It’s the Inside that Counts – and the Outside
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Indeed, Allah Ta‘ala does not look at your appearance and wealth, rather He looks at your hearts and your actions.” (Saheeh Muslim #6543)
In the hadeeth above, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) mentioned that Allah Ta‘ala does not look at a person’s appearance and wealth. In other words, Allah Ta‘ala does not reward or punish a person on the basis of whether he is handsome or unattractive, or whether he is wealthy or poor, as these factors are not within the volition and control of man. Rather, each person’s physical features and appearance were given to him by Allah Ta‘ala, just as each person’s sustenance and wealth is also pre-destined and decided by Allah Ta‘ala.
Hence, merely on account of complexion, a fair-skinned person will not receive more reward from Allah Ta‘ala compared to a dark-skinned person. Similarly, a person blessed with attractive features and a good physique will not be treated differently by Allah Ta‘ala merely on account of his features and physique. In the same way, a wealthy person will not receive preferential treatment from Allah Ta‘ala, merely for being wealthy, compared to a poor person.
Instead, it is the condition of a person’s heart and actions that is the basis for one being rewarded or punished by Allah Ta‘ala. If one has a heart filled with firm imaan and strong conviction in Allah Ta‘ala, and his heart contains virtuous qualities such as truthfulness, sincerity, humility, etc. and his heart is also clean and pure from filthy attributes such as jealousy, enmity, malice, pride, etc., then Allah Ta‘ala will reward the person accordingly. This is regardless of whether the person may be black or white, short or tall, rich or poor.
Likewise, Allah Ta‘ala looks at a person’s actions – the good and the evil – and then deals with the servant accordingly.
When we view the majority of the people in the world, we find that their main focus in life is on beautifying their outward appearance and acquiring wealth. It is for this reason that many people spend hour after hour exercising, and follow strict diets, and purchase expensive beauty products and cosmetics – all with the aim of beautifying their appearance. Similarly, they toil tirelessly, day in and day out, in the pursuit of the acquisition of wealth.
However, the reality is that it is not their beauty and wealth that will fetch value by Allah Ta‘ala – it is their hearts and their actions. Therefore, the primary goal and concern of man in this world should be to beautify his heart and his actions.
In regard to the hadeeth above, people often quote it out of context and misunderstand it to mean that when Allah Ta‘ala does not look at one’s appearance, but rather He looks at one’s heart, then one may dress in any manner that one pleases. Some men shave their beards and dress in styles emulating the fashions of the disbelievers, and some women dress in revealing clothing, without any purdah or hayaa. If a person attempts to correct them, they say, “The main thing is the heart, not one’s appearance.”
This notion is completely incorrect, as wearing clothing, keeping the beard, and dressing in accordance with hayaa and purdah are all regarded as actions, due to which there are many laws pertaining to these aspects in the sharee‘ah. Hence, when the hadeeth mentions that Allah Ta‘ala looks at a person’s actions, then all these actions will also be taken into consideration in regard to whether the person should be punished or rewarded.
Therefore, we must realize that it is not only “the inside that counts”, but rather it is also the outside that counts.
May Allah Ta‘ala bless us with a most beautiful inside and outside, in this world and the next, aameen.
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