All the Prophets were invariably handsome and belonged to noble lineage. They were embodiments of all forms of perfections, possessing the best of qualities in human beings with good characters, attractive features and fine behaviour. They were assigned by Allah to function as guides to humanity in all aspects of life, spiritual or otherwise. All the traits of perfections of the Prophets culminated into the person of the last Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace.
All the Prophets were on the right path. They were severally selected by Allah to be His Messengers and so there is no distinction between them as to their truthfulness. However, Allah has made different ranks among them as mentioned in the Qur’an, “Those messengers: We preferred some of them, some above the others: To some of them Allah spoke directly; others He raised to degrees (of honour); to Isa the son of Maryam, We gave clear (signs), and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit.” [the Qur’an 2:253]
Allah also said, “And We chose them before above the nations, with knowledge.” [The Qur’an 44:32]
We know about the physical features and specific traits of some of the Prophets as Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace, has described in various traditions.
The Last Prophet said about Musa, may Allah bestow peace on him, “I saw Musa, he was tall with curly hairs. He resembled the tribesmen of Shanua.” Another tradition described him as the best of men ever seen with a dark complexion.
About Isa, son of Maryam, may Allah bestow peace to them, he said, “He was of medium height with a reddish face as if he had come out of a hot bath.”
He said about himself that he resembled Ibrahim, may Allah bestow peace on him.
The good lineage of the Prophets is a relevant factor about their truthfulness. That is why Heraclius while cross-examining Abu Sufian, who was an enemy of the Prophet at that time, had said, “I questioned you about his lineage and you said he was of a good lineage among you, and that is how all the Prophets have been sent, from the noble families of their people.”
The Qur’an has also discussed and described some of the prophets:
About Prophet Ayyub, may Allah bestow His peace to him, the Qur’an says, “We found him full of patience and constancy. How well in our services did he ever return (to us)!” [The Qur’an 38:44]
About Prophet Yahya, may Allah bestow peace on him, Allah says, “O Yahya! Hold on to the Book with strength: And even as a youth, We gave him wisdom. And pity as from Us, and purity: He was truly pious. And kind to his parents, and he was not overbearing nor rebellious. And peace on him, the day he was born the day he dies, and the day he will be raised (again) to life.” [The Qur’an 19:12-15]
Zakaria, may Allah bestow peace on him, was given the good tiding of a son while he was standing in prayer in his chamber. The angels called on to him and announced, “Allah does give you the good news of Yahya verifying the truth of a Word from Allah, and (of one) noble, chaste and, and a prophet – from the noble company of the righteous.” [The Qur’an 3:39]
As regards Isa, may Allah bestow peace on him, the Qur’an says, “When the angels said: O Maryam! Verily, Allah gives you good news of a Word from Him: Son of Maryam, his name will be Masih, Isa held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest (to Allah).” [The Qur’an 3:45]
Allah quotes Prophet Isa, son of Maryam, may Allah bestow peace to them, as saying, “Indeed I am a servant of Allah: He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet; and He has made me blessed wherever I be, and has commanded for me prayer and charity as long as I live.” [The Qur’an 19:30-31]
Allah tells that Musa, may Allah bestow peace on him, said, “My Lord has granted me judgement and made me one of His messengers.” [The Qur’an 26:21
Allah recounts the statements of several messengers by their name who addressed their people and said, “I am to you a messenger fit for all trust (honest).” [The Qur’an 26:107]
While referring to Ibrahim, may Allah bestow peace on him, Allah said, “And We blessed him with Ishaq and Yaqoob. We guided them all as We previously guided Nuh and those among his descendants: Daud, Sulaiman, Ayyub, Yusuf, Musa, and Haroon. This is how We reward the good-doers. Likewise, We guided Zakariah, Yahya, Isa, and Ilyas, who were all of the righteous. We also guided Ismael, Yasa, Yunus, and Lut, favouring each over other people of their time. And We favoured some of their forefathers, their descendants, and their brothers. We chose them and guided them to the straight path. This is Allah’s guidance with which He guides whoever He wills of His servants. Had they associated others with Him in worship, their good deeds would have been wasted. Those were the ones to whom We gave the Scripture, wisdom, and prophethood. But if these pagans disbelieve in this message, then We have already entrusted it to a people who will never disbelieve in it. These prophets were rightly guided by Allah, so follow their guidance. Say, ‘I ask no reward of you for this Quran’ – it is a reminder to the whole world.” [The Qur’an 6:84-90]
In the following verses Allah describes the characters, qualities, judgements, roles and functions of some prophets.
Guests visited Ibrahim, may Allah bestow peace on him, and he served them food. They were angels in human forms and they did not eat. Allah describes the situation, “They did not eat, so he grew fearful of them. They reassured him, ‘Do not be afraid,’ and gave him good news of a knowledgeable son. [The Qur’an 51:28]. This was a good tiding about a son, “So We gave him good news of a forbearing son.” [The Qur’an 37:101]
Allah says, “Indeed, before them We tested Firon’s people: a noble messenger came to them, proclaiming, ‘Hand over the servants of Allah to me. I am truly a trustworthy messenger to you.” [The Qur’an 44:17-18]
Allah described the steadfastness of Ibrahim when he informed his son Ismael, may Allah bestow peace to both of them, regarding his dream for sacrificing him in these words, “Then when the boy reached the age to work with him, Ibrahim said, ‘O my dear son! I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice you. So, tell me what you think.’ He replied, ‘O my dear father! Do as you are commanded. Allah willing, you will find me steadfast.” [The Qur’an 37:102]
Allah has praised the character of Ismael, may Allah bestow peace on him, in these words, “And mention in the Book O Prophet! The story of Ismael. He was truly a man of his word, and was a messenger and a prophet. [The Qur’an 19:54]
The devotion and character of Musa, may Allah bestow peace on him, has been recorded in the Qur’an, “And mention in the Book O Prophet! The story of Musa. He was truly a chosen man, and was a messenger and a prophet.” [The Qur’an 19:51] Further, Allah said, “Musa assured him, ‘You will find me patient, Allah willing, and I will not disobey you, even a little.” [The Qur’an 18:69]
Regarding Sulaiman, may Allah bestow peace on him, Allah said, “And We blessed Daud with Sulaiman – what an excellent servant he was! Indeed, he constantly turned to Allah.” [The Qur’an 38:30]
Such description of the various Prophets is available in the Qur’an including the following:
“And remember Our servants: Ibrahim, Ishaq, and Yaqub – the men of strength and insight. We truly chose them for the honour of proclaiming the hereafter. And in Our sight they are truly among the chosen and the finest.” [The Qur’an 38:45-47]
“Be patient O Prophet with what they say. And remember Our servant, Daud, the man of strength. Indeed, he constantly turned to Allah.” [The Qur’an 38:17]
“Yusuf proposed, ‘Put me in charge of the store-houses of the land, for I am truly reliable and adept.” [The Qur’an 12:55]
The Qur’an has described in great details the character of Daud and his son Sulaiman, may Allah bestow peace on both of them, who were mighty kings. Despite the wealth they possessed and powers they commanded, they were embodiments of what prophets were.
The Qur’an said, “We strengthened his (Daud’s) kingship, and gave him wisdom and sound judgment.” [The Qur’an 38:20]
Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace, also described their piety and the quality of slave of Allah they were. One such narration of Prophet Daud follows:
“The prayer which Allah loves most is that of Daud. The fast which Allah loves most is that of Daud. He used to sleep for half of the night, stand up for a third and sleep for a sixth. He would fast every other day. He wore wool and slept on hair. He ate barley bread with salt and ashes. He mixed his drinks with tears. He was never seen to laugh after his error of the inaccurate judgement (in which he had formed an opinion in a case presented by one party before hearing from the second party). He would not look directly at the sky because of his shyness before his Lord and he continued to weep for the rest of his life. It is said that he wept until the plants sprang from his tears and until the tears formed ridges in his cheeks. It is said that he went out in disguise to learn what people thought of him, and hearing himself praised only made him humbler.”
All these reports of good characters, handsome personalities and best manners about the prophets of Allah are well-known and any report otherwise about any one of them from any book or source of information is worth outright rejection. They were the guides and role models for other human beings and they were made perfect for that sake by Allah.