Allah (swt) said:” Say, who has forbidden the adornment with clothes given by Allah, which He has produced for His servants, and the things, clean and pure, (which He has provided) for sustenance?” (Al-A’raf: 32)
The above verse tells us that the Muslim must take good care of his clothes, so he will be seen presenting a pleasant appearance, without extravagant. He is pleasant to look at and to meet, and does not annoy people with his careless, dishevelled appearance.
He always checks himself before he goes out to meet people, and he makes himself look good, in moderation, for the Prophet (saw) used to make himself look good in front of his companions.
Imam Al-Qurthubi said:” Makhool reported from ‘Aishah (ra):’ A group of the companions of the Prophet (saw) was waiting at the door for him, so he prepared to go out to meet them. There was a vessel of water in the house, and he peered into it, smoothing his beard and his hear. Aishah said: I asked him, O Messenger of Allah, even you do this?’ He said,’ Yes, when a man goes out to meet his brothers, let him prepare himself properly, for Allah is beautiful and loves beauty.”
The Muslim does all of this in accordance with the Islamic ideal of moderation, avoiding the extremes of either exaggeration or negligence. Allah (swt) said:” Those who, when they spend, are not extravagant and not niggardly, but hold a just (balance) between those extremes” (Al-Furqan: 67)
Islam wants its followers, and specially its advocates to stand out in gathering in an attractive fashion, not to appear unsightly or unbearable. Neglecting one’s appearance to the extent of being offensive to one’s companions in the name of asceticism and humility is not part of Islam.
The Prophet (saw), who was the epitome of asceticism and humility, used to dress in decent clothes and present a pleasant appearance to his family and his companions. He regarded dressing well and looking good as a demonstration of the blessings of Allah. Allah said:” Allah loves to see the signs of His gifts on His servants.” ( Tirmidhi).
Ibn Sa’ad report that Jundub Ibn Makeeth (ra) said:” Whenever a delegation came to meet the Messenger of Allah, he would wear his best clothes and order his leading companions to do likewise. I saw the Prophet (saw) on the day that the delegation of Kindah came to meet him; he was wearing a Yemeni garment, and Abu Bakr and Umar were dressed similarly.”
This is the understanding adopted by the companions and those who followed them sincerely. Therefore, Imam Abu Hanifah always took care to dress well and to ensure that he smelled clean and fresh, and urged others to do likewise.
One day he met a man who used to attend his circle, who was dressed in scruffy clothes. He took him aside and offered him one thousand dirhams with which to smarten himself up. The man told him:” I have money. I do not need this.” Abu Hanifah admonished him:” Have you not the hadith,’ Allah loves to see the signs of His gifts on His servants? So you have to change yourself, and do not appear offensive to your friend.”
Naturally, those who call people to Allah should be better and smarter in appearance than others, so that they will be better able to attract people and make their message reach their hearts. Indeed, they, unlike other people, are required to be like this even if they do not go out and meet people, because those who proclaim the word of Allah should take care of their appearance and pay attention to the cleanliness of their bodies, clothes, nails, and hair. They should do this even if they are in a state of isolation or retreat, in response to the call of the natural inclination of man (fitrah) which the Prophet (saw) told us about and outlined its requirments:” Five things are part of the fitrah: circumcision, removing the pubic hair, plucking hair from the armpits, cutting the nails, and trimming the moustache.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Taking care of oneself in accordance with this fitrah is something encouraged by Islam and supported by every person of common sense and good taste.
(Prepared by Abdul Muhaemin Karim)