Shamail Tirmidhi

Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I asked my maternal uncle Hind bin Abi Hala (because) he used to describe the blessed appearance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in great detail and clarity, and I wished that he would tell me such characteristics of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that I could firmly fix in my heart. So he said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) possessed a most magnificent and dignified personality. His blessed face shone like the full moon on the fourteenth night. His blessed stature was a little taller than average and a little shorter than very tall. His blessed head was (moderately) large. His blessed hair was somewhat curly. If the hair on his forehead parted, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would make a parting, otherwise, when his hair was long (wafrah), it would not extend beyond the earlobes. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a radiant and luminous complexion. His forehead was broad and spacious. He had long, fine, curved eyelashes which were complete and perfect, their edges not joined together. Between them was a vein that would swell with blood and become prominent when he was angry, and it was convex in the middle. The bridge of his blessed nose was thin and long, and above it a high light could be seen. Whoever did not look closely would think that the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) nose was raised in the middle. He had a thick beard and broad, smooth cheeks. His blessed teeth were spaced and wide. The hair on his chest formed a thin line down to the navel. His blessed neck was beautiful and shining like pure silver, like the neck of a finely crafted statue. He was of medium and balanced build, with a strong and well-proportioned body. The Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) chest and stomach were level and even. His blessed chest was broad. There was some distance and difference between his two shoulders. The joints of his bones were large and covered with flesh. The part of his body that was exposed by clothing or hair was bright and radiant. From the upper chest to the navel, the hair was joined in a line. The chest and stomach were free of hair, but there was hair on both arms, shoulders, and the upper part of the chest. The bones of his wrists and shins were long, and his palms were broad. The bones of his hands and feet were thick and strong. His fingers were long, and the soles of his feet were somewhat deep. His feet were smooth and so soft and delicate that water would not stay on them. When he walked, he would lean forward with strength. He would walk briskly with great calm and dignity. While walking, it seemed as if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was descending from a height to a lower ground. Whenever he turned to someone, he would turn completely. He would walk with his gaze lowered. The Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) gaze was more towards the ground than the sky. His habit was generally to look from the corner of his eye. He would make his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) walk ahead of him, and whoever he met, he would be the first to greet them with salam.”

Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I said, “Please mention something about the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) speech and conversation.” So he said: “The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was always sorrowful and deeply thoughtful. He never found comfort at any time. He would remain silent for long periods and would not speak without necessity. He would begin and end his speech with the name of Allah, the Exalted. His speech consisted of concise words. His speech was composed of distinct words and phrases. His words were so complete that there was neither deficiency nor excess in them. He was neither hard-hearted nor oppressive, nor was he short-sighted or one to consider anyone insignificant. If someone did him a favor, even if it was small, he would consider it great and would not criticize any part of their kindness. He would not find fault with any food or drink, nor would he praise it excessively. The world and all its affairs could not anger him, but if the truth was transgressed, nothing could restrain his anger until he had taken retribution. He would not become angry for his own sake, nor would he take revenge for himself. When he gestured, he would do so with his whole hand. When he expressed amazement at something, he would turn his palm over. When he spoke, his speech was accompanied by movement of his palm, and he would close his right palm on the inner side of his right thumb. When he was angry, he would turn away and avoid, and when he was happy, he would lower his gaze. The most he would laugh was only to the extent of a smile. When he smiled, his teeth appeared white like hailstones.”

Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) says: For some time, I did not mention these things to my brother, Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him). Then, when I did, I found out that he had already gone and learned these things before me, and I also learned that he had asked his respected father (Sayyiduna Ali al-Murtada, may Allah be pleased with him) about the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) coming and going at home and about his appearance. In short, he left nothing out. So Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I asked my respected father about the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) coming home, and he replied: “When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered his house, he would divide his time into three parts: one part for the worship and devotion of Allah, the second part for the rights and work of his family, and the third part for his own rights and work. Then he would divide his own portion between himself and the people, and he would give this portion to the general public through the special ones, and he would not keep any time for himself. One aspect of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) character was that in the portion for his community, he would give preference to people of virtue by his command, and he would distribute it according to their rank in religiousness. Among them, there would be someone with one need, someone with two needs, and someone with more needs. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would remain engaged in fulfilling such needs of theirs as were related to their own and the entire community’s reform. They would ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about good things, and he would answer them in a way suitable to their need or status. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say: ‘Those present here should convey my words to those who are absent. Likewise, convey the needs of those who cannot reach here to me. In return, Allah, the Exalted, will protect your feet from slipping on the Day of Resurrection.’ Only such reformative matters were discussed in his presence. He would not accept any other kind of talk. The elders would come to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and return with abundant knowledge, then go back to the people as guides to goodness and virtue.”

Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Then I asked Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) about the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) activities when he went out, and he replied: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would completely restrain his blessed tongue except for purposeful speech. He would try to unite people and would not make them averse to one another. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would honor the noble person of every community and appoint him as their leader. He would advise people to avoid evil deeds and would himself be cautious of them, but he would not harbor their evil or bad character in his heart at all. He would inquire about the conditions of his companions from one another, then praise the good and strengthen it, and point out the bad and try to weaken it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) always adopted moderation and never disagreed. He was never negligent, lest people also become negligent and deviate from the truth towards falsehood. For every difficult situation, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had preparations to deal with it, which kept him completely safe from any shortcoming or excess regarding the truth. Those who were most beloved would have the closest proximity to him. The best person in his sight in terms of rank was the one who was the most sincere, and the greatest in status was the one who was best in compassion and sympathy.”

Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Then I asked Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) about the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) manner of sitting, and he said: “Whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sat or stood, he would remember Allah, the Exalted. When he came to a gathering, he would sit wherever he found a place and would instruct (the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them) to do the same. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would give each person in the gathering his due share. His companion would not even think that anyone else was more honored in the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) sight than himself. Those who sat with him, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would remain seated until they left. If anyone asked him for something, he would surely give it or excuse himself gently. His cheerfulness and good character encompassed and included all people. He was like a father to them, and they all had equal rights in his presence. His gatherings were of knowledge, forbearance, modesty, trustworthiness, and patience, in which voices were not raised, respectable things were not criticized, nor were anyone’s faults publicized. Except for piety and righteousness, all were equal. All would treat each other with humility and modesty. The elders were respected and dignified, the young were shown mercy, the needy were given preference, and the traveler and stranger were cared for and protected.”

Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Then I asked my respected father about the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) character with his companions, and he replied: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was always cheerful and smiling, extremely gentle and kind, neither harsh nor hard-hearted, nor did he raise his voice, nor uttered indecent words, nor did he find fault with anyone, nor was he miserly. If he disliked something, he would ignore it. He would not disappoint or let down anyone who hoped for his goodness. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) protected himself from three things: argumentation, excessive talking or accumulating much wealth, and useless or purposeless talk. He refrained from three things concerning people: he would not criticize anyone, nor find fault, nor seek out anyone’s shortcomings. He would only speak that which he hoped would bring reward. When he spoke, everyone would lower their heads as if birds were perched on them. When he was silent, they would speak. People would not argue in his presence. Rather, whoever spoke, everyone would remain silent until he finished. He would listen to everyone’s words with the same attention as he listened to the first. He would laugh at what they laughed at, and be amazed at what amazed them. He would patiently bear the excessive speech or harshness of a stranger or traveler, and for this reason, his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) would wish that a stranger from the desert would come and ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) questions, so that they too could benefit. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say: ‘When you see someone asking for something he needs, then surely help him.’ He would accept only that praise which was free from exaggeration, and he would not interrupt anyone’s speech until he exceeded the limits; when he did, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would stop him or get up and leave.”