The Prophet's Appearance

Special things about Prophet Muhammad-in Brief

michael h. hart, the american author of the hundred: a ranking of the most influential persons in history, called muhammad (peace be upon him) “the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels.” to this, one can add a number of his other unique achievements such as the following:

there never was anyone like muhammad (peace be on him) whose life has been recorded in such meticulous detail, and there never was anyone in history like muhammad (peace be upon him) whose exemplary deeds are so closely emulated in their daily lives by so many people from so many countries and regions of this world, and to this day.

it was muhammad alone, among the religious leaders, who could establish a government based on divine guidance for the first time in human history, and that, too, in a land where anarchy had reigned supreme for centuries. he brought law, order, and social justice to a people notorious for endless retaliatory conflicts. if anyone ever became an unchallenged ruler by divine right, it was muhammad, and muhammad alone. while he possessed power as absolute as humanly attainable, he remained ever humbler than any of his followers. he said, “i am merely a servant of god and i have been sent only as a teacher.”

it was muhammad (peace be upon him) who for the first time taught people to give up alcohol, drugs and all kinds of unclean food. it was none other than muhammad (peace be upon him) who for the first time in history established women’s rights by allowing them to own property, inherit, question authorities, reject arranged marriages, and seek divorce when they had reasons for doing so.

there never was such an unlettered man who put the wisdom of the scholars of all the later generations to shame. and there never was a religious leader like him who was so “modern” in his attitudes and policies. he condemned racism and nationalism; he established laws to protect animals, trees, and the environment; he established workers’ rights and banned interest.

in a brief span of 23 years of his prophetic life, muhammad (peace be upon him) was able to transform the faith, morality, daily life, and the very mindset of all the varied tribes of arabia. within a hundred years his message had changed the hearts and lives of millions in different parts of the world.

the details of the prophet’s personal life such as how he ate, drank, washed himself, and so on, can be learned from the volumes of hadith, which form a treasure for such information on his lifestyle. indeed, it would be impossible to give on this page a detailed account of the varied aspects of the personality of the man muhammad (peace be upon him). therefore, i would content myself by highlighting here just a few aspects of his personal life.

the prophet was taller than average, of strong physical build; he was fair of complexion, had a prominent forehead, along with long and thick eyelashes. his face was genial and had a very attractive and pleasant smile.

when he spoke, he spoke to the purpose or else he kept quiet. he was the first to greet a person; and he was not the first to withdraw his hand from a handshake. he never liked people paying him too much respect and prohibited them from standing up when he entered. he visited the poor and the ailing and advised the muslims to do likewise. he invited the poorest of the poor to partake of his scanty meal.

his wife `a’ishah said, "he always joined in household work and would at times mend his clothes, cobble his shoes, and sweep the floor. he would milk, tether, and feed his animals and do the household shopping" (al-bukhari).

the prophet was of very clean habits and used to brush his teeth five times a day, before each of the daily prayers. after midnight he used to get up for the tahajjud prayers (optional late night prayer) which he never missed in his life (al-bukhari). he was not fastidious about his bed; sometimes he slept on his cot, sometimes on an ordinary mattress, and sometimes on the ground (zarqani).

he was gentle and kindhearted, always ready to overlook the faults of others. politeness, generosity, simplicity, and sincerity were the hallmarks of his character.

in dispensing justice, he was firm, but his severity was tempered with compassion. his charming manners won him the affection of his followers. though he was the messenger of allah, and virtually became the ruler of arabia, he never was proud, and never did he assume any air of superiority. fear of allah and humility were deeply ingrained in his heart.

he always received people with courtesy and showed respect to older people. he said, "to honor an old man is to show respect to allah."

he was very kind to animals. once during a journey, somebody picked up some bird’s eggs. the bird's painful note and fluttering attracted the attention of the prophet (peace be upon him), who asked the man to replace the eggs (al-bukhari).

also as his army marched towards makkah to conquer it, they passed a female dog with puppies. the prophet (peace be upon him) not only gave orders that they should not be disturbed, but posted a man to see that this was done.

the prophet loved the company of the poor people; and he used to pray, "o allah, keep me poor in my life and at my death, and raise me at resurrection among those who are poor" (an-nasa’i).

his house was a hut with walls of unbaked clay and a thatched roof of palm leaves covered by camel skin. he used to sleep on a rough mattress. once his disciples noticed its imprint on his back. they wished to give him a soft bed, but he declined the offer, saying: "what have i to do with worldly things? my connection with the world is like that of a traveler resting for a while underneath the shade of a tree and then moving on."

he advised the people to live simple lives and himself practiced great austerities. when he died there was nothing in his house except a few seeds of barley left from a mound of the grain (al-bukhari).

the prophet said about himself, "allah has sent me as messenger so that i may demonstrate perfection of character, refinement of manners, and loftiness of deportment" (malik).

and when he died, he did not leave a cent, nor any property except his white mule, his weapons, and a piece of land which he had dedicated for the good of the community (al-bukhari).

allah says in the qur’an what means:


 


*{you have indeed in the messenger of god [muhammad] a beautiful pattern [of conduct] for anyone whose hope is god and the final day.}* (al-ahzab 33:21)

Dress

his dress generally consisted of a shirt, tamad (trousers), a piece of plain rectangular cloth  wrapped around the shoulders and a turban. on rare occasions, he would put on costly robes presented to him by foreign emissaries in the later part of his life (ahmed, musnad, hafiz bin qaiyyam).


his blanket had several patches (tirmizi). he had very few spare clothes, but he kept them spotlessy clean (bukhari). he wanted others also to put on simple but clean clothes. once he saw a person putting on dirty clothes and remarked,

"why can't this man wash them." (abu dawud, chapter "dress").


on another occasion he enquired of a person in dirty clothes whether he had any income. upon getting a reply in the affirmative, he observed,


"when allah has blessed you with his bounty, your appearence should reflect it." (abu dawud)


he believed :


"cleanliness is piety".

Appearance

muhammad (pbuh) was of a height a little above the average. he was of sturdy build with long muscular limbs and tapering fingers. the hair of his head was long and thick with some waves in them. his forehead was large and prominent, his eyelashes were long and thick, his nose was sloping, his mouth was somewhat large and his teeth were well set. his cheeks were spare and he had a pleasant smile. his eyes were large and black with a touch of brown. his beard was thick and at the time of his death, he had seventeen gray hairs in it. he had a thin line of fine hair over his neck and chest. he was fair of complexion and altogether was so handsome that abu bakr composed this couplet on him:


"as there is no darkness in the moonlit night so is mustafa, the well-wisher, bright."


his gait was firm and he walked so fast that others found it difficult to keep pace with him. his face was genial but at times, when he was deep in thought, there were long periods of silence, yet he always kept himself busy with something. he did not speak unnecessarily and what he said was always to the point and without any padding. at times he would make his meaning clear by slowly repeating what he had said. his laugh was mostly a smile. he kept his feelings under firm control - when annoyed, he would turn aside or keep silent, when pleased he would lower his eyes (shamail tirmizi).

Our Prophet was a Person of Extraordinary Beauty

caricatures in cartoons recently published in denmark have caused great distress in the muslim world. however, it is all too obvious that the figures pictured in these caricatures are the artists themselves.

a number of caricatures reflecting the dark mindsets that support violence, drawn by artists with darwinist and materialist views, have been published by a joint decision of the british and french masonic lodges’ supreme councils.

the caricatures in question are actually a camouflage for the dark and murky worlds of certain atheists, representing only a visible part of the dark, wide-ranging moves that global freemasonry has initiated against muslims. people need to know that the most effective—and permanent—solution to such attacks is a joint struggle against darwinism and materialism.

our prophet (saas) possessed such superior moral values, and communicated the message of islam—a religion of peace, love and brotherhood—that it is impossible to equate him with caricatures of this kind. like the other messengers sent by god—such as prophets abraham, moses and jesus (peace be upon them all)—our prophet (saas) was a superior, benign and exceptionally beautiful individual.

all muslims are aware of this fact and all publications of this kind are totally in vain. clearly, atheistic materialism can never overcome


islam by such cheap means.

the consequences of daring to mock the prophets are revealed thus in the qur'an:

messengers before you were also mocked, but those who jeered were engulfed by what they mocked. (qur'an, 6:10)

the external appearance of prophet muhammad (saas) was full of the beauties of creation. the companions of our prophet (saas) have handed down many details of the outward physical beauty manifested in this blessed individual by god—from the majestic dignity that so impressed those who saw him to the light in his peerless countenance, from his dignified posture to his serene laughter.

some of the outward features of prophet muhammad (saas), sent as a moral role model to all humanity, are set out below.

you can find comprehensive information on this subject in the book the prophet muhammad (saas) written by harun yahya and available on the website: www.theprophetmuhammad.org

1. the matchless appearance of our prophet (saas)

narrated by ibrahim b. muhammad (ra), one of the grandchildren of ali:

“. . . one who strove to convey his superior traits and impressive qualities simply confessed his impotence and incompetence in describing him by stating that he has never before him or after him seen anyone comparable to him. may god's salat (prayer, prayer made to our prophet, asking god for forgiveness, god’s mercy, establishing prayer) and peace be upon him.”

2. the beauty of our prophet (saas)

his companions described the beauty of the prophet (saas) in these terms:

“the prophet (saas) had a most handsome constitution. some likened the beauty of his smile to that of the full moon . . . his nose was thin . . . his face was smooth . . . his beard was thick . . . his neck was most beautiful . . . if the rays of the sun fell on his neck, it appeared like a cup of silver mixed with gold . . . the expanse between his shoulders was wide.”

3. the majesty of our prophet (saas)

narrated by hasan:

“our messenger of god was, by nature, imposing and magnificent.”

4. the radiant face of our prophet (saas)

anas bin malik (ra) says:

“the prophet (saas) was neither tall nor short. he was handsome. his hair was neither delicate nor curly. on the other hand, the color the face of mubarak (upon whom divine goodness is bestowed, one who is given abundantly, the beneficial, the auspicious), was of a splendorous white.”

5. the powerful body of our prophet (saas)

“his neck was most beautiful, neither long, nor short. if the rays of the sun fell on his neck, it appeared like a cup of silver mixed with gold. his chest was broad. it was even like a mirror and white like the moonlight... his shoulders were wide. his palms were softer than wool.”

6. the stature of our prophet (saas):

baraa bin aazib (ra) relates:

“i never saw someone more handsome than the messenger of god. his hair reached his shoulders. the portion between his two shoulders was wide. he was neither very tall nor very short.”

7. the beautiful eyes of our prophet (saas):

abu huraira (ra) describes him:

“his forehead was wide, and the place between his eyebrows was bright like pure silver, and his eyes were very beautiful and his eyes’ pupils were black. the hairs of his eyelashes were profuse . . . ”

8. the complexion of our prophet (saas):

abu huraira (ra) reports:

“he was reddish-white . . .”

9. the hair of our prophet (saas):

aisha (ra) reports:

“the blessed hair of the messenger of god (saas) was longer than those that reached the earlobes, and shorter than those that reached the shoulders.”

10. the beard of our prophet (saas):

“he had a thick, dense beard.”

11. the beautiful mouth of our prophet (saas):

“his teeth were as white as pearls and bright, and the light gleamed from his front teeth as he spoke. when he laughed, it was as if his mouth gave off rays like soft lightning . . .”

12. the manner of dress of our prophet (saas):

jundub ibn makith (ra) said:

“whenever a delegation came to meet the messenger of god, he would wear his best clothes and order his leading companions to do likewise.”

another hadith relates:

“you are going to visit your brothers, so repair your saddles and make sure that you are dressed well.”

13. the manner of sitting of our prophet (saas):

qaylah bint makhramah (ra) reports:

“i saw the messenger of god (saas) in the mosque (in a very humble posture) sitting. due to his awe-inspiring personality, i began shivering.”

14. the manner of speaking of our prophet (saas):

“the prophet (saas) was the greatest of the arabs in oratory and beauty of speech. he said: ‘i am the greatest orator among the arabs.’”

15. the smiling face of our prophet (saas):

as recalled by ali:

“the messenger of god (saas)... was the one who smiled the most and the most joyful of all.”

16. the glances of our prophet (saas):

hasan, the grandson of our prophet (saas), described the way he looked at things as follows:

“the way he looked was extremely expressive . . .”

17. the pleasant scent of our prophet (saas):

jaabir bin samura (ra) states:

“whenever the holy prophet tread on any path, when someone passed by later, they could recognize that the prophet had passed by there because they could smell the fragrance of his body.”

18. the affection for others of our prophet (saas)

anas bin malik (ra) relates: “i remained in the service of the messenger of god (saas) for ten years. he never once told me ‘ugh.’ when i did something, he never asked me, ‘why did you do so?’ when i failed to do a certain task, he never asked me why i did not do it.”

19. the superior moral values of our prophet (saas):

“god’s messenger (saas). when he shook hands with anyone, he did not withdraw his hands till the other man withdrew his. similarly, he did not turn away his face from anyone till that man turned his face to the other side. and he was never seen to put forward his knees in front of one with whom he was sitting.”

“. . . he used to call his companions by their surnames with honor and he used to give one surname who had no surname.”

20. the modesty of our prophet (saas):

“. . . everyone thought that the prophet honored him more. whoever came to him could see his face . . . yes, the way he sat, listened, his words, graceful jests and attention were always for those with him. besides, the meetings he held with friends was marked by decency, modesty and security.”

The Prophet's Colour

“neither white like lime, nor tanned, but brown with whiteness predominant.” – (anas- may allah be pleased with him)

“white, reddish.” – (ali- may allah be pleased with him)

“white but wholesome.” – (abu tufail)

“white and bright.” – (hind bin abi hala)

 The Prophet's Nose

“somewhat high with unique brightness whereby it looked large at first sight.” – (hind bin abi hala)

The Prophet's Eyes

“black, with long eyelashes.” (ali- may allah be pleased with him)

“black and drooping. habit of looking from the corner of the eyes in shyness.” – (hind bin abi hala)

“red lines in the white parts, wide sockets, and natural grey corners.” – (jabir bin samra)

The Prophet's Face

“his face was round like the moon.” – (bara bin azib)

“his face was not quite round but inclined to roundness.” – (ali- may allah be pleased with him)

“broad forehead, slanting thick brows parted in the middle. a vein protruded between the two parts which became more prominent in anger.” (hind bin abi hala)