Noble
Features
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was neither very tall nor short in
stature. Among the people he appeared to rise higher than the others. His
complexion was white and reddish, head large, beard full and thick, hair black
and slightly curly and thick, sometimes touching his ear lobes and sometimes
reaching down to his shoulders. His eyes round, wide, black, attractive, with
red lines in the white parts and slanting thick brows parted in the middle. A
vein protruded between the two eyebrows, which became more prominent in anger.
His cheeks were even, soft and full. His teeth white and bright like pearls,
and he would never burst into laughter he would simply smile. He was of a
smiling countenance, soft-spoken, eloquent, and a man of all-round human
qualities. The Seal of Prophethood was between the two shoulders. He used to do
his work with his own hands
Children
Apart from Ibrâhim (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), who was born to
Maria Qibtiyah (Copt) (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ),
all his children were born to his first wife Khadijah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). First of all she gave birth to his son QAsim
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) who died in Makkah at the age of four
years. It is after his name that the Prophet (صلى الله
عليه وآله وسلم) came to be called Abul-QAsim (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) (father of QAsim (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ)). Thereafter for the Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم) she had Zainab (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) followed by Abdullâh (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) who was surnamed as Taiyib (pure) and Tâhir (clean). She then
gave birth to Ruqaiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ),
Umm Kulthum (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
and Fâtimah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
in order. While all his sons died in infancy, all his daughters grew up to be
married. But none except the youngest daughter Fâtimah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was blessed with progeny. She bore four
children to Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
bin Abu Tâlib, Hasan, Husain, Zainab and Umm Kulthum (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ).
Character
and Features
Various
States and Conditions of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه
وآله وسلم):
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) had become an orphan in the womb of his
mother and he began his life in hardships and difficulties. But when he
departed from this mortal world, he had the whole of Arabia under his authority
and none of the states of Arabia was beyond his control. But his simplicity,
purity and uprightness served as a guiding light throughout his life.
Bukhari reports Âishah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) to have said,
"The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
never preferred himself to anyone in worldly affairs. He would do his household
chores as you all do. He would milk the sheep and repair his shoes. When the
construction work of the Prophet's Mosque was being done, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) also participated in
the work like a common laborer carrying bricks for the mosque. He was one of
the workers digging the trench, breaking stones and carrying clay in
preparation for the Battle of the Confederates (also known as the Battle of the
Trench)."
His common diet was barley bread of
unsieved flour. But even the barley was sometimes not available for days at a
time. Sometimes no fire was lighted in the hearth of his houses, and members of
the Prophet's household had to live on dates and water. He never openly
disliked any food nor criticized it. He would eat from whatever was served to
him and held himself back when he wasn't hungry or when the food was
disagreeable to him."
When Âishah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was asked about his bedding she related,
"It was made of coarse animal skin filled with date-bark." When the
same question was repeated to Hafsah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْھَا) (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ),
she said, "It was just a piece of sackcloth. One night I folded it in four
parts to make it more comfortable for the Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم). The next morning he asked as to what I
had spread as the bedding. I told him that it was the same piece of sackcloth,
but I had folded it in four parts to give him more comfort. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) asked me to make it
as it was because it held him back from performing the night prayer."
The Prophet's coat of mail had been
pawned with a Jew in return for 30 dirhams but he didn't have enough money to
get it back from him.
The Messenger of Allâh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) departed from the
world and the coat of mail was still with the Jew. He left his weapons, a mule
and a coat of mail as inheritance but with the instructions that these things
were to be given in charity.
Are they not blind who accuse him of
lifting his sword against his own people for (Allâh forbid) personal gain,
sensual desire, for power, wealth or for fulfilling a lust for territorial
gain?
Anas (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) says, "I came to the Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم) when I was only 8 years old and served
the Prophet of Allâh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
for 10 years. During such a long time he never uttered a painful word nor
blamed me for doing anything wrong."
Abu Hurairah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) relates that once the people said to him,
"Please invoke on the polytheists, the curse of Allâh." He replied,
"I have not been sent to invoke the curse of Allâh; I have rather been
sent by Allâh as mercy for mankind."
Âishah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) says, "His taste and temperament had nothing to do with
nonsensical things." He would lift children in his lap to play with them,
go to far off places to fulfill the needs of the sick. He would be the first to
salute others and never pulled his hand back after a handshake before the other
did. He would call his Companions with their surnames out of respect and
addressed them with suitable and likeable names. He would never cut in while
anybody was talking. However, he would forbid anyone from talking nonsense or
he would get up to stop it.
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