In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
With the pens of longing and the ink of love,
We record lines more precious than gold,
In describing the Master of Creation, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The Prophetic characteristics (Shama'il).
Chapter: What has been narrated regarding the physical creation of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
"Physical creation" (khalq) refers to the description of one's form and outward appearance.
"Character" (khuluq) refers to the description of one's inner nature and noble traits.
Allah, the Almighty,
Created His Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
In the most perfect form and the most excellent state.
He was as the Companions described him:
Radiant of countenance,
Beautiful in physique,
Proportionate in his limbs.
Eyes have never seen anything more beautiful or better than him,
Neither before him nor after him.
Hassan Ibn Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, said of him:
"My eyes have never seen anything more beautiful than you,
And no woman has ever given birth to anyone more handsome than you.
You were created free from every defect,
As if you were created just as you wished."
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"The physical creation and form of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Were among the most perfect and complete of forms,
And the most encompassing of the virtues that indicate his perfection."
Al-Tirmidhi began with the discussion of the outward descriptions,
Because they are the first of the qualities of perfection to be perceived,
And because they serve as evidence for the inner qualities,
For the outward is the title of the inward.
Furthermore, it follows the existential order,
Since the outward precedes the inward in existence.
Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
Was neither excessively tall nor short,
Neither starkly white nor dark-skinned,
Neither curly-haired nor straight-haired.
Allah, the Exalted, sent him at the age of forty.
He remained in Makkah for ten years,
And in Madinah for ten years,
And Allah took his soul at the age of sixty."
"There were not even twenty white hairs on his head and beard."
In this hadith, Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, describes
The height of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
And the beauty of his form and the perfection of his creation.
He says that he was neither excessively tall nor short,
Meaning he was of medium stature.
He was not extremely tall,
Just as he was not short,
But rather between the two.
However, he, peace be upon him,
Was closer and more inclined toward tallness,
As evidenced by the fact that Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,
Did not negate the quality of tallness entirely,
But rather negated excessive tallness,
Which is the praised form of height in men.
Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, also describes
The complexion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, by saying:
"Neither starkly white nor dark-skinned."
The meaning is that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Was not extremely white like a leper,
For that is a disliked color,
Just as he was not dark-skinned.
Rather, he was white with a luminous complexion,
As stated in the hadith of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,
In Sahih al-Bukhari,
That the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Was of a radiant (azhar) complexion,
And "azhar" means white and luminous.
In the hadith as well,
Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, describes the hair of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
By saying:
"Neither curly nor straight."
Curly hair is that which is intertwined,
Twisted upon itself,
Like the hair of the Zanj (people of East Africa).
"Qatat" refers to hair that is intensely curly.
Straight hair is that which is flowing and soft,
Lacking any curl or wave.
Thus, the hair of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
Was midway between curly and straight.
It has been narrated in the version of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
That his hair was "rajil" (slightly wavy),
Which is hair that appears as if it has been combed and groomed.
Some interpreted it as having slight curvature and wave,
Which is the most beautiful quality of hair.
In the remainder of the hadith,
Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, mentions the mission of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Saying:
"Allah, the Exalted, sent him at the age of forty,"
Meaning he was made a Prophet when he completed forty years of age.
Regarding his saying, "He remained in Makkah for ten years,
And in Madinah for ten years,"
It is well-known that the Prophet, peace be upon him, stayed in Makkah for thirteen years,
Without dispute.
Perhaps the intention in this hadith
Is the duration the Prophet, peace be upon him, spent in Makkah
After the revelation of Surah al-Muddaththir,
And the command to proclaim the message:
"O you who are wrapped in your garment, arise and warn."
For when he was sent,
He remained in private for three years,
Then he proclaimed the call for ten years.
The most likely interpretation is that
The ten years mentioned in the hadith
Are based on omitting the fraction exceeding ten,
As is the custom of the Arabs in calculation.
And his saying:
"And Allah took his soul at the age of sixty,"
It is established that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Passed away at the age of sixty-three.
Thus, this narration in this hadith
Is based on dropping the extra fraction,
As mentioned regarding the duration of his stay in Makkah, peace be upon him.
As for his saying:
"There were not even twenty white hairs on his head and beard,"
It means fewer than twenty white hairs.
It was narrated in another version from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,
That there were seventeen or eighteen white hairs.
This indicates the scarcity of gray hair on him, peace be upon him,
And his retention of youth and freshness until his passing.
This also serves as evidence of the Companions' extreme concern
For transmitting the most precise details regarding our Prophet, peace be upon him,
To the extent that they even recorded the number of his white hairs
On his head and beard.
May the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him.
Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was of medium stature,
Neither tall nor short,
Beautiful of body."
"His hair was neither curly nor straight,
He was of a brownish complexion,
And when he walked, he would lean forward."
In this hadith as well,
Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, describes our Messenger, peace be upon him,
And he was among those who were closest to him,
Having served him for ten years,
The duration of his stay in Madinah, peace be upon him.
He says in this hadith:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was of medium stature,"
"Neither tall nor short."
It is said in the language:
A man is "rib'ah,"
And a man is "marbu',"
If he is between tall and short.
This is the same meaning we encountered in the first hadith.
It was narrated in a version by Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him:
"He, peace be upon him, was of medium stature,"
And he was closer to being tall.
His saying, "Beautiful of body,"
Means balanced in creation,
Proportionate in limbs,
With color, softness, and moderation in height and flesh,
Neither excessively fat nor thin.
As for his saying, "brownish complexion,"
Its outward meaning contradicts what we encountered in the previous hadith.
For this reason, some scholars believe
That this phrase is not authentic.
Other scholars interpreted it
To mean that the "brownness" here
Refers to the light redness that permeated his whiteness,
For the whiteness of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Was tinged with a hint of redness.
Thus, it is possible to reconcile the two hadiths.
Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
The brownness that would appear on his face, peace be upon him,
Was due to his frequent travels and exposure to the sun.
His saying, "When he walked, he would lean forward,"
This describes his gait, peace be upon him.
When he walked, he would lean forward,
As if descending from a high place or a slope.
This is the gait of those with resolve and determination,
And it is the most balanced of gaits.
Further explanation will follow in its chapter, if Allah wills.
Al-Bara' Ibn 'Azib, may Allah be pleased with them both, said:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was a man of medium stature,
Broad between the shoulders,
With thick hair reaching his earlobes,
Wearing a red garment.
I have never seen anything more beautiful than him."
In another version from him, he said:
"I have never seen anyone with hair reaching his shoulders in a red garment
More beautiful than the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him."
He had hair that reached his shoulders,
Broad between the shoulders,
He was neither short nor tall.
In this hadith narrated by al-Bara' Ibn 'Azib, may Allah be pleased with them both,
The word "rajulan" can be read with a damma or a kasra on the 'jim'.
As for the damma (rujulan),
Al-Bara' is describing the person of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
As being of medium stature, neither tall nor short.
As for the kasra (rajilan),
He is describing the hair of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
As being "rajil" (slightly wavy), flowing, neither curly nor straight.
His saying, "Broad between the shoulders,"
Means he had a broad upper back between the shoulder blades,
Which implies that he had a broad chest,
And that is one of the signs of nobility.
The term was used in the diminutive form.
This indicates a slight degree of distance.
Meaning that the distance between his shoulders,
was not inconsistent with perfect proportion.
Hence, it is stated in a narration,
that the Prophet, peace be upon him, had a broad chest.
The shoulder is the joint where the humerus meets the scapula.
Regarding the statement "his hair reached his earlobes,"
it means his hair was thick,
reaching down to the earlobes.
These are the soft, hanging parts of the ears,
where a woman would place her earring.
Hair, depending on its length, has three descriptors:
*jummah*, *wafrah*, and *limmah*.
All of these are used in descriptions of the Prophet’s hair.
The linguists have stated:
*Wafrah*
is hair that reaches the earlobes.
*Limmah*
is hair that extends beyond the earlobes,
whether or not it reaches the shoulders.
*Jummah*
is hair that touches the shoulders.
Regarding the statement "he wore a red *hullah*,"
the term *hullah* is not applied to clothing,
unless it consists of two pieces,
such as an *izar* (lower garment) and a *rida'* (upper garment).
This is because one piece "settles" over the other,
hence it is called a *hullah*.
Perhaps the red color was mixed with another,
such as white or black,
because the Prophet, peace be upon him,
forbade wearing garments that were purely red,
which refers to clothing of a solid, intense red color.
Regarding the statement "I have never seen anything more beautiful than,"
Al-Bara', may Allah be pleased with him, used this phrasing,
to express the totality of his beauty,
as it is impossible to detail every aspect of his perfection.
The essence of his statement is:
I have never seen anything whose beauty,
was like the beauty of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
Rather, he was more beautiful than all beauty.
He said "I have never seen anything,"
instead of saying "I have never seen a person,"
to imply a universal generalization,
so as to include the sun, the moon,
and all other beautiful things.
And his use of "never" (qatt),
means always, in everything I have ever witnessed.
This reflects the perfection of his creation and the beauty of his form,
and the splendor of his appearance, peace be upon him.
And the beauty and grace with which Allah, the Almighty, endowed him.
May my father and mother be sacrificed for him, peace be upon him.
On the authority of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him,
was neither tall nor short.
He had thick palms and feet.
He had a large head.
He had large joints.
He had a long line of hair running down his chest.
When he walked, he leaned forward,
as if he were descending from a slope.
I have never seen anyone like him, before or after, peace be upon him.
In this hadith,
'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, describes the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
as being neither tall nor short,
as we have already discussed.
Regarding the statement "thick palms and feet,"
it means they were sturdy and firm.
Although the palm of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
was full and well-fleshed,
despite its size and sturdiness,
it was soft and smooth,
as is established in the hadith of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him:
"I have never touched brocade or silk,
softer than the palm of the Prophet, peace be upon him."
This sturdiness in the hands is considered a praiseworthy trait in men,
because it indicates a stronger grip.
It is considered a flaw in women.
Regarding the statement "large head,"
and it is stated in a narration "large-crowned,"
the meaning of a large head,
is that it was somewhat large and substantial,
which indicates the perfection of his mental capacity.
Through such perfection, a person is distinguished from others.
Regarding the statement "large joints,"
*karadis* is the plural of *kurdus*,
which refers to any two bones meeting at a joint.
The intent is the heads of the bones,
such as the shoulders, knees, and hips.
He meant that he had large limbs,
which is a sign of one's nobility and excellence.
Regarding the statement "long line of hair,"
the *masrabah* is the fine hair,
that runs vertically from the chest to the navel.
The hadith has more to follow, if Allah wills.
And Allah knows best.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon all his family and companions.