REAL BEAUTY

21st May, 2012

Assalamualaikum! (Peace be upon you!)

So, it's been quite a while since I made posts on this blog. The reason being that, over the past couple of years (since my last post) I realized that perhaps dedicating an entire blog talking about JUST makeup and outer beauty was a little vain.

As much as I enjoyed makeup then and still do now, I hoped to use any platform such as this in a way that plays a bigger role in our lives at the end of the day and something which truly acts as a beneficiary for us all in more than just one way.

Alhamdullilah (All Praises be to God Almighty), I've thought about it and thus decided to return. Everything will remain just like before, the only difference being that I've added this particular section. I'm hoping this serves as a constant reminder for myself in the course of running this blog inshaAllah (God willing).

May the following benefit anyone and everyone who reads it- Ameen!

Allah is Beautiful & Loves Beauty

"From 'Abdullaah Ibn Mas'ood (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said, "No one will enter Paradise who has an atom's weight of pride in his heart." A man said, "What if a man likes his clothes to look good and his shoes to look good?" He said, "Allaah is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride means denying the truth and looking down on people." [1]

Ibnul-Qayyim (d.751H) - may Allah bless him- said, commenting upon this hadeeth: ''The phrase 'Allaah is beautiful and loves beauty,' includes the beautiful clothing which was asked about in the same hadeeth. It is included by way of generalization, meaning that beauty in all things is what is meant here. In Saheeh Muslim, it says: "Allaah is good and only accepts that which is good." [2] In Sunanut-Tirmidhee it says: "Allaah loves to see the effects of His blessing on His slave.'' [3]

It was reported that Abul-Ahwas al-Jashamee said: The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) saw me wearing old, tattered clothes, and asked me, "Do you have any wealth?" I said, "Yes." He said, "What kind of wealth?" I said, "All that Allaah has given me of camels and sheep." He said, "Then show the generous blessings that He has given you." [4]

Allaah, may He be glorified, loves the effects of His blessings to His slave to be made manifest, for this is part of the beauty that He loves, and that is part of the gratitude for His blessings which forms an inner beauty (beauty of character). Allaah loves to see the external beauty of His slaves which reflects His blessings on them, and the inner beauty of their gratitude to Him for those blessings. Because He loves beauty, He sends down on His slaves clothes and adornments with which they may make their outward appearance beautiful and He gives them taqwaa which makes their inner characters beautiful."

 Allaah says:

"O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the clothing of righteousness - that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they will remember." -[Quran: Surah Al 'Araaf- Verse 26]

And He says, speaking of the people of Paradise:

"...and He gave them Nadrataan (a light of beauty) and joy. And their recompense shall be Paradise and silken garments, because they were patient." -[Sooratul-Insaan 76:11-12]

Their faces will be made beautiful with the nadrah (light of beauty), their innermost being with joy and their bodies with silken garments. Just as Allaah loves beauty in words, deeds, garments and outward appearance, so He hates ugliness in words, deeds, garments and outward appearance. He hates ugliness and its people, and loves beauty and its people.

Words of caution...

But two groups are misguided with regard to this issue: a group who say that everything that He has created is beautiful, so He loves all that He has created and we should love all that He has created and not hate anything. They say: whoever realizes that all that exists comes from Him will see that it is beautiful. These people have no sense of jealousy for the sake of Allaah or hatred and enmity for the sake of Allaah, or denouncing what is evil (munkar), or jihaad (struggle) for the sake of Allaah, or adhering His limits. They regard the beauty of images, male or female, as being part of the beauty that Allaah loves, and seek to worship Allaah through immoral acts. Some of them may even go so far as to claim that the One Whom they worship is manifested or incarnated in those images.

The second group, on the other hand, say that Allaah condemns the beauty of images, forms and outward appearances.

(May Allah SWT protect us from these two extremes and grant us steadfastness on the path to Him in the best of ways. Ameen!)

The heart and deeds...

In Saheeh Muslim it is reported that the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: "Allaah does not look at your outward appearance and your wealth, rather He looks at your hearts and deeds." [5]

Allaah says about the munaafiqoon (hypocrites):

"And when you look at them, their bodies please you..."  -[Sooratul-Munaafiqoon 63:4]

"And how many a generation have We destroyed before them. Who were better in wealth, goods and outward appearance?" -[Soorah Maryam 19:54]

According to another hadeeth: "Shabbiness is part of faith." [6]

Allaah condemns those who are extravagant, which applies to extravagance in clothing as well as in food and drink.

Beauty in clothing and outward appearance: what is commendable, what is blameworthy and what is neither...

In order to settle this dispute, we may say that beauty in clothing and outward appearance is of three types, one of which is commendable, one is blameworthy and one of which is neither.

The kind of beauty which is to be commended is that which is done for the sake of Allaah, to help one to obey Allaah and fulfil His commands, such as when the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) made himself look beautiful (i.e. handsome) when meeting the delegations that came to him. This is commendable because it is done to make the word of Allaah supreme and to support His religion.

The blameworthy kind of beauty is that which is done for the sake of this world, for reasons of power, false pride and showing off, or to fulfill some (selfish) desires. This also includes cases where beauty is an end in itself for a person and is all he cares about. Many people have no other concern in life.

As for the kind of beauty which is neither commendable nor blameworthy, it is that which has nothing to do with either of the two purposes mentioned above (i.e., it is neither for the sake of Allaah nor for the sake of worldly purposes).

The hadeeth under discussion refers to two important principles, knowledge and behaviour. Allaah is to be acknowledged for beauty that bears no resemblance to anything else, and He is to be worshipped by means of the beauty which He loves in words, deeds and attitudes. He loves His slaves to beautify their tongues with the truth, to beautify their hearts with sincere devotion (ikhlaas), love, repentance and trust in Him, to beautify their faculties with obedience, and to beautify their bodies by showing His blessings upon them in their clothing and by keeping them pure and free of any filth, dirt or impurity in the way He commanded us to do, the best example of which is seen the Messenger (SAW). Thus they recognize Allaah through these qualities of beauty and seek to draw close to Him through beautiful words, deeds and attitudes. They acknowledge Him for the beauty which is His attribute and they worship Him through the beauty which He has prescribed and His religion. The hadeeth combines these two principles of knowledge and behaviour.'' [7]

A few words...

I don't mean to post this as a class on religion. But rather, a reminder for myself- first and foremost and then for anyone who may stumble upon or read this blog- as a reminder on what truly matters at the end of the day.

While one is to take care of his/her outer appearance and beauty by making use of the blessings that Allah SWT bestows on them, they should remember do so with the best and purest of intentions as mentioned above. By preventing oneself from extravagance and vanity- not only will it save one from malice and impurity of the heart, but also- with the right intentions such daily life tasks will also become an act of ibadah (worship) to Allah SWT. Thus, leading in one's nearness to Allah SWT in this life and inshaAllah, in the Hereafter.

May Allah SWT accept our efforts.  Ameen.

This is not only something us Muslims believe in and aspire to achieve- but rather it's the powerful truth of life that resonates with everyone in humanity. 
Enjoying makeup, sharing tips, tricks and the best finds in beauty with each other are all good in their place. 

But at the end of the day, no amount of makeup or beautifying the outer appearance can mask an impure heart. Remember to not lose your inner self while nurturing the outer self.

Beauty of the heart is what matters above all.

Tc!

Source to original article: http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/purification/0005.htm

Here is an interesting article by Umm Reem, please do give it a read: 

"Is Piety The Only Beauty?"

Keeping the article in mind, we feel that if we are able to help even one girl/lady out there with this mission of hers-- our aim to set up this blog is successful. We genuinely hope you find this little place on the internet beneficial. Enjoy ♥

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Footnotes: 
 [1] Related by Muslim (no. 131) 
 [2] Related by Muslim (no. 1686)
 [3] Hasan Saheeh: Related by at-Tirmidhee (no. 2963), who said it was hasan saheeh. 
 [4] Saheeh: Related by Ahmad (no. 15323), at-Tirmidhee (no. 1929) and an-Nisaa'ee (no. 5128) 
 [5] Related by Muslim (no. 1356)
 [6] Saheeh: Related by Ibn Maajah (no. 4108), Aboo Dawood (no. 3630) 
 [7] al-Fawaa'id (1/185) By the Exemplary Scholar, Ibnul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d.751H)