Many wrongly present Islam as a religion in which beauty, cleanliness and a well-kept life have no value. In fact, alongside inner purity, Islam gives great importance to outward beauty, cleanliness and modest good taste. Just as Islam tells people to refrain from pride and waste, it also discourages a disorderly, unclean and neglectful life — and it counts the proper, measured display of the blessings Allah has given as part of worship. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Allah loves to see the sign of His blessing upon His servant” (Tirmidhi, hadith 2819). “The sign of blessing” here means not only wealth but lawful provision, cleanliness, modest dress, a well-kept life and a balanced sense of beauty — that is, one to whom Allah has given means should not present himself as destitute or unkempt, for Islam does not approve of displaying artificial poverty.
In the Holy Quran, Allah says: “Say: who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has brought forth for His servants, and the good things of provision?” (Surah Al-A’raf, verse 32). The verse makes Islam’s aesthetic sense clear: Islam is not against beauty; it wants beauty kept within proper bounds. Wearing fine clothes, using fragrance, staying clean or living tastefully is no fault — provided it is not for pride, waste or show. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was himself extremely clean and well-presented; he wore good clothes, used fragrance and encouraged the companions to stay clean. It is narrated from Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah came to us and, seeing a dishevelled man whose hair was unkempt, said, “Could this man not find something with which to settle his hair?” And seeing another man in dirty clothes he said, “Could this man not find water to wash his garment?” (Abu Dawud, hadith 4062). The hadith shows that Islam wants a way of life in which spirituality and the sense of beauty are not opposed but complementary.
Two extremes are seen in today’s society. One group thinks that to be religious one must remain shabby and unclean; another, in the name of beauty, sinks into waste, brand-obsession, luxury and pride. Islam teaches balance between the two. It does not want a person of means to dress himself up artificially as needy — nor to become an emblem of arrogance. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “No one with an atom’s weight of pride in his heart will enter Paradise.” The companions asked — people like fine clothes and fine shoes. He replied: “Indeed Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride is rejecting the truth and looking down on people” (Muslim, hadith 91). That hadith fixes the principle: fine dress or good living is not itself pride; pride is arrogance toward people and defiance of Allah’s command.
In the age of social media, many have entered a competition of displaying luxury, making clothes, houses, cars and consumption the measure of status; others deliberately treat an unkempt or abnormal life as piety for the sake of a religious image. Both tendencies run against Islam’s balanced teaching. Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said the display of Allah’s blessing should be such that the servant renders thanks to Allah, not such that he falls into pride — blessings are to be used with humility and gratitude, not for show and self-glory. Using Allah’s blessings properly is itself a form of thanks: when a person secures a clean, modest life for himself and his family through lawful earning, he implements one of Allah’s ordinances. Islam has not glorified poverty; it has encouraged a dignified, clean and balanced life. Islam is not a religion of worship inside the mosque alone; it is a complete way of life — and Islam’s beauty should show in a Muslim’s dress, cleanliness, taste, conduct and living: a beauty that teaches humility, a cleanliness that reflects purity of heart, a way of living that reminds people of Allah’s blessings. The display of Allah’s blessings becomes worship only when joined to gratitude, modesty and humility. So — neither waste nor artificial poverty; let balanced beauty be the believer’s identity.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report