Human Eye

THE SECRET OF THE BEAUTY AND IMPRESSIVENESS OF THE HUMAN EYE IS HIDDEN IN THE DEPTHS OF THE HUMAN SOUL

Allah created the human face with a flawless symmetry and beauty. No doubt, one of the most beautiful parts Allah creates on the human face is the “eye”. Allah describes the beauty of maidens in paradise in the Surat al-Waqia, verse 23, with the words, “…dark-eyed maidens”, attracting attention to the role of the eye in the beauty of the face. However, what reveals a person’s beauty and enhances the meaning on their face is not solely the color and shape of an eye. What leaves an impression on the soul of other people is the meaning and depth in the eyes.

Allah creates the shape and color of eyes of many living beings in nature in a very beautiful fashion. For instance, deer and gazelles attract attention with the beautiful shape of their eyes while cats become distinctive with their eye colors and living beings like lions and tigers with the sharpness of their eyes. However, the effect of the eye of no other living being is comparable to the look in the human eye, because eyes are the windows of the human soul. For this reason, the aspect that adds beauty and meaning to the eye is the way it reflects the depth of the human soul rather than its shape and color. This profoundness facilitates defining the character traits peculiar to that person. It is also a very important spiritual power that enhances the beauty and impact of that person.

The Effectiveness of the Human Eye is one of the Greatest Secrets of Allah

Allah creates the eye from the materials commonly available in nature. Just as in the case of all living beings, the human eye is merely a piece of flesh made up of nerves, some bodily fluids and muscles. Some people who fail to think deeply and consider man as a mere pile of flesh and bones attach more importance to this aspect of an eye, and consider eye color or its shape as more important. They consider a blank stare that is void of any expression as “purity and naivety” and think that the person looks very beautifully and with meaning. Because these people have a shallow outlook, they can not comprehend that profundity in looks adds beauty and meaning to a face and can never figure out the profound impact a meaningful look makes on the soul. That is why they see one another as living beings that have no consciousness and wisdom.

The fact is however, looking at an eye with a beautiful and meaningful look gives tremendous pleasure to a believer because the meaning in one’s eye develops in relation with his wisdom and depth of his faith. If a person has a fervent love of Allah and is passionately attached to Him, if he has fully submitted himself to Allah, has a flawless respect for Him and His manifestations, if he respects Allah and everything He creates, then the impact of this person’s eye and his looks become one of the greatest spiritual powers in the world. The pleasure that is taken from such a meaningful eye that reflects the profundity of the soul becomes greater and more intense. However, as a miracle of Allah, this is an attribute peculiar to only genuine Muslims. The looks of people who are unaware of sincerity and display affected attitudes are artificial, for they are for purposes of showmanship only. These people, now and again, wish to reveal the peace and ease of heart believers naturally have in their eyes and long for having beautiful looks like them but they can never achieve it, because Allah never grants such a blessing to a soul that can not love and appreciate Him as is due, and does not know to attach himself profoundly to Him. An examination into the general character traits of these people reveals that these people are egoistic, selfish, insecure, loveless, inconsiderate people who do not attach any importance to anything. In order for these people to attain the beauty and aesthetics they have been longing for, they, first of all, need to live by the moral perfection Allah demands from them and consider that it is Allah Who creates his eyes, as well as the eyes that look at him. Apart from that, they need to have the wisdom and profound kind of faith that will create that impact in the eyes. A person who has a fervent love of Allah considers everything he sees as a beautiful manifestation of Allah’s names, and loves them. That is because a person who is vehemently in love with Allah knows to appreciate and respect beautiful things and to take pleasure from them and see the best aspects of everything he encounters. The profundity and maturity that comes into being in the soul of a person who is aware of it and grasps it can be immediately recognized.

If a person acts in the acknowledgment that the beauty he witnesses all around him is a manifestation of Allah, he takes deep pleasure from it. A light and love flows from his eyes towards that beauty. The light and purity in the looks of a person has a special impact upon people. If the other party

is also a smart person with genuine faith, he gives thanks to Allah because of the pleasure he takes from deep, meaningful looks full of love. Such gratitude is reflected in his eyes. This is the basis of the beauty and the effectiveness of a sincere believer’s looks. A person, on the other hand, who pretends to be sincere is immediately recognized. Our Lord reminds this fact in the following verse:

“If We wished, We would show them to you and you would know them by their mark and know them by their ambivalent speech. Allah knows your actions…” (Surah Muhammed, 30)

Light and love flows from beautiful looks. It is the looks that make a human face beautiful and impressive.

From the eyes of a believer that looks with love, that love flows to

other believers. With such looks, the hearts of believers open, they find relief. However the looks of jealous people are often unsettling. A person avoids looking at such people, since their looks convey lovelessness and hatred. The kind of evil attitude of these people manifests itself in their looks and on their faces. In one verse of the Qur’an, Allah reveals this thus:

He knows the eyes’ deceit and what people’s breasts conceal. (Surah Ghafir, 19)

Even if these people have very beautiful eyes and very nice facial features, they seem repulsive, ugly and dirty to others. People generally avoid looking at the eyes of such people. That is because souls are prone to love, compassion, affection and they long for friendly looks. In this sense, a beautiful look becomes the food of the soul. That is why the compassionate look of a mother to her baby reminds one of purity to everyone. However the real light and beauty is the positive feeling that flows from the eyes of devout Muslims to the hearts of other Muslims. This gives vitality and spiritedness to people. They render Muslims strong in the spiritual sense, and become instrumental in making them feel closer to Allah. Indeed, even a single look of our Prophet (saas) brought people to life in the spiritual sense. Indeed, catching our Prophet’s (saas) eye for a moment became, by Allah’s leave, instrumental in people around him coming to faith. The works written on the life of our Prophet (saas) devote special space to the description of looking beautifully:

“HIS LOOKS WERE EXTREMELY MEANINGFUL…He used to speak in a very concise manner. There was neither a deficiency nor any redundancy in his words.” (Imam Muhammad Bin Muhammad bin Sulayman ar-Rudani, The Great Hadith Collection, Jam’ul-fawaid min Jam’il-usul and Majma’idh, Volume 5, Iz Publishing, p. 32)

Just like the looks of our Prophet (saas), the eyes of all prophets are beautiful. There is also light and beauty in the eyes of Islamic scholars and genuine believers. Their eyes convey compassion.

That is why a believer must never say, “My looks are not so important; what is important is not to make any faults in my words and attitudes. Those who would like to know me must do it through my words.” Surely every believer must conduct himself nicely and speak good words. However, a believer must also consider looking in a beautiful manner as an important act of worship, for our Almighty Allah informs us that looks are an important measure of getting to know people, respecting them, believing in them and of establishing friendship with them.

Every Muslim who is conscious of this fact must make effort to have smarter, wiser, confidential glances that are full of love. Such an attribute will be instrumental in him attaining much goodness both in this world and beyond, and open the doors of many secret blessings for him. In one verse it is related that our Lord is aware of all eyes:

“Eyesight cannot perceive Him but He perceives eyesight. He is the All-Penetrating, the All-Aware.” (Surat al-Anam, 103