The companions of the Prophet (saas) have passed on a great many detail about him, from the beauty of that blessed individual’s external appearance, his radiance and disposition that left those who beheld him in awe, to his smile, and many other beautiful aspects that Allah had manifested in him. There were a fair number of such companions, and they have given many details of his great beauty. Those Muslims who lived at the same time as the Prophet (saas) have described many aspects of the servant of Allah. While some of those describe him in broad terms, others have given long and detailed descriptions. Some of these accounts are as follows:



The Prophet (saas)’s external appearance and beauty



His companions described the beauty of the Prophet (saas) in these terms:



“The Prophet (saas) had a most handsome constitution. Some gave the smile of his beauty to that of the full moon…His nose was thin… His face was smooth…His beard was thick…His neck was the most beautiful…If the rays of the sun fell on his neck, it appeared like a cup of silver mixed with gold… The place between his shoulders was wide.”67



Anas bin Malik (ra) says:



“The Messenger of Allah, was not excessively tall or short. He was not very pallid nor dark. He did not have curly hair or lank hair. Allah commissioned him at the age of forty. He stayed in Mecca ten years and at Medina for ten years and Allah the Mighty, the Majestic made him die when he was sixty. There were not twenty white hairs in his hair or beard, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.”68



A text in which Ali (ra) describes the physical and moral beauty and the perfect behavior of the Prophet (saas), as well as the love and respect people feel for him.



“Rasulullah (saas) was so clean, clear, beautiful and handsome.”69



Anas bin Malik (ra) says:



“The Prophet (saas) was neither tall nor short. He was handsome. His hair was neither delicate nor curly. He was neither very white, nor very brown.”70



Your friend is only Allah and His Messenger and those who believe.



(Surat al-Ma’ida: 55)



He is Allah – there is no god but Him. He is the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible. He is the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful.



(Surat al-Hashr: 22)



Baraa bin Aazib (ra) relates:



“I never saw someone more handsome than Rasullullah. His hair reached his shoulders. The portion between his two shoulders was wide. He was neither very tall nor very short.”71



Ibrahim b. Muhammed (ra), one of the grandsons of Ali (ra), informs us:



“When Ali (ra) described the Prophet (saas) he said:



‘He was neither very tall nor excessively short, but was a man of medium size. He had neither very curly nor flowing hair but a mixture of both… He was reddish-white, he had wide black eyes and long eyelashes. He had protruding joints and shoulder-blades… Between his shoulders was the seal of prophecy… He had a finer chest than anyone else, was truer in utterance than anyone else, had the gentlest nature and the noblest lineage. Those who saw him stood suddenly in awe of him and those who shared his acquaintance loved him. Those who described him said they had never seen anyone like him before or since’.”72



Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah, If anyone turns away, we did not send you to them as their keeper.



(Surat an-Nisa: 80)



Hassan (ra) says:



“He had great qualities and attributes, others also held him in high esteem. His blessed face shone like the full moon. He was slightly taller than a man of middle height, but shorter than a tall person…His blessed hair was slightly twisted. If his hair became parted naturally in the middle he left it so, otherwise he did not habitually make an effort to part his hair in the middle…Rasulullah (saas) had a very luminous complexion (color), and a wide forehead. His eye brows were of dense and fine hair …



… His neck was beautiful and thin, like the neck of a statue shaved clean, the color of which was clear, shining and beautiful like silver. All the parts of his body were of moderate size. His body was proportionately jointed…”73



Abu Huraira (ra) describes:



“The complexion of Rasulullah (saas) was white with redness in it. The blessed eyes of Rasulullah (saas) were extremely black. His eyelashes were long.”74



“His forehead was wide and the place between his eyebrows was bright like pure silver and eyes were black tinged with reddish hue. The hairs of his eye lashes were profuse… When he smiled or laughed, they (his teeth) shone like lightning. His lip was most beautiful…His beard was thick…His 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 moon light… His shoulders were wide. His palms were softer than wool.”75



Take a charity from their wealth to purify and cleanse them and pray for them. Your prayers bring relief to them. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.



(Surat at-Tawba: 103)



Umm Ma’bad (ra), who was known for her generosity, uprightness and courage, was visited by the Prophet (saas) during the Prophet (saas)’s migration from Mecca to Medina, but failed to recognize him. However, she described him to her husband, who recognized the Prophet (saas) from her description:



“He was innocently bright and had a broad countenance. His manners were fine… He had black attractive eyes… His hair glossy and black, inclined to curl, he wore long. His voice was very commanding. His head was well formed and set on a slender neck. His expression was pensive and contemplative, serene and sublime. The stranger was fascinated from the distance, but no sooner he became intimate with him, than this fascination was changed into attachment and respect. His expression was very sweet and distinct. His speech was well set and free from the use of superfluous words, as if it were rosary of beads. His stature was neither too high nor too small. He was singularly bright and fresh. He was always surrounded by his Companions. Whenever he uttered something, the listeners would hear him with rapt attention and whenever he issued a commandment, they vied with each other in carrying it out. He was a master and a commander.”76



As we can discern from those who saw him in person, the Prophet (saas) was extraordinarily handsome, with a finely proportioned body and a face that took one’s breath away. He also had a very athletic and powerful build.



The Prophet (saas)’s appearance



Ahmet Cevdet Pasha, an important scholar from Ottoman times, wrote a study that effectively summarized descriptions of the Prophet (saas)’s features. That appeared in Part IV of the Qisas al-Anbiya (Stories of the Prophets), under the heading “Some Attributes of the Prophet Muhammad (saas)”:



“The blessed one had a beautiful appearance, his limbs were in perfect proportion, his body was well-formed, his forehead and chest and the distance between his shoulders were broad. His neck was slender and pure as silver, his shoulders, biceps and calves were large and thick, his wrists were long, his fingers also long, and his hands and fingers rather thick. His blessed skin was softer than silk.



On his perfect countenance were a well-proportioned head, curved eyebrows, a long nose and an oval face.



His eyelashes were long, his eyes black and beautiful, the space between his largish eyebrows was clear, though his eyebrows were close together.



That chosen Prophet (saas) was shining in appearance. In other words, he was neither light nor dark, but somewhere between the two, white like a red rose, light and limpid, and the light shone from his face. 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…



His senses were exceedingly powerful. He could hear from a long way off and see further than anyone. In essence, he had a body formed in perfection and uniqueness, and blessed … Anyone suddenly seeing him would be consumed with love, and anyone speaking with him would feel great love in his heart and soul. The wise respected him in accordance with their degree. He greatly honoured his relatives. He would not, however, treat them better than those more worthy than them.



He treated his servants well. Whatever he wore or ate, he would give to them to wear and eat.



He was generous, beneficial, compassionate, forgiving, brave and mild. In speech, he kept to his word. In essence, his excellent morality, sharp powers of reasoning were greater than those of all other people and worthy of great praise.



In eating and apparel he contented himself with the very poorest degree and refrained from excess.”77



Another text in which Ali (ra) describes the Prophet’s superior morality, his astonishing beauty and the perfection of his behavior.



The Prophet (saas)’s seal of Prophethood



Allah favored the Prophet Muhammad (saas) over all beings, and declared him to be “the Final Seal of the Prophets.” (Surat al-Ahzab: 40) No prophet would be sent after him, and the Qur’an would be the last revelation to guide people onto the true way. Allah manifested that unique feature of the Prophet (saas) with a mark on his body.



In Islamic sources and oral accounts, that sign between the Prophet (saas)’s shoulder blades is known as “the seal of Prophethood.” It is reported by Wahb bin Munebbih (ra) that the other prophets also had similar marks, but that that of the Prophet (saas) was different:



“Allah never sent down a prophet who did not have the sign of prophethood on his right hand. The Prophet Muhammad (saas) was the only exception to this. His sign of prophethood was (not on his right hand) but between his shoulder blades. When asked about it, the Prophet said, ‘This mark between my shoulder blades is like the marks on the prophets before me’ …”78



Jaabir bin Samurah (ra) relates that:



“I saw the Seal of Prophethood of Rasullullah (saas) between his two shoulders, the size of which was like that of a pigeon’s egg.”79



Ibrahim bin Muhammad (ra), one of the grandchildren of Ali (ra), reports:



“Whenever Ali (ra) described the nobel features of Rasulullah (saas), he used to say:



‘The seal of Prophethood was situated between his shoulders. He was a last of all prophets’.”80



Abu Nadrah (ra) says:



So believe in Allah and His Messenger and in the Light We have sent down. Allah is aware of what you do.(Surat at-Taghabun:



“I asked Abu Sa’eed Khudari (ra) about the Seal of Prophethood of Rasulullah (saas) He said: ‘It was a piece of raised flesh that was on Rasulullah (saas)’s back’.”81



“The place between his shoulders were wide and therein there was impression or seal of Prophethood inclined a little towards the right shoulder.”82



Another report comes from Assib bin Yazid (ra):



“I saw the seal in between his shoulders.”83