LIFE : THE CHARACTER AND APPEARANCE OF OUR PROPHET MUHAMMAD SAW

"The Prophet 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."The Majesty of Our ProphetNarrated by Hasan:"Our Messenger of God was, by nature, imposing and magnificent."

The Radiant Face of Our ProphetAnas 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 was of a splendorous white."

The Powerful Body of Our ProphetHis 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."

The Stature of Our ProphetBaraa 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."

The Beautiful Eyes of Our ProphetAbu 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 . . . "

The Complexion of Our ProphetAbu Huraira (ra) reports:"He was reddish-white . . ."

The Hair of Our ProphetAisha (ra) reports "The blessed hair of The Messenger of God was longer than those that reached the earlobes, and shorter than those that reached the shoulders."

The Beard of Our ProphetHe had a thick, dense beard The Beautiful Mouth of Our Prophet 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 . . ."

The Manner of Dress of Our ProphetJundub 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.

The Manner of Sitting of Our ProphetQaylah bint Makhramah reports:"I saw the Messenger of God in the mosque (in a very humble posture) sitting. Due to his awe-inspiring personality, I began shiveringThe Manner of Speaking of Our ProphetThe Prophet ) was the greatest of the Arabs in oratory and beauty of speech. He said: 'I am the greatest orator among the Arabs.

The Smiling Face of Our ProphetAs recalled by Ali:"The Messenger of God )... was the one who smiled the most and the most joyful of all."

The Glances of Our ProphetHasan, the grandson of our Prophet described the way he looked at things as follows:"The way he looked was extremely expressive .The Pleasant Scent of Our Prophet

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."

The Affection for Others of Our ProphetAnas bin Malik (ra) relates: "I remained in the service of the Messenger of God ) 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."

The Superior Moral Values of Our Prophet"God's Messenger, 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."

The Modesty of Our Prophet". . . 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.

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 :"Cleanlines s is piety"AppearanceMuhammad (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.