“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It’s the caring that she lovingly gives the passion that she shows and the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.” -Audrey Hepburn

We live in a society that places a high degree of importance on physical appearance. Television, movies, magazines and billboards all display attractive people. We see men and women having many different kinds of procedures done simply to enhance their appearance. Our society is obsessed with physical beauty, and many women are caught up in that obsession as well.

But should beauty really be that important for a woman? Is beauty something that a Muslim woman should strive for? What makes a woman truly beautiful?

A woman can and should be beautiful – God designed her to be that way. Her skin, hair and other features were created to be soft and appealing, and her body was fashioned to be attractive and beautiful to men. A woman was designed to be attractive, and most women want to be beautiful. However, the physical side of beauty is just a small part of what makes a woman truly beautiful.

It’s the quality that elevates a woman from just hot. It’s in the way she walks, talks and presents herself. It’s the way she radiates from the inside, out. It’s her soul and her spark and that thing you just can’t put your finger on.

It might be the girl you don’t notice at first, the one who doesn’t always stand out. It’s the girl you need to get to know, whose beauty becomes more defined with every conversation and glance.

Our society places a high emphasis on the physical aspect of beauty and neglects the other elements that really make a woman totally beautiful. A beautiful woman is not just physically appealing; she is appealing in many different areas. Because our society so largely emphasizes the physical nature of beauty, I want to explore with you all of the areas that make up true beauty and bring out the missing dimension in beauty.

A physically attractive woman is one who dresses modestly. Our society teaches women to flaunt their physical attributes by displaying scantily dressed women on billboards, magazines and most other media outlets. Many women feel they must also dress this way to be considered attractive. This is not true. A woman dressed in a modest, feminine way is very attractive. She is not only attractive, she gains honor and respect from those who see her. A woman’s body is designed to be attractive and arousing to men, and when a woman is revealing too much of herself in public, she is stirring up the wrong kind of feelings and will attract the wrong kind of attention. A truly beautiful woman aims for respect in the way she dresses.

Many women put a lot of time and attention into their physical appearance and neglect how they look to God. A truly beautiful woman is not only attractive on the outside and inside; she is also attractive to God. How a woman looks to God is more important than any other quality she possesses because one day her outer beauty will fade and her inner beauty will cease. But the beauty that God sees in her will be important when she stands before Him. Being beautiful to God should be top priority on every woman’s list.

God values a woman who is submissive. Many people think of being submissive as being weak. Yet, God has commanded women who are married to submit themselves to their husband’s authority. This does not mean that a woman should never have an opinion or say in what takes place in the family. A wise husband will consult his wife on all important issues. A woman who submits herself to her husband is a woman that understands and is yielding to the discipline that God has established in the home. It is not a sign of weakness when a woman submits to her husband rather it is a sign of strength. It is a sign that she is in fact submitting herself to God and is obeying the commands that He has established. It is a sign of her faith in God. When a woman submits to her husband’s authority in marriage, she is beautiful to God.

God also values a woman who fears Him. When a woman is putting God first in her life and is striving to do what He has commanded, she is attractive to God. She should continue to deepen her relationship with Him and continue to grow spiritually.

It is within every woman’s reach to become the beautiful woman God intended her to be. She should be beautiful on the outside, beautiful on the inside and, most importantly, she should be beautiful to God.

Being a truly beautiful woman goes a lot deeper than just the physical appearance. Many women believe that physical looks is all that is required, and pay little attention to their inner beauty or how they look to God. They end looking nice, but in the long run have very little other value.

Wearing thick makeup and showy dress to flaunt on the streets and distract the men’s attention is a great sin in our Islamic sharia – for it will pave the way for moral corruption. Women are supposed to avoid from licentious looks of lustful people and it is somewhat possible through dressing modestly.