How can Ibn Taymiyyah's statement that the faces of the people of the Sunnah and obedience increase in beauty and handsomeness as they age be reconciled with reality and science, which indicate that a person's attractiveness decreases with increasing age?

There is no contradiction in this matter, for beauty is not sensory beauty, but rather an inner, spiritual beauty stemming from righteous deeds. This beauty manifests itself on one's appearance, bestowing upon it radiance and sweetness. Sheikh al-Islam said that the believer whose heart Allah has illuminated with faith, the light of faith appears on his face, and he is clothed with love and awe, while the hypocrite is the opposite. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, clarified that Allah does not look at images or wealth, but rather He looks at hearts and deeds, and that hypocrites may have beautiful appearances, but Allah detests them for their deeds. Ibn al-Qayyim explained that beauty is divided into outer and inner. Inner beauty is the beauty of knowledge, intellect, generosity, chastity, and courage, and it is the object of Allah's gaze and love. It adorns the outer appearance, even if it is not beautiful in itself. Outer beauty is a blessing that necessitates gratitude, but if it is used in disobedience, it turns into ugliness and disfigurement. Thus, inner beauty overcomes and conceals outer ugliness, and inner ugliness overcomes and conceals outer beauty.