Perfume is one of the most timeless gifts one can give. While using and gifting fragrances seems ordinary in the grand scheme of things, the use of scents, attars or perfumes as an everyday habit is actually deeply rooted in many cultures and religions of the world.
In Islam, in particular, the use of attar perfume is Sunnah for men, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him), loved perfumes and good fragrances, especially in their role of upholding the importance of cleanliness in Islam.
What is Attar?
Attar is a long-lasting perfume made by blending natural ingredients and essential oils without any chemicals or alcoholic additives. Even a small bottle of Attar can last for days, as its properties make it so that its scent is naturally amplified through body heat.
In fact, the lack of alcohol is what makes even a drop of attar project for a long time. Most synthetic perfumes use alcohol as a common solvent, causing them to evaporate as much as 10-15 times faster. While this gives an overwhelming first impression, it soon evaporates and loses power, compared to attar perfumes, which last longer due to their natural derivation.
The Prophet’s (PBUH) Love for Attar Perfume
To follow the Sunnah is to adhere to the teachings and practices imparted by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Staying clean and hygienic and adoring oneself with pure and halal things are all part of Sunnah and practices all Muslims are encouraged to embed in their daily habits.
Perfume, in particular, was essential in the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) daily life and his ritual cleanliness. He was known to have disliked leaving his house without wearing some sort of a scent. Every time he would go out for prayers or meet his companions, his wives would always shower him with his favourite scent.
In hadith, one of his beloved wives, Aisha (RA), even narrates, “I would put a lot of fragrance on the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to the extent that you could see the shine on his blessed forehead and blessed beard.”
Likewise, perfume was a gift that was never refused by him. As reported in a Hadith by Anas, the Prophet (PBUH) was never seen to decline any attar, fragrance or perfume that was offered to him. His favourite scents were Ambergris and Musk. Oudh (also called Oud), a fragrance with a musky and woody smell, was also the type of perfume the Prophet (PBUH) loved most.
The Prophet (PBUH) loved good scents so much that he would also use fragrance at night, especially on Jummah nights. He would also remove bad fragrances from places by applying attar perfume to them. There is even hadith that best encompasses his love for Attar, wherein the Prophet (PBUH) said, “In this world, women and perfume have been made dear to me, and my comfort has been provided in prayer.” (An-Nasa’i)
When and How to Apply Attar
As per Sunnah, it is recommended for Muslim men to use attar as often as the Prophet (PBUH) did. One particular occasion that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) encouraged men to apply fragrance was for the Friday prayer. For, in hadith, he said, “Anyone who takes a bath on Friday and cleans himself as much as he can and puts oil (on his hair) or scents himself; and then proceeds for the prayer … all his sins in between the present and the last Friday will be forgiven.” (Bukhari)
The way the Prophet (PBUH) would wear fragrance or attar is to apply it inside of each wrist and dab a little behind each earlobe with the inside of the wrists before it dries. It is also permissible to apply it to the back of each knee, inside of elbow joints and the back of your neck, to envelope the body in the scent.
Some other ways attar can be used for cleanliness is to apply it to water, use it with aromatic vapour lamps or even fragrance potpourri.