Tag: beauty

The Natural Beauty of Noor

When we talk about beauty, we are mostly talking about the physical. Islam recognises the importance of both inner and outer beauty – Allah (S.W.A) loves beauty in our appearance, deeds and actions. I have written about the sunnah beauty guide for our physical appearance and I wanted to dedicate a topic to the kind of inner beauty that people can see. This is the ultimate beauty that is easy to attain and no amount of make-up can substitute it – NOOR.

Noor means light or glow. This is something that people will see when they look at you – vibrant, refreshed and radiant. The best example is of pregnant women because sometimes, they have that glow.

So, how do you get the glow?

By nurturing your inner self whether you are pregnant or not. To do this, you will need to understand that pleasing Allah and receiving His Grace purifies your inner-reality.

The glow is simply a reflection of your faith, intentions, thoughts, actions, motives and everything we do for the pleasure of Allah (S.W.A). The noor that appears on your face is actually one of the signs of the righteous – being at peace, with a good attitude and appearing content.

What steps do we need to take?

Salat (prayer) is noor and patience is illumination. Salat is the foundation of Islam, it involves the rememberance of Allah and the recitation of his words (Quran). To be patient is to refrain from evil and to act righteously in obedience to Allah.

This in particular applies to tahajjud (night prayer). Not only does tahajjud bring you closer to Allah and keep you away from sinning, it could also be a sign that you are devout and not neglectful of your duties to Allah.

When it comes to your fard (mandatory) salat, always pray on time and never miss Fajr.

Here are more tips:

  • Be honest about yourself to yourself. This is about your thoughts and actions – question your motives to sift out negativity and ill intentions. Whatever you do, make sure you are not intentionally trying to attract or get the attention of men – always be pure in thought about this.
  • Don’t backbite. If you are already in the habit of doing so, start your conversations with small talk, increase your knowledge and avoid places and people who engage in gossip. Try this with a group of friends to encourage each other and catch a gossip at the start of a conversation before you delve into it.
  • Make sure you avoid eating all unclean (najis) food. If it doesn’t say vegetarian or halal on the label, check the ingredients list. Also, eat in moderation – don’t be greedy.
  • It is easier said than done, but try your best to not bear any grudges, malice or envy towards others in your heart. If these kind of negative thoughts start creeping in, read, start a conversation with someone, do dhikr e.t.c. Forgive those who wronged you, try to be kind, generous and patient. Always keep a smile on your face because that can brighten your soul.
  • In this day and age, we are surrounded by media but it is haram for us to listen to music. Replace music with Quran, reading, talking to people, starting a hobby, listening to preaches e.t.c. Also, avoid watching un-Islamic movies, particularly those with naked people and sex.
  • Try fasting on Mondays and Thursdays or fast for 3 days every month (it is better if it was on the 13th, 14th and 15th of every lunar month). You can do both if you can.
  • Seek out the good in people. Avoid being suspicious, spying and always focusing on the wrongdoing of people.
  • Be charitable – doing good deeds and helping others brings light and satisfaction to the heart.

So how do we know if we have succeeded?
You will feel it. Inwardly, you should feel grateful, content, satisfied, positive, joyous and fulfilled despite any difficulties in life. This will then show in your outer appearance as that lovely natural glow.

Muslima Sunnah Beauty Guide

Beauty is one of the most talked about topics in today’s world. It is a multi-million dollar industry relying on women buying into the newest trend in looks and fashion.

I personally love fashion and clothes (the modest type), but I was never into make-up. An eyeliner and a lip balm is enough for me – I feel fake and insincere when I put on a lot of make-up. There is nothing wrong with wearing moderate make-up, beautifying yourself or wanting to look flawless.

Let’s acknowledge that Allah loves beauty – even in our outward appearance. This doesn’t mean wearing clothes that leave little to the imagination or a full face of make-up for men to be gawking at, but looking nice, presentable, clean and smart is part of Islam. We can then save the rest for our husbands’ eyes alone.

Even though I am focusing on our physical appearance, Allah also loves beauty in our words and actions – a topic for another time. There are sunnah beauty guides we can follow to feel good, look good and earn some rewards from Allah (S.W.A):

Dental care: having clean teeth, without bad breath. This is on the principle that you don’t offend anyone (including the Angels) with stinky breath. The best tool for this is the siwaak as it is the sunnah way.

Eyes: The Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) recommended we use pure Kohl or Kajool in our eyes because it makes them look beautiful and our eye sights get stronger.

Musk: you can use musk as perfume to ward off unpleasant smells. You can even use it to clean yourself when you’re on your period to kill off the odours and any disease-causing fungus and yeast.

Make sure you aren’t wearing perfume outside of your home where non mahram men can smell it – it is a sin if they do.

Hair and Nails: it’s part of our fitra (natural disposition) to cut our nails and shave our armpit and pubic hairs at least every 40 days – if not before.

You can bury or burn your hair and/or nails if you’re worried about people using them against you i.e. black magic.

We shouldn’t be using nail varnish because it creates a barrier between the water of wudhu from reaching our nails. There are some supposedly halal nail varnish but I really wouldn’t risk it.

When cutting your nails, it is the sunnah way to start from the right hand.

Facial hair removal: you are allowed to remove hair that is growing on parts of your face where it is unusual for a woman to have hair i.e. upper lip, chin, forehead e.t.c.

Hair care: our prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) said whoever has hair, s/he should honour it. He (S.A.W) used to oil his hair and matte it with honey.

Use natural hair oils like coconut, shea butter, cocoa butter, olive oil and gels from aloe vera.

You can use honey as a hair conditioner and/or hair moisturiser for a healthy, strong, shiny hair and a healthy scalp.

If you want to dye your hair, use henna, but don’t dye your hair jet black – it isn’t permissible.

Never put hair extensions in your hair. Some people say it’s fine if water can go through it but I think it’s better not to – there is no point risking the displeasure of Allah.

If you want your hair to grow longer, wear your hair in braids. It will also make your hair healthier.

Lastly, unless there is a medical reason where it becomes necessary, never shave your hair.

Jewellery: Muslim women are allowed to wear gold (unlike the men). You can adorn yourself with jewellery like earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets and anklets.

Clothing: always wear clothes that are clean and presentable.

You can wear colourful clothes but make sure they are not flashy or glittery so that you don’t attract unwanted male attention. Aisha (R.A) used to wear green and floral clothes with her hijab.

With everything I mentioned above, Muslims are always encouraged to act in moderation – don’t be excessive or extravagant. Also, remember, our ultimate aim is always to please Allah (S.W.A), so when it comes to looking good, make sure to follow the sunnah and ensure your intention is pure. Don’t think about attracting or looking good to men in anyway.

Look forward to more sunnah approved natural beauty tips.