“Whoever drags his garments, Allah will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection.” Abu Rayhanah said, “What you have told us has greatly troubled us. I love beauty, even in my sandals and the strap of my whip. Does that constitute arrogance?” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, replied: “Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty. He loves to see the effect of His blessing upon His servant. Rather, arrogance is to treat the truth with contempt and to disparage people’s deeds.”
Ibn ‘Asakir recorded it (17/200/1) in the biographical entry of this Qurashi, without mentioning either criticism or commendation of him. As for ‘Ata’—that is, Ibn Muslim al-Khurasani—al-Hafiz said: “Truthful, but frequently mistaken; he narrates mursal reports and practises concealment in transmission.”
I say: Nevertheless, his hadith is authentic, because its two ends are corroborated by what has preceded. As for its middle portion, it is related in the hadith of the father of Abu al-Ahwas and of Ibn ‘Amr, and has been documented in Ghayat al-Maram fi Takhrij al-Halal wa-al-Haram (no. 76) and al-Mishkat (4350).
- As for the hadith of Jabir, Muhammad ibn Salih al-Madini narrates it from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, who said that he heard him say: Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Ansari narrated to us, attributing it to the Prophet, in the wording: “Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty; He loves noble matters and dislikes their trivialities.” Ibn ‘Asakir recorded it (11/50/2).
I say: This chain is acceptable as corroborative evidence, for al-Hafiz said of Muhammad ibn Salih al-Madini: “Truthful, but makes mistakes.” The first half is supported by the corroborations already mentioned, while the latter half has other corroborating reports whose documentation will follow this, Allah Most High willing.