Muslims in Calgary http://muslimsincalgary.ca Lineage and Physical Attributes of the Prophets Author : Younus Kathrada Ranks of Messengers Back to Basics: Pillars of Faith The Fourth Pillar: Belief in the Messengers The Messengers vary in their level of superiority. Allah, the Exalted, said (what means), {Those Messengers - some of them We caused to exceed others.} (Quran http://muslimsincalgary.ca/lineage-and-physical-attributes-of-the-prophets/ 1 / 7
2:253) The best of Messengers are Ulu al-`azm (those of strong will), and they are five: Noah, may Allah exalt his mention, Abraham, may Allah exalt his mention, Moses, may Allah exalt his mention, `Isa, may Allah exalt his mention, and Muhammad (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) and they are mentioned when Allah, the Exalted, said (what means), {And [mention, O Muhammad], when We took from the Prophets their covenant and from you and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus, the son of Mary; and We took from them a solemn covenant.} (Quran 33:7) The best among those who are referred to as Ulu al-`azm are the two close friends of Allah, the Exalted,, Abraham, (may the Salam of Allah be upon him), and Muhammad, (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him), and the better of the two is Muhammad (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him). Islam is the Religion of all Messengers The message of all Prophets and Messengers was united in the root and fundamentals of worship, as in Allah s monotheism, unifying Him in all actions of worship in belief, action, and statement, and abandoning worship of anything besides Him. Allah said (what means), {And We certainly sent unto every nation a Messenger, [saying], Worship Allah and avoid Taghut. } (Quran 16:36) {And We sent not before you any Messenger except that We revealed to him that, There is no deity except Me, so worship Me. } (Quran 21:25) As for their legislations, then they differ in orders, prohibitions, the lawful, and the unlawful. Allah, the Exalted, said (what means), {To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good.} (Quran 5:48) http://muslimsincalgary.ca/lineage-and-physical-attributes-of-the-prophets/ 2 / 7
Allah, the Exalted, might make prayer and fasting, as well as other actions compulsory actions of worship, obligatory on them, but would not make it obligatory on others. He would prohibit some things for some of them but would make it lawful for others. This is all a test from Allah, the Exalted, {That He might test you as to which of you is best in deed.} (Quran 11:7) Allah, the Exalted, legislates for every nation that which is appropriate for its situation and time, and would be a guarantee to reform them, while containing its benefits. However, as it pertains to the religion, then it is one. Allah, the Exalted, said (what means), {Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam.} (Quran 3:19) As for the creed, then it is also the same, because the Messenger of Allah (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) said, "The Prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one." (Reported by al-bukhari and Muslim) The meaning is that the Prophets are similar to paternal brothers in that their religion is one, as in unifying Allah, the Exalted, in worship, but their mothers are different, as in the specifics of legislation. Muhammad (pbuh) is the Finality of Prophets His Name and Lineage He is Muhammad ibn `Abdullah ibn `Abd al-muttalib ibn Hashim ibn `Abd Manaf ibn Qusai ibn Kilab ibn Murrah ibn Ka`b ibn Lu ai ibn Ghalib ibn Fihr ibn Malik ibn al-nadhr ibn Kinanah ibn Khuzaimah ibn Mudrakah ibn Ilyas ibn Mudhar ibn Nizar ibn Ma`d ibn `Adnan. His mother s name was Aminah bint Wahb ibn `Abd Manaf ibn Zuhrah. He was born in the Year of the Elephant which coincides with 571 C.E. He was born in Makkah and grew up therein as an orphan. His father died while he was still unborn, then his mother died when he was 6 years of age, and he was then taken in by his grandfather, `Abdul Muttalib and when he died, his uncle Abu Talib took care of him; he grew up in the care and protection of Abu Talib. His Physical and Behavioral Attributes http://muslimsincalgary.ca/lineage-and-physical-attributes-of-the-prophets/ 3 / 7
Allah, the Exalted, bestowed his Prophet Muhammad (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) with great and lofty attributes; he had great behavioral attributes that were manifested in his upright dealings, and physical attributes that were manifested in his honorable body and pure limbs. He (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) was the best of people in physical and behavioral attributes. Among his physical attributes was that he was of medium height, as al-bara ibn `Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) informed, saying, The Prophet (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) was of medium height, had wide shoulders, and had hair that reached his earlobes. I saw him in a red garment; I never saw anything better looking than him. (Reported by al-bukhari) The Prophet (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) had a white complexion with soft hands and a beautiful scent. This is indicated in the statement of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), when he said, Allah s Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) had a very fair complexion and (the drops) of his perspiration shone like pearls, and when he walked, he walked inclining forward, and I never touched brocade and silk (and found it) as soft as the softness of the palm of Allah's Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) and I never smelt musk or ambergris and found its fragrance as sweet as the fragrance of Allah's Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him). Umm Sulaim (may Allah be pleased with her) used to gather his sweat. Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said, Allah s Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) entered upon us and took a nap at our house. My mother came with a bottle and began gathering his sweat in it. The Prophet (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) woke and said, "O Um Sulaim, what are you doing?" She said, We put your sweat in our perfume, and it is of the best. (Reported by Muslim) His face (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) was beautiful and bright, especially if he became happy. `Abdullah ibn Ka`b said, I heard Ka`b ibn Malik speak regarding when he stayed back from the battle of Tabuk, saying, When I gave greetings of peace to Allah s Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) his face was bright. Whenever he would become happy, his face would brighten, as if it was a part of the moon, and we used to know that he was happy. (Reported by al-bukhari) His face (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) was round like the sun and moon. Al-Bara ibn `Azib was asked about the face of the Prophet (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) and if it was like a sword, and he said, No, rather, like http://muslimsincalgary.ca/lineage-and-physical-attributes-of-the-prophets/ 4 / 7
the moon. (Reported by al-bukhari) In the narration of Muslim, it states, It was like the sun and moon; it was round. The Prophet (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) used to have a thick beard, as one of his Companions, Jabir ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) described him, saying, He had abundant hair in his beard. (Reported by Muslim) He had large hands and beautiful hair. In the report from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) he said, The Prophet (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) had large hands, and I have not seen hands like his after him. The hair of the Prophet (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) was wavy, neither too curly nor too straight. (Reported by al-bukhari) The great Companion, Jabir ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) described him, saying, Allah s Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) had a wide mouth, his eyes were slightly red and wide, and (he had) thin heels. (Reported by Muslim) He had the seal of Prophethood between his shoulders, and it was something that was apparent on his body, similar to a beauty mark. Jabir ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) said, I saw the seal that was at his shoulders, and it was similar to the egg of a pigeon, and its color was that of his body. (Reported by Muslim) Of his characteristics (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) is that he was given more strength than others, and of that is his strength in war. `Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, If the fighting became intense, and the two warring parties met, we would seek protection with Allah s Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him). None among us would be as close to the enemy as he would. (Reported by Ahmad and al-hakim) As for his behavioral attributes, then Allah, the Exalted, has praised him more than once. Allah, the Exalted, said (what means), {And indeed, you are of a great moral character.} (Quran 68:4) {And indeed, [O Muhammad], you receive the Quran from one Wise and Knowing.} (Quran 27:6) {Indeed, We have sent you, [O Muhammad], with the truth as a bearer of good http://muslimsincalgary.ca/lineage-and-physical-attributes-of-the-prophets/ 5 / 7
tidings and a warner, and you will not be asked about the companions of Hellfire.} (Quran 2:119) {And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.} (Quran 21:107) {There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.} (Quran 33:21) Sa`d ibn Hisham said, I asked `Aishah, and said, Tell me of the mannerisms of Allah s Messenger (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him). She said, His mannerism was the Quran [i.e. he abided by all the commands of the Quran and complied with all its teachings]. (Reported by Ahmad) Subscribe to our Newsletter: Examples of his behavioral characteristics are that he was humble but struck awe, shy but brave, truly generous without the love of becoming famous, trustworthy, as was famously known amongst the people, honest in statement and action, ascetic in this world when it approached him, not looking back at it after it went away, and sincere to Allah, the Exalted, in everything he did. He had an eloquent tongue, firm heart, strong intellect, good understanding, mercy for the old and young, kindness, softness in feelings, and love of pardoning and forgiving those who showed misconduct. He was far away from harshness and hard-heartedness, patient during severe times, and was bold in stating the truth. He (may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon him) would look down at the floor more than he would at the sky, and initiate greetings of peace to whomever he saw. He did not have a scent, was often silent and would only speak if there was a need. He would begin and end his speech with the Name of Allah, and would speak using concise http://muslimsincalgary.ca/lineage-and-physical-attributes-of-the-prophets/ 6 / 7
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) words that contained many meanings. His speech was in the middle; it was not too long nor too short. He would honor the blessings, even if it was small. He never shamed any food, rejected something present, or asked for something not present; if he had desire for the food, he would eat it, and if not, he would either leave it or say that he did not want it. Nothing of this world would anger him, but if someone transgressed against the truth, nothing would stand in the way of his anger, until he would stand up for the truth. He would not become angry for his own self, nor would he seek vengeance. If he became angry, he would turn away and avoid, and if he became happy, he would look away. When he would laugh, mostly, he would be smiling. http://muslimsincalgary.ca/lineage-and-physical-attributes-of-the-prophets/ 7 / 7