The Characteristics of Prophet Muhammad (saw) - Shamail An Nabi

Muhammad ibn 'Isa At-Tirmidhi

• Publisher: Dar Ul Thaqafah
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN: 9788119946129
• eBook ISBN: 9789366083728
• Subtopic: Islamic Theology

An Intimate Portrait of Islam's Final Prophet Through Authenticated Historical Sources

The Characteristics of Prophet Muhammed stands as one of the most remarkable works of biographical literature in human history—a meticulously documented portrait of a religious figure compiled from eyewitness testimony and subjected to the most rigorous verification standards ever developed. Authored by Imam Tirmidhi (209–279 AH), one of Islam's greatest hadith scholars, this work preserves the living memory of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as witnessed by those who knew him personally.

The Historical Context and Scholarly Achievement

By the third Islamic century, when Imam Tirmidhi undertook this compilation, Muslim scholars faced an urgent challenge: preserving authentic prophetic traditions as the generation of direct witnesses passed into history. The stakes were immense—the Prophet's example (sunnah) provided Muslims their primary model for implementing Qur'anic teachings in daily life. Any corruption of this historical record would undermine Islamic practice for all subsequent generations.

Muslim scholars responded by developing hadith sciences ('ulum al-hadith)—a sophisticated methodology for authenticating historical reports. They created the biographical science ('ilm ar-rijal) that catalogued the lives, character, and memorization abilities of approximately 50,000 hadith transmitters. They established classification systems distinguishing reliable from unreliable narrations. They instituted the isnad system, requiring unbroken chains of transmission for any accepted report. No other pre-modern civilization developed historical methodology approaching this rigor.

Imam Tirmidhi mastered these sciences under luminaries including Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim, then applied them to create Ash-Shamaa'il al-Muhammadiyya—the definitive work on the Prophet's physical and moral characteristics.

The Prophet's Physical Appearance

The work opens with detailed descriptions of the Prophet's appearance, compiled from multiple companion testimonies. We learn he possessed medium stature—neither exceptionally tall nor short. His complexion was wheat-colored with luminous brightness—described by one companion as "bright as if molded in silver." His hair was slightly wavy, falling to his earlobes or shoulders depending on when it was last cut.

His face was slightly round with a wide forehead. His eyes were described as "extremely black" with long lashes. Between his shoulder blades lay the Seal of Prophethood—described variously as a raised area or cluster of moles. His hands and feet were fully fleshed, his fingers moderately long. When he walked, he moved with vigor, "as if descending from a high place."

These physical descriptions, while historically valuable, served a deeper purpose: enabling Muslims who never met the Prophet to recognize him in dreams—considered spiritually significant encounters. The hadith tradition holds that Satan cannot assume the Prophet's form; thus authenticated dream sightings carry theological weight.

Daily Life and Habits

Subsequent chapters detail every aspect of the Prophet's daily routine. His clothing typically consisted of simple garments—he favored the qamis (long shirt) and sometimes wore a red-striped Yemeni cloak. He owned few outfits, often mended and faded. His ring was silver with an inscription reading "Muhammad Rasul Allah" (Muhammad, Messenger of Allah), used for sealing correspondence to foreign rulers.

His food preferences leaned toward simplicity. He loved pumpkin, dates, honey, and meat (especially the foreleg portion). Yet he often went days without adequate food, once fastening stones to his stomach to ease hunger. His family rarely enjoyed two consecutive meals of bread and meat. When asked why he accepted such poverty despite being Allah's messenger, he replied: "Should I not be a grateful servant?"

Regarding personal hygiene, he used kuhl (antimony-based eye ointment), combed his hair and beard regularly, applied perfume, and trimmed his mustache. He taught companions to trim nails, remove armpit hair, and maintain cleanliness as acts of prophetic tradition.

Worship and Spiritual Practices

Chapters on the Prophet's worship reveal extraordinary devotion. He performed night prayers (tahajjud) so prolonged that his feet swelled. Companions described him standing in prayer until morning, sometimes repeating a single verse throughout the night. During Ramadan, his worship intensified when Angel Gabriel would visit to review the Qur'an with him.

His fasting extended beyond Ramadan's obligatory days. He frequently fasted Mondays and Thursdays, explaining these were days when deeds are presented to Allah. He observed three days monthly and encouraged fasting the Day of 'Ashura. Yet he cautioned against excessive austerity, teaching moderation: "The most beloved deeds to Allah are those practiced regularly, even if small."

His recitation of the Qur'an was melodious and measured—he articulated each verse distinctly, pausing between them. Companions described his voice as beautiful, and he encouraged Muslims to beautify Qur'anic recitation.

Character and Interpersonal Conduct

The Prophet's moral character forms the heart of the work. Companions testify unanimously to his extraordinary generosity—he never refused a request and distributed everything in his possession. Once he gave away an entire flock of sheep filling a valley, stunning the recipient.

His humility contradicted every expectation of prophetic grandeur. He mended his own clothes, milked his goats, and swept his house. In gatherings, he sat wherever space was available. He accepted invitations from slaves and the poor. When asked to reserve special seating befitting his station, he refused.

His mercy extended universally. With children, he played with them, carried them, and allowed them to climb on his back during prayer. His servant Anas served him for ten years, during which the Prophet never once expressed annoyance. Toward animals, he forbade mistreatment and once delayed prayer when a cat slept on his cloak.

Most remarkably, his forgiveness encompassed even enemies. When Makkans who had persecuted him fell under his authority, he declared a general amnesty. When asked why he did not retaliate, he replied: "I was not sent as a curser but as a mercy."

The Final Days

Later chapters chronicle the Prophet's final illness and death at age sixty-three. Accounts describe his fever, his final sermon, his concern for his community, and his death while resting against his wife 'A'ishah's chest. The work includes poignant details: Abu Bakr kissing his forehead after death, companions' shock and grief, and debates about his burial place—resolved by Abu Bakr's narration that prophets should be buried where they die.

The book concludes with traditions about the Prophet's legacy—he left no material wealth, only his knowledge, example, and the Qur'an. This voluntary poverty underscored his message: he sought no worldly kingdom but called humanity to ethical monotheism and social justice.

Contemporary Significance

For modern readers, The Characteristics of Prophet Muhammed offers multiple layers of value. Historians find unparalleled primary source material on seventh-century Arabia, compiled using methodologies that anticipated modern historical-critical methods by centuries. Students of Islamic studies encounter foundational texts of hadith sciences. Muslims worldwide find their primary model for prophetic emulation—detailed enough to guide worship, ethics, and family life.

Most profoundly, the work demonstrates that Islam's founder was not a distant mythological figure but a fully documented historical person whose appearance, habits, humor, and character were meticulously preserved by those who knew him best. This preservation underscores Islam's foundational claim: Muhammad was Allah's final messenger, and his message too important to be lost to myth or legend.

Table of contents

• The science of Hadith:
• Chapter 1: Chapter on the noble features of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 2: Chapter on the seal of Prophethood
• Chapter 3: Chapter about the hair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 4: Chapter on combing the hair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 5: Chapter on the appearance of white hair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 6: Chapter on the Messenger of Allah ﷺ using a dye:
• Chapter 7: Chapter on the use of Kuhl (Collyruim) by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 8: Chapter on the dress of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 9: About the bread of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter10: Chapter on the Khuf (leather socks) of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 11: Chapter on the shoes of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 12: On the ring of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 13: Chapter stating that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wore the ring:
• Chapter 14: Chapter on the sword of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 15: Chapter on the Armor of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 16: Chapter on the helmet of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 17: Chapter on the Turban of the messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 18: Chapter on lungi, Izaar (waist wrapper, sarong) of the Apostle of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 19: Chapter on the walk of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 20: Chapter on the Qinaa of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 21: Chapter on the Messenger of Allah's ﷺ way of sitting.
• Chapter 22: Chapter on the pillow of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 23: Chapter on the Messenger of Allah's leaning on something other than a pillow.
• Chapter 24: Chapter on the description of how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ate.
• Chapter 25: Chapter on the bread of the Apostle of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 26: Chapter on the description of the vinegar of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 27: Chapter on the Messenger of Allah's performing ablution at the time of eating.
• Chapter 28: Chapter on the words that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ uttered before and after eating.
• Chapter 29: Chapter on the cup of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 30: Chapter on the fruits eaten by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 31: Chapter on the description of the things that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ drank.
• Chapter 32: Chapter on the manners of the Messenger of Allah's way of drinking
• Chapter 33: Chapter on the Messenger of Allah ﷺ using (itr) Perfume.
• Chapter 34: Chapter on the speech of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 35: Chapter on the laughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter on the description of how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ joked
• Chapter 37: Chapter on the description of the Sayings of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in poetry.
• Chapter 38: Chapter on how the Messenger of Allah used to tell stories at night.
• Chapter 39: Chapter on how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ slept
• Chapter 40: Chapter on the worship and devotions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 41: Chapter on Salaatal Duha (the forenoon prayer).
• Chapter 42: On voluntary prayer in the House
• Chapter 43: Chapter on the fasting of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 44: Chapter on the recital of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 45: Chapter on the weeping of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 46: Chapter on the mattress of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 47: Chapter on that which has been narrated on the humility of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 48: Chapter on the noble character and habits of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 49: Chapter on the Modesty of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 50: Chapter on the Hajaamah (cupping) of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
• Chapter 51: Chapter on the names of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 52: Chapter on the living of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 53: Chapter on the age of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 54: Chapter on the death of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 55: Chapter on the legacy of the Apostle of Allah ﷺ
• Chapter 56: Chapter on the seeing of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in a dream