within it, such as the takbirat al-ihram (opening declaration) and the recitation of al-Fatiha. If any pillar is missing, the prayer is invalid, just as a building cannot stand when one of its supporting columns is absent.