Beauty Standards in Islamic and Western Visions

Abstract

The beauty is considered as an important cultural value for human life. Sublimation sense of beauty in humans transcends spirit, refines manners and improve humans` behavior. Due to the importance of the beauty value in human life, and the basic need to enjoy it, the beauty has been appreciated in all nations and cultures. The aim of this research is to reveal beauty standards in Islam, and compare these standards with philosophers and western thinkers, and highlight the differences between the two views, and show the effect of eachview in human and life.

This research contains three axes: First axis contains the definition of beauty, and how beauty is a character of things, and how attributes of beauty can be tasted by human, which can give the energy and the happiness. It also tells about standard of beauty is the balance, which reveals the beauty of or lack thereof. The second axis shows the beauty standards in Islamic view, which include the beauty as Shara, custom, and individual sense. It also shows how beauty reflects individual personality and refinement. This axis tells how the beauty keep human    away from seduction, wrongdoing and platitude. Third axis describe two standards of the beauty in Western view, which is decorum and benefits. It describes how these standards is a method of beauty enjoyment and sophistication of beauty`s production. This axis also discuses that these two standards is not enough, which distance the value of beauty to be an approach of improving human`s behavior and promote human`s feelings. These two standards distances the value of beauty due to the natural desires in human and to enjoy the beauty with out any manners or rules.