Syndromic Facies

Being an adolescent, we are all aware that we are now at the peak of our life where our physical appearance is at its best morphology. The skin is tight and smooth. Everything is in shape…well, most of it if not all. One of the most important part of an adolescents life is the approximately 100π cm2 area of the body which lies the eyes, the nose and the mouth. Yep, its none other than…the face!

Face is one of the biggest test especially for those who are young and single. People like…us! You can try to deny it. You maybe a person who never by anything for the well being of your face like moisturizers, cream and stuffs, but hey…don’t tell me you can pass a day without looking at the mirror!For some people, face is so important that they would spend hundreds or even thousands to have a great look. The conclusion of this paragraph is, truly, for most of us, face plays a very important role in one’s life.

As Muslim, we should be thankful to Allah for sending us the Holy Book and Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. to guide us in every aspects of life. As long as we hold on to this guidance, Insya-Allah we shall always be in the right tract. When talking about appearance, it was narrated by Abu Hurairah that the Prophet SAW said :

“ Verily, Allah does not look at your body and appearance but He looks at your intention and sincerity in your heart”. (Muslim)

Thus, I would like to remind myself and all dear readers to reflect back upon ourselves. The face of ours maybe smooth and tight today, but remember that it shall one day become wrinkled and rough. When the time comes, this face, which we are now very proud of, shall be a free treats to the underground worms and insects. The point is, let us stop being too proud of our physical appearance. Let us concentrate on the more permanent spiritual appearance instead.

As Muslims, we believe that this currently hidden spiritual appearance will actually determine how we shall look like in the Hereafter. In surah ‘Abasa:

38) Some faces that Day will be bright (true believers of Islamic Monotheism)
39) Laughing, rejoicing at good news (of Paradise)
40) And other faces that Day will be dust-stained
41) Darkness will cover them
42) Such will be the kafarah (disbelievers in Allah, in His Oneness, and His Messenger Muhammad saw), the fajarah (wicked evil doers)

I don’t think I have to elaborate on the above verse. One more thing why I love Islam is its simplicity in telling things…soooo beautiful, muah!

I remember one day, my usrah group was discussing on this surah after finish reciting it. During the discussion we found out that there are two main syndromic facies in the Hereafter. Bright faces would be that of the true believers while dark, dust-stained faces would be that of the Kafarah, the Fajarah.
In the medical field, we learn about so many different types of syndromic facies, and if you can recall, most of these facies are associated with a certain heart problem. Let me list down a few examples that I can remember.

Down’s Syndrome : Atrioventricular Septal Defect
Marfan’s Syndrome : Aortic Regurgitation
Turner’s Syndrome : Coarctation of Aorta

It seems that in the physical world our faces can tell what type of heart problem we have inside of us. This is actually parallel to what shall happen in the Hereafter…our faces will tell what type of heart (in its spiritual meaning) problem we had inside. Subhanallah…may Allah guide us all..Amin..


This is an article I read from Intrigue, the Kulliyyah of Medicine's mag...kinda true..boleh relate between medical knowledge and Allah's creation...