Allaah & His Messenger are dearer than anything else Anas bn Maalik relates that the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam)said Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty.ﾔ(Saheeh Muslim) Some people who seek to be pious tend to underrate the value of beauty. They fail to recognize that beauty is an Islamic value. Allaah intended for His Creation to contain beauty.
Allah says: "And He created the cattle for you; you have in them warm clothing and (many) advantages, .and of them do you eat. And you have a sense of prideand beauty in them as ye drive them home in the evening, and as ye lead them forth to pasture in the morning." (Q 16[Nahl]:5-6) He says: "And (He has created) horses, mules, and donkeys, for you to ride and use as an ornament for show; and He has created (other) things of which you have no knowledge." (Q 16[Nahl]:8)
Elsewhere in the Quran, Allaah speaks about the beauty of the heavens, the stars, of gardens and myriad other things. Beauty stands in opposition to ugliness. Allaah is beautiful in His essence, in His names and attributes, and in His actions. This is why the greatest of all pleasures in Paradise is to look upon Allahs countenance. Allaah says: "That day will faces be resplendent, looking to their Lord" (Q75[Qiyaamah]: 22-23)
Allaah refers to His names as being beautiful: "Allaah's are the most beautiful names." (Q7[Araf]:180) Likewise, His actions are beautiful. They are always within the context of His beneficence and grace, or His justice and wisdom. His actions are never in vain, never unjust, and never superfluous. "Perfected is the Word of your Lord in truth and justice." (Q6[Anam]: 115) Allaah created everything with proficiency and He created the human being in the best of forms.
The beauty that exists in Creation -on land and at seaand in the heavens - attests to Allaahs beauty as well as His power. He who created beauty is most entitled to beauty. And indeed Paradise is adorned with beauty beyond imagining. Allaah's beauty is also beyond our imagining. Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) beseeched Allaah with the following prayer: "I am unable to extol all of Your praises. You are as You have extolled Yourself" (Muslim)
Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) also said: "His is a veil of light. If He were to remove it, the glory of His countenance would ignite everything of Creation as He looks upon it." (Muslim). Our faith in Allaah's beauty strengthens our connection with our Lord. It increases our love for Him and our longing to return to Him. Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) used to offer the following prayer: "I ask of You the joy of looking on Your noble countenance and of my longing to be with You." (Sunan al- Nasaai)
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited