Two Types of Beauty

I have extracted and translated the following  from Rowdhatul Muhibeen by Ibnul Qayyim rahimahullah:

Know that beauty is divided in to two types: (1) exoteric (outward) beauty (2) intrinsic (inward) beauty.

The inward beauty is loved because of itself (i.e. if a person was only inwardly beautiful, that would be enough for him to become loved also). And inward beauty compromises of knowledge, intelligence, generosity, chastity, courage etc. The inward beauty in essence is what Allah Ta’ala focuses upon in relation to his slave and it is the object of His (Allah’s Ta’ala) love. This has been related in the Sahih Hadith, “Indeed, Allah Ta’ala does not look at your appearance or your wealth but rather, he looks at your hearts and your deeds.” (Muslim)

Thereafter, there is the outward appearance; It is the beauty that Allah Ta’ala has specifically given to some (in their appearance) in preference of others. This is known as the increase in mould/creation as Allah Ta’ala says, “And He increases in creation what He wills” (Surah Fatir). Outward beauty compromises of a beautiful voice, a beautiful appearance. It has been narrated in Sahih Muslim from Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam that “A person who has an iota of pride will not enter Jannah.” The companions radiallahu anhum said, “O Rasulullah! Is it considered pride if a man loves that his shoes are nice and that his clothes are nice?” Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam said, “Indeed Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty. Pride is to turn away from the truth and to belittle people.”

In the way inward beauty is a bounty from Allah, in the same way outward beauty is also a great bounty from Allah Ta’ala. It is something which requires a person to make thanks to Allah Ta’ala for. If the slave thanks Allah Ta’ala by preserving himself and being fearful of falling into Haraam, his beauty will increase. If he uses his beauty in sinful activities than this will affect his outward appearance in some way in the worldly life before the hereafter: His beauty will change into ugliness, whosoever sees him will immediately hate him. Every single person who does not dear Allah ‘azza wa jal in regards to his beauty will find it changed to ugliness in front of the people.

Indeed, inward beauty prevails over being outwardly ugly and this inward beauty guises the ugliness (i.e. nobody realises how ugly the person is because they recognise his character to be so good). And indeed, being inwardly ugly prevails over outward beauty as it guises the outward beauty (i.e. it does not matter how beautiful a person is, if his intrinsic qualities are bad then despite his beauty, everyone will recognise him to be a arrogant pretty boy etc).

A poet says:

“O the one who is beautiful faced, stay away from vulgarity. Do not change your beauty with ugliness.

O the one who is ugly faced, at least be of good character! Do not collect two repulsive attributes together!”

May Allah Ta’ala give us the ability to be inwardly beautiful and use our outward beauty correctly. Ameen. Ya Rabbal Alameen.

Being Gentle...like a butterfly

The idea of being a stoned face, mysterious individual with a sense of firmness sounds appealing to some; when this type of character exudes from a person, a sense of dominance can emanate from within the heart. This eventually leads one to become ill mannered and arrogant which in turn changes a person into a prideful being. As a result, this firmness which seemed to be awe inspiring has now taken a person to the banks of Jahannam. It is for this reason that Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam said, "Harshness does not exist in something except that it makes it repulsive. Indeed Allah is compassionate and He love compassion.”


Unfortunately, we live in very rough society; such an environment has almost nurtured us to be hostile naturally. I understood this perfectly when I recently went to Madinah. I had left the hotel to go to the Prophet’s salallahu alayhi wasallam Mosque for Iftar when a brother suddenly grabbed my arm 20 meters away from the mosque. I instantly took him to be a trouble maker but I soon realised he was actually calling me to sit and break my fast with him. I watched him and found his courteous behaviour to be ever so pleasant. I then began to question myself as to why I had been so firm with him. I realised that it was the society that I had come from which told me to be defensive and sceptical as opposed to being gentle and friendly.

The sunnah or Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam teaches us differently. It teaches us to be gentle and soft to every living and lifeless thing. During the battle of Uhud, Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam commanded the archers to remain on a hill close to the battle until the war was won. Due to a misunderstanding, they left their positions which resulted in the death of 70 companions. However, Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam was not harsh to them, nor was he aggressive. Rather, he was understanding and sympathetic; he accepted their reasons and pardoned them. He himself states in one hadith, “Forgive right-acting people for their mistakes.” Such behaviour brought about the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala and He notably mentions in the Qur’an,

“It was a mercy of Allah that you were soft and gentle with them. If you were rude, harsh, hard hearted, then they would have fled away from you. Pardon them, seek forgiveness from Allah for them and in future, consult them in the matter”

Softness is truly a characteristic which we must inculcate into our life. However, this does not mean that we become naive. If we live in such a place where there is much trickery and deceit, then it is not an act of piety to be forbearing. On the other hand, this is foolishness as a person is asking to be hoaxed.

Being gentle should be within us naturally. When a person is gentle, it beautifies him as a person and also wins the heart of people. Rasulullah salalallahu alayhi wasallam said, “Softness does not exist in anything except that it beautifies it.” However, in order to bring this characteristic within ourselves, we must aim to become tolerant. A person can only learn to forgive and be soft to others once he has subdued his nafs to such an extent that he does not become angry at petty things. When a person is able to blow away his annoyance, signs of compassion may then prevail in him.

Showing kindness to animals is enough for Allah Ta’ala to forgive a person. Imam Bukhari rahimahullah relates a narration in which a person fed a thirsty, ailing dog water which cured him. As a result, Allah Ta’ala forgave his sins. On the other hand, the hadith that Imam Bukhari rahimahullah brings thereafter shows the state of a woman who treated her pet so poorly that it was completely malnourished. As a result of her hard heartedness, Allah Ta’ala entered her into the fire. If this is the case with regards to animals, then what can be said for humans and especially our Muslim brothers and sisters?

There are some misinformed people who try to use Hadhrat Umar radiallahu anhu as their justification to being harsh. Such people quite simply do not know who Hadhrat Umar radiallahu anhu was. He was a soft, loving, caring man who shed tears for the sake of this Ummah. Such people who claim that he was harsh and stern know very little of him. His firmness was to those who had disobeyed Allah Ta’ala and caused pain to the Muslimeen but besides that, he was merciful to the believers as well as the non believers. Many narrations can be put forth of his softness. Let it be remembered, that he was a person about whom people used to say prior to his acceptance of Islam, “There is more chance of Umar’s donkey accepting Islam!” However, his heart was thereafter nurtured by the one who has been titled as the Mercy to Mankind; surely then, such characteristics would have been found in him also. Finally, I conclude with the hadith:

"Whoever has been given his portion of compassion has been given his portion of good. Whoever is denied being given his portion of compassion has been denied his portion of good. Good character will be the weightiest thing in the believer's balance on the Day of Rising. Allah hates a coarse, foul-mouthed person."

May Allah Ta'ala bless us with such characteristics. Ameen.

Bidayatul Hidayah: Chapter on Staying Away from Sins - Part 1

I have translated the following from 'Bidayatul Hidayah' of Imam Abu Hamid al Ghazali rahimahullah. It is a very nice book, I think it has published in English recently aswell. Here is a chapter on staying away from sins. I will divide it into two posts due to its length.

Know that religion has two conditions:

1) To leave that which is forbidden
2) To do actions of obedience

The leaving of that which is forbidden is harder to do. This is because obedience is carried out by everyone (to some extent) but only the pious leave their desires. This is why Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam, “The Muhajir (one who migrates) is he who migrates from evil and the Mujaahid (warrior) is he who fights against his desires.”

Know! That you will only disobey Allah Ta’ala with your limbs and your limbs are only a bounty from Allah Ta’ala upon you! They are a trust given to you so seek help in the bounties of Allah Ta’ala against His disobedience which is the utmost snub. To behave treacherously with a trust that Allah Ta’ala has given you is an extreme form of haughtiness (arrogance)!

Your limbs will look after you make sure you look after them. It comes in a hadith, “You all are guardians and you all will be questioned over those things that you looked after.”

Know that your limbs will bare testimony against you in a presentation given by a eloquent tongue on the day of Qiyamah. You will be led by it at the forefront of all the creations. Allah Ta’ala says in the Qur’an, “On that day, their tongues, hands and feet will bare testimony against them as to what they used to do.” (Surah Nur) and He further states, “On the day there will a seal on their mouth and their hands and legs will testify against them as to what they used to earn.”

Therefore look after your body and especially look after 7 parts of your body; for Jahannam has seven doors and for every door there is a part categorised. And these doors are not specified for any person except that person who disobeys Allah Ta’ala with these seven body parts. They are:
1. The eyes
2. The ears
3. The stomach
4. The tongue
5. The private parts
6. The hand
7. The legs/feet

Inshallah we will continue with this in the next post...

Signs of Arrogance

Source: Ashrafiya

The arrogance (kibr) means that an individual considers himself superior to others regarding the excellent (and desired) qualities.

It is expected that when an individual has such an allusion about his grandeur the nafs bloats up and starts to manifest the signs (of kibr). They include,

1. Trying to be ahead of everyone while walking with others.

2. Preferring to be seated in a prominent place in a gathering.

3. Looking down on others with despise.

4. Being angry if others do not initiate to greet and welcome.

5. Being upset if others do not respect him/her.

6. Being visibly annoyed if others offer advice (nasiha).

7. Not accepting the truth even after being convinced.

8. Looking at the general public as though they are donkeys.

Allah save us all from these.(Amin!)

Taharat e qalb, page 165

Being Down To Earth & Knowing One's Worth

Hazrat Maulana Zakariyya sahib would often say, “Know your worth.” In today’s society, that basically translates to “be down to earth”. Different people have different things to boast about. Some people take pride in worldly gains, cars, money etc and then others take pride in religious gains such as knowledge, worship etc. When a person begins to accumulate things which he considers to be extra ordinary, he convinces himself that he is in fact, extra ordinary. When such thoughts and ideas flow through the veins of a person, he begins to feel that every act he does is pioneering. Such a person is in need of becoming down to earth. His ideas in regards to himself has made his two feet leave the ground and he no longer lives on the same planet as everybody else. He feels that different rules apply to him due to his superiority and as a result of these nasty characteristics, people will look at him as being arrogant, haughty and conceited. The reality is, that is precisely what he has become. Once a person becomes known as arrogant and haughty, it is extremely hard for him break this image and become known as a humble person. On the contrary, a person who is ‘down to earth’, who understands ‘his worth’ and meets with people in such a manner that they see him as equal to themselves despite his superiority in worldly/religious gains; he becomes loved by all.

The great Imam Malik rahimahullah was once questioned by a person who had travelled at great lengths to meet him. Imam Malik rahimahullah responded to his question with the answer, “I do not know the answer to your question.” The man was in shock exclaimed, “What will I tell my people?!” and Imam Malik rahimaullah merely finished the conversation with, “Tell them that Malik has admitted to his ignorance.”

This is the humility of a man who was the Imam of Madinatul Munawwara! Despite his vast array of knowledge and his incredible intellect, he still claimed that he didn’t know anything! This was because he learnt knowledge and that knowledge taught him to become humble. There are others who learn knowledge and then use that knowledge to become arrogant. Just look at Shaytan khabees, he learned knowledge with regards to the elements and with regards to fire and clay; he then used that arrogantly and he became mal’oon (one who is cursed).

Be down to earth and a person will be walking on the footsteps of the pious predecessors of this nation like Imam Malik and on the other side, a person can convince himself that he is something and as a result he will be walking on the same path as Shaytan towards the fire.

May Allah Ta’ala give us all the ability to know our worth and give us the ability to become down to earth. Ameen.

Humility When Praised

Observing humility in all walks of life is a necessity. Our respected asatiza always mention, “The more humility there is in a person, the more his progress will be.” This progress is not just in examinations but in life as a whole. A person who understands his reality will always be loved by Allah Ta’ala and those whom he associates with.

There are many things that we can show humility in today but to achieve this humbleness, a person needs to be down to earth about who he really is. As a person grows more religious, people will tend to call him Hazrat, Maulana, Hafiz Saab, Molvisaab and the list is endless. These titles may hold no such reality but people will still use it in order to perhaps exaggerate a person’s status. The reality is that it should not be said in the first place.

Once a man was exaggerating his praise for another person and when Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam heard this, he said, “You have broken the man’s back.” This is not to be taken in its literal but rather, Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam is emphasising upon the fact of how destructive such praise can be. The post beneath this one shows how self delusional man can be and how he excites himself with ideas of self righteousness. Thus, if a person says to another, “Hazrat!” he may become deluded and consider himself to be pious.

This is not to say we should not use titles such as “Hazrat”. This is totally fine if the person who this title is being attributed to does not feel any pride and is deserved of it.

Moving on. Humility is a trait which is important to create within ourselves. Despite the fact that others may call a person by elevated names, a person should always have the ability within himself to look down towards his heart and understand the contents which are within there. Every person knows how filthy his heart is and how in need of purification he is. Allah Ta’ala says, “Allah does not love those who are proud.” In another verse, Allah Ta’ala reveals to mankind what their reality is, He says, “Does man not consider that We created him from a mere drop of sperm then at once he became an open challenger?”

Allah Ta’ala here is highlighting the reality of man that he was created from a filthy drop of semen yet he feels proud over himself. When the happiness of being praised enters our hearts, we should immediately turn our attention towards this verse.

Once the governor of Basra passed by Hazrat Malik ibn Dinar rahmatullahi alayh. The governor’s appearance was that of a proud person; his garments were below his ankles and he was walking arrogantly. Hazrat Malik said, “Do not walk in this manner!” The governor’s attendants were enraged but he replied, “Leave him! Perhaps he does not recognise who I am.” Hazrat Malik replied, “Who can be more recognising of you than me?! As for your beginning, you were a dirty drop! As for your end, it is a dirty corpse! And in between these two stages, you carry filth within you.” The governor lowered his head and walked away. This is the reality of man.

Once, Hazrat Huzayfa radiallahu anhu led the people in prayer. After the prayer, he said, “Pray behind another Imam because a thought occurred in my mind that there is nobody in my people better than me!”

A person should always think about his origin and from what he was created. Humility should be present in our speech, walking and social conduct. It should not be the case that we want to wear the brightest glowing hijab so that people can notice us and deem us pious; and it should not be the case that we want to wear the flashiest juba in order to turn heads for the same reason. Rather we should be humble with our eyes lowered and our body submissive towards Allah Ta’ala. When a person beautifies our characteristics by excessive praise, then we should remind ourselves of our sins which are not known by the people. The titles of Hazrat, Maulana etc are for those who are obedient and obedience is only shown by the deeds of a true believer. Therefore if a person is not obedient, he should look towards his disobedience in a way which reminds him of his true significance. In realising this, humility will insha Allah enter his heart.

May Allah Ta’ala adorn me with humility, a trait which is much needed and may He give it to all those who suffer from this ailment as I do. Ameen.

Reading Too Hard Inbetween Lines

This is a topic that I have been wishing to write for a while. There is an illness that many people have and that is reading too hard in to a situation or as the proverb is, “reading too hard inbetween the lines”. This proverb quite simply means that a person looks into a matter so thoroughly that his own minds concocts an entire ‘conspiracy’ against himself. They read so hard into things that they place negative ideas into words that were never meant to be offensive! Let me give you an example:

Balqees has got a new blue hijab. A sister by the name of Bulbuli who knows her sees this hijab and merely exclaims “It is a nice hijab but I would not wear it.” Balqees immediately sends her mind into overdrive and thinks of all possibilities as to why this comment has been made. She will now go through all scenarios and will draw up a conclusion that will immediately put Bulbuli in the wrong. Poor Bulbuli was only saying this because she does not like the colour blue but now Balqees will keep thinking this is because Bulbuli has something against her style and clothing. Like this, she will hold some resentment in her heart.

This is a very bad ailment that is in the Muslim ummat today. Many people aren’t allowed to breathe because there are people in the community who will instantly state on every given occasion, “it seems that you are hinting something”. However, some people are of an extremely pious nature and their humility is such that whenever a word of caution is said with regards to deen, they immediately feel that it is to do with them. These people are not mischief makers, they are people who have reached such a high level of spirituality that people like myself could only wish for. The example of these people is like the following example:

Balqees and Bulbuli walk past a group of people who are dropping litter, “It is very bad when people drop litter.” Bulbuli has so much fear of Allah Ta’ala that she immediately thinks about whether she has dropped anything that day. Though this comment was not targeted for her, she instantly reacts to it because of her worry and fear of Allah Ta’ala.

This is an excellent trait to have. Then there are other people who perhaps may be guilty and whenever something is mentioned, they feel that it is instantly applicable to them and that people are having a dig at them and as a result, they become extremely rude and defensive. These are people who think the world revolves around them and this is a very bad trait to have. It leads one to arrogance and thinking that he is superior and that his mere existence is on the minds of others when in reality he is a mere dot. The example of this person is as follows:

Balqees and Bulbuli are sitting with their friend Shelpi. Shelpi had recently smoked a ciggie but this was in secret and nobody knew. Balqees and Bulbuli are having a nice Islamic discussion with regards to how foul smoking is. Shelpi hears this and instantly feels that her two friends are ganging up on her and found out somehow. She begins to think about all the possible avenues for them finding out. She retraces her steps to where she had smoked and is now analysing whether it was possible for anyone to see her. She then thinks some more and comes to the conclusion that while she had gone into the toilet, Balqees and Bulbuli searched her bag to find these cigarettes. As a result of this, she gets angry and begins to resent her two friends immensely. Her heart becomes a vessel of hatred and whenever she thinks about those two, her stomach boils with feelings of betrayal. Of course, Shelpi is quite simply off her rocker!

The remedy is quite simple, a person must stop thinking that the world revolves around them. A level of maturity and self reflection should be left in a person that he can distinguish between a normal statement and a malicious statement. Otherwise his company and companionship will be a means of pain and stress for his friend. He will feel that his companions every utterance is something to scrutinise. Sooner or later, his friends will become sick and tired of him and would rather not know him or be with him. This is quite simply the result of jumping the barrel.

The advice to people who have friends such as this is straight forward. You must exercise tolerance and constantly lower the wings of humility. Remember this lifelong lesson, when confronted by a complete plank... just nod and smile...nod and smile. And make duaa that Allah Haqq Tabaraka wa Ta’ala helps them to change and us all.

May Allah Ta’ala give us the ability to be tolerant and know our true ranks among the people. Ameen.

Takabbur (Arrogance) - A common Disease

With the name of Allah, the All Merciful, the Very Merciful...

The Prophet Muhammad(Peace be upon him) said in an authentic hadith,"Whosoever has an atoms weight of arrogance in his heart will not enter Jannah." One of the signs of arrogance is denying the truth. Denying the oneness of Allah is amongst the biggest signs of arrogance. Nowadays, many are so blinded by this world that they think that this world is everything but the thing that they don't realise is that a day will surely come where we will stand in front of the One who created us and we will be asked as to our actions. Allah says in Surah Yaseen,"Does not man see that We have created him from Nutfah (mixed male and female discharge semen drops).Yet behold! He (stand forth) as an open opponent."

The problem in society is that every one thinks they are better than every one else but in reality, this is far from the truth. We can never claim to be better than anyone else as we do not know our position infront of Allah. Allah will not at how 'good-looking' we are or how strong we are or how rich we are and surely, Allah doesn't look at your status amongst your fellow human being but Allah looks at your piety and good deeds. We see that nowadays it's a common problem that affects the youth mostly. Some people think that because we are driving the best cars, we naturally are better than anyone else. Stop! Think about it, will your car be able to outrun death or the punishment of Allah? Will your car save you on the Day of Qiyamah? Some people think, "I have big biceps, Iam better than everyone else!" But know my brother and sister, the prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said in a hadith,"The strong man is not the one is who is good at wrestling but strong man is he who controls himself in a fit of rage". It easier to knock some one out than to forgive someone, surely forgiveness is a very good attribute to have. You might be pushing 100kg in the gym but when it comes to Fajr prayer, are you able to lift that blanket that weighs less that 1kg off you? If you can't then that says everything. A strong person must have the abilty to fight his Nafs, he must be able to fight shaytaan, and he will only be able to do all this by seeking the help of Allah. We need to realise that we need Allah in everything. So why do we have to be arrogant when we are entirely dependent on Allah?

We can see from the examples of the Sahabas (may Allah be pleased with them) that they were the strongest men that walked upon the face of this world but yet they were always humble.We see some brothers and sometimes sisters too, they walk around as if they are mountains! Allah says in the Qur'an, "Do not walk on the earth in haughty style. You can neither tear the earth apart, nor can you match the mountains in height." So if a person cannot match this, how dare he walk with such arrogance? My brother and sisters arrogance is a sign of ignorance, because Allah looks not at how strong you are or how beautiful you are, or how rich you are; rather Allah looks at what is in your heart, Allah looks at your good deeds and your piety.

Arrogance is a disease my brothers and sisters, do we want Jannah or not? If yes then get rid of arrongance from your heart because a good Muslim is always humble no matter how strong, or how rich he is. He is always humble because he realises that his wealth, his strenghth will not help him when he will be in his grave, when the angels will ask him, "Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is the Prophet?" We think that these answers are easy now but know my brothers and sisters that if you didn't live your life in the obedience of Allah, you will not be able to answers these three questions. We must make dua that Allah protects us from this disease, because for sure it will destroy our herefafter. If we have one atoms weight of arrogance in our heart, we will not enter Jannah, a true believer realises that he is nothing but a creation that has been created from a drop of semen... is this really something to boast about?

I make dua that Allah makes these few words a means of guidance for all of us and I make dua that Allah protects us from arrongance. Ameen.