by Raeesa Padia
Today, the lifestyle of the West has found its way into the hearts of many Muslimahs. It has swept them off their feet so quietly, so subtly, that many don’t even realise how far they’ve drifted. The pressure of modern beauty, the fake eyelashes, the acrylic nails, the nail polish, the hair extensions, the sculpted looks that take away what Allah created and replace it with an artificial version, have become normal, even admired.
But my beloved sisters in Islam, pause for a moment. Ask your heart one question: At what cost?
Because sometimes the things we beautify ourselves with externally slowly begin to strip away our beauty internally.
Many scholars explain that anything which prevents water from reaching the body during ghusl or wudhu can invalidate purification. And when ghusl is not valid, wudhu is not valid. And when wudhu is not valid, salaah is not accepted.
Not because Allah is harsh, never that. But because purity is the beginning of worship. It is the foundation of every sajdah, every tear, every moment of connection between us and our Rabb.
So ask yourself sincerely:
Do we really want to risk our imaan… our worship… our relationship with Allah… for beauty that has such major consequences?
Is the temporary admiration of people worth the eternal loss of the One who sees every intention behind every action? Is enhancing our looks worth weakening our Aakhirah?
I often find myself reflecting on how easily we accept what society normalises, without pausing to ask ourselves if it pleases Allah.
Allah already created you in a beauty that suits your soul. Every feature you have was chosen for you by the One who never makes mistakes. So when we feel that what He gave us is not enough, we must ask: Who convinced us of this?
It was not Islam.
It was not our fitrah.
It was not our souls.
It was the voices of a world that profits from insecurity and thrives on imitation beauty.
And now to the men, our brothers, our fathers, our husbands, who are the shepherds of their flocks: where is your gentle guidance? Where are your words of wisdom, kindness, and leadership? No one is asking you to be harsh or to shame. No one is telling you to raise your voice or exert power. But you were given a responsibility by Allah: to protect, to guide, to lead with compassion, not silence.
If a woman you love is unknowingly risking her ibaadah, why watch quietly?
Advise her with love. Remind her that she is enough. Show her that your admiration does not depend on artificial beauty.
My skeikh Mufti Siraj Desai says: we must teach with softness, not authority. Encourage with warmth, not criticism.
Because imagine, just imagine, passing away while wearing these things. Imagine the ghusl. Imagine the difficulty. Imagine the regret of something so small becoming the reason a major obligation could not be completed properly.
My respected readers, think.
Think with your heart.
Think with your Aakhirah.
Beauty fades. Trends fade. Admiration fades.
But the salaah you protect, the character you preserve, the haya you maintain, those remain with you in your grave and beyond.
May Allah guide us, beautify us with modesty, and illuminate our hearts with sincerity, contentment, and true modesty.
