Al-Shamail Al-Muhammadiya | Episode (13) | Chapter on what was mentioned about the walking, sitting, and reclining of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him.

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:07 With pens of longing and ink of love,

0:11 We inscribe words more precious than gold,

0:15 In describing the Master of Creation, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

0:20 The Prophetic characteristics (Shama'il).

0:30 Chapter: On the manner of the Messenger of Allah’s walking, peace be upon him.

0:36 The "walk" refers to the posture a person habitually adopts while walking.

0:44 Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

0:47 "I have never seen anything more beautiful than the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him;

0:53 It was as if the sun were coursing across his face.

0:56 Nor have I seen anyone walk faster than the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him;

1:03 It was as if the earth were drawn together for him.

1:06 We would exert ourselves, while he walked with ease."

1:11 In this hadith, Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, says:

1:18 "I have never seen anything more beautiful than the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him."

1:24 He did not say, "I have never seen a person,"

1:27 Rather, he said, "I have never seen anything,"

1:30 To encompass everything he had seen,

1:32 Whether human, moon, sun,

1:35 Or any other beautiful, radiant, and lovely thing.

1:40 His saying, "It was as if the sun were coursing across his face,"

1:43 Means due to the intense radiance and brilliance of his face, peace be upon him,

1:49 It appeared to the observer as if the sun were shining upon his face.

1:53 And his saying:

1:56 "Nor have I seen anyone walk faster than the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,"

2:02 This is the evidence (the point of focus) of the hadith.

2:05 "It was as if the earth were drawn together for him,"

2:07 Meaning it was as if the earth he walked upon would contract and bring its parts closer together.

2:13 And his saying:

2:14 "We would exert ourselves, while he walked with ease,"

2:18 Meaning he walked in this manner,

2:20 Not out of exertion or affectation,

2:23 But it was his natural gait.

2:26 Yet,

2:27 The Companions would exert themselves when walking with him.

2:32 This points to the strength of his physique, peace be upon him.

2:38 Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

2:41 "When he walked, he would lean forward as if descending a slope.

2:45 He had the fastest, most beautiful, and most composed walk of all people."

2:50 A benefit:

2:53 His guidance, peace be upon him, in walking was the most perfect guidance.

2:57 It was moderate, as was his way in all his affairs,

3:02 Acting upon the words of Allah the Exalted:

3:04 ﴾ And be moderate in your pace ﴿

3:06 Meaning, let your walk be between excess and negligence.

3:11 When he walked, peace be upon him,

3:14 It was as if he were descending from a slope,

3:17 Meaning as if he were walking down a decline in the earth.

3:22 Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said:

3:25 "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would walk in a manner

3:29 Whereby it was known he was neither weak nor lazy."

3:34 As for his walking with his Companions, peace be upon him,

3:38 They would walk in front of him while he was behind them,

3:42 And he would say, "Leave my back for the angels."

3:46 He would walk both barefoot and wearing sandals.

3:49 He would walk with his Companions both individually and in groups.

3:53 Once, during one of his military expeditions, he was walking,

3:56 And his finger bled, and blood flowed from it.

3:59 He said, "You are but a finger that has bled;

4:04 It is in the path of Allah that you have suffered."

4:07 While traveling, he would walk behind his Companions,

4:10 Assisting the weak, letting them ride with him, and praying for them.

4:14 Chapter: On the Messenger of Allah’s covering his head (taqannu'), peace be upon him.

4:23 Taqannu' is the placing of a covering over the head.

4:28 It refers to covering the head with a piece of cloth or the like.

4:33 There is a weak hadith in this chapter that contains an objectionable element in its text,

4:39 But what is mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari is appropriate for this chapter.

4:44 Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said:

4:48 "While we were sitting one day in Abu Bakr’s house at the height of noon,

4:53 Someone said to Abu Bakr,

4:57 'This is the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, with his head covered,'

5:02 Meaning he was covering his head.

5:04 The Prophet, peace be upon him, only did this at that hour

5:10 Because he was hiding from the people of Makkah while heading to Madinah.

5:15 He did it out of necessity, and it was not his habit to cover his head."

5:20 Chapter: On the Messenger of Allah’s manner of sitting, peace be upon him.

5:28 Meaning, an explanation of the hadiths regarding the description of the Messenger of Allah’s sitting, peace be upon him.

5:36 The "sitting" refers to the posture and state of the one who is seated.

5:43 Qaylah bint Makhramah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported

5:49 That she saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in the mosque

5:54 Sitting in the *iq'a* (squatting) position.

5:57 She said, "When I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, so humble in his sitting,

6:05 I trembled with awe."

6:09 This hadith states that Qaylah bint Makhramah, may Allah be pleased with her,

6:14 Saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in the mosque sitting in the *iq'a* position.

6:20 The *iq'a* position is for a man to sit on his buttocks,

6:25 Drawing his thighs toward his abdomen and holding them with his arms.

6:30 It is called *iq'a* because the body is "gathered" (taqarfas) in it,

6:35 Meaning it draws together and joins parts to one another.

6:39 It is also called *ihtiba'*.

6:42 Her saying, "so humble in his sitting,"

6:45 Means the one upon whom complete humility is manifest.

6:49 This provides an explanation of the Prophet’s manner of sitting, peace be upon him,

6:54 And his humility and reverence before his Lord.

6:57 It shows that although humility is essentially an act of the heart,

7:01 It manifests in the posture of the servant.

7:04 Her saying, "I trembled with awe,"

7:07 Means a shivering overtook me,

7:09 Which is the trembling of the body out of fear,

7:12 Due to the majesty Allah had bestowed upon him, peace be upon him.

7:17 From 'Abbad ibn Tamim, from his uncle,

7:22 That he saw the Prophet, peace be upon him,

7:25 Lying down in the mosque,

7:27 Placing one of his legs over the other.

7:31 In this hadith,

7:34 It is the uncle of 'Abbad ibn Tamim,

7:36 Who is the noble Companion,

7:38 'Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn 'Asim, may Allah be pleased with him,

7:42 The one who was shown the Adhan in a dream,

7:45 And who participated in killing Musaylimah with a sword,

7:48 Along with the spear-throw of Wahshi.

7:53 This Companion recounts that he saw the Prophet, peace be upon him,

7:58 Lying down in the mosque,

8:00 Meaning resting on his back.

8:02 This does not necessarily imply sleeping.

8:05 It is well known that if lying down is permissible in the mosque,

8:09 Then sitting in it is permissible a fortiori.

8:12 That is why this hadith is mentioned in this chapter.

8:16 His saying, "placing one of his legs over the other,"

8:20 This applies to placing one leg over the other

8:24 Whether the feet are extended,

8:26 Or by raising one foot,

8:29 And placing the other upon it.

8:31 This posture is sometimes adopted by a person for comfort

8:35 If they have need of it.

8:37 It is not a customary posture that one adopts initially,

8:41 Therefore, it is not usually done in public gatherings.

8:45 Rather, a person does it

8:47 When they are alone in the mosque or elsewhere,

8:51 Or among a small number of companions where they have need of it.

8:56 It has been narrated in Muslim from Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him,

9:00 That the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,

9:04 Forbade a man from raising one of his legs over the other

9:08 While lying on his back.

9:11 Al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

9:13 "The scholars said:

9:15 The hadiths forbidding lying down

9:18 While raising one leg over the other

9:21 Are interpreted as referring to a state where the private parts or some part of them might be exposed.

9:26 As for the action of the Prophet, peace be upon him,

9:29 It was done in a way that nothing of that would be exposed.

9:33 This is acceptable,

9:35 And there is no dislike in it when done in that manner."

9:38 He also said:

9:40 "It is possible that the Prophet, peace be upon him, did it to demonstrate its permissibility."

9:46 From Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

9:52 "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,

9:56 When sitting in the mosque, would sit in the *ihtiba'* position with his hands."

10:01 In this hadith, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, informs us

10:06 That the Prophet, peace be upon him,

10:09 When he sat in the mosque, would sit in the *ihtiba'* position with his hands.

10:13 *Ihtiba'* is for a person to sit on their buttocks,

10:18 Drawing the abdomen and shins toward the thighs,

10:21 And clasping them with their hands in front of the shins,

10:24 Or by wrapping a piece of cloth behind the back instead of using the hands.

10:30 It is a posture that rests the body,

10:33 And spares a person from needing to lean against a wall or the like.

10:37 *Ihtiba'* is the sitting posture of the Bedouins.

10:40 In ancient times, they said:

10:42 "*Ihtiba'* is the walls of the Arabs,"

10:45 Meaning there are no walls in the open desert,

10:48 So when they wanted to lean, they would sit in *ihtiba'*,

10:51 As the garment prevents them from falling,

10:54 And serves for them as a wall.

10:57 *Ihtiba'* is confirmed from the Prophet, peace be upon him,

11:01 In several instances.

11:03 It was his constant habit to sit in *ihtiba'* in the mosque.

11:07 A benefit:

11:11 Other hadiths besides these have been narrated

11:14 Regarding the manner of his sitting, peace be upon him.

11:17 Among them is what was narrated from Jabir ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

11:23 "The Prophet, peace be upon him,

11:26 When he had prayed the Fajr prayer,

11:28 Would sit cross-legged in his place until the sun rose brightly."

11:32 Chapter: On the Messenger of Allah’s leaning/cushion (tak'ah), peace be upon him.

11:40 Meaning, an explanation of the hadiths narrated

11:44 Regarding the Messenger of Allah’s leaning, peace be upon him.

11:48 The *tak'ah*

11:50 Is that which one leans upon, such as a pillow or other things,

11:53 Which have been prepared and arranged for that purpose.

11:56 From Jabir ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

12:02 "I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,

12:06 Leaning on a pillow on his left side."

12:11 In this hadith,

12:13 It is stated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, was leaning on a pillow,

12:18 Which is a cushion,

12:20 As it was the *tak'ah* of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.

12:25 His saying, "on his left side,"

12:27 Means on his left flank.

12:29 He might also lean on his right side.

12:32 This leaning

12:34 Is something a person needs because it rests the body.

12:39 In a narration from Jabir ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, he said:

12:44 "I entered upon the Prophet, peace be upon him,

12:48 And saw him leaning on his elbow."

12:51 This narration clarifies

12:53 That the Prophet, peace be upon him,

12:56 Was relying on his elbow in that leaning of his.

13:00 This posture is neither contrary to dignity nor to humility.

13:05 On the authority of 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakrah, from his father, who said:

13:09 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

13:13 "Shall I not inform you of the greatest of the major sins?"

13:18 They replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah."

13:21 He said, "Associating partners with Allah,"

13:24 "and disobedience to parents."

13:26 He said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, then sat up,

13:31 for he had been reclining.

13:33 He said: "And bearing false witness, or speaking falsehood."

13:38 He said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, continued to repeat this,

13:44 until we wished he would fall silent.

13:47 In this hadith, the noble Companion Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, informs us

13:54 that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to his Companions one day:

13:59 "Shall I not inform you of the greatest of the major sins?"

14:03 This is a method the Prophet, peace be upon him, frequently employed,

14:08 as it is effective in teaching and guidance,

14:11 for it captures hearts and commands attention.

14:15 Regarding his statement, "Associating partners with Allah,"

14:18 this is the greatest of the major sins and the most grievous injustice.

14:21 Allah the Almighty says:

14:23 “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)

14:26 Regarding his statement, "and disobedience to parents,"

14:29 the term "disobedience" encompasses every form of mistreatment toward parents.

14:34 The Prophet, peace be upon him, mentioned the rights of parents immediately after the major sin of polytheism,

14:40 which is evidence of the gravity of their rights and the severity of disobeying them.

14:45 Regarding his statement, "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, sat up, for he had been reclining,"

14:51 this is the point of evidence in the hadith.

14:54 It is understood from this that there is no harm in a person reclining while teaching certain matters of knowledge,

15:01 and changing one's posture serves to signal the importance of the matter,

15:06 and to emphasize its prohibition and extreme vileness.

15:09 Regarding his statement, "and bearing false witness, or speaking falsehood,"

15:13 the doubt is from the narrator.

15:16 "Falsehood" (al-zur) refers to concealment and deception,

15:19 and presenting things contrary to their true reality, as a lie and a fabrication.

15:24 Regarding his statement, "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, continued to repeat this until we wished he would fall silent,"

15:33 this was out of compassion and mercy for him, peace be upon him.

15:40 On the authority of Abu Juhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

15:44 The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

15:47 "As for me, I do not eat while reclining."

15:51 This hadith indicates that the Prophet, peace be upon him, would not eat in a reclining position.

15:59 There is a difference of opinion regarding the interpretation of the prohibited reclining.

16:03 Some said it means to sit comfortably for eating in any manner, including sitting cross-legged.

16:11 Some scholars asserted that it specifically means leaning on one of the sides.

16:17 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,

16:24 which would lead to obesity and an enlarged abdomen.

16:27 According to the second interpretation, which is leaning on one side,

16:32 it is said that this is the habit of the arrogant and those who eat gluttonously.

16:38 It is also said that one who eats while reclining does not allow the food to descend easily through its passage,

16:44 nor does it go down smoothly, and one might be harmed by it, so it is for a health-related reason.

16:51 As for eating while lying down, it is even more disliked, as some scholars have stated.

16:58 The hadith has more to follow, if Allah wills, and Allah knows best.

17:04 May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and companions.

Al-Shamail Al-Muhammadiya | Episode (13) | Chapter on what was mentioned about the walking, sitting, and reclining of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him.

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