In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
With pens of longing and the ink of love,
We record lines more precious than gold,
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 drinking vessel of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
A *qadah* is a vessel from which one drinks.
The intent here is the container from which the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to drink water and the like.
It was typically of medium size, neither small nor large.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, possessed more than one such vessel.
The plural is *aqdah*.
It is only called a *qadah* when it is empty.
On the authority of Thabit, who said: Anas Ibn Malik brought out to us a thick wooden vessel, reinforced with iron.
He said, "O Thabit, this is the vessel of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him."
This hadith describes the vessel of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
It was fashioned from thick wood.
Regarding the statement "reinforced with iron":
A *dabbah* is a wide piece of iron
Used to hold the wood together if it cracked or broke.
It binds the parts together so that it remains firm and intact,
Preventing gaps through which water might leak.
The hadith contains an indication of the perfect humility of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
And his avoidance of affectation.
On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"I have served the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, every kind of drink with this vessel:
Water, *nabidh* (fruit-infused water), honey, and milk."
In this hadith, Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, informs us
That he served the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, using a single vessel
For the various types of drinks the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to consume,
Including water, *nabidh*, honey, and milk.
This demonstrates his asceticism, peace be upon him,
And his contentment with what is sufficient.
*Nabidh* is water in which dates, grapes, or similar fruits are soaked overnight,
So that they dissolve into the water by morning.
The water becomes sweet, carrying the flavor of the dates or grapes.
It used to be prepared for the Prophet, peace be upon him, at the beginning of the night,
And he would drink from it in the morning.
He would not drink it after three days
For fear of it changing and becoming intoxicating.
In our current time, Allah has facilitated for us blenders or juicers,
Which serve the same purpose with ease and speed, and praise be to Allah.
A benefit:
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, had a vessel called *al-Rayyan*,
And it was also called *Mughni*.
He had another vessel reinforced with a silver chain.
He also had a vessel made of glass,
And a vessel made of reeds
Which was placed under his bed,
Into which he would urinate at night.
Chapter: What has been narrated regarding the fruit of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Meaning, an explanation of the hadiths regarding the nature of the fruit he, peace be upon him, consumed.
Fruit is that which a person enjoys,
Meaning, takes pleasure and delight in eating,
Such as fresh dates, raisins, figs, pomegranates, and the like.
On the authority of Abdullah Ibn Ja'far, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to eat cucumber with fresh dates.
And on the authority of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to eat watermelon with fresh dates.
And on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, combining melon and fresh dates.
These hadiths indicate
That the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to combine two foods together.
This demonstrates its permissibility,
And it contains numerous benefits.
Al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
It shows the permissibility of considering the properties and natures of foods,
And using them in the most appropriate manner according to the principles of medicine.
For fresh dates possess heat,
And cucumber possesses coolness.
When eaten together, they balance each other out.
This is a major principle in the compounding of medicines.
Among its other benefits:
Balancing the temperament and nourishing the body.
The Prophet, peace be upon him,
Used to eat cucumber with fresh dates.
Cucumber is similar to the common cucumber,
But larger in size.
He used to eat fresh dates with watermelon,
And he would eat them with melon.
The wisdom in combining them
Is that fresh dates possess heat,
So he would neutralize their heat with the coolness of the watermelon,
Or the coolness of the melon,
Or the coolness of the cucumber,
Achieving balance by eating them together.
It is recorded in the Sunan of Abu Dawud
That the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Used to eat watermelon with fresh dates,
And he would say:
"We break the heat of this with the coolness of this,
And the coolness of this with the heat of this."
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
When people saw the first of the fruit harvest,
They would bring it to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, took it,
He would say:
"O Allah, bless us in our fruits,
And bless us in our city,
And bless us in our *sa'* and our *mudd* (measures).
O Allah, Ibrahim is Your servant, Your close friend, and Your prophet,
And I am Your servant and Your prophet.
He called upon You for Makkah,
And I call upon You for Madinah
With the same as that with which he called upon You for Makkah, and the like thereof with it."
He said:
Then he would call the youngest child he saw,
And give that fruit to him.
This hadith shows
That the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them,
Would rejoice greatly at the first of the fruit harvest,
Because they would not find fresh dates
Except during the harvest season.
After that, it would become dried dates,
And they would not find fresh dates until the following year.
Unlike our current time,
Where Allah has preserved fresh dates for people
Through the facilitation of refrigerators,
So they find them throughout the year.
Thus, as soon as they saw the first of the dates,
They would bring them to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Out of a desire for him to pray for the fruit,
So that Allah might bless it.
Singling him out, peace be upon him,
With the first of the ripening fruit
Was a gift, a sign of reverence for him, and an expression of love.
So the Prophet, peace be upon him,
When he took that fruit,
Would pray and say:
"O Allah, bless us in our fruits."
In a narration by Ibn al-Sunni:
"I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
When the first of the fruit was brought to him,
He would place it on his eyes,
Then on his lips, and say:
'O Allah, just as You have shown us its beginning,
Show us its end.'"
In this hadith, he says:
"O Allah, bless us in our fruits,
In our city,
And bless us in our *sa'* and our *mudd*."
The blessing is in the increase of the measure,
So that what is sufficient from it would not be sufficient from other than it
Outside of Madinah.
His saying, "O Allah, Ibrahim is Your servant,
Your close friend, and Your prophet,
And I am Your servant and Your prophet,"
He did not say "and Your close friend," even though he is
In other hadiths.
This was from the Prophet, peace be upon him,
An observance of etiquette in avoiding equality
Between himself and his noble predecessors.
*Khullah* (close friendship) is the perfection of love
And its ultimate end. In this is a type
Of permissible *tawassul* (seeking a means of approach),
Which is seeking a means to Allah the Exalted
Through servitude and humility.
Furthermore, the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Prayed for Madinah
With the same as that with which Ibrahim, peace be upon him, prayed
For Makkah, and added to it twofold.
The intent is the prayer
For the attainment of religious and worldly blessings.
Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, answered
His Prophet's prayer,
And Madinah and its fruits became
As is witnessed today.
And the *mudd* and the *sa'* therein
Suffice in a way that they do not suffice elsewhere.
May Allah reward him on behalf of his Ummah with the best of rewards.
His saying, "Then he gives it to the youngest
Of the children present,"
Means that out of the perfection of his kindness, gentleness,
And mercy, peace be upon him,
He would choose the youngest child present
And offer him these fresh dates,
Because a child's desire for them is greater.
Thus, the requirement of mercy and companionship toward him
Is to offer him such a thing,
Because his joy in it is more intense.
Chapter: What has been narrated regarding the description of the drink
Of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Meaning, an explanation of the hadiths narrated
Regarding the description of the drink of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Drink is that which is consumed of liquids,
Such as water and others.
On the authority of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
"The most beloved drink to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
Was the sweet and the cold."
In this hadith
Is an explanation of the Prophet's love, peace be upon him,
For a drink that combines two qualities:
Sweetness and coolness.
Her saying "the sweet" includes fresh, potable water,
For the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Used to have sweet water sought out for him.
It also includes water in which has been placed
Something that sweetens it or increases its sweetness,
This includes nabidh (a drink made from soaked dates or raisins), and it also encompasses
water that has been stirred with a little honey,
so that its taste becomes sweet
with the sweetness of honey,
meaning it is cool and temperate.
For water that combines sweetness and coolness
is among the most beneficial and pleasant things for the body.
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both,
he said: I entered with the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
along with Khalid Ibn al-Walid, to visit Maymunah.
She brought us a vessel of milk,
and the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, drank from it.
I was on his right,
and Khalid was on his left.
He said to me, "The turn to drink is yours;
if you wish, you may favor Khalid with it."
I replied, "I would not favor anyone
over the remnants of your drink."
Then the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said,
"Whoever Allah feeds food,
let him say: 'O Allah, bless us
in it and feed us with something better than it.'
And whoever Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, gives milk to drink,
let him say: 'O Allah, bless us
in it and increase it for us.'"
Then the Messenger of Allah,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
"Nothing suffices in place of food and drink
except for milk."
In this hadith, it is mentioned that 'Abdullah,
may Allah be pleased with them both,
entered with the Prophet, peace be upon him,
to visit Maymunah, the wife of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
who was also
their maternal aunt; this clarifies
the reason for their entry to see her.
She served them a vessel of milk.
By 'milk' (laban), what is meant is natural milk
that is milked from the udders of livestock.
As for the milk known today as yogurt (ra'ib),
this is made from milk
using a specific method.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, drank,
and on his right was 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas,
and on his left was Khalid Ibn al-Walid.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said
to Ibn 'Abbas, "The turn to drink is yours,"
because he was on the right.
Meaning, you have the priority and the right to be served
before yourself in drinking.
This indicates that the person on the right, regarding drinks and the like,
is served first, even if he is younger or of lower status.
However, Ibn 'Abbas said,
"I would not favor anyone over the remnants of your drink."
The 'su'r' (remnant) is the excess
and what remains of the drink.
So the Prophet, peace be upon him, gave it to him.
Then he, peace be upon him, said,
"Whoever Allah feeds food,
let him say: 'O Allah, bless us in it,'
meaning: O Allah, make this food
that we have eaten blessed.
Blessing encompasses many things,
including the body's benefit from the food
and its safety from the harms that sometimes
result from certain foods.
His saying, "and feed us with something better than it,"
means: facilitate for us other food
that is better and superior to this.
And his saying, "And whoever Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, gives
milk to drink, let him say:
'O Allah, bless us in it and increase it for us,'"
meaning: O Allah, bless us
in this milk that we have drunk,
and increase it for us. He did not say,
as he did with food, "and feed us with something
better than it." The wisdom in that
is what he, peace be upon him, pointed to
by his saying, "Nothing suffices
in place of food and drink except for milk,"
because milk is considered a drink
that quenches the thirsty and food
that satisfies the hungry; thus, it combines
these two properties.
Pure and pleasant for those who drink it,
soothing and nourishing.
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.