What was Muhammad the Prophet of Allah, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, like?
You have surely wondered what he looked like, what his physical features were, and of course how he behaved? Far from certain generalities that everyone may perhaps know, we invite you to follow us for a few lines to better picture the one upon whom we ask Allah to extend His Prayers and His Peace. Ask for it with us: Salla Lah 'alayhi wa sallam!
In this humble article, we wish to help you better picture the beloved one, the noble example for a whole community, thanks to a few descriptions: those made by the family of the Prophet and another description that became famous in Islamic history, that of a woman met for the first time on the road of the hijra.
Let us begin with the latter and then turn to what his noble family said about him and what they kept in their memory of his noble passage at their side.
How does an unknown woman describe him?
This unknown woman, who later became a Muslim, was Umm Ma'bad. You wonder who this lady was who left in the history of Islam one of the most detailed descriptions, studied to this day and known to all the scholars of the religious sciences? What did she observe in him during that short stop in front of her tent while her husband was away? And above all, how did she describe him to him when he pointed out, on his return, that he could not understand where all that milk in the pail could have come from?
What you are about to read is not the words of a person accustomed to his gatherings or to his precious company in Mecca. It is not even the word of a Muslim woman full of love and admiration for Muhammad, the noble Prophet of Allah.
Let us put things back in their context.
This is the description of an unknown woman, a polytheist, living with her husband Abu Ma'bad, in the desert of Arabia, and at whose home our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, stopped while passing on the road of the Hijra towards Medina, being overcome by thirst in the desert while he was accompanied by his noble companion Abu Bakr and by his servant Amir, may Allah be pleased with them.
She had never seen these men and even less Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
After the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had asked her whether her husband was present and whether she had an animal to milk, she answered him that her husband had gone away and that she had only a goat which had not given milk for a long time. He asked her to show him the animal and for permission to milk it.
He wiped its udders with his holy hands and drew a pail of milk with which he gave drink to the lady first, then to the two noble companions, and served himself last. Then he drew more milk which he gave to Umm Ma'bad, asking her to keep it for her husband.
On the latter's return, he asked her where this milk came from, for there was no milk-giving animal in his home except his sick and unproductive goat. When his wife retorted to him that this was only the result of the visit of a man, he asked her to describe him to him. Here is the description that this very intelligent woman, who took the time to observe him, gave of him. Let us listen to her:
\"He was of great beauty. His face was luminous.
He had no belly.
His head was neither too small nor too large.
He was of a good average height.
His eyes were attractive, of a black contrasting with the white of his eye, and his lashes were thick.
His voice was beautiful and soft like the sound of a stream.
The outline of his eyes of a beautiful black as if drawn with Kohl.
His eyebrows were arched and his neck long and glowing.
His beard had only a few white hairs.
When he was silent, he was impressive.
When he spoke, his presence commanded wonder and he was of the utmost beauty. He spoke only very little, in a concise and precise manner, as if pearls were coming out of his mouth.
From afar he was the most beautiful of all, and up close the most wonderful and the best among them.
Neither too tall to the point of requiring one to raise one's gaze, nor too short to the point of lowering one's eyes, he was the most pleasant of the three to look at, always surrounded and protected by his Companions.
He was not sullen (he never frowned), nor did he hold a gaze in order to criticise.\"
Ibn Kathir mentions that her husband, at her words, cried out to her:
\"By Allah, this is the Qurayshi who is sought, and if I saw him, I would certainly follow him and would not fail to seek a path towards him\". They then went to Medina and converted.
Reported by Al Bayhaqi
Here is the detailed description by this woman of the desert from whom nothing escaped of the sublime features of our Prophet.
What was the description of the companions?
According to Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him:
\"His two central incisors left between them a gap which seemed, when he spoke, to let a light filter through. As for his neck, it was as beautiful as that of a doll made of pure silver. He had long lashes, a thick beard, a broad forehead, slightly long eyebrows without meeting between them, an aquiline nose, plump and glowing cheeks, and an upright torso. His belly and his chest were hairless (smooth). He had long arms and broad shoulders, the belly and the chest in harmony, the chest smooth and broad, long forearms, broad palms, the limbs of the body without defect, the heels rarely in contact with the ground when he moved. He walked on the tips of his feet, the body upright and well balanced, in a very easy manner\".
Ali Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, used to say of him:
\"He was neither tall to the point of appearing stretched, nor short to the point of appearing stocky, so of medium height. His hair was neither frizzy nor straight, but wavy. His face was neither full nor round, but somewhat rounded. His face was white of skin, though it had colour; his large eyes were of a vivid black, contrasting with the dazzling white, and topped with long, curved black lashes. His frame was imposing and his silhouette harmonious, and his torso was hairless except for a fine line of down which descended between his chest and his navel. His fingers were broad, as were his toes. His gait was full of vitality; one would have said he was going down a slope. When he turned, he did so entirely. Between his shoulders was the seal of Prophethood, and he is the seal of the Prophets. He had the most generous heart and was the most truthful of men; his nature was the gentlest and he was the most beneficent to his people. Whoever saw him for the first time was awed, and whoever kept company with him through acquaintance loved him. I have never seen anyone like him, neither before nor after\". [Tirmidhi]
Hind Ibn Abi Hala, the son from the first marriage of our mother Khadija, described the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to his nephew Al Hasan Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with them all, as follows:
\"His face was luminous and shone like a full moon. He was neither too tall nor too short. His hair was long but never went beyond the lobes of his ears, wavy and soft. His skin tone was of a dazzling white, slightly tinged with red. He had a broad forehead and long, fine, arched eyebrows that did not meet, with a vein that passed between them (which swelled when he was angry). His nose was aquiline and glowing, his mouth full and his teeth dazzling. His neck was slender, of a beautiful colour as if of silver. His body was firm and robust and his frame solid. He had no belly, and his chest was broad and hairless apart from a fine line of hair that went down to his navel. He had broad palms, soft as silk; his fingers were long and the soles of his feet were smooth, over which water would slide. He walked with dignity, upright, with a swift gait as if he were going down a slope. And when he turned, he did so with his whole body. His gaze was always lowered and he did not stare intensely at anything. He would ask His Companions to walk ahead of him and always began by greeting whoever crossed his path.\"
When Al Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, asked his uncle to describe his conduct to him, he continued thus:
\"The Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, when he was alone, was always sad, plunged in long reflections, and smiling when he kept company with anyone at all. He would remain silent for long moments and would begin and end his sentences with concise and clear words. He spoke only to say something important and became angry only for the limits of Allah. He was neither harsh in speech, nor coarse, and did not dwell on praise nor discredit anyone before him. He honoured favours even if they were insignificant in the eyes of some, and did not point out anything bad. When he made a sign, his gesture was complete. When he was astonished, he turned both his palms upward. And when he enumerated, he tapped with his right index finger on the palm of his left hand. And if he became angry (never to gain the upper hand for himself), he turned his face away. And when he rejoiced, he lowered his gaze. His laughter was more of a smile which revealed very white teeth like grains of hail.\"
As the scholars say, if distances are measured in centimetres and kilometres, and weights are measured in grams and kilograms, then the conduct of human beings should be measured against that of our beloved Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in order to know its value.
We pray to Allah to help us correct the failings of our conduct by casting a deeper look at the analysis of our behaviour compared to that of our Prophet.
May each one of us draw from the Sunnah to revive our heart and our love for him, in order to be loved by Allah as He, Glory be to Him, tells us in this verse:
"Say: \"If you truly love Allah, follow me, and Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." Surah 3 Verse 31
Sources:
Omar 'Abd El Kafi