In philosophy, it has always been the beauty of truth that attracted me. I recommend Plato’s “Symposium” to anyone for a nice read on this.
I also think of beauty as “what you like”, in the sense of beautiful sights, sounds, flavors, experiences. There is even the exalted beauty of a moral life. Without beauty, what would motivate me? I choose God over all other things because He is the Most Beautiful. To worship Him is pure justice.
Worldly things each catch a ray of this Beauty, and reflect it in the plane of material and spiritual attributes. But like the sun, if that light were to go out, all the earthly mirrors would become blank. So when I look at the world and see its various forms of beauty, I am seeing Him – however much filtered by the limitations of this life.
Beauty is to the soul like sun and rain to a flower. No wonder it drove Majnún insane! We are all moths, dancing around the beckoning flame of our Beloved. “For the like of this let the travailers travail!” (Qur’an 37:59)
“The story of Thy beauty reached the hermit’s dell; Crazed, he sought the Tavern where the wine they buy and sell. The love of Thee hath leveled down the fort of patience, The pain of Thee hath firmly barred the gate of hope as well.” (the Persian poet, Sa`dí)