Can I Make Dua for Better Facial Features or Is It Transgression?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

Is it permissible to make dua for more balanced facial features, like evenly spaced eyes or a different nose shape, or is this a form of transgression?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate.

Thank you for your question. It is permissible to ask Allah for beauty, health, and well-being, and it is not considered transgression, but one must not be dissatisfied with Allah’s decree.

Appreciating Allah’s Blessings

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Whoever among you wakes up physically healthy, feeling safe and secure within himself, with food for the day, it is as if he acquired the whole world.” [Ibn Maja]

I urge you to look at yourself and your blessings from the above lens. Be grateful and content for what Allah Most High has given you. Trust that Allah has and will provide you with what is best for you and that He makes no mistakes when he fashions someone.

The Beauty of Character

Focus on inner beauty as the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) did and make this prophetic du`a when you look in the mirror:

اللّهُمَّ كَما أحْسَنْتَ خَلْقِي فَحَسِّنْ خُلُقي

“O Allah, just as You have made my external appearance beautiful, make my character beautiful as well.” [Ahmad]

Avoid Harmful Comparisons

I urge you to reduce your screen time to control this train of thought that you are having about your looks. Do not compare yourself to the cosmetically surgically altered, botox-injecting, air-brushed, makeup-caked, pill-taking celebrities that you see on TV. Anything that you see on TV is fake, or excessively done-up, and makes us forget that the inward is what Allah will ask you about on the Day of Resurrection. Rather, ask Allah to bring nur (light) to your face.

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Allah does not look at your figures nor at your attire but He looks at your hearts and accomplishments.” [Muslim]

And Allah knows best.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Related Answers

• Can I Ask Allah to Make Me More Beautiful? — Explains that asking Allah for beauty is permissible while encouraging believers to seek inner beauty and light as well.
• Can I Ask Allah To Change My Appearance?— Discusses requesting changes in appearance through dua while emphasizing gratitude, character, and contentment with Allah’s decree.
• Can I Make Dua That Allah Restores My Physical Features?— Clarifies that one may ask Allah for physical changes while observing the proper etiquette of supplication.
• Prayer for Good Looks  — Explores the Islamic perspective on beauty and the permissibility of asking Allah to improve one’s appearance.
• Are There Prohibited Duas?— Explains the limits of supplication and clarifies what types of requests are and are not permissible to make.

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied ‘aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.