In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
With pens of longing and ink of love,
We inscribe words more precious than gold,
In describing the Master of Creation, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The Prophetic characteristics (Shama'il).
Chapter: On the manner of the Messenger of Allah’s walking, peace be upon him.
The "walk" refers to the posture a person habitually adopts while walking.
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"I have never seen anything more beautiful than the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him;
It was as if the sun were coursing across his face.
Nor have I seen anyone walk faster than the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him;
It was as if the earth were drawn together for him.
We would exert ourselves, while he walked with ease."
In this hadith, Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, says:
"I have never seen anything more beautiful than the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him."
He did not say, "I have never seen a person,"
Rather, he said, "I have never seen anything,"
To encompass everything he had seen,
Whether human, moon, sun,
Or any other beautiful, radiant, and lovely thing.
His saying, "It was as if the sun were coursing across his face,"
Means due to the intense radiance and brilliance of his face, peace be upon him,
It appeared to the observer as if the sun were shining upon his face.
And his saying:
"Nor have I seen anyone walk faster than the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,"
This is the evidence (the point of focus) of the hadith.
"It was as if the earth were drawn together for him,"
Meaning it was as if the earth he walked upon would contract and bring its parts closer together.
And his saying:
"We would exert ourselves, while he walked with ease,"
Meaning he walked in this manner,
Not out of exertion or affectation,
But it was his natural gait.
Yet,
The Companions would exert themselves when walking with him.
This points to the strength of his physique, peace be upon him.
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"When he walked, he would lean forward as if descending a slope.
He had the fastest, most beautiful, and most composed walk of all people."
A benefit:
His guidance, peace be upon him, in walking was the most perfect guidance.
It was moderate, as was his way in all his affairs,
Acting upon the words of Allah the Exalted:
﴾ And be moderate in your pace ﴿
Meaning, let your walk be between excess and negligence.
When he walked, peace be upon him,
It was as if he were descending from a slope,
Meaning as if he were walking down a decline in the earth.
Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would walk in a manner
Whereby it was known he was neither weak nor lazy."
As for his walking with his Companions, peace be upon him,
They would walk in front of him while he was behind them,
And he would say, "Leave my back for the angels."
He would walk both barefoot and wearing sandals.
He would walk with his Companions both individually and in groups.
Once, during one of his military expeditions, he was walking,
And his finger bled, and blood flowed from it.
He said, "You are but a finger that has bled;
It is in the path of Allah that you have suffered."
While traveling, he would walk behind his Companions,
Assisting the weak, letting them ride with him, and praying for them.
Chapter: On the Messenger of Allah’s covering his head (taqannu'), peace be upon him.
Taqannu' is the placing of a covering over the head.
It refers to covering the head with a piece of cloth or the like.
There is a weak hadith in this chapter that contains an objectionable element in its text,
But what is mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari is appropriate for this chapter.
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
"While we were sitting one day in Abu Bakr’s house at the height of noon,
Someone said to Abu Bakr,
'This is the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, with his head covered,'
Meaning he was covering his head.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, only did this at that hour
Because he was hiding from the people of Makkah while heading to Madinah.
He did it out of necessity, and it was not his habit to cover his head."
Chapter: On the Messenger of Allah’s manner of sitting, peace be upon him.
Meaning, an explanation of the hadiths regarding the description of the Messenger of Allah’s sitting, peace be upon him.
The "sitting" refers to the posture and state of the one who is seated.
Qaylah bint Makhramah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported
That she saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in the mosque
Sitting in the *iq'a* (squatting) position.
She said, "When I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, so humble in his sitting,
I trembled with awe."
This hadith states that Qaylah bint Makhramah, may Allah be pleased with her,
Saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in the mosque sitting in the *iq'a* position.
The *iq'a* position is for a man to sit on his buttocks,
Drawing his thighs toward his abdomen and holding them with his arms.
It is called *iq'a* because the body is "gathered" (taqarfas) in it,
Meaning it draws together and joins parts to one another.
It is also called *ihtiba'*.
Her saying, "so humble in his sitting,"
Means the one upon whom complete humility is manifest.
This provides an explanation of the Prophet’s manner of sitting, peace be upon him,
And his humility and reverence before his Lord.
It shows that although humility is essentially an act of the heart,
It manifests in the posture of the servant.
Her saying, "I trembled with awe,"
Means a shivering overtook me,
Which is the trembling of the body out of fear,
Due to the majesty Allah had bestowed upon him, peace be upon him.
From 'Abbad ibn Tamim, from his uncle,
That he saw the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Lying down in the mosque,
Placing one of his legs over the other.
In this hadith,
It is the uncle of 'Abbad ibn Tamim,
Who is the noble Companion,
'Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn 'Asim, may Allah be pleased with him,
The one who was shown the Adhan in a dream,
And who participated in killing Musaylimah with a sword,
Along with the spear-throw of Wahshi.
This Companion recounts that he saw the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Lying down in the mosque,
Meaning resting on his back.
This does not necessarily imply sleeping.
It is well known that if lying down is permissible in the mosque,
Then sitting in it is permissible a fortiori.
That is why this hadith is mentioned in this chapter.
His saying, "placing one of his legs over the other,"
This applies to placing one leg over the other
Whether the feet are extended,
Or by raising one foot,
And placing the other upon it.
This posture is sometimes adopted by a person for comfort
If they have need of it.
It is not a customary posture that one adopts initially,
Therefore, it is not usually done in public gatherings.
Rather, a person does it
When they are alone in the mosque or elsewhere,
Or among a small number of companions where they have need of it.
It has been narrated in Muslim from Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him,
That the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
Forbade a man from raising one of his legs over the other
While lying on his back.
Al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"The scholars said:
The hadiths forbidding lying down
While raising one leg over the other
Are interpreted as referring to a state where the private parts or some part of them might be exposed.
As for the action of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
It was done in a way that nothing of that would be exposed.
This is acceptable,
And there is no dislike in it when done in that manner."
He also said:
"It is possible that the Prophet, peace be upon him, did it to demonstrate its permissibility."
From Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
When sitting in the mosque, would sit in the *ihtiba'* position with his hands."
In this hadith, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, informs us
That the Prophet, peace be upon him,
When he sat in the mosque, would sit in the *ihtiba'* position with his hands.
*Ihtiba'* is for a person to sit on their buttocks,
Drawing the abdomen and shins toward the thighs,
And clasping them with their hands in front of the shins,
Or by wrapping a piece of cloth behind the back instead of using the hands.
It is a posture that rests the body,
And spares a person from needing to lean against a wall or the like.
*Ihtiba'* is the sitting posture of the Bedouins.
In ancient times, they said:
"*Ihtiba'* is the walls of the Arabs,"
Meaning there are no walls in the open desert,
So when they wanted to lean, they would sit in *ihtiba'*,
As the garment prevents them from falling,
And serves for them as a wall.
*Ihtiba'* is confirmed from the Prophet, peace be upon him,
In several instances.
It was his constant habit to sit in *ihtiba'* in the mosque.
A benefit:
Other hadiths besides these have been narrated
Regarding the manner of his sitting, peace be upon him.
Among them is what was narrated from Jabir ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"The Prophet, peace be upon him,
When he had prayed the Fajr prayer,
Would sit cross-legged in his place until the sun rose brightly."
Chapter: On the Messenger of Allah’s leaning/cushion (tak'ah), peace be upon him.
Meaning, an explanation of the hadiths narrated
Regarding the Messenger of Allah’s leaning, peace be upon him.
The *tak'ah*
Is that which one leans upon, such as a pillow or other things,
Which have been prepared and arranged for that purpose.
From Jabir ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
Leaning on a pillow on his left side."
In this hadith,
It is stated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, was leaning on a pillow,
Which is a cushion,
As it was the *tak'ah* of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
His saying, "on his left side,"
Means on his left flank.
He might also lean on his right side.
This leaning
Is something a person needs because it rests the body.
In a narration from Jabir ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, he said:
"I entered upon the Prophet, peace be upon him,
And saw him leaning on his elbow."
This narration clarifies
That the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Was relying on his elbow in that leaning of his.
This posture is neither contrary to dignity nor to humility.
On the authority of 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakrah, from his father, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Shall I not inform you of the greatest of the major sins?"
They replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah."
He said, "Associating partners with Allah,"
"and disobedience to parents."
He said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, then sat up,
for he had been reclining.
He said: "And bearing false witness, or speaking falsehood."
He said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, continued to repeat this,
until we wished he would fall silent.
In this hadith, the noble Companion Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, informs us
that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to his Companions one day:
"Shall I not inform you of the greatest of the major sins?"
This is a method the Prophet, peace be upon him, frequently employed,
as it is effective in teaching and guidance,
for it captures hearts and commands attention.
Regarding his statement, "Associating partners with Allah,"
this is the greatest of the major sins and the most grievous injustice.
Allah the Almighty says:
“And (remember) when Luqman said unto his son, when he was exhorting him: O my dear son! Ascribe no partners unto Allah. Lo! to ascribe partners (unto Him) is a tremendous wrong -” (31:13)
Regarding his statement, "and disobedience to parents,"
the term "disobedience" encompasses every form of mistreatment toward parents.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, mentioned the rights of parents immediately after the major sin of polytheism,
which is evidence of the gravity of their rights and the severity of disobeying them.
Regarding his statement, "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, sat up, for he had been reclining,"
this is the point of evidence in the hadith.
It is understood from this that there is no harm in a person reclining while teaching certain matters of knowledge,
and changing one's posture serves to signal the importance of the matter,
and to emphasize its prohibition and extreme vileness.
Regarding his statement, "and bearing false witness, or speaking falsehood,"
the doubt is from the narrator.
"Falsehood" (al-zur) refers to concealment and deception,
and presenting things contrary to their true reality, as a lie and a fabrication.
Regarding his statement, "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, continued to repeat this until we wished he would fall silent,"
this was out of compassion and mercy for him, peace be upon him.
On the authority of Abu Juhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"As for me, I do not eat while reclining."
This hadith indicates that the Prophet, peace be upon him, would not eat in a reclining position.
There is a difference of opinion regarding the interpretation of the prohibited reclining.
Some said it means to sit comfortably for eating in any manner, including sitting cross-legged.
Some scholars asserted that it specifically means leaning on one of the sides.
They also differed regarding the wisdom behind the prohibition; according to the first interpretation, it is so the eater does not consume too much food,
which would lead to obesity and an enlarged abdomen.
According to the second interpretation, which is leaning on one side,
it is said that this is the habit of the arrogant and those who eat gluttonously.
It is also said that one who eats while reclining does not allow the food to descend easily through its passage,
nor does it go down smoothly, and one might be harmed by it, so it is for a health-related reason.
As for eating while lying down, it is even more disliked, as some scholars have stated.
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.