In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Treasures of the Prophetic biography (Seerah).
His physical characteristics.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, entered upon her one day in a joyful state,
with the radiance of his face beaming.
A woman from the Hamdan tribe said:
I performed Hajj with the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and I saw him upon a camel of his, circumambulating the Ka'bah,
with a staff in his hand.
Abu Ishaq al-Sabi'i said:
"Describe him."
She said:
"Like the moon on the night of the full moon;
I have never seen anyone like him before or after."
And from al-Rubayyi' bint Mu'awwidh:
It was said to her,
"Describe the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, for us."
She said:
"If you had seen him, you would have said,
'The sun is rising.'"
And from Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was of medium stature among the people;
he was neither excessively tall nor short.
He had a bright complexion,
neither starkly white,
nor swarthy.
His hair was neither curly,
nor straight.
He was sent at the age of forty,
and passed away at the age of sixty.
There were not twenty white hairs on his head or in his beard.
The most accurate account is that he passed away at the age of sixty-three.
And from Jabir Ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, had a wide mouth,
eyes with a slight reddish tint,
and lean heels.
And from Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him,
when he was asked about the hair of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
he said:
"It was neither straight nor curly."
It reached between his ears and his shoulders.
He also said:
The hair of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would reach his shoulders.
In another narration,
it was to the middle of his ears.
From al-Bara' Ibn 'Azib, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, was of medium build,
with broad shoulders.
His hair reached his earlobes.
He was wearing a red garment;
I have never seen anything more beautiful than him.
And from Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I have never touched brocade or silk with my hand,
nor anything softer than the palm of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
And I have never smelled a scent,
sweeter than the fragrance of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
When Umm Ma'bad was asked,
"Describe the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, for us,"
she said:
"A man of manifest radiance,
with a bright face,
and good character.
He was not marred by a large belly,
nor was he disgraced by a small head.
He was handsome and well-proportioned.
In his eyes was a deep blackness,
and his eyelashes were long.
There was a slight huskiness in his voice,
and a length in his neck.
His beard was thick.
His eyebrows were arched and joined.
If he was silent, he was dignified,
and if he spoke, he was elevated and covered in splendor.
He was the most beautiful and magnificent of people from a distance,
and the best and sweetest of them from up close.
His speech was sweet,
decisive, neither sparse nor excessive.
His words were like pearls strung together, flowing forth.
He was of medium height, not so tall as to be discouraging,
nor so short as to be overlooked by the eye.
He was like a branch between two branches;
he was the most pleasant of the three in appearance,
and the best of them in stature.
He had companions who surrounded him;
if he spoke, they listened to his words,
and if he commanded, they hastened to fulfill his order.
He was praised and sought after,
neither frowning nor disparaging."
Here comes the hadith:
"Whoever sees me in a dream has truly seen me,
for the Shaytan cannot impersonate me."
Thus, seeing the Prophet, peace be upon him, in a dream,
does not result in any legal rulings,
although the Muslim rejoices in that.
Imam Ahmad said:
"The believer's vision brings him joy but does not deceive him."
However, what we must be mindful of
is his saying:
"For the Shaytan cannot impersonate me,"
meaning in his known physical form.
Therefore, no one can claim with certainty that they saw the Prophet, peace be upon him,
if they do not know his physical characteristics, peace be upon him.
Qadi 'Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
If the qualities of perfection and majesty—
and we see one of us honored by one or two of them,
if they happen to exist in any era,
whether it be lineage or beauty,
or strength, knowledge, or forbearance,
or courage or generosity,
until his status is magnified and proverbs are coined in his name,
and a sense of awe and greatness is established in hearts for that description,
even though he has been dust and decayed bones for centuries—
then what do you think of the greatness of one in whom all these qualities were gathered,
to an extent that no count can encompass and no speech can express?
This is not attained by effort or stratagem,
but only by the selection of the Great, the Exalted,
through the virtue of Prophethood and Messengership,
and the special friendship, love, and selection.
His character, peace be upon him, was the Qur'an.
For 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
"His character was the Qur'an."
And the Almighty said regarding him:
﴾And indeed, you are of a great moral character.﴿
And he, peace be upon him, said:
"I was sent only to perfect noble character."
And from Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was the best of them in character."
And this is 'Abdullah Ibn Salam, may Allah be pleased with him, saying:
"When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, arrived in Madinah,
I came to look at him.
When I clearly saw his face,
I knew that his face was not the face of a liar."
And from 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was never given a choice between two matters
but that he chose the easier of the two,
as long as it was not a sin.
If it were a sin, he was the furthest of people from it.
He never sought revenge for himself,
unless the sacred limits of Allah were violated,
in which case he would seek revenge for the sake of Allah.
And she said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, never struck anything with his hand,
neither a woman nor a servant,
except when fighting in the cause of Allah.
Nor was he ever wronged and sought revenge from the perpetrator,
unless the sacred limits of Allah were violated, in which case he would seek revenge for it.
And from Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I served him, peace be upon him, for ten years,
and by Allah, he never said "Uff" to me,
nor did he say to me regarding anything I did, "Why did you do this?"
Nor for anything I did not do, "Why did you not do such and such?"
And Anas said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was the most generous and the bravest of people.
And this is 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, saying:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
was neither foul-mouthed nor prone to obscenity.
And he used to say:
"The best of you are those with the best character."
And Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
was more modest than a virgin in her private quarters.
And if he disliked something, we would recognize it in his face.
And from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I was walking with the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and he was wearing a Najrani cloak with a thick border.
A Bedouin caught up with him and pulled his cloak violently,
until I looked at the side of his shoulder
and saw that the border of the cloak had left a mark on it.
Then he said:
"O Muhammad,
order for me some of the wealth of Allah that you have."
The Prophet, peace be upon him, turned to him and laughed,
then ordered a gift for him.
And from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
when a man shook his hand,
would not withdraw his hand from the man's hand
until the man withdrew his.
And if he turned to someone with his face,
he would not turn away until the man turned away.
And he was never seen extending his knees before a person sitting with him.
And from 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
I never saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
laugh so heartily that I could see his uvula;
he would only smile.
And Simak said:
I said to Jabir Ibn Samurah,
"Did you sit with the Prophet, peace be upon him?"
He said, "Yes, often.
He would not rise from his prayer place
until the sun had risen.
They would talk and discuss matters of the Jahiliyyah,
and they would laugh while he would smile."
And from Jabir Ibn 'Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, was never asked for anything
and said "No."
Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was the most generous of people.
He was at his most generous during Ramadan.
'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
when he was at home,
would mend his sandals and sew his garments.
He would work in his house just as one of you works in his own house.
These are some of his noble traits, may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him.
Treasures of the Prophetic biography.
His worship (peace be upon him).
Al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would stand [in prayer] until his feet became swollen.
It was said to him, "O Messenger of Allah,
has Allah not forgiven your past and future sins?"
He replied, "Should I not be a grateful servant?"
'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would fast until we thought he would never break his fast.
And he would break his fast until we thought he would never fast.
If you wished to see him praying at night, you would see him.
And if you wished to see him sleeping, you would see him.
Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stood [in prayer] until morning,
reciting this verse:
“If Thou punish them, lo! they are Thy slaves, and if Thou forgive them (lo! they are Thy slaves). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Mighty, the Wise.” (5:118)
“If Thou punish them, lo! they are Thy slaves, and if Thou forgive them (lo! they are Thy slaves). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Mighty, the Wise.” (5:118)
He (peace be upon him) said:
"I seek the forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him more than seventy times a day."
In another narration:
"I seek the forgiveness of Allah one hundred times a day."
Treasures of the Prophetic biography: his generosity and nobility (peace be upon him).
Speak of the ocean [of his generosity] and do not worry [about exaggeration].
Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was never asked for anything and said "no."
Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most generous of people in doing good.
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
A man asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) for something,
and he gave him a flock of sheep filling the space between two mountains.
The man returned to his people and said:
"Embrace Islam,
for Muhammad gives as one who does not fear poverty."
He once gave a hundred camels to more than one person.
Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) described him, saying:
"You uphold the weak and provide for the destitute."
He returned the captives of Hawazin, who numbered six thousand.
He gave Al-'Abbas so much gold that he could not carry it.
He never said "no" except in his tashahhud.
Were it not for the tashahhud, his "no" would have been "yes."
Treasures of the Prophetic biography.
His courage and majesty (peace be upon him).
Abu Mas'ud al-Badri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
I was beating a slave of mine
when I heard a voice from behind me:
"Know, Abu Mas'ud!"
I did not turn around due to my anger, until he reached me.
It was the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
When I saw him, the whip fell from my hand out of awe of him.
He said to me, "By Allah, Allah is more capable of you than you are of him."
I said, "O Messenger of Allah, I will never beat a slave of mine again."
Al-Bara' (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
"When the battle grew fierce, we would seek protection behind him."
"And the bravest among us was the one who stood alongside him."
He (peace be upon him) stood firm on the day of Uhud and the day of Hunayn,
as mentioned in the accounts of his military expeditions.
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was the most handsome of people,
the most generous of hand, and the bravest of heart.
One day, he went out when the people of Madinah were alarmed.
He rode a horse belonging to Abu Talhah, unsaddled.
Then he returned, saying:
"Do not be afraid, do not be afraid."
Treasures of the Prophetic biography: his forbearance (peace be upon him).
When he was harmed by the people of Makkah, it was said to him:
"If only you would curse them."
He replied, "I was not sent as a curser,"
"but I was sent as a mercy."
Al-Qadi 'Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Reflect upon this statement,"
"for it contains the essence of virtue and the degrees of excellence,"
"good character, nobility of soul,"
"and the ultimate level of patience and forbearance."
For he (peace be upon him) did not stop at merely remaining silent about them,
but he pardoned them,
then felt compassion for them and showed them mercy,
and prayed and interceded for them (peace be upon him).
When Ghawrath ibn al-Harith came to him to assassinate him,
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
was sleeping under a tree alone.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not wake up
until Ghawrath was standing over him with a drawn sword,
saying to the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him):
"Who will protect you from me?"
He (peace be upon him) replied:
"Allah."
The sword fell from his hand.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) took it
and said to him:
"Who will protect you from me?"
He said:
"Be the best of those who take [revenge]."
So he (peace be upon him) let him go and pardoned him.
The man returned to his people
and said:
"I have come to you from the best of people."
A man was brought to him, and it was said:
"This man wanted to kill you."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him:
"Do not be afraid."
"Even if you had wanted to do that,"
"Allah would not have given you power over me."
When Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith came to him,
and he had angered the Prophet (peace be upon him) by satirizing him,
Abu Sufyan said to the Prophet (peace be upon him):
“They said: By Allah, verily Allah hath preferred thee above us, and we were indeed sinful.” (12:91)
"for we were indeed in the wrong."
He (peace be upon him) said to him:
“He said: Have no fear this day! May Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.” (12:92)
“He said: Have no fear this day! May Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.” (12:92)
Abu Sufyan ibn Harb testified to this
when he said to him:
"How forbearing, how kind, and how generous you are!"
Treasures of the Prophetic biography.