Concerns About Looking Like a Muslim

QUESTION

I am a trying and fully believing Muslim who tries to make his five daily salaahs on time and live in the way that our Prophet SAW taught us. I am not claiming to be a beacon of light and the prime example for all Muslims to follow, but I do sincerely try.

I am not sure if you will understand what I am about to explain, but you know when you look at someone, whether or not you know them, you can somehow tell that they are Muslim by the look on their face and the nur that it gives off, even without knowing the person’s name. It is just something that you can see and/or assume, as I believe that all Muslims give out this look and feeling about them.

I am a bit concerned for myself due to someone telling me that I do not look Muslim. So, in my mind my outward look and the look about me is not that of a Muslim. Is this something I should be concerned about as it has been bothering me for a week now and I cannot get over the fact that I was told this? I do not drink, do drugs, go clubbing, or go to places that promote haraam. I make salaah daily, I say shukr to Allah for everything He has given me and everything He has taken away from me. I firmly believe in our beloved Prophet SAW and believe that he is the final Messenger of Allah.

I admit that I was not always like this and I have caught on my fair bit of nonsense, but I no longer do this and have changed completely for a good number of years. Please offer me advice to ease my mind and if there is something I can do to make a change as I am concerned that my efforts thus far are not good enough, but I will never stop aspiring to be better.

ANSWER

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

While the idea of someone “looking like a Muslim” might sometimes be based upon a perception of the spiritual effulgence of nur on that person’s face, it is also a fact that people often draw conclusions in that regard on grounds much less spiritual, even offensive at times.

In a country such as South Africa, where Muslims have almost exclusively belonged to certain racial groupings, it is not unoften that a Muslim who happens not to possess marked Indian or Malay features gets informed that he doesn’t look Muslim. Conversely, non-Muslims who look Indian or Malay commonly get mistaken as Muslims. As you can tell, none of this has anything to do with nur on the face.

By the same token, an Indonesian in Bosnia would not look “very Muslim”, while a German in Nigeria would be equally difficult to spot as a Muslim.

True nur on the face is more often than nor perceptible only to those who possess a high level of spirituality themselves. Therefore, unless the person who made this remark to you is a of towering spirituality, you have little to be concerned about.

As a final word, our Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam’s words of wisdom and guidance are priceless: “Allah looks not at your appearances and your bodies, but rather at your hearts and your deeds.”

وﷲ تعالى أعلم

And Allah knows best

M.T.Karaan
DUAI Fatwa Department