Islamic Character Women

Beauty & Body Image

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hz536n/3372116033/in/photostream/Reconstructing Beauty Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Americans spent nearly $10 billion on over 9 million cosmetic procedures in 2011. The latter represents a whopping 197% increase in the total number of procedures performed in 2007.1 Some of the reasons cited for these alterations were to correct abnormalities, but most were for purely cosmetic reasons.

While the beauty, fashion and entertainment industries make big bucks on selling the newest standards of beauty and physical appeal, we as a society are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with our appearances. We are feeling more self-conscious, more deficient and even less beautiful. Why?

Because we’re being told—implicitly or explicitly— that we are not enough. We’re not good enough, thin enough, or attractive enough; that our skin does not look young or light enough. We are always broken, blemished, or scarred, and we need fixing. There is always a new standard or method for enhancing everything from our skin, hair, lips and nails, to almost every inch of our body—and it’s impossible to keep up. So many succumb to society’s pressure to conform, and they go to great lengths to surgically alter their bodies, inject foreign objects in them, starve themselves or follow strict diets or exercise programs—all in an effort to look more beautiful and desirable.

As my dear sister Jinan explained eloquently in the second article of this series, Islam encourages outward beauty, cleanliness and beautiful dress. We adorn our bodies with nice clothes and maintain good hygiene because this is what God loves. We also do our best to eat healthy and stay fit because our bodies are a trust from God, and because better health gives us more energy to serve God and society better. These are all admirable efforts, when done moderately. What I am addressing here is how we view the natural physical form of our bodies; what we were born with or what developed over time because of genetic influences.

It is important to remember that God is our Maker—He made you the way you are—your unique color, shape, hair and facial features. In His eyes, you are beautiful—no matter what society says. He says, “Surely, we have created the human being in the finest stature,” (Qur’an, 95:4). He fashioned you in your mother’s womb, brought you into this world knowing nothing, and then beautified your heart and mind with faith, wisdom and intelligence. Even before you were born, He honored you; He created your father, Adam, with His Own Blessed Two Hands, breathed His spirit into him, and made the angels prostrate to him out of respect.

Throughout your life, He showers you with beautiful gifts; He provides you with experiences that inspire you, teach you, and make you feel joy, connectedness and love towards Him and others. He gives you a lifetime to invest in the beauty of the Eternal life with gorgeous homes, companions, flowing rivers, and blessings that you cannot even imagine. Now, who could dare touch your feelings of self-worth after that?

Underneath the superficial layers of different physical features, skin colors and types of dress, all of us have hearts and souls that long and plead for the same deep connection with their Creator. As Ibn Al-Qayyim (may God have mercy on him) says, “Truly, in the heart there is a void that cannot be removed except with the company of God; and in it there is a sadness that cannot be removed except with the happiness of knowing God and being true to Him; and in it there is an emptiness that cannot be filled except with love for Him and turning to Him and always remembering Him; and if a person were given the entire world and what is in it, it would never fill that emptiness.”2

So no matter how much we alter and reshape our physical form, it will not fill the void in our hearts that is reserved for God. When we follow our desires and the ever-changing whims of creation, we chain our souls down to the lowly, fleeting life—and away from God. But when we connect our hearts and minds to the Eternally Permanent One, Al-Baqi, our souls are freer to draw closer to Him. Reflect for a moment on this hadith (narration) of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him): “Prayer is light; charity is a proof, patience is illumination; and the Qur’an is an argument for or against you. Everyone starts his/her day and is a vendor of his/her soul, either freeing it or bringing about its ruin.” [Muslim]

When our souls are liberated, we see Reality for what it really is; that physical beauty fades, and that the beauty and light of our faith, character and actions are what bring us true bliss and deeply satisfying relationships in this life, along with a more permanent relationship with God and eternal bliss and in the Hereafter. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would supplicate, “O Allah, as You have made my appearance beautiful, make my character beautiful,” (Allahumma kama hassanta khalqi fa hassin khuluqi).

That beautiful character is in sincere intentions, in our positive attitude, and in a graceful smile. It’s in showing abundant gratitude and forgiveness, in overlooking people’s faults, in giving generously of your love and time to support others, and in treating people with respect, mercy and gentleness. As Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Gentleness is not in something except that it adorns it, and it is not stripped from something except that it ruins it.” [Muslim]

So, rather than striving to perfect a body that will, one day, end up covered in dirt, how about we turn to what truly matters? Instead of facelifts and breast enhancements, perhaps we ought to focus more on uplifting our faith and morality; and instead of dwelling over fat layers and contemplating liposuction, we might want to work on suctioning the arrogance, pride and anger from our hearts; and instead of eyelid surgeries—yes, those exist—we would prosper more if we considered the virtues of lowering our gazes and turning our faces and hearts toward God’s light and guidance. These are the changes that yield the most beautiful, long-lasting effects in this life and the Next.

“So direct your face toward the religion, with pure faith. This is the natural disposition God instilled in mankind—there is no altering God’s creation. This is the upright religion, though most people do not realize it.” (Qur’an, 30:30)

  1. Cosmetic Surgery National Data Bank Statistics (2009-2011). <http://www.surgery.org/sites/default/files/ASAPS-2011-Stats.pdf> []
  2. Madarij As-salikeen []

About the author

Naiyerah Kolkailah

Naiyerah Kolkailah

Naiyerah Kolkailah was born and raised in San Luis Obispo, California. She graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a B.S. in Biological Sciences, and a minor in Religious Studies. During her college years, she served as President of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) and Vice President of the statewide organization, MSA-West. In 2011, Naiyerah received a Diploma in Islamic Studies from the Faculty of Islamic Studies at Qatar Foundation in Doha, Qatar. In 2012, she received a license in memorization and recitation of the Qur’an from Shaykh Uthman Khan, whom she continues to study Tajweed with at Jaamiah Jazriyyah. Naiyerah currently lives in Pismo Beach, California, where she co-directs an Islamic Studies youth program, private tutors women and children in Qur’anic recitation and memorization, and speaks about Islam at local churches, interfaith events and Islam classes. She is also serving as President of the Board of Directors of the Islamic Society of San Luis Obispo County. Naiyerah can be reached at naiyerah@gmail.com.

17 Comments

  • Thank you for this beautiful reminder. It is dangerously easy to get caught up and distracted in this consumerist country we live in. I especially love the quote about emptiness. How many of us have felt that in moments where we have drifted, sometimes, unknowingly from Allah.

    May God bless and continue to inspire you, Naiyerah.

  • thank you for taking the time to research and write this, truly beautiful and heart warming. many times it is said in the media that muslims who cover themselves do not have any freedom, i do not consider this correct i believe that the people who feel the need to have this surgery are so busy trying to conform that they have no freedom to be themselves at all.

    • Jazakallah Khair! I believe this article is very much needed for all women to hear nowadays. We don’t realize how much pressure is put on us to look a certain way, even with hijab. May Allah help us to apply the true knowledge to our lives.

  • If I had read this wonderful article as a teenager, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time pouring through fashion magazines.

  • Asalamualiakum,

    May Allah swt grant us all the appreciate the true beauty and beautify our characters. Ameen.

    Jazakullah kair for this uplifting article I feel so blessed to have gifted and talented scholars like you to guide me. May Allah swt give you success in this life and the hereafter. Ameen

    You have brought joy to my heart Allhumdulliah with this beautiful article.

  • Loved it. Everyone wants to be different and still media corrupts our minds and we want to be better than others.

    Life is not something obvious but a deeper meaning, to be figured out

  • Aww masha Allah it’s beautiful! Sad fact indeed when today’s society (and media) reduces us to merely our skin color, hair, leg shape, eyes and nose shapes, etc. We are our souls, and our physical body is nothing but a vessel for our soul. This body image thing can really makes us reduce ourselves and forget our essence!

    If you don’t mind me sharing, I have written this little labor of love too here about beauty image and Islam. Not as good as this article series, but hope you enjoy :

    http://decodingeden.com/i-feel-ugly-fat-i-dont-feel-beautiful/

Leave a Reply to Introducing a New Series: Reconstructing Beauty X

Disclaimer

The views posted are the opinions of the individual author of each posting, and are solely meant for education, discussion, and debate, not for any illegal purpose. The authors are not responsible or liable for the intentional, reckless, or negligent actions of any individual. VirtualMosque.com values your privacy. To read our full privacy policy, please click here.

Article Repost Policy

To repost articles, please use the title and author's name and link back to VirtualMosque.com. If articles are to be edited for publishing, please contact us at info@virtualmosque.com. To read our full Article Repost Policy, please click here.

Comments

At VirtualMosque.com, we encourage and value the comments of our readers. Comments will be moderated for relevance, obscenity, libel or hateful and defamatory language. Do not submit commercial, off-topic or other copyrighted material. All comments are published at the discretion of VirtualMosque.com. Comments are the opinions of the individuals leaving them and do not necessarily reflect the views of VirtualMosque.com or its content providers.

Copyright © 2014 - VirtualMosque.com