The Muslim Woman's Beauty

Sister Maryam
CANADA

My mother wasn’t a classic beauty, but in the eyes of the child I was, she was the most beautiful.She taught me what real feminine beauty is.




Our society is obsessed with being beautiful! But is there more to beauty than what meets the eye?










WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY that places a high degree of importance on physical appearance. Television, movies, magazines and billboards all display attractive people. We see men and women (more women) running to plastic surgeons, having many different kinds of procedures done simply to enhance their appearance. Our society is obsessed with physical beauty, and many women are caught up in that obsession as well.

But should beauty really be that important for a woman? Is beauty something that a Muslim woman should strive for? What makes a woman truly beautiful?

A woman can and should be beautiful—Allah designed her to be that way. Her skin, hair and other features were created to be soft and appealing, and her body was fashioned to be attractive and beautiful to men. A woman was designed to be attractive, and most women want to be beautiful. However, the physical side of beauty is just a small part of what makes a woman truly beautiful.

Our society places a high emphasis on the physical aspect of beauty and neglects the other elements that really make a woman totally beautiful. A beautiful woman is not just physically appealing; she is appealing in many different areas. Because our society so largely emphasizes the physical nature of beauty, I want to explore with you all of the areas that make up true beauty and bring out the missing dimension in beauty.

Outer beauty

A truly beautiful woman is physically appealing. Not all women are gifted with perfection of physical features, but fortunately, this is not the only prerequisite for beauty. Women tend to take a critical look at their individual features and flaws and feel this is what makes them attractive or not, whereas a man tends to look at the overall impression a woman creates. What a woman does with what she has is very important in making herself attractive. Physical beauty is really within the reach of any woman.




The most influential factor in a woman’s physical beauty is her health. When a woman is healthy, she has an attractive glow about her. Good health adds more color to the face and skin and helps produce more energy. A balanced, nutritious diet and exercise plan will help a woman to have this healthy glow. It will also help to keep excess weight off and produce a more attractive physique. When a woman is striving to follow the health laws she looks and feels more beautiful.

A physically attractive woman is also one who dresses modestly. Our society teaches women to flaunt their physical attributes by displaying scantily clad women on billboards, magazines and most other media outlets. Many women feel they must also dress this way to be considered attractive. This is not true. A fully clothed woman dressed in a modest, feminine way is very attractive. She is not only attractive, she gains honor and respect from those who see her.When a woman is revealing too much of herself in public, she is stirring up the wrong kind of feelings and will attract the wrong kind of attention. A truly beautiful woman aims for respect in the way she dresses.

Inner beauty

A beautiful woman is not only admired for her physical appearance; she is admired for her inner qualities as well. There are many inner qualities that make a woman beautiful. However, I want to focus on three important inner qualities a woman should possess to make herself truly beautiful.

A woman should be kind—she should be gracious, a gracious woman retains honor. When you think of the women that you hold in high regard, they usually are ladies who are kind, gentle, thoughtful, unselfish, etc. They are the women that we look up to and remember.A virtuous woman is described as having the law of kindness on her tongue.

A woman should also have good judgment, a lovely woman who lacks discretion is compared to a ring of gold in a pig’s snout. If a woman is physically attractive, but lacks discretion, it takes away from her beauty and value. Good judgment is needed in many areas of life such as moral issues, money matters, choices, decisions, dealing with others, work, etc. A woman who possesses good judgment is of great value because she can be trusted to do the right thing.

A woman should continue to grow and better her inner self, a woman who is competent and capable of doing many different things. A woman who continues to grow while developing her talents and abilities is a woman of value. She is one who is able to contribute to others through these abilities, and she will be of use to her family, community, etc. A woman who is developing her potential is an attractive woman.

Beautiful to Allah

A truly beautiful woman is not only attractive on the outside and inside, she is also attractive to Allah. How a woman looks to Allah is more important than any other quality she possesses because one day her outer beauty will fade and her inner beauty will cease, but the beauty that Allah sees in her will be important when she stands before Him. Being beautiful to Allah should be top priority on every woman’s list. Islam gives us some clues as to what Allah finds attractive in women.




Allah values a quiet spirit in a woman. Does this mean that a woman should never say anything—that she should always be quiet? No, this means that a woman should not have an argumentative, contentious spirit. She should not be someone who is quick to argue and demand her way. She should be peaceable to others and respectful to her parents and her husband.

There is a certain attitude among some women that has its roots in the feminist movement and is still prevalent among certain segments of society. This attitude is a deep anger toward men. These women want to prove that they are just as good as their male counterparts, and that they don’t need them. Contrast this attitude to the gentle and quiet spirit that Allah values in women. A truly beautiful woman is not in competition with men—she understands the value and strengths that they possess and recognizes her own and appreciates them. Women and men both possess certain qualities that are needed by one another.




Allah also values a woman who fears Him. When a woman is putting Allah first in her life and is striving to do what He has commanded, she is attractive to Allah. She should continue to deepen her relationship with Him and continue to grow spiritually.“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears Alah, she shall be praised.”

Our society places a high value on the physical beauty of women, but it does not understand all of the elements that make a woman truly beautiful. If a woman possesses only the physical aspect of beauty without the inner and godly qualities, she is a hollow and empty shell.

It is within every woman’s reach to become the beautiful woman Allah intended her to be. She should be beautiful on the outside, beautiful on the inside and, most importantly, she should be beautiful to Allah.