Any person interested in understanding the character of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and grant him peace) should first understand the human qualities that can be classified into any of the two categories:
- The qualities which are ingrained and part of the basic required traits for this life. These are needed for day-to-day lives of human beings;
- The qualities which are part of the requirement of the religion. These bring a person closer to Allah.
Further, these two types of qualities may be either purely innate or acquired; or a combination of both.
As far as inborn characters are concerned, a person has no choice or control over them. These qualities include physical features, strength of mental faculties, power of limbs, eloquence and nobility of family and lineage. The behaviour emanating from these primary assets may be useful for everyday life in this world. However, with proper intention of pleasing Allah and by abiding by the dos and don’ts prescribed in the Shari’ah these abilities become useful for the life hereafter too. Further features of the character required for success hereafter include good manners and behaviour, dignity and decorum, humility, modesty, forbearance and perseverance, guarding the tongue, gravity, mercy, chastity and generosity.
Some persons may possess some of these qualities naturally and attain them easily, while others may have to make concerted efforts to inculcate and acquire them. Even when the intention of a person is not to please Allah and get success in the hereafter, these abilities are considered desirable and virtuous by every human being as it is ingrained in human nature.
Even if a person possesses any one or two of the innate and acquired qualities, as referred to above, the person is considered worthy in the eyes of other human beings and taken as a role model in that area. However, we find all the qualities, whether related to bodily features and lineage or other mental, physical, social or moral attributes, in the highest form in the personality of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and grant him peace). These are special gifts from the Lord to His dearest servant, the Messenger on whom prophethood closed and to whom close friendship and particular bondage with Allah was granted.
We find these specialities which were not bestowed to any person earlier and would not be provided anymore to anybody in the form of the Night Journey in which he was blessed with a vision of Allah, leading the prayers of all the prophets, intercession for guilty persons, messenger for all humanity, the harbinger of good tidings from, and warner of consequences of disregarding Allah, a mercy to all the worlds, provided with abundance and the pool of Kawthar, the support of angels, the establishment of the commandments of Allah on earth through him, the swearing of Allah by his name, the answering of his supplications, his innumerable miracles, his level of knowledge of the Unseen and a lot more.
In addition to these, there are singular ranks, degrees of purity, happiness and other bounties of Allah that have been earmarked for the Prophet in the eternal life, hereafter. Our imaginations may not grasp and encompass all that is in store for him provided particularly by Almighty Allah.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPHET’S PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES
Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and grant him peace) was a charismatic and handsome person. Many of his companions reported features of his attractive personality in their respective words and their descriptions are recorded in various traditions, including those from Ali, Anas bin Malik, Abu Hurayra, Al-Bara ibn Azib, Ibn abi Hala, Abu Juhayfa, Jabir bin Samura, Umm Ma’bad, Ibn Abbas, Mu’arrid ibn Mu’ayqib, Abu Tufayl, Al-Ida ibn Khalid, Khuraym ibn Fatik, Hakim ibn Hazam and others (may Allah be pleased with all of them). A summary of the features of the Prophet based on these narratives is presented below.
The face of the Prophet was not quite round but inclined to roundness, broad forehead, and slanting thick brows parted in the middle. His colour was neither white like lime, nor tanned, but brown with predominant whiteness. The eyes were black, with long eyelashes and drooping red lines in the white parts, wide sockets, and natural grey corners. The nose was somewhat high with unique brightness whereby it looked large at first sight. The cheeks were even and soft, a bit of flesh drooping at the lower end. The mouth was moderately wide. The teeth were thin and bright, symmetrical, with openings in the front, a light seemed to sparkle from them while talking. The beard was full and thick. The neck was thin and long, beautifully chiselled and white like silver. The head was large but symmetrical. The hairs were neither quite straight nor sheep-like, slightly curly, thick, sometimes touching ear lobes and sometimes reaching up to shoulders and parted in the middle. The body had not had much hair while a line of hair ran from the chest to the navel. There were some hairs on the shoulders, arms and upper chest.
The general structure of the body was well built, bones joining limbs large and strong, neither tall nor short, small but middle-sized. Inclined to be tall and appeared to rise higher than others. The abdomen was not protruding. Broad chest and even with the abdomen. Width between shoulders more than usual. The portion between the shoulders was fleshy. Wrists were large with wide palms and symmetrically large fingers. Feet were fleshy, lower parts of feet little hollow with very little flesh on the heels.
Abu Hurairah said about the Prophet, “I have not seen anyone more beautiful than the Messenger of Allah. It was as if the sun was shining in his face.”
Jabir ibn Samura was asked whether the face of the Prophet was like a sword. He replied, “No, it was like the sun and the moon. It was round.”
The most graphic description of the Prophet was given by an old woman at whose house the Prophet stopped on his way from the Cave of Thaur to Madinah and her goats gave so much milk that the Prophet and his companions were fully satisfied and yet there was much left over. When the old woman’s husband returned home and expressed his surprise, the woman described the Prophet as follows:
“Handsome features, bright face, likeable temperament, neither the abdomen protruding nor hair of the head fallen out, graceful, handsome, eyes black and large, hair long and thick, voice clear, long neck, bright black of the eye, natural grey corners, thin and drooping eyelashes, black and curly hair, silent with dignity inclined to cordiality, graceful and captivating at a distance and very sweet and most handsome from near, talk sweet and words clear, neither more nor less than necessary, all talk consistent, middle-sized, neither short to look insignificant nor tall to look unbecoming, a fresh twig of a handsome plant, charming to look at and well- built. His companions are so devoted that they always surround him, quietly listen to what he says and promptly obey what he orders. Obeyed, liked, neither verbose nor cryptic.”
Ali said, “Anyone who saw him suddenly was filled with reverence. Those who kept his company loved him.” Ali further added that they had not seen anyone like him before or since.