Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "God is beautiful and He loves beauty."[1]

Some people who seek to be pious tend to underrate the value of beauty.  They fail to recognize that beauty is an Islamic value.  God intended for His Creation to contain beauty. 

God says: "And He created the cattle for you; you have in them warm clothing and (many) advantages, and of them do you eat.  And you have a sense of pride and beauty in them as you drive them home in the evening, and as you lead them forth to pasture in the morning." (Quran 16:5-6)

He says: "And (He has created) horses, mules, and donkeys, for you to ride and use as an ornament for show; and He has created (other) things of which you have no knowledge." (Quran 16:8)

Elsewhere in the Quran, God speaks about the beauty of the heavens, the stars, of gardens and myriad other things. 

Beauty stands in opposition to ugliness.  God is beautiful in His essence, in His names and attributes, and in His actions.  This is why the greatest of all pleasures in Paradise is to look upon God’s countenance.  God says: "That day will faces be resplendent, looking to their Lord" (Quran 75:22-2)

God refers to His names as being beautiful: "God’s are the most beautiful names." (Quran 7:180)

Likewise, His actions are beautiful.  They are always within the context of His beneficence and grace, or His justice and wisdom.  His actions are never in vain, never unjust, and never superfluous.  "Perfected is the Word of your Lord in truth and justice." (Quran 6:115)

God created everything with proficiency and He created the human being in the best of forms. 

The beauty that exists in Creation – on land and at sea and in the heavens – attests to God’s beauty as well as His power.  He who created beauty is most entitled to beauty.  And indeed Paradise is adorned with beauty beyond imagining. 

God’s beauty is also beyond our imagining.  Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, beseeched God with the following prayer: "I am unable to extol all of Your praises.  You are as You have extolled Yourself."[2]

Prophet Muhammad also said: "His is a veil of light.  If He were to remove it, the glory of His countenance would ignite everything of Creation as He looks upon it."[3]

Our faith in God’s beauty strengthens our connection with our Lord.  It increases our love for Him and our longing to return to Him.  Prophet Muhammad used to offer the following prayer: "I ask of You the joy of looking on Your noble countenance and of my longing to be with You."[4]

Our faith in God’s beauty should also encourage us to concern ourselves with our appearance, dress, and decorum, as well as with the beauty of our words and deeds.  This is something that God wants from us. 

Someone once approached the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, and asked: "What if someone likes that his clothing and his shoes are beautiful?" The Prophet replied: "God loves to see the affects of His grace upon His servant."[5]

The Prophet’s Companions, following the example that the Prophet set for them, took care of their appearance. 

When the Prophet said: "God is beautiful and He loves beauty," this means that God blesses us for the beauty that we bring about through our good efforts.  He loves beauty in us, just as He loves us to be possessed with knowledge, generosity, clemency and purity. 

We have already mentioned that beauty is among the purposes of God’s Creation. 

God says: "Is not He (best) Who created the heavens and the Earth, and sends down for you water from the sky wherewith We cause to spring forth beautiful orchards, which you could not (otherwise) have grown the trees thereof?" (Quran 27:60)

"Surely We have made whatever is on the earth an embellishment for it, so that We may try them (as to) which of them is best in deed." (Quran 18:7)

"Know you (all), that the life of this world is but play, amusement, and embellishment." (Quran 57:20)

God had given His prophet Joseph (peace be upon him) half of all human beauty.[6] Likewise, Prophet Muhammad was blessed with a bright complexion and a handsome face, not to mention the beauty of his character as seen in his politeness, humility, patience, kindness and forbearance even with those who actively opposed him and the religion of Islam.

[1] Saheeh Muslim

[2] Saheeh Muslim

[3] Saheeh Muslim

[4] Sunan al-Nasai

[5] Sunan al-Tirmidhi

[6] Saheeh Muslim