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 description of the sword of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
On the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"The pommel (qabi'ah) of the sword of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was made of silver."
In this hadith,
The noble Companion Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, informs us
That the pommel of the sword of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was made of silver.
The *qabi'ah* is the part located at the end of the sword's hilt,
To prevent the hand from slipping.
Al-Khattabi said: The *qabi'ah* of the sword
Is the knob that sits atop the hilt.
Mentioning that it was made of silver
Indicates the permissibility of decorating swords and similar war implements with silver.
Ibn Qudamah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"There is no harm in a sword's pommel being made of silver,"
Based on what Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated:
"The pommel of the sword of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was made of silver."
Hisham Ibn 'Urwah also said:
"The sword of Al-Zubayr was decorated with silver;
I saw it myself."
However, it is recorded in Sunan Ibn Majah
On the authority of Sulayman Ibn Habib, who said:
"We visited Abu Umamah,
And he saw some silver decoration on our swords,
So he became angry and said:
'A people have achieved conquests
Whose sword decorations were not of gold or silver,
But of lead, iron, and raw leather.'"
Meaning, their sword decorations were made of lead, iron, and untreated hides.
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, said regarding this hadith:
"Decorating swords and other war implements with materials other than silver and gold is preferable."
Those who permitted it responded
By stating that decorating swords with gold and silver
Was only legislated to strike fear into the enemy.
The Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
Had no need for that,
Due to their own inner fortitude and the strength of their faith.
One may reconcile the hadith of the chapter, which permits it,
Specifically regarding the sword's pommel being of silver,
With this hadith of Abu Umamah,
By noting that Abu Umamah, may Allah be pleased with him,
Only disapproved of them when he saw them being excessive in this matter,
As that might have distracted them from their jihad.
This does not necessitate a prohibition of the aforementioned concession.
To complete the benefit,
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, had nine swords:
*Ma'thur*, which was the first sword he owned, inherited from his father;
*Al-'Adb*, *Dhu al-Fiqar*, *Al-Qal'i*,
*Al-Battar*, *Al-Hatf*, *Al-Rasub*, *Al-Mikhdam*, and *Al-Qadib*.
Chapter: What has been narrated regarding the description of the armor of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Armor (*dir'*) is a garment made of iron rings,
Worn like a shirt to protect the fighter, by the permission of Allah,
And to shield him from arrows, sword strikes, or the like.
On the authority of Al-Zubayr Ibn al-'Awwam, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"The Prophet, peace be upon him, wore two sets of armor on the day of Uhud.
He attempted to rise to a rock but could not,
So he had Talhah sit beneath him,
And the Prophet, peace be upon him, climbed upon him
Until he stood firmly on the rock."
He said: "I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, say:
'Talhah has made [Paradise] necessary [for himself].'"
And on the authority of Al-Sa'ib Ibn Yazid, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
Wore two sets of armor on the day of Uhud,
Having layered one over the other.
From these two hadiths,
We learn that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Wore two sets of armor during the Battle of Uhud,
One over the other.
This provides additional protection and safety,
And this does not contradict reliance upon Allah (tawakkul).
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was
The greatest of those who relied upon Allah,
Yet he would wear his armor and coat of mail.
Indeed, on the day of Uhud, he layered two sets of armor,
And he hid in the cave for three days.
Thus, he relied upon Allah while utilizing the means,
Not relying upon the means themselves.
His saying:
"He attempted to rise to a rock but could not,"
Means he stood up, heading toward the rock that was there,
To stand upon it,
To overlook his Companions,
And to see the state of affairs.
His inability, peace be upon him,
To rise onto the rock
Was either due to its height and elevation,
Or due to the weight of the two sets of armor
That he was wearing,
Or because of the injuries he sustained
In the Battle of Uhud.
And his saying:
"He had Talhah sit beneath him,"
Means he requested Talhah, may Allah be pleased with him,
To sit beneath him
So that he could lean on him
And be able to climb onto the rock.
And his saying:
"Talhah has made [Paradise] necessary,"
Means he performed an act that made Paradise incumbent for him,
For he risked his own life on the day of Uhud,
And sacrificed it for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
To complete the benefit,
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, had
Seven sets of armor:
*Dhat al-Fudul*,
Which he pledged to Abu al-Shahm the Jew
In exchange for barley for his family,
Amounting to thirty *sa's*,
And the debt was for one year.
The armor was made of iron.
*Dhat al-Wishah*,
*Dhat al-Hawashi*,
*Al-Sa'diyyah*,
*Fiddah*,
*Al-Batra'*,
And *Al-Kharanq*.
Chapter: What has been narrated regarding the description of the helmet of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
The helmet (*mighfar*),
The helmet,
Is what a fighter wears over his head, like a helmet,
Made of iron,
To protect the head from arrows, sword strikes, and the like.
On the authority of Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Prophet, peace be upon him, entered Makkah wearing a helmet.
It was said to him:
"This is Ibn Khatal, clinging to the curtains of the Ka'bah."
He said:
"Kill him."
And on the authority of Ibn Shihab,
From Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, entered Makkah in the year of the Conquest,
With a helmet on his head.
He said:
"When he removed it, a man came to him and said:
'Ibn Khatal is clinging to the curtains of the Ka'bah.'"
He said:
"Kill him."
Ibn Shihab said:
"It reached me that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was not in a state of ihram that day."
Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, informs us in this hadith
That the Prophet, peace be upon him, entered Makkah with a helmet on his head.
A man came to him and said:
"This is Ibn Khatal, clinging to the curtains of the Ka'bah."
So the Prophet, peace be upon him, ordered his execution,
And Abu Barzah al-Aslami, may Allah be pleased with him, killed him.
He killed him between the Rukn (corner of the Ka'bah) and the Maqam (Station of Ibrahim).
Ibn Khatal
Was one of those whose blood the Prophet, peace be upon him, declared permissible on the day of the Conquest of Makkah,
Ordering them to be killed wherever they were found, in the sacred territory or outside it.
This Ibn Khatal had accepted Islam,
Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, sent him with a man from the Ansar for a task.
While on the journey, Ibn Khatal killed his Ansari companion,
Then apostatized and went to Makkah,
Where he began to satirize the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
He took two singing girls who would sing songs satirizing the Prophet, peace be upon him,
And insulting him and his Companions.
So on the day of the Conquest, he, peace be upon him, declared his blood permissible.
And his saying:
"It reached me that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was not in a state of ihram that day,"
Means that the Prophet, peace be upon him, did not enter Makkah in a state of ihram on the day of the Conquest.
It is derived from this that whoever intends to enter Makkah for a need
Is not required to wear ihram.
Rather, wearing ihram is only required for those intending to enter Makkah for Hajj or 'Umrah.
To complete the benefit,
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, had an iron helmet
Called *Al-Muwashshah*,
And another helmet called *Al-Sabuh* or *Dhu al-Sabuh*.
The hadith continues, 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.