{"_id":"69a85dcffbd5bb89b7c20dc0","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"How should a Muslim deal with insecurity and envy about physical appearance?\\n\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"For about ten years, I have struggled with accepting my height as a man. I am 169 cm tall and 26 years old, and I have been diagnosed with body dysmorphia. I often feel inferior to other men, which leads to envy. I feel inadequate and fear negative comments.\\n\\nI study, take care of myself, and try to improve, but it is still difficult. Sometimes I feel that I may not be good enough for a woman. I know this is unhealthy thinking, and I try to remind myself that I only want someone who values me for who I am. Even so, I find it hard to fight against these negative feelings. I often compare myself to others, and when I see that they are taller or already have a partner, I feel defeated.\\n\\nSocial media also makes this harder, because height is constantly emphasized there. It affects my confidence and often makes me feel insecure or inadequate in certain situations.\\n\\nI am continuing therapy, which helps overall, but I am hoping for advice from an Islamic perspective.\\n\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Begin by asking yourself: where were you before this body? Have you always existed in the form you carry now? Will you cease to exist once this body has fully decomposed?\\n\\nYou existed before this body, and you will continue to exist after it perishes. This body is not who you are — it is only a vehicle, a vessel to carry you through this brief journey called life on earth. When the journey ends, you have no choice but to say goodbye to it, and move on without it, leaving it to return to the earth. The true you — soul and spirit — lives on, awaiting the next phase of your journey.\\n\\nThat is the reality of this body that people venerate and become utterly infatuated with, forgetting its true purpose. They value the vessel more than the precious cargo it carries. They spend their time, energy, and money on something that is, at its core, a functional utility; and in doing so, they forget about their true selves. They value the ship over the cargo, the car over the driver, the temporary over the permanent.\\n\\nConcern yourself with what Allah looks at, not what social media hypes up. Allah tells us in an authentic hadith: \"},{\"attributes\":{\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"\\\"Allah does not look at your bodies or your forms — He looks at your hearts.\\\"\"},{\"insert\":\" If others choose to judge you by your appearance, let them, and pay them no mind. What matters is what Allah sees in you, not what they see.\\n\\nYour height, your physical features, your wealth; all of these belong to this dunya, this worldly existence. They will expire when your time here expires. Do not value them above the things that will remain with you beyond this world.\\n\\nWhen it comes to matters of dunya, look downward; that is, look at those who have been given less than you, so that you may be grateful for what you have. And when it comes to matters of religion, look upward; look to those who are better than you in character and piety, so that they may inspire you.\\n\\nKnow also that people grossly exaggerate height and other physical attributes. On a global scale, the average height is around 5'6\\\"–5'7\\\". The standards being pushed on social media are not the norm, they are the extreme, made to look ordinary. That kind of environment is designed to make you feel inadequate, to make you forget the blessings already in your hands and chase standards that were never realistic to begin with. Since this is affecting you negatively, either filter it out deliberately or step away from it entirely.\\n\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668da0320b76658b4c2330a7","tag":"Worship: Tazkiyyah","count":87},{"_id":"686c05975bca77ccedff9483","tag":"Health: Mental & Emotional","count":28},{"_id":"668da0120b76658b4c232d5e","tag":"Contemporary Life: Social Media","count":26},{"_id":"668da0230b76658b4c232f2c","tag":"Men: Other","count":23}],"createdOn":"2026-03-04T16:29:03.842Z"}