Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Questions: Asslamu Alaykum
A few years ago, I had some thoughts that if I loved Allah I would leave all adornment for His sake. While reflecting upon this, I concluded that I did not love Allah enough to cover my hair. I verbalized these thoughts and did not immediately repent. Since then I have repented and now cover my hair, but still wear makeup. I feel doing so makes me a disbeliever and will lead me to Hell. Is this a misgiving?
Answer: As-salamu ‘alaykym wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh
You can rest assured that this is a misgiving, and that you are still a believer. Allah said in the Qur’an, ‘Whoever repents after his wrongdoing and rectifies [matters, will be forgiven]; because Allah is indeed All-Forgiving (Ghafūr) and Ever-Kind (Raḥīm)’ (5:38).
Shaykh Ahmad b. Ataʾillah al-Sakandari, the great saint and scholar, gave us all a great deal to hope for when he said, ‘Let not a sin become so great in your eyes that it prevents you from having a good opinion of Allah, for he who knows his Loving Lord considers his sin insignificant compared to His generosity’ (Ibn Ata’illah, al-Hikam).
A good practice is to say the duʿa which the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said after the battle of Uhud:
اللَّهُمَ حَبَّبْ إِلَيْنَا الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيِّنْهُ فِي قُلُوبِنَا، وَكَرِّهْ إِلَيْنَا الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ، وَاجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الرَّاشِدِينَ
‘O Allah, make faith beloved to us and adorn it in our hearts; and make disbelief, defiance and disobedience hateful to us, and make us firmly amongst those on the right way’ (Ahmad).
May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 to study and sit at the feet of some of the most erudite scholars of our time.
Over the following eighteen months he studied a traditional curriculum, studying with scholars such as Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh Abdurrahman Arjan, Shaykh Hussain Darwish and Shaykh Muhammad Darwish.
In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years, in Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Shama’il, and Logic with teachers such as Dr Ashraf Muneeb, Dr Salah Abu’l-Hajj, Dr Hamza al-Bakri, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Dr Mansur Abu Zina amongst others. He was also given two licences of mastery in the science of Qur’anic recital by Shakh Samir Jabr and Shaykh Yahya Qandil.
His true passion, however, arose in the presence of Shaykh Ali Hani, considered by many to be one of the foremost tafsir scholars of our time who provided him with the keys to the vast knowledge of the Quran. With Shaykh Ali, he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Qur’anic Sciences, Tafsir, Arabic Grammar, and Rhetoric.
When he finally left Jordan for the UK in 2014, Shaykh Ali gave him his distinct blessing and still recommends students in the UK to seek out Shaykh Abdul-Rahim for Quranic studies. Since his return he has trained as a therapist and has helped a number of people overcome emotional and psychosomatic issues. He is a keen promoter of emotional and mental health