Beauty
in Arabic is defined as "goodness in creation and action" (Lisan
al-Arab). In Islamic terminology, beauty is defined as "the goodness,
freshness, and perfection of something in a manner befitting it."
Among
the meanings of beauty are a radiant complexion, a beautiful nose, a handsome
face, a graceful figure, a charming mouth, sweet eyes, refined manners, and
eloquent speech (from the book Fiqh al-Lughah by al-Tha'alibi).
One
of the characteristics of beauty is freedom from defects: everything beautiful
is perceived as beautiful and good by its freedom from defects and its lack of
any flaw or deficiency: "Have they not looked at the heaven above them,
how We have made it and adorned it, and there are no rifts in it?"
(Surah Qaf: 6). Harmony and order: This is another characteristic of beauty,
based primarily on appreciation, control, precision, and determining the
proportions of things to one another in size, shape, color, movement, and
sound: “He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and
Who has begotten no son (children or offspring) and for Whom there is no
partner in the dominion. He has created everything and has measured it exactly
according to its due measurements.” (Quran 25:2). A third characteristic is
added to these two when it comes to the beauty of the vast universe: revelation
and designation. Not all beauty in the universe can be perceived by humankind
without being revealed to them, for the human mind is incapable of fully
comprehending this vast universe. Because humans are incapable of perceiving
the beauty of things, this is due to the limitations of the human mind and its
inability to grasp the aspect of beauty inherent in that thing. An example of
this is the realm of moral beauty; had it not been explicitly defined and
clarified through divine revelation, it would have remained unknown to
humankind for a long time (from the book "Islamic Values").
The
Quran presents numerous forms of both physical and moral beauty. Among the
physical forms of beauty is the beauty of women, as God Almighty says: “It is
not lawful for you to marry other women after this, nor to change them for
other wives even though their beauty attracts you, except those (captives or
slaves) whom your right hand possesses. And Allah is ever a watcher over all
things.” (Surat Al-Ahzab: 52) The beauty of human attributes is found in the
words of God. Almighty: “Allah, it is He Who has made for you the earth as a
dwelling place and the sky as a canopy, and has given you shape and made your
shapes good (looking), and has provided you with good things. That is Allah,
your Lord; then blessed be Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns, and
all that exists). (Surat Ghafir 40:64), and in His words: “Verily, We created
man of the best stature (mould)” (Surat At-Tin: 4), and His words: “O man! What
has made you careless concerning your Lord, the Most Generous? 6. Who created
you, fashioned you perfectly, and gave you due proportion? 7. In whatever form
He willed, He put you together. 8” (Surat Al-Infitar: 6-8); and the beauty of the
creation of animals with their different colors and perfect forms that bring
joy to the human soul, in His Almighty saying: “And the cattle, He has created
them for you; in them there is warmth (warm clothing), and numerous benefits,
and of them you eat. 5 And wherein is beauty for you when you bring them home
in the evening and as you lead them forth to pasture in the morning? 6” (Surat
An-Nahl 5-6); And in His Almighty words: "They said, 'Call upon your Lord
for us to make plain to us its color.'" He said, "He says, 'It is a
yellow cow, bright in its color, pleasing to the beholders" (Surat
Al-Baqarah 2:69). Among the forms of physical beauty is also the beauty of
nature with all that it contains of earth and sky, humans and animals, plants and
inanimate objects, as in His Almighty words: “Verily! In the creation of the
heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the ships
which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind, and the water
(rain) which Allah sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith
after its death, and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds that He has
scattered therein, and in the veering of winds and clouds which are held
between the sky and the earth, are indeed Ayat (proofs, evidences, signs, etc.)
for people of understanding.“ (Surat Al-Baqarah: 164) And the beauty of a part
of nature, and the beauty within it, explicitly or implicitly, in His Almighty
saying: “Have they not looked at the heaven above them, how We have made it and
adorned it, and there are no rifts in it?” (Surat Qaf: 6).
Among
the moral forms of beauty is beautiful patience, which involves striving
against one's own soul and compelling it to bear worries and sorrows, as in the
words of God Almighty: “And they brought his shirt stained with false blood. He
said, "Nay, but you yourselves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience
is most fitting. And it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought against that
which you assert." (Surat Yusuf: 18) And beautiful forgiveness, that is,
responding to offenses with pardon and forgiveness, as in the Almighty’s words:
“And We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them
except with truth, and the Hour is surely coming, so overlook (O Muhammad SAW)
their faults with gracious forgiveness. [This was before the ordainment of
Jihad, holy fighting in Allah's cause.] (Surat Al-Hijr: 85). As for the
Hereafter, where no eye has seen nor ear heard, God Almighty tells us of the
delights of Paradise that will befall the eyes that behold it, in His words:
“Trays of gold and cups will be passed round them; (there will be) therein all
that the inner selves could desire, all that the eyes could delight in, and you
will abide therein forever.” (Quran 43:71)
The
Prophetic Sunnah encourages Muslims to be beautiful in both their outward
appearance and inner character, for beauty is an established divine attribute,
as in the hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “He who has
an atom’s weight of evil in his heart will not enter Paradise.” A man said, “A
man loves to have his clothes and shoes look good.” The Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) said, “God is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride is
rejecting the truth (i.e., refusing the truth and turning away from it out of
arrogance and tyranny, or being tyrannical in the face of the truth so that one
does not see the truth) and looking down on people (i.e., despising and
scorning them).” (Narrated by Abdullah bin Masoud; Source: Sahih Muslim). The
Prophetic Sunnah connects the goodness of the body, the goodness of the soul,
the goodness of the scent, and the goodness of character in the saying of the
Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him): “No man should bathe on
Friday…” He should purify himself as much as he can, apply some of his oil, or
use some of the perfume from his house, then go out and not separate two
people, then pray what is prescribed for him, then listen attentively when the
imam speaks, and he will be forgiven for what is between him and the next
Friday.” (Narrator: Salman Al-Farisi; Source: Sahih Al-Bukhari). The Prophetic
Sunnah draws our attention to the fact that the most beautiful form of beauty
is the joy of a husband with his righteous wife, as the Messenger of God, may
God bless him and grant him peace, said: “When this verse was revealed, ‘And
those who hoard gold and silver,’ it was a great matter for the Muslims. So
Umar, may God be pleased with him, said, ‘I will relieve you of this.’ So he
went and said, ‘O Prophet of God, this verse is a great matter for your
companions.’ So the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace,
said, ‘God did not make Zakat obligatory except to purify what remains of your
wealth, and He only made inheritances obligatory so that they would be for
those who come after you.’ So Umar said, ‘God is Great!’ Then he said to him,
‘Shall I not tell you what is the best thing a man can hoard? A righteous wife
who, when he looks at her, pleases him, and when he commands her, obeys him,
and when he is absent from her, protects him.’” (Narrator: Abdullah bin Abbas;
Source: Weak Abu Dawud). This saying clarifies that the beauty and excellence
of everything lies in the inherent qualities of beauty that are appropriate to
it and possible for it. If all the qualities of beauty are present in a thing,
then it is extremely beautiful; and if only some of them are present, then it
possesses beauty and excellence to the extent that they are present.
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