Chapter: The description of the Prophet (saws)

(Once) Abu Bakr offered the `Asr prayer and then went out walking and saw Al-Hasan playing with the boys. He lifted him on to his shoulders and said, " Let my parents be sacrificed for your sake! (You) resemble the Prophet (ﷺ) and not `Ali," while `Ali was smiling.

I saw the Prophet, and Al-Hasan resembled him.

I heard Abii Juhaifa saying, "I saw the Prophet, and Al-Hasan bin `Ali resembled him." I said to Abu- Juhaifa, "Describe him for me." He said, "He was white and his beard was black with some white hair. He promised to give us 13 young she-camels, but he expired before we could get them."

I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) and saw some white hair below his lower lip above the chin.

That he asked `Abdullah bin Busr (i.e. the companion of the Prophet), "Did you see the Prophet (ﷺ) when he was old?" He said, "He had a few white hairs between the lower lip and the chin."

I heard Anas bin Malik describing the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "He was of medium height amongst the people, neither tall nor short; he had a rosy color, neither absolutely white nor deep brown; his hair was neither completely curly nor quite lank. Divine Inspiration was revealed to him when he was forty years old. He stayed ten years in Mecca receiving the Divine Inspiration, and stayed in Medina for ten more years. When he expired, he had scarcely twenty white hairs in his head and beard." Rabi`a said, "I saw some of his hairs and it was red. When I asked about that, I was told that it turned red because of scent. "

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was neither very tall nor short, neither absolutely white nor deep brown. His hair was neither curly nor lank. Allah sent him (as an Apostle) when he was forty years old. Afterwards he resided in Mecca for ten years and in Medina for ten more years. When Allah took him unto Him, there was scarcely twenty white hairs in his head and beard.

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was the handsomest of all the people, and had the best appearance. He was neither very tall nor short.

I asked Anas, "Did the Prophet (ﷺ) use to dye (his) hair?" He said, "No, for there were only a few white hairs on his temples."

The Prophet (ﷺ) was of moderate height having broad shoulders (long) hair reaching his ear-lobes. Once I saw him in a red cloak and I had never seen a more handsome than him."

Al-Bara' was asked, "Was the face of the Prophet (as bright) as a sword?" He said, "No, but (as bright) as a moon."

Once Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went to Al-Batha' at noon, performed the ablution and offered' a two rak`at Zuhr prayer and a two-rak`at `Asr prayer while a spearheaded stick was planted before him and the passersby were passing in front of it. (After the prayer), the people got up and held the hands of the Prophet and passed them on their faces. I also took his hand and kept it on my face and noticed that it was colder than ice, and its smell was nicer than musk.

The Prophet (ﷺ) was the most generous of all the people, and he used to become more generous in Ramadan when Gabriel met him. Gabriel used to meet him every night during Ramadan to revise the Qur'an with him. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) then used to be more generous than the fast wind.

That Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came to her in a happy mood with his features glittering with joy, and said, "Have you not heard what the Qaif has said about Zaid and Us-ama? He saw their feet and remarked. These belong to each other." (i.e. They are father and son.)

I heard Ka`b bin Malik talking after his failure to join (the Ghazwa of) Tabuk. He said, "When I greeted Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) whose face was glittering with happiness, for whenever Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was happy, his face used to glitter, as if it was a piece of the moon, and we used to recognize it (i.e. his happiness) from his face."

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "I have been sent (as an Apostle) in the best of all the generations of Adam's offspring since their Creation."

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to let his hair hang down while the infidels used to part their hair. The people of the Scriptures were used to letting their hair hang down and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) liked to follow the people of the Scriptures in the matters about which he was not instructed otherwise. Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) parted his hair.

Whenever Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was given the choice of one of two matters, he would choose the easier of the two, as long as it was not sinful to do so, but if it was sinful to do so, he would not approach it. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) never took revenge (over anybody) for his own sake but (he did) only when Allah's Legal Bindings were outraged in which case he would take revenge for Allah's Sake.

I have never touched silk or Dibaj (i.e. thick silk) softer than the palm of the Prophet (ﷺ) nor have I smelt a perfume nicer than the sweat of the Prophet.

The Prophet (ﷺ) was shier than a veiled virgin girl.

The Prophet (ﷺ) never criticized any food (presented him), but he would eat it if he liked it; otherwise, he would leave it (without expressing his dislike).

When the Prophet (ﷺ) prostrated, he used to keep his arms so widely apart that we used to see his armpits. (The sub-narrator, Ibn Bukair said, "The whiteness of his armpits.")

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not use to raise his hands in his invocations except in the Istisqa (i.e. invoking Allah for the rain) in which he used to raise his hands so high that one could see the whiteness of his armpits. (Note: It may be that Anas did not see the prophet (as) raising his hands but it has been narrated that the Prophet (as) used to raise his hands for invocations other than Istisqa. See Hadith No. 612 Vol. 5. and Hadith No. 807 & 808 Vol 2.)

By chance I went to the Prophet (ﷺ) at noon while he was at Al-Abtah (resting) in a tent. Bilal came out (of the tent) and pronounced the Adhan for the prayer, and entering again, he brought out the water which was left after Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had performed the ablution. The people rushed to take some of the water. Bilal again went in and brought out a spear-headed stick, and then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came out. As if I were now looking at the whiteness of his leg. Bilal fixed the stick and the Prophet (ﷺ) offered a two-rak`at Zuhr prayer and a two-rak`at `Asr prayer, while women and donkeys were passing in front of the Prophet (beyond the stick).

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to talk so clearly that if somebody wanted to count the number of his words, he could do so. Narrated `Urwa bin Az-Zubair: `Aisha said (to me), "Don't you wonder at Abu so-and-so who came and sat by my dwelling and started relating the traditions of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) intending to let me hear that, while I was performing an optional prayer. He left before I finished my optional prayer. Had I found him still there. I would have said to him, 'Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) never talked so quickly and vaguely as you do.' "