It is said: “The room,
in which there is no mirror, is worse than a prison-cell for a woman”. …Of course,
the same can be said about many, many men, who spend hours in front of the
mirror for the sole purpose of beautification.
This
statement is to give us an idea as to how often a person looks into the mirror;
so much so, that one will say that the mirror is indispensable.
…To look
into a mirror, comb one’s hair, etc. is not Haraam
(forbidden). In fact, to do so is the Sunnah[1]
of Nabi (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) will also find in the Duas[2]
of Nabi (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam), the dua when looking into a mirror:
اللّٰهُمَّ أَنْتَ حَسَّنْتَ خَلْقِىْ فَحَسِّنْ خُلُقِىْ
“O Allah,
You have beautified my features, so beautify my character as well.”
Even so, the
mirror must not become an obsession.
The efforts
made in beautifying the face and maintaining the physical body in good shape,
have turned into a multi-billion dollar industry. The interest and concern is
directed towards something which will inevitably turn to dust; whereas we have
not been created for just the beautification of the face and body; that from
the morning until the night, the person is fixated with nothing but his
physical appearance.
Be that as
it may, we find that there are various kinds of mirrors : There are those
mirrors that give a true and correct reflection, there are mirrors that magnify
the person’s features, and there are even mirrors that reflect a distorted or
twisted image. …The face may be the same, but the reflection is dependent on
the type of mirror looked into.
Then again,
there are times when a person’s beauty is affected by other factors.
…When we
traveled by train, in India, we traveled in third class coaches and sometimes
long distance. Due to some of the windows of the carriage left open, or due to
the windows being broken, dust would cover the carriage. We would be covered
with dust from head to toe. Anyone seeing us would see a different appearance.
Accordingly, certain factors, like sickness, sleep, travel, etc. have an effect
on a person’s appearance.
Similarly,
the same can be said about our physical hearts, as well as our spiritual
hearts. The spiritual heart is also not always in the same condition. In fact,
the heart is called ‘qalb’ in the
Arabic language due to the fact that it is perpetually in a state of change.
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam) explained the likeness of the heart as: ‘The heart (qalb) takes its name
from its constant changes (taqallub). The likeness of the heart is that of a
feather at the base of a tree, being turned over and over by the wind.’[3]
‘The heart
of the son of Aadam changes more quickly than a pan of rapidly boiling water.’[4]
Just as we
are conscious of maintaining the beauty of our appearance and physique, there
has to be a sense of consciousness, more so, in maintaining the beauty of the
spiritual heart.
As a poet
aptly said:
We looked
into the mirror for blemishes on the face,
But we did not look at all the blemishes of
the heart.
The mirrors
for the spiritual heart are the Qur`aan Shareef, Ahaadeeth[5]
of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) and the advice of the Ahlullah
(People of Allah).
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam) also informed us:
اَلْمُؤْمِنُ مِرْاٰةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ
‘A Believer is the mirror for a Believer.’[6]
Whilst a
mirror discloses defects in our physique; these
mirrors disclose to us, the neglect and weakness of our spiritual hearts.
We are thus able to gauge our spiritual condition. We are able to see the
blemishes of our hearts in these mirrors.
As I have
said, there are some mirrors that give a magnified and enlarged reflection, or
they give a distorted, twisted or skewed image – so then this is not a true and
honest reflection of the person standing in front of that mirror. Similarly,
there are Muslims who do not give a true reflection: If a Muslim is of bad
character, and his actions are “twisted” and “distorted” due to his indulgence
in sins, then he will not offer a proper reflection.
Just as we
appreciate that the mirror which gives a true reflection, draws our attention
to that part of our face or body that requires cleaning or improvement, we
should be grateful to be afforded these spiritual mirrors – of the Qur`aan Shareef,
Ahaadeeth, wise teachings of the learned, and advice of righteous and sincere
Muslims – through which we can clean, improve and beautify our spiritual
hearts.
If we are assuming the role of the mirror, then we
should keep in mind that a good mirror only discloses weaknesses or defects. A
good mirror does not criticize, exaggerate and advertise to all and sundry,
another person’s weakness.
Being a
“mirror” to another could also be taken to mean that a person should become
righteous so that whoever sees him will be encouraged to do good deeds; like a
person who looks into a mirror, and then tries to perfect his appearance. For
example : A Muslim who wears the Sunnah dressing, will Insha-Allah, be a means
of guidance and encouragement to those who see him and who are not dressed
accordingly. They will be more conscious of their Muslim identity, and will,
Insha-Allah, adopt the correct attire. The same would follow in respect to good
actions, behaviour, dealings and so forth.
If we are
concerned about the beautification of our Imaan,
we will make every effort to remove any trace of ‘unsightliness’ (i.e. pride,
show, vanity, jealousy, malice, etc.) or even sins such as lying, cursing,
casting evil gazes, interest, fraud and so forth.
In the
beauty industry, we will find all kinds of products, together with innumerable
beauticians and consultants offering various treatments and packages. There are
so many different kinds of washes, scrubs, lotions and creams advertised for
facial and body beauty - detoxifying
wash, day cream, night cream, nourishing cream, replenishing cream,
moisturising cream and what not…. In
the spiritual industry, we will also find beauty “products”.
Just as many
use detoxifying washes and scrubs to clean the skin, so should we be giving our
spiritual hearts an invigorating detoxifying wash and scrub, with sincere Taubah[7]
and Istighfaar[8].
Likewise, we
will find the various spiritual “lotions” and “creams” for day, night, for
different conditions and for all types of situations : The duas of morning and
evening, Zikrullah[9],
Tilawah[10]
of the Qur`aan Shareef, Durood Shareef[11],
Ishraaq, Dhuhaa, Awwabeen, Tahajjud[12]
… all of which enhance the spiritual beauty during the day and replenish it
during the night.
Added to
this, we should also enhance our inner beauty by ‘applying’ the qualities of piety, generosity, forgiveness,
tolerance, patience and other virtues, like how so many women and so many men
apply all kinds of creams, make-up and perfumes to enhance their physical
beauty.
Furthermore,
there are so many who are particular about using “Sun block” to protect
themselves against the harmful effects of sun exposure, using those lotions and
creams which offer, as they say, “broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection”. Allah Ta’ala has also granted us a “Broad
Spectrum Sin Protection” – and it is ‘marketed’ as “TAQWA”.
This Taqwa
blocks us from the harmful effects of sin
exposure. It is ‘sin-prevention’ which
we cannot remain without. The instruction in its use is simple : Apply it generously, all over one’s heart,
body and soul, for maximum protection against sins: i.e. be conscious of Allah Ta’ala in every sphere of
life.
