Zaahir and Baatin

Zaahir refers to the exterior form that is evident on the outside and can be seen clearly by people. Baatin refers to the inner form that remains concealed and is invisible to the eyes.

There are four categories of people in regards to Zaahir and Baatin:

First category:

• A person whose Zaahir and Baatin are both according to the Shari’ah. For example, the interior and exterior of the Ambiya (Alaihis Salaam), the Sahaabah (Radiyallahu Anhum), the Taabi'in and the Auliyaa-Allah in general are according to the Shari'ah. They are sincere internally and externally, they conform to the rules and principles of the Shari’ah. They keep a beard, their ankles are exposed and they do not imitate the Kaafir or the Faasiq (perverse) in their mode of dressing in general. This is the best Muslim.

Second category:

• One whose Zaahir and Baatin are both bad. His haircut, his way of dressing and his appearance, resemble the Kaafir and Faasiq to some extent. Internally also, he is not a believer. This category of person is the worst.

Third category:

• There is a third category. That is, a person whose Zaahir (appearance) is very good, but his Baatin (inside) is very bad. This category of people is seen commonly everywhere or it is this same category that we see everywhere in general. This category is so common that it has led people to believe that appearance is not important. One may deem a person to be very good. However, when one deals with him, then his reality becomes apparent. Nonetheless, it is not right to minimise the importance of Zaahir (appearance) because just as it is the command of the Shari’ah to have a good Baatin, similarly, it is the command of the Shari’ah to have a good Zaahir also. It is true that the Shari’ah has attached more importance to the Baatin than the Zaahir. This seems more banal when people start using this as an excuse to neglect the Zaahir. They use this to justify their Zaahir, which does not correspond to the Shari’ah. One often hears people saying:

"Do not look at me like that. Even if I do not have a beard, my heart is clear."

Finally, a fourth category was created. That is, one whose appearance does not correspond to the Islamic principle, but claims to be a good Muslim from within. It is Allah Ta’ala alone who knows the amount of truthfulness in this claim. We do not have the right to judge anyone. Allah Ta’ala will judge him in Aakhirah, but for the need of administration in Dunya, certain criteria should be satisfied in order for a person to be considered as a good Muslim. That is, the one whose appearance is not Islamic cannot be entrusted with the responsibilities of a good Muslim. For example, the responsibility of being Imam, giving Azaan and being a Mutawalli, etc. cannot be entrusted to someone whose appearance is not Islamic.

It is possible that a person’s appearance is Islamic but his interior is not correct, because the person is not a Muslim but he claims to be a Muslim for some interest or benefit. This is called a pure Munaafiq (hypocrite). This is not right at all. He is like a Kaafir or even worse than a Kaafir. We are not speaking about this category of people here. We are referring to the one who is a Muslim due to his conviction but whose good appearance does not correspond to his interior. That is, he is weak inside.

We can understand the problem of this category. Perhaps, it is because rectifying the exterior is easier than rectifying the interior. That is why he did what is easy. He has not yet rectified what is a bit difficult. He may be trying to reform it. This is still good. Or it is possible that he is deceiving people due to his appearance and does not have the willpower to rectify his interior. We act with this category according to its appearance. Unless, if we have a doubt based on certain indication, then we must take precaution.

However, we do not understand the motive that a person has by concealing his good interior behind the screen of an unfavourable and undesirable exterior. He will have a reason if he is living in a place where there is some pressure on the Deendaar. But a person who is living in a place where there is no difficulty in practicing Deen nor does he have any impediments regarding his dress or any objection regarding his appearance, yet, he does not adopt an Islamic appearance and above that, he continues to say that he is very good inside, this is not true. It is very difficult to believe. Think about it yourself, if a person is very soft inside, then what benefit is there in showing bitterness on his face when he is able not to show it. Similarly, if a person is good inside, there is no need to hide it. Unless he does not have it in his interior but he is claiming that he has it. This is also a kind of falsehood and hypocrisy.

In principle, when the interior is rectified, however much one will conceal it, it cannot remain concealed. To pretend that the interior is superb even if the appearance does not correspond to it, cannot be true. A person whose appearance is not good, if he may not be good inwardly, then this applies even more to someone whose appearance itself, is not good. That is, he must be bad from inside.

[English version of "Zaahir et Baatin" – Al Jamiat – Vol.3 No.1]