The Book of Faith-09b
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The reciter: And Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna, Muhammad ibn Bashshar, and Ibrahim ibn Dinar all narrated to us from Yahya ibn Hammad. Ibn al-Muthanna said: Yahya ibn Hammad narrated to me, and Shu'bah informed us from Aban ibn Taghlib from Fudayl al-Faqimi from Ibrahim al-Nakha'i from Alqamah from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: Sahih Muslim 91a.
The Shaykh : His saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "Indeed, Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty." The beauty of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) cannot be like the beauty of the created beings; rather, it is a matter beyond what we can imagine, and we cannot imagine this beauty, just as we cannot imagine His other attributes (Exalted and Majestic is He). But He is Beautiful in the manner befitting His greatness and His beauty, and the Giver of beauty is more deserving of beauty.
As for his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):, is the intended meaning adorning oneself or the beauty of one's appearance? The former, because when the man said Sahih Muslim 91a, meaning: He loves adorning oneself, and the intended meaning is not the beauty of the appearance, because regarding the beauty of the appearance, a person has no power over it, and it is not possible for a person who is ugly in appearance to make himself beautiful, nor for a beautiful person to make himself ugly. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) only conditioned the love of Allah upon a matter that a person can attain, so that he may attain the love of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
And in this is a refutation of those who seek nearness to Allah through asceticism. Some people adopt asceticism and seek nearness to Allah through it. We say to this man: This second person who adorns himself is more beloved to Allah through his adorning than you are through your asceticism. That is to say: Which is more beloved to Allah, asceticism or adorning oneself? Adorning oneself. So we say: This action you performed is inferior in the sight of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), except if a person is humble when he is in a poor environment and says: "I fear that I will break their hearts, so I will wear clothes suitable for these people." In that case, it may be said that leaving the superior for the sake of the benefits resulting from the inferior is preferable. But if people are equal, then a person should display the blessing of Allah upon him through the goodness of his clothes.
Likewise, if we suppose that adorning oneself leads to fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), such as a handsome young man who, if he adorns himself with clothes, people would be tempted by him, then in this case we say: It is preferable not to adorn oneself, because that is a fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) for people through you, and you may be afflicted with something you dislike as a result of this fitnah (trial, discord or temptation).
So if someone asks: Does adorning oneself apply to the garment, meaning the shirt or the turban, or the sandal, or the waistcloth, or the trousers? The answer is: It is general.
So if someone asks: Does adorning oneself apply to the beard? It is not in keeping the beard, but in what is said about leveling the beard. That is, instead of some of it being long and some short, on a normal face, one says: "I want to cut the long part so that it is even." The answer is: No, because he may cut the long part to make it even and thereby be somewhat unjust to it, and at that point he needs to cut the short part and be unjust to it, and he needs to cut the long part, as is mentioned regarding the fox in a famous story that is not hidden from many of you.
He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise. A person (amongst his hearers) said: Verily a person loves that his dress should be fine, and his shoes should be fine. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: Verily, Allah is Graceful and He loves Grace. Pride is disdaining the truth (out of self-conceit) and contempt for the people.
لا يدخل الجنة من كان في قلبه مثقال ذرة من كبر قال رجل : إن الرجل يحب أن يكون ثوبه حسنا ونعله حسنة ، قال : إن الله جميل يحب الجمال ، الكبر بطر الحق ، وغمط الناسThe Shaykh : His saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "Indeed, Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty." The beauty of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) cannot be like the beauty of the created beings; rather, it is a matter beyond what we can imagine, and we cannot imagine this beauty, just as we cannot imagine His other attributes (Exalted and Majestic is He). But He is Beautiful in the manner befitting His greatness and His beauty, and the Giver of beauty is more deserving of beauty.
As for his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
He loves beauty
يحب الجمالa person loves that his dress should be fine, and his shoes should be fine. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: Verily, Allah is Graceful and He loves Grace.
رجل: يحب أن يكون ثوبه حسن ونعله حسنة قال: إن الله جميل يحب الجمالAnd in this is a refutation of those who seek nearness to Allah through asceticism. Some people adopt asceticism and seek nearness to Allah through it. We say to this man: This second person who adorns himself is more beloved to Allah through his adorning than you are through your asceticism. That is to say: Which is more beloved to Allah, asceticism or adorning oneself? Adorning oneself. So we say: This action you performed is inferior in the sight of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), except if a person is humble when he is in a poor environment and says: "I fear that I will break their hearts, so I will wear clothes suitable for these people." In that case, it may be said that leaving the superior for the sake of the benefits resulting from the inferior is preferable. But if people are equal, then a person should display the blessing of Allah upon him through the goodness of his clothes.
Likewise, if we suppose that adorning oneself leads to fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), such as a handsome young man who, if he adorns himself with clothes, people would be tempted by him, then in this case we say: It is preferable not to adorn oneself, because that is a fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) for people through you, and you may be afflicted with something you dislike as a result of this fitnah (trial, discord or temptation).
So if someone asks: Does adorning oneself apply to the garment, meaning the shirt or the turban, or the sandal, or the waistcloth, or the trousers? The answer is: It is general.
So if someone asks: Does adorning oneself apply to the beard? It is not in keeping the beard, but in what is said about leveling the beard. That is, instead of some of it being long and some short, on a normal face, one says: "I want to cut the long part so that it is even." The answer is: No, because he may cut the long part to make it even and thereby be somewhat unjust to it, and at that point he needs to cut the short part and be unjust to it, and he needs to cut the long part, as is mentioned regarding the fox in a famous story that is not hidden from many of you.