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,
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.
It is narrated from 'Amr ibn al-'As, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would turn his face and his conversation toward the most wicked person among the people,
in order to win his heart thereby.
He would turn his face and his conversation toward me,
until I thought that I was the best of the people.
So I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
am I better, or is Abu Bakr?"
He replied, "Abu Bakr."
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
am I better, or is 'Umar?"
He replied, "'Umar."
I said, "O Messenger of Allah,
am I better, or is 'Uthman?"
He replied, "'Uthman."
When I asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and he confirmed the truth to me,
I wished that I had not asked him.
In this hadith,
it is shown that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
whenever someone harsh or rude came to his gathering,
known for poor conduct and character,
he would meet him, peace be upon him, with a cheerful face and kind treatment.
He would turn his face, peace be upon him, toward him,
and engage him in conversation.
This is from the perfection of his wisdom, the nobility of his character, and the excellence of his companionship.
His statement,
"He would often turn his face and his conversation toward me,"
"until I thought that I was the best of the people,"
means that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
would meet him with cheerfulness,
and engage him in conversation,
until he thought he was the best of the Companions,
due to the frequency of his turning toward him.
His statement,
"I said, 'O Messenger of Allah,
am I better, or is Abu Bakr?'"
then he asked him about 'Umar,
and then about 'Uthman.
In this is an indication that it was established in the hearts of all the Companions
that the best of them absolutely was Abu Bakr,
then 'Umar,
then 'Uthman,
may Allah be pleased with them all.
That is why he singled them out for mention,
beginning with the best, then the next best.
His statement,
"When I asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and he confirmed the truth to me,"
means he answered my question with a truthful answer and a word of reality,
without flattery or compromising his principles.
This is one of the methods of treating the diseases of the soul before they take hold,
and curing the ailments of the heart before they worsen,
by keeping the soul within its limits,
and making it aware of its true standing.
His statement,
"I wished that I had not asked him,"
means I loved and wished that I had not asked him, out of shyness before him,
because of the error of my assumption
that I was the most beloved of people to him.
This hadith is narrated in a summarized form in the two Sahih collections.
The wording is:
From 'Amr ibn al-'As, may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
sent him on the expedition of Dhat al-Salasil.
He said:
"I came to him and said,
'Which of the people is most beloved to you?'
He said, 'A'ishah.'
I said, 'From the men?'
He said, 'Her father.'
I said, 'Then who?'
He said,
'Then 'Umar ibn al-Khattab,'
and he counted other men."
From Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"I served the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, for ten years,
and he never once said 'Uff' to me.
He never said to me regarding something I did, 'Why did you do it?'
nor regarding something I left, 'Why did you leave it?'
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
was the best of people in character.
I have never touched silk or brocade,
nor anything softer than the palm of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
And I have never smelled musk or perfume
that was sweeter than the sweat of the Prophet, peace be upon him."
In this hadith,
Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, informs us
that he served the Prophet, peace be upon him, for ten years.
This is a preface to what he is about to say,
because ten years of service clearly reveals to the servant
the character of the one he serves.
His statement,
"He never once said 'Uff' to me,"
even though shortcomings and mistakes are inevitable,
especially over such a long period.
Yet,
the Prophet, peace be upon him, never said 'Uff' to him once.
"He never said to me regarding something I did, 'Why did you do it?'
nor regarding something I left, 'Why did you leave it?'"
This means that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
would not reproach him for something he did,
nor for something he was commanded to do but left undone.
This relates to service and etiquette,
not to the religious obligations.
In this, there is also praise for Anas, may Allah be pleased with him,
for he did not commit anything that would warrant an objection
from the Prophet, peace be upon him, throughout that long period.
His statement,
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
was the best of people in character,"
is a summary after a detailed account.
He, peace be upon him, was the best of people in character
in his words, actions, manners, and dealings.
His statement,
"I have never touched silk or brocade, nor anything
softer than the palm of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,"
Khazz (silk/brocade) is a type of fabric
made of silk and other materials.
His palm, peace be upon him, was soft,
indeed, it was softer than silk and brocade.
And every soft thing that Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, touched.
His statement,
"that was sweeter than the sweat of the Prophet, peace be upon him,"
for he, peace be upon him, was sweet-scented.
This is among the things with which Allah, the Almighty, honored him.
From Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him,
from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
that there was a man with him who had traces of yellow (saffron) on him.
He said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
would rarely confront anyone with something they disliked.
When he stood up, he said to the people,
"If you were to tell him to remove this yellow color."
In this hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him,
saw a man who had traces of yellow on him.
This yellow color might have been from saffron or something else,
applied to clothing for adornment.
His statement, "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
would rarely confront anyone with something they disliked,"
is from the perfection of his noble character, peace be upon him.
He would command, forbid, advise, and teach,
without confronting anyone with something they disliked,
unless the interest of the situation required it.
His statement, "When he stood up,"
he said to the people,
meaning the Prophet, peace be upon him, said
to his Companions present in the gathering,
"If you were to tell him to remove this yellow color,"
meaning to leave it off.
He did not confront him with that, peace be upon him,
but rather ordered some of the people to alert him.
This hadith is weak,
but its meaning is correct.
For in the Sunan of Abu Dawud,
from 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, she said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him,
when something reached him about a man,
he would not say, "What is the matter with so-and-so that he says..."
But he would say, peace be upon him,
"What is the matter with some people that they say such-and-such?"
Meaning he would not explicitly name him,
but would say,
"What is the matter with some people that they say such-and-such?"
as a precaution against confrontation with something disliked,
while achieving the intended purpose without it.
From 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
was neither foul-mouthed nor prone to foul language,
nor was he loud in the marketplaces,
nor did he repay evil with evil,
but he would pardon and forgive.
"Fuhsh" (foulness)
is everything that exceeds its proper measure
until it becomes reprehensible.
The "mutafahish" is one who intentionally does that,
does it frequently, and affects it.
In this hadith,
'A'ishah negated from the Prophet, peace be upon him,
the possession of foulness,
and the uttering of it, whether by nature or by affectation.
Her statement,
"nor was he loud in the marketplaces,"
meaning shouting and clamoring.
The "sakhab" is one who raises his voice,
and it is blameworthy,
especially in the marketplaces,
which are gathering places for people of every kind.
Her statement,
"nor did he repay evil with evil,"
means if someone did him wrong,
he would not counter his evil
with a similar evil,
even though that is permissible,
according to the saying of the Almighty:
“The guerdon of an ill-deed is an ill the like thereof. But whosoever pardoneth and amendeth, his wage is the affair of Allah. Lo! He loveth not wrong-doers.” (42:40)
Her statement,
Rather, he pardons and overlooks.
This means he acts in the best and most perfect manner,
which is pardoning and overlooking.
Pardoning (al-'afw) is to overlook the one who has erred
and to refrain from punishing them.
Overlooking (al-safh) is to cease all reproach,
and it is more profound than mere pardoning.
A person may pardon someone yet not overlook their fault.
Allah the Almighty said:
"So pardon them and overlook [their faults]."
"Indeed, Allah loves the doers of good."
On the authority of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, she said:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, never struck
anything with his hand ever,
except when striving in the cause of Allah."
"He never struck a servant nor a woman."
In this hadith,
the Mother of the Believers, 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, says:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, never struck
anything with his hand ever,"
meaning neither a human being nor anything else,
"except when striving in the cause of Allah."
This does not refer only to military expeditions against the disbelievers,
but it also includes the implementation of legal punishments (hudud), disciplinary measures (ta'azir), and other such matters.
As for her statement,
"nor did he strike a servant or a woman,"
this is a specification after a generalization,
because they are already included in what preceded it.
However, the servant and the woman were singled out for mention
out of concern for their status,
or because they are the ones most commonly subjected to striking in general practice.
Thus, it is recommended to pardon them,
acting against one's own ego and suppressing rage.
On the authority of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, she said:
"I never saw the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
take revenge for a wrong done to him ever,
as long as the sacred limits of Allah were not violated.
But if the sacred limits of Allah the Almighty were violated,
he would be among the most furious of people regarding that.
And he 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."
In this hadith,
the Mother of the Believers, 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, says:
"I never saw the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
taking revenge,"
meaning retaliating,
"for a wrong done to him ever."
For the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
would not become angry for his own sake, nor would he seek revenge for himself.
Her statement,
"as long as the sacred limits of Allah the Almighty were not violated,"
means as long as nothing that Allah the Almighty has forbidden to His servants was committed.
"But if the sacred limits of Allah the Almighty were violated,
he would be among the most furious of people regarding that,"
meaning he would be the most furious for the sake of Allah the Almighty.
This indicates that it is obligatory to show zeal, anger, and disapproval
when the sacred limits of Allah are violated,
and it is not permissible to remain silent about such things.
Her statement,
"he 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,"
means that if the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was given a choice between two matters to perform one of them,
he would choose the easier of the two,
provided it was not among the matters that lead to sin.
As for matters that lead to sin,
the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would avoid them and be wary of them.
On the authority of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, she said:
"A man asked for permission to enter upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, while I was with him,
and he said:
'What an evil son of the tribe,'
or 'brother of the tribe.'
Then he gave him permission.
When he entered,
he spoke to him gently.
When he left,
I said: 'O Messenger of Allah,
you said what you said,
then you spoke to him gently.'
He replied:
'O 'A'ishah,
indeed, among the worst of people
is the one whom people leave,
or whom people avoid,
out of fear of his obscenity.'"
In this hadith,
'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, says:
"A man asked for permission to enter upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, while I was with him."
It has been said
that this man was 'Uyaynah Ibn Hisn,
and he had not yet embraced Islam at that time,
even though he had outwardly displayed Islam.
He asked for permission to enter upon the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in his house,
and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"What an evil son of the tribe,"
or "brother of the tribe."
This refers to the tribe.
Meaning: what an evil man from that tribe.
In this is a warning
regarding the coarseness this man possessed.
Then he gave him permission to enter.
When he entered,
he spoke to him gently,
meaning that he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
began to speak to him with soft words,
to reconcile his heart and the hearts of those like him to Islam.
Her statement,
"I said: 'O Messenger of Allah,
you said what you said,
then you spoke to him gently,'"
suggests she was surprised by the state of the man
whom the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had described,
yet then spoke to him gently,
meeting him with cheerfulness,
an open face,
and a warm welcome.
When I asked him about that,
he said:
"O 'A'ishah,
indeed, among the worst of people
is the one whom people leave,
or whom people avoid,
out of fear of his obscenity."
Meaning: because of his ugly speech and actions.
So, someone like this,
if he is met without gentleness,
great and reprehensible things might result from him.
Therefore, it is better
to meet him with kindness,
repelling [evil] with that which is better,
and protecting oneself from his evil.
On the authority of Muhammad Ibn al-Munkadir, he said:
"I heard Jabir Ibn 'Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both, saying:
'The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was never asked for anything
and said no.'"
In this hadith,
there is a demonstration of the generosity of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
For he was never asked for anything
and said no,
meaning "I will not give it."
Rather,
he would either give,
or apologize and pray for them,
or promise them what they wished for.
On the authority of Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, he said:
"The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was merciful,
and no one would come to him
but that he would promise them and fulfill it if he had the means.
Once, the prayer was called,
and a Bedouin came to him,
took hold of his garment,
and said:
'I still have a small need remaining,
and I fear I will forget it.'
So he stood with him
until he finished his need,
then he came and prayed."
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, he said:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
was the most generous of people in doing good,
and he was at his most generous during the month of Ramadan,
when he would meet Jibril.
Jibril would come to him
and review the Qur'an with him.
When Jibril met him,
the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
was more generous in doing good than the sent-forth wind."
In this hadith,
there is a description of the generosity of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and his giving and spending.
For he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
was the most generous of people in doing good,
meaning the most generous and giving of people in goodness.
His statement,
"and he was at his most generous during the month of Ramadan,"
means he was more generous and giving in Ramadan
than in other months and days,
due to the excellence of that time.
His statement,
"Jibril would come to him and review the Qur'an with him,"
means Jibril, peace be upon him,
would come in Ramadan,
and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would recite the Qur'an to him.
The "review" (al-'ard) is recitation from memory.
This would be repeated every Ramadan.
This shows the importance of a memorizer reviewing their memorization with others to solidify it,
especially in Ramadan, the month of the Qur'an.
In another narration, "he would study the Qur'an with him."
"Studying" (al-mudarasah) implies a mutual action from both sides.
This indicates that each of them would sometimes recite and the other would listen.
His statement,
"When Jibril met him,
the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
was more generous in doing good than the sent-forth wind."
The wind can be sent with good,
and it can be sent with punishment.
The intent by "the wind" here
is that which Allah the Almighty sent with good,
It is like the rain.
When the wind carries it, goodness spreads everywhere.
The intended meaning here
is that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was swifter in his generosity than that wind.
On the authority of Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, would not store anything for the morrow.
In this hadith,
it is noted that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
would not store anything for his own sake,
owing to his immense generosity and his reliance upon his Lord.
However, he would set aside provisions for his family and children.
It has been narrated from him, peace be upon him,
that which indicates he would store a year’s worth of provisions for his family.
For it is narrated from ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
would sell the dates of the Banu al-Nadir,
and reserve the provisions for his family for the year.
And on the authority of ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her:
The Prophet, peace be upon him,
would accept gifts,
and would reward the giver in return.
In this hadith,
there is an explanation that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
would accept a gift and would not turn it away.
His acceptance of a gift is a form of generosity,
and a facet of noble character,
through which hearts are won over.
As for her statement, "and would reward the giver in return,"
it means he would give the person who presented the gift something in exchange.
The intent behind "reward" here is recompense.
The minimum of which is something equal in value to the gift.
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.