JAMÂL – جمال

 

Literally: Beauty. Comeliness of a person. Elegance, grace, the charm of beauty. Propriety of behaviour or of character. Good manners.

The goodness, and perfection of Allah, as existing in himself and displayed in his works. Any Ilahî attribute of rahmah, grace and kindness as distinguished from Jalâl. The manifestation of Janâb-i Haqq’s grace and favour.

 

“It is clear that the beauties of a thing are in accordance with itself; and there are thousands of sorts of beauties which all differ according to the different sorts of beings. For example, beauty perceived by the eye is not the same as something beautiful heard with the ears, and a beauty pertains to mind comprehended by the mind is not the same as the beauty of food relished by the tongue; so too, the beauties appreciated and perceived as beautiful by the rûh, heart and other external and inner senses are all different like the difference of them. For example, the beauty of îmân, the beauty of haqiqah, the beauty of nûr, the beauty of a flower, the beauty of rûh, and the beauties of form, compassion, justice, kindness, and hikmah. Similarly, since the utter and infinite beauties of Al-Asmâ Al-Husnâ of Al-Jamîl Zuljalâl are all different, the beauties in beings also differ.

If you want to witness one manifestation of the beauties of Al-Jamîl Zuljalâl's Names in the mirrors of beings, take a look with a gazing, wide, imaginative eye at the face of the earth supposing it to be a small garden and know; the terms like rahmâniyyah, rahîmiyyah, hakîmiyyah, and ‘âdiliyyah allude to both the names, and acts, and attributes, and shuûn of Janâb-i Haqq.

Observe the rizq of foremost man and of all living creatures, which arrives regularly from behind the veil of the ghayb, and see the beauty (jamâl) of Ilahî rahmâniyyah.

Then consider the miraculous sustenance of all young, and the two pumps of milk hanging over their heads on the breasts of their mothers, as sweet and pure as the water of Kawthar, and see the captivating beauty (jamâl) of Rabbânî rahîmiyyah.

Then observe the peerless beauty (jamâl) of Ilahî hakîmiyyah, which makes the whole universe into a mighty book of hikmah every letter of which contains a hundred words, and every word of which contains a hundred lines, and every line of which contains a thousand chapters, and every chapter of which contains hundreds of small books.

Then see the imperious beauty of an ‘âdiliyyah which holds the whole universe and all its beings in balance; and maintains the balance of all the heavenly bodies, lofty and lowly; and supplies symmetry and proportion, the most important elements of beauty; and causes everything to acquire the optimum state; and gives the right to life to living beings, and ensures that their rights are preserved; and halts and punishes aggressors.

Then consider the inscription of man's life story in his memory, as tiny as a grain of wheat, and the programmes of the second lives of all plants and trees in their seeds; and the members and faculties necessary for the defence of living beings, for instance, bees' wings and their poisonous stings, and the small bayonets of thorned plants, and the hard shells of seeds; and see the hâfidhiyyah and subtle beauty (jamâl) of Rabbânî hâfidhiyyah.

Then consider the guests at the table of the earth of Ar-Rahmân Ar-Rahîm, Who is absolutely Karîm, and the pleasant smells of the numberless different foods prepared by rahmah, and their beautiful and various colours, and their delicious and differing tastes, and the organs and members of all living creatures which assist their pleasure and enjoyment; and see the exceedingly pleasant beauty and sweet jamâl of Rabbânî bestowal and karîmiyyah.

Then consider the meaningful forms of foremost man and of all living creatures, which are opened up from droplets of fluid through the manifestation of the Names of Fattâh and Musawwir, and the attractive faces of the flowers of spring opened up from seeds and tiny nuclei; and see the miraculous jamâl of Ilahî fattâhiyyah and musawwiriyyah.

Thus, by analogy with these examples, each of Al-Asmâ Al-Husnâ has a sacred jamâl particular to it a single manifestation of which makes beautiful the vast ‘âlam and innumerable species of beings. You may see the manifestation of a Name's jamâl in a single flower; the spring is also a flower; Jannah is a flower yet unseen. If you can visualize the whole of spring and see Jannah with the eye of îmân, look and see. Understand the utter majesty of everlasting jamâl. If you respond to that Beauty with the beauty of îmân and jamâl of ‘ubûdiyyah, you will be a most beautiful creature.

While if you meet it with the boundless ugliness of dhalâlah and loathsomeness of rebellion, you will be both an ugliest creature and will in a ma’nawî manner be loathed by all beautiful creatures.” The Rays ( 86 - 88 )