Beauty & Ugliness

Beauty & Ugliness

Beauty & Ugliness

Compiled & Translated

by

Abbas Abu Yahya

o   Beauty is Apparent on the Righteous

Shaykh ul-Islaam Ahmad bin AbdulHaleem Ibn Taymeeyah (d.728 A.H.) -Rahimullaah-said:

‘Every time a person increases in doing good acts and Taqwaa[1] then his goodness and beauty strengthens.

Every time his sinning and enmity strengths then his ugliness[2] and disfigurement increases . . . So we see the faces of the people of the Sunnah and obedience[3],  that as they grow older their beauty and radiance increases so much so that you find one of them in his senior age better and more beautiful than when he was younger.

We find that the faces of the people of Bida’ and sinning, every time they grow older their ugliness and disfigurement gets worse so much for so that you cannot even look at them, those who were dazzled and deceived by the people of Bida’ and sinning when they were young due to the beauty of their forms.

This is apparent in everyone [from the people of Bida'] who glorifies his Bida’ and his evil, like the Rafidah, and the people of tyranny, oppression and evil deeds. . . Since indeed every time the Rafidi gets older his face gets uglier and his disfigurement gets worse to the extent his resemblance to a pig increases, and perhaps transforms into a pig and a monkey as it has been frequently mentioned about them….’

[From: 'Al-Isteeqamah' 1/365]

o   Establish Tawheed

Shamsuddeen Muhammad bin Abee Bakr Ibn Qayyim aj-Jawzeeyah (d.751 A.H.) -Rahimullaah-said:

‘Whoever firmly establishes Tawheed in his heart, then its delight appears upon the rest of the person’s limbs and the tree of Tawheed produces the best of fruits.’

[From: 'Al-Fawaid' p. 115]

o   The Believers in this Dunyaa

Shaykh ul-Islaam Ahmad bin AbdulHaleem Ibn Taymeeyah (d.728 A.H.) -Rahimullaah-said:

Allaah Ta’ala said describing the believers in this Dunyaa:

مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا ۖ سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ

<< Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, and those who are with him are severe against disbelievers, and merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and falling down prostrate (in prayer), seeking Bounty from Allaah and (His) Good Pleasure. The mark of them (i.e. of their Faith) is on their faces (foreheads) from the traces of (their) prostration (during prayers). >>

So this is the mark on the faces of the believers.  The word ‘mark’ means a sign, and it is originally from the word ‘al-Wasama’ (stamp, mark, sign) and it is mostly used to mean beauty, as is mentioned in describing the Prophet - sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- as being ‘Waseem Qaseem’ ( very handsome and radiant).’

Ibn Taymeeyah continues:

‘Allaah Ta’ala said describing the Munafiqeen:

<< ولونشاءلأريناكهمفلعرفتهمبسيماهم  >>

<< Had We willed, We could have shown them to you, and you should have known them by their marks>> [Muhammad: 30]

Allaah also allocated a sign and a mark for the Munafiqeen.

Allaah Ta’ala said :

وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنَات تَعْرِفُ فِي وُجُوهِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الْمُنْكَرَ ۖ

<>

These marks, signs and this denial is perhaps noticeable on their faces from their created forms and beauty, as is found, for example in men, women and children, however, with Nifaaq (hypocrisy) a face becomes ugly,  which does not have a beauty which Allaah loves. The foundation of that ugliness is Nifaaq and lying[4].’

[Al-Isteeqamah 198-199]

[1] From Abu Hurairah -RadhiAllaahu anhu-  from the Prophet -SallAllaahu alayhi wa Sallam- who said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَإِنَّمَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَأَعْمَالِكُمْ

‘Indeed Allaah does not look at your forms [bodies], nor your wealth, but rather he looks at your hearts and your actions.’

[Muslim]

[2] From Abu Musa al-Asha’aari -RadhiAllaahu anhu- who said the Messenger of Allaah-SallAllaahu alayhi wa Sallam-  said:

مَثَلُ الذي يَذْكُرُ رَبَّهُ وَالَّذِي لا يَذْكُرُ رَبَّهُ، مَثَلُ الْحَيِّ وَالْمَيِّتِ

The like of the one who remembers his Lord and does not remember his Lord is the like of the living and the dead.’

[Bukhari & Muslim]

[3] See: http://followingthesunnah.wordpress.com/2008/01/17/the-light-of-the-sunnah-tawheed-is-with-the-people-of-hadeeth/

[4] From Abdullaah -RadhiAllaahu anhu- who said that the Prophet -SallAllaahu alayhi wa Sallam said:

إيَّاكم والكذب، فإنَّ الكذب يهدي إلى الفُجُور، وإنَّ الفُجُور يهدي إلى النَّار

‘Beware of lying, since indeed lying leads to evil sins, and indeed evil sins lead to the Hell-Fire.’

[Bukhari & Muslim]