Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
What is the relation of scent to Islam? What religious function do incense, perfume, and other forms of scent have?
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
This falls under the general purport of the words of the Beloved of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), “Allah is beautiful and loves beauty.” [Muslim, Tirmidhi]
This is why the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) loved perfume, and encouraged it. The close companion and personal attendant of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), Sayyiduna Anas (Allah be pleased with him) relates that,“The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would not refuse perfume.” [Bukhari and Tirmidhi]
Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“Anyone offered rayhan (basil perfume) should not decline it. It is light in weight and fragrant in scent.”[Muslim]
It is recommended to use perfume when going to gatherings of people, particularly to the mosque, and most particularly for Friday prayers and for the Eid prayers, as authentically established from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace). [Bukhari, Muslim and others][1]
It is considered an act of charity insofar as good perfume benefits others by its pleasant smell. Good smells also have a profound effect on the soul, which yearns for beauty, whether limitary or absolute.
Of course, the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) himself had the best scent ever smelled by humans:
Sayyiduna Anas (Allah be pleased with him) said,“I did not touch any silk brocade nor silk softer than the palm of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace). I did not smell any scent sweeter than the scent of the Messenger of Allah. I served the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for ten years and he never said to me, ‘Uff’ nor did he say about anything I had done, ‘Why did you do that?’ nor about anything I had not done, ‘Why did you not do that?’“ [Bukhari and Muslim]
And Allah alone gives success.
Faraz Rabbani
[1] 828. Abu ‘Abdullah Salman al-Farisi reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When a man does ghusl on the day of Jumu’a, making himself as pure as possible, uses hair oil or puts on any perfume he has in his house, then goes out and does not part two people, and then prays what is prescribed for him and is silent while the Imam speaks, he is forgiven everything between then and the previous Jumu’a.” [al-Bukhari]