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“Would you rather have hands for feet, or feet for hands?”

“Would you rather have ears for a nose or nose for ears?”

“Would you rather have legs for arms or arms for legs?”

My daughter Faatiha often asks the most peculiar questions. One time walking back from Calligraphy class she asked us “What would you rather have, hands for feet, or feet for hands?” After a few moments wondering what on earth she was talking about, I answered, in some twisted logic that I’d have hands as feer, possibly because I’ve seen those circus videos of artists walking on their hands and to have feet in place of my hands would just be weird. 

Faatiha is full of these strange questions and the strangeness of her questioning got me thinking; what if Allah created us differently, with hands as feet and feet as hands? What if our ears were in the middle of our face and our nose was at the side of our head? How different would our life be? How difficult would it be for us to function in life? 

Allah (swt) is the Creator, and there is complete perfection in the way that He (swt) has created us. What would happen to us if our internal organs were external, exposed to the elements of the world without the protection of our external bodies?  Our intestines, if stretched out, would be the length of a football field, but Allah (swt) placed them neatly inside our bodies as the digestive tract. Everything from our lungs and liver to the tiny hairs in our nose and ears play a unique function. Allah (swt) created us in perfection; each part of us put together in a precise and exact manner, leading to a perfectly formed and functioning human being. Something that Allah (swt) affirms in the Qur’an:

“Verily we created man in the best of forms” – [TMQ At-Tin:4]

Allah (swt) created us in the best image and form. He (swt) allowed us to stand upright with straight limbs, elevating our status with a distinguishing mind that allows us to determine and stand for the truth.   In this, there is a sign of the existence of Allah (swt). Such perfection could only originate from the most perfect and most knowledgeable Creator, Allah (swt).

We live at a time where we are constantly bombarded, by the media, with body photos and images aiming to re-define the perfect body, perfect looks and perfect physique. I currently live in Istanbul, home of medical tourism, where the world travels to get their ‘nose fixed’ or to get the perfect set of ‘Turkey teeth’. One of the most common sights at the airport are bald headed men with a headband protecting the tiny incisions from the hair transplant operation. In some instances this may be a medical procedure to correct a genuine defect or medical issue, but often these are vanity procedures as we seek to redefine our image to the modern social norms and expectations. 

Growing up as a child, my exposure to the ‘perfect phenomenon’ was limited to the media at the time, namely 4 TV channels, a few newspapers and magazines, but for my children the exposure is relentless. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Snapchat etc dominate the media and are accessible on our smart devices 24 hours a day. Filters and touch up tools remove every single blemish from images, making the attainment of ‘perfect’ unrealistic and unattainable for all. Nonetheless, the pressure to keep up with the latest celebrity influencer trends, fashion, fads and appearance increases everyday. Instead of being grateful to Allah (swt) for the blessings of a perfectly proportioned and functioning body, teenagers want to change, tweek and modify in order to get Angelina Jolie’s lips or a Kylie Jenner nose. 

Ungratefulness and discontentment has now grown to such an extent that some people are not happy with their gender and wish to undertake reassignment surgery to correct God’s ‘mistake’. In the past people would identify as either male or female. Now there are over 72 defined genders, most of them making no sense to the rational mind. Teenagers are deciding to have life changing treatment on the back of a hunch or feeling that they want to be different.

I may like to think that “It’s OK these things won’t affect my kids”, but that’s naivety on my behalf given the impact of social media and peer pressure on children. In such an environment, it is essential that, as parents, we monitor the latest trends that our children are exposed to and build within them acceptance, contentment and gratitude of the blessings of Allah (swt).

Islam attaches secondary importance to our appearance and physical beauty. The most important quality of a human being is their character and values. The higher levels of Jannah are reserved for those who are worthy of them and that worth is not determined by the fairness of the skin, the slenderness of the waist or having chiselled 6 pack abs. Instead our worth is determined by our consciousness of Allah (swt) and our desire to worship and please Him (swt)

Allah (swt) informs us: 

“O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-Taqwâ” [TMQ Hujarat:13].

On one occasion the Prophet (saw) commanded Abdullah ibn Masood (ra) to climb a tree and get something from it. His (saw) Companions looked at ‘Abdullah’s thigh and laughed at its thinness. The Messenger of Allah, (saw), said, ‘Why are you laughing? ‘Abdullah’s foot is heavier in the balance than the mountain of Uhud.’“

The weight of Abdullah ibn Masood’s legs on the scales on the day of judgement were not as a result of him pumping weights on leg day at the gym. Rather they were the fruits of his efforts and toil in the world, his status as being the expert reciter of Qur’an, whose recitation used to render the Prophet (saw) in tears. Similarly we know nothing about the hair and make-up regime of the best women of Paradise (Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Fatimah bint Muhammad, Maryam bint ‘Imran, and ‘Asiyah bint Muzahim), however we know that they were the epitome of perfection in morals, submission and steadfastness to Allah (swt).

We should build our children to appreciate that their bodies and health are a blessing from Allah (swt). We take responsibility for our bodies by exercising, maintaining good hygiene, being careful about what we eat and beautifying ourselves (within the confines of the islam) as a duty to our Creator. Allah (swt) has created us in the best of forms so that we can recognise and worship Him (swt). Perfection in beauty is not something to aspire for in this world, but something which will be gifted to us in the hereafter. Our responsibility is to work hard and be deserving of that prize.

Similarly we should refute the Capitalist system which seeks to instigate paranoia about every single perceived physical inadequacy in order to fund the so-called solutions provided by the multi-billion dollar health and beauty industry.

So coming back to Faatiha’s original question

“Would you rather have hands for feet, or feet for hands?“

My new answer is that I am content with the decree of Allah (swt) and happy having my hands as hands and my feet as feet – as long as my hands are doing righteous work for the sake of Allah (swt) and my feet walking me on the path of the pleasure of Allah (swt).