“Allahümme salli ala seyyidina Muhammedin ve ala alihi ve sahbihi ve sellim”
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim
Today, people especially young people follow several people's examples, imitate their attitudes, speeches, styles, way of dressing, etc and try to be like them. However, most of those people who are imitated are not in the true path and they do not have good attitudes and high ethics. Therefore, it is an important responsibility to show people the true path, the best ethics and attitudes. The person whose attitudes and ethics a Muslim needs to try to imitate is Hz. Muhammad (pbuh). Allah expresses this reality as follows in a verse:
"Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the praise of Allah." (al-Ahzab, 33/21)
Therefore, it is a duty of every Muslim to know the nice attributes of Hz. Muhammad and take him as a model.
Along with the verses of the Quran, narrations from the Companions give a lot of information about the Prophet (pbuh). The Prophet's relationships with his family and the believers around him, details from his daily life, his outward appearance, his solemnity that makes those who see him admire at him, the foods that he likes, his clothing, his way of laughing, and other details about him are expressed by the word "shamail" by many Islamic scholars.
The word shamail is derived from "shimal". This word means "character, temper, state, act behavior and attitude". The word shamail had a wider meaning first but in the course of time, it assumed a specific meaning and became a term expressing the lifestyle and personal characteristics of the Prophet (pbuh).
Every detail reported about this distinguished slave of Allah whom our Lord made superior to the realms is also a reflection of his high ethics. The aim for the preparation of this article, which gives detailed information about the Prophet, is to analyze his nice characteristics reported in various books and to take advice and lessons from them.
- The Beauties of Creation Manifest in the Prophet (pbuh)
The Companions of the Prophet reported many details about the beauties that Allah made manifest in him, from his outward appearance, his solemnity that makes those who see him admire at him, and his posture to his way of smiling. These Companions, whose number was quite a lot, gave a lot of different details about these beauties and made the Prophet known to the Muslims who did not live at that time. Some Companions described him mentioning about his general characteristics while others gave long and detailed accounts. Some of those narrations are as follows:
- The Outward Appearance and Beauty of the Prophet (pbuh)
The Companions narrated the beauty of the Prophet (pbuh) as follows:
"The Messenger of Allah was very handsome and attractive. His blessed face shone like the full moon. His nose was quite beautiful. He had bushy beard, big eyes and flat cheeks. His mouth was wide and his teeth were as bright as oysters His neck was like a ray of light. The part between his two shoulders was white and the heads of his shoulder bones were thick...." (Büyük Hadis Külliyatı, Jam'ul-fawaid min Jami'il-usul wa Majma'iz-zawaid, Imam Muhammad Bin Muhammad bin Sulayman ar-Rudani, Vol. 5, İz Yayıncılık, p. 31)
Anas b. Malik (ra) narrates:
"The Messenger of Allah was neither tall nor short. His skin was neither clear white nor dark.His hair was neither straight nor curly. When he became forty years old, Allah sent him as a prophet. After becoming a prophet, he remained in Makkah for ten years and in Madinah for ten years. He died when he was sixty years old. When he passed away, he did not have even twenty wisps of grey hair on his head and in his beard." (Sunan Tirmidhi Translation, Translated by: Osman Zeki Mollamehmetoğlu, Yunus Emre Yayınevi, İstanbul, Vol. 4, p.201)
"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was white, handsome and moderate."[Hz. Abu Tufayl (ra), G.Ahmed Ziyaüddin, Ramuz al Ahadith, Vol. 1, Gonca Yayınevi, İstanbul, 1997, 519/1]
Anas b. Malik (ra) narrates:
"The Prophet (pbuh) was of medium height; he was neither tall nor short. He had a nice appearance. His hair was neither curly nor straight. His blessed face was luminous white." (at-Tirmidhi Imam Abu I'sa Muhammad, Şemail-i Şerife, Vol. 2, Hilal Yayınları, Ankara, 1976, p. 7-8)
Bara b. Azib (ra) narrates:
"... I have never seen a person more handsome that the Messenger of Allah. He had long hair touching his shoulders. The part between his two shoulders was wide. He was neither short nor tall." (Sunan Tirmidhi Translation, Translated by: Osman Zeki Mollamehmetoğlu, Yunus Emre Yayınevi, İstanbul, Vol. 4, p. 210)
Ibrahim b. Muhammad, one of the grandchildren of Hz. Ali narrates: When my grandfather, Hz. Ali, told me about the Prophet (pbuh), he described the Prophet (pbuh) as follows:
"The Messenger of Allah was neither tall nor short; he was of medium height in the group he belonged to.His hair was neither curly nor straight; it was a bit wavy. The color of his blessed face was reddish white; his eyes were black; his eyelashes were thick and long; the heads of his shoulders were big... He was the most generous, honest, lenient and friendly person among people."
"Those who saw him unexpectedly would get very excited due to his majesty; those who listened to his talk knowing his superior attributes loved him more than anything else. A person who tried to describe his superiority and beautiful attributes would usually say, 'I have never seen anybody like him neither before nor after him.' Thus, he would confess his weakness and insufficiency to describe the Prophet. May Allah's peace [prayer, asking for forgiveness and mercy for the Prophet (pbuh)] be upon him."(at-Tirmidhi Imam Abu I'sa Muhammad, Şemail-i Şerife, Vol 1, Hilal Yayınları, Ankara, 1976, p. 18-19)
Hz. Hasan (ra) narrates:
"The Messenger of Allah was majestic and splendid naturally. His blessed face emitted light as brightly as the full moon. He was a bit taller than medium height and a bit shorter than a slender person. His hair was between curly hair and straight hair. If his hair were divided into two spontaneously, he would let it hang from the sides of his head; if it were not divided, he would not divide it. When he lengthened his hair, it would pass his earlobes."
"The color of the Prophet was very bright and white. His forehead was open. His eyebrows were bushy like crescent and close to each other.
His neck was silver bright like the neck of statues made of pure marble. All of the organs of his body were in harmony with one another and he had a handsome posture..." (see ibid, p. 18, 22, 23)
Abu Hurayra (ra) narrates:
"Hz. Prophet (pbuh) was luminous white as if created from silver; his hair was slightly wavy." (see ibid p. 28-29)
"The Messenger of Allah had a wide forehead; he had bushy eyebrows like crescent. There was a gap between his two eyebrows, which were like pure silver. His eyes were very nice; his pupils were black. His eyelashes were very bushy... When he laughed, his teeth shone like lightning. Both of his lips were exceptionally beautiful... His beard was bushy. His neck was very nice, neither tall nor short. The part of his neck that was exposed to the sun and wind shone as if reflecting the whiteness of silver and redness of gold of a pitcher made of gold and silver... His chest was wide; the straightness of his chest was like a mirror and its whiteness was like the moon... His shoulders were wide... His arms and biceps were big. His arms were softer than silk." (Hujjatu'l Islam Imam Ghazali, Ihya'u Ulum'id-din, Vol. 2 Translated by: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle, Huzur Yayınevi, İstanbul 1998, p. 820)
Umm Mabad, whose tent was visited by the Prophet (pbuh) during the journey of the Migration, was known for her generosity, chastity and courage. She did not recognize the Prophet (pbuh). She described him to her husband, who recognized the Prophet upon her description, as follows:
"He had a bright face and a beautiful countenance. He was not weak and thin. The black and white parts of his eyes were separated from each other. His hair, eyelashes and mustache were bushy. His voice was bass. When he remained silent, he was contemplative and when he spoke, he was majestic. When you looked at him from afar, he was the most handsome of all people. When you moved closer to him, he was the most pleasant of them. He spoke very nicely. He was of medium height; nobody who looked at him felt that he was short or tall. He was the most handsome of the three who came here with the most luminous face. His companions always listened to him, who was in the middle of them. When he commanded, they hastened to carry out his order. His speech was rich and determined." (Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, I, 230-231; Tabqrani, al-Mu'jam'ul-Kabir, IV, 49, nu:3605, VII, 105, nu:6510; Hakim, al-Mustadrak, III, 9-10; Bayhaqi, Dalail'un-Nubuwwa, I,)
As it can be seen from what the people who saw him narrated, the Prophet was very handsome, had such a nice face that would take one's breath away and had a very nice posture. In addition, he was fit; he had a very strong body.
- The Shamail of the Prophet (pbuh)
Ahmet Cevdet Paşa, who was an important scholar of the Ottoman era, wrote a book compiling the characteristics of the Prophet (pbuh). He compiled them under the heading "Bazı Evsaf-ı Seniyye-i Muhammediyye" (Some High Characteristics of Muhammad) in Part 4 of his work called "Kısas-ı Enbiya"(History of Prophets):
"... His blessed body was beautiful; all of his organs were in harmony; he had a nice posture; his forehead, chest, the part between his two shoulders and palms were wide; his neck was long and harmonious; it was pure like silver; his shoulders, biceps and calves were big and thick; his wrists were long; his fingers were quite long; his hands and fingers were thick. His blessed skin was softer than silk.
His head was slightly big; his eyebrows were like crescent; his nose was straight and his face was oval. His eyelashes were long; his eyes were slightly big, black and beautiful; there was a gap between his eyebrows but they were close to each other.
The distinguished Prophet had luminous, bright skin; it was neither white nor black; it was between black and white and slightly reddish; his face was luminous. His teeth were bright and strong like oysters; when he spoke, light emitted from his front teeth. When he laughed, his happy mouth emitted light like gentle lightning...
When he passed away, his hair and beard had just started to turn gray; there were a few wisps of grey hair on his head and twenty wisps of grey hair in his beard.
His senses were extraordinarily strong. He could hear and see from very distant places. To sum up, he had a happy and blessed body that was created perfectly and exceptionally. A person who saw him suddenly would love him. A person who talked to him would adore him. He showed respect to knowledgeable and generous people in accordance with their levels. He gave generously to his relatives. However, he would not give them more than he gave to the people who were better than them.
He treated his servants very well. He gave them the same things as he ate and wore.
He was generous, open-handed, compassionate, merciful, brave and lenient. He always kept his promise. To sum up, he was superior to all people in terms of high ethics and intelligence; he deserved all kinds of praise.
He ate as much as it was necessary; he wore clothes in order to cover his body; he avoided eating and wearing extra things" (Ahmed Cevdet Paşa, Kısas-ı Enbiya, Part (Vol.) IV, Kanaat Matbaası, İstanbul 1331, p. 364-365)
- The Prophet's (pbuh) Seal of Prophethood
Allah chose Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) for all of the realms and stated that he was "the last prophet" (al-Ahzab, 33/40). No prophet will be sent after him. The Quran is the last book sent as a book of guidance for humanity. Allah showed this unique property of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) through a mark on his body.
In the Islamic resources and narrations, this mark between the shoulder bones of the Prophet (pbuh) is named as "the seal of prophethood". It is reported in al-Mustadrak by Wahb b. Munabbih that the other prophets also had seals similar to that of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) but that his seal was different from theirs:
"... All prophets that Allah sent had a mole on their right hands called the mole of prophethood (şamatun-nubuwwa). However, Hz. Muhammad is an exception. His mole of prophethood was not on his right hand butbetween his shoulder bones. When the Prophet (pbuh) was asked about it, he said, 'This mole between my shoulder bones is like the mole of the previous prophets.' " (From the translation of Tirmidhi's book called Şemail by Prof. Dr. Ali Yardım, Peygamberimiz (sav)'in Şemaili, Damla Yayınevi, 3rd Impression, İstanbul, 1998, p. 73) ..."
Jabir b. Samura (ra) narrates:
"I saw the seal of the prophethood between the two shoulder bones of the Messenger of Allah. It was a it was a reddish bump as big as a pigeon's egg." (at-Tirmidhi Imam Abu I'sa Muhammad, Şemail-i Şerife, Vol 1, Hilal Yayınları, Ankara, 1976, p. 36)
Ibrahim b. Muhammad, one of the grandchildren of Hz. Ali narrates:
"When my grandfather Hz. Ali described the attributes of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), he narrated the long hadith about the hilya (appearance) of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and said,
'He had the seal of the prophethood between his shoulder bones. He was the last prophet.'" (see ibid, p. 38)
Abu Nadra (ra) narrates: "I asked Abu Said al-Khudri about the seal of prophethood of the Messenger of Allah. He said, 'It was a mole like a rose bud on his back.'" (see ibid, p. 42)
"The seal of prophethood was located betweenhis shoulder bones. This seal was nearer to his right shoulder." (Hujjatu'l Islam Imam Ghazali, Ihya'u Ulum'id-din, Vol. 2 Translated by: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle, Huzur Yayınevi, İstanbul 1998, p. 820)
Muhammad b. Muthanna, Muhammad b. Hazm narrates from Shu'ba Simak (ra):
"I heard Jabir Ibn Samura say, 'I saw a seal on the back of the Messenger of Allah. It was like a pigeon's egg." (at-Tirmidhi Imam Abu I'sa Muhammad, Şemail-i Şerife, Vol 1, Hilal Yayınları, Ankara, 1976, p. 36)
- The Prophet's (pbuh) Hair, Beard and Dressing Style
- The Hair of the Prophet (pbuh)
There are different descriptions about the hair of the Prophet (pbuh). These differences are normal because those who gave those descriptions saw the Prophet at different times when he had different lengths of hair.However, what is understood from those descriptions is that the shortest hair the Prophet (pbuh) had was down to the level of his ears and his longest hair was down to his shoulders.
Anas b. Malik (ra) narrates:
"The hair of the Prophet (pbuh) grew down to the middle of his ears." (see ibid, p. 49)
Hz. Aisha (ra) narrates:
"The blessed hair of the Messenger of Allah was between his ears and shoulders. May Allah's peace be upon him!" (see ibid, p. 50)
Bara b. Azib (ra) narrates:
"The Prophet (pbuh) was of medium height. His shoulders were quite wide. His hair touched his earlobes." (see ibid, p. 50)
Abu Talib's daughter, Umm Hani (ra) narrates:
"When the Messenger of Allah came to Makkah, he visited us. His blessed hair had four plaits." (see ibid, p. 51)
The Hair and Beard Care of the Prophet (pbuh)
Since the Prophet (pbuh) gave great importance to cleanliness, he also gave importance to hair and beard care. It is stated in some resources that he always had a comb, mirror, miswak, toothpick, scissors, container for kohl, etc with him. (Ali al-Qari, Jam'ul-Wasail fi Sharh'ish- Shamail, İstanbul, p. 96-97) The Prophet (pbuh) gave the same advice to his Companions and said,
"If you grow your hair, take good care of it."(Abu Dawud, Sunan, IV, 74, nu: 4062)
The other narrations about the hair and the beard of the Prophet (pbuh) are as follows:
The following was reported from Hz. Adda Ibn Khalid (ra):
"His blessed beard was very nice." (G. Ahmed Ziyaüddin, Ramuz al Ahadith, Vol. 2, Gonca Yayınevi, İstanbul, 1997, 519/16)
Hz. Asha (ra) narrates:
"When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) combed and oiled his hair,…" (at-Tirmidhi Imam Abu I'sa Muhammad, Şemail-i Şerife, Vol 1, Hilal Yayınları, Ankara, 1976, p. 58)
Simak b. Harb (ra) reports:
"I heard from Jabir b. Samura. He was asked about the graying of the Prophet's hair. He said,'When he oiled his blessed head, the gray wisps could not be noticed but when he did not oil his head, some gray wisps could be seen.'"(Ibn Adiyya al-Kamil; Hujjatu'l Islam Imam Ghazali, Ihya'u Ulum'id-din, Vol. 3 Translated by: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle, Huzur Yayınevi, İstanbul 1998, p. 679)
The Prophet (pbuh) set a good example for believers with the importance he gave to his appearance and cleanliness. The attitude of the Prophet regarding the issue is stated as follows in a narration:
"When the Prophet was about to go to the place where the Companions were, he would straighten his turban and beard by looking at the water in a container and said,
'Allah likes it when a person fixes himself up before he visits his friends.'"(see ibid, p. 679)
The Dressing Style of the Prophet (pbuh)
The Companions reported many details about the clothes of the Prophet (pbuh). Besides, the advice of the Prophet (pbuh) to the believers about how to dress indicates the importance he gives to clothes. For instance, the Prophet (pbuh) stated the following in hadith:
"Allah is beautiful; He loves beauty; wearing beautiful clothes is not conceitedness; conceitedness means to refuse the Lord (by attributing the bounties one has to himself) and to despise people."(Kütüb-i Sitte, Muhtasarı Tercüme ve Şerhi, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Canan, Vol. 7, Akçağ Yayınları, Ankara, p. 208)
The Prophet's (pbuh) grandson Hz. Hasan states his view about dressing as follows:
"The Prophet (pbuh) ordered us to wear our best clothes and to wear the nicest perfume that we can find." (Bukhari, at-Tarikh'ul-Kabir, I, 382, no:1222)
Another hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) regarding the issue is as follows:
"O Believers! Eat, drink and wear clothes as you wish and spend your money in the way of Allah. However, do not waste; do not become arrogant." (Bukhari, al-Jami'us-Sahih, VII, 33; Ibn Majah, Sunan, II, 1192, nu:3605)
Whenever the Prophet saw a Companion in shabby or worn-out clothes, he would warn him immediately. Abu'l Hawas (ra) reports a narration from his father regarding the issue as follows:
I went to visit the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) wearing some old clothes. He said to me,
"Do you not have any property?" I said,
"Yes, I do." Then, he asked,
"What kind of goods do you have?" I said,
" Allah gave me all kinds of goods." Thereupon, he said,
"When Allah gives you something, the trace and virtue of this boon should be seen on you."[Nasai, Zinah 83, (8, 196), Prof. Dr. Ali Yardım, Peygamberimiz (sav)'in Şemaili, Damla Yayınevi, 3rd Impression, İstanbul, 1998, p. 119].
Hz. Jabir (ra) narrates a similar incident as follows:
The Messenger of Allah saw one of our workers; he herded our sheep. He had two pieces of shabby clothes on him. The Messenger of Allah said,
"Does he not have any other clothes to wear?" I said, "Yes, he has. There are two more clothes in the bag. I had made him wear them." The Prophet said,
"Call him and tell him to wear them." I called him and told him about the order of the Prophet. He wore them. When he returned, the Messenger of Allah said,
"Why does he not wear those new ones? Are they not nicer?" [Muvatta, Libas 1, (2, 910); Kütüb-i Sitte, Muhtasarı Tercüme ve Şerhi, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Canan, Vol. 15, Akçağ Yayınları, Ankara, p. 64-65]
Some information reported by the Companions about the dressing style of the Prophet (pbuh) is as follows:
Ibn Abbas (ra) narrates:
"I saw the nicest possible clothes on the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)."[(Abu Davud., Libas 8, (4037); Kütüb-i Sitte, Muhtasarı Tercüme ve Şerhi, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Canan, Vol. 15, Akçağ Yayınları, Ankara, p. 69]
Umm Salama (ra) narrates:
"The garment that the Prophet (pbuh) liked best was shirt (qamis)." (at-Tirmidhi Imam Abu I'sa Muhammad, Şemail-i Şerife, Vol 1, Hilal Yayınları, Ankara, 1976, p. 85)
Qurra, one of the Companions, narrates:
"I went into the presence of the Prophet with a group of people from the tribe of Muzayna to pay allegiance to him. The collar of the shirt of the Prophet had no buttons..."(see ibid, p. 88)
Anas b. Malik (ra) narrates:
"The Prophet (pbuh) liked Hibara al-Yamani the most among his clothes." (Sunan Tirmidhi Translation, Translated by: Osman Zeki Mollamehmetoğlu, Yunus Emre Yayınevi, İstanbul, Vol. 3 p. 283) "
(Hibara is green fabric with red stripes made of cotton, woven in Yemen. It is a term used for colorful fabrics with various patterns. It shows that the fabric is not plain and that it has patterns and various colors.)
Al-Bara b. Azib (ra) narrates:
"I have never seen clothes with red patterns fit anybody more than the Prophet (pbuh). When I saw the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) wearing this garment, his blessed hair was long enough to touch his shoulders." (at-Tirmidhi Imam Abu I'sa Muhammad, Şemail-i Şerife, Vol 1, Hilal Yayınları, Ankara, 1976, p. 94)
Samura b. Jundub (ra) narrates:
"Wear white clothes because white is very clean and nice." (see ibid, p. 98)
Hz. Aisha (ra) narrates:
"One morning, the Messenger of Allah went out of the house wearing an izar (loose waist wrapper) made of black wool..." (see ibid, p. 99)
- The Clothes that the Prophet (pbuh) Wore Outside
Asha's b. Sulayn (ra) narrates:
"My aunt told me that she heard the following from her uncle: 'I was walking around the streets of Madinah my izar touching the ground. Meanwhile, I heard a voice behind me:
"Pull your izar up. If your izar does not touch the ground, it will remain cleaner and last longer."
When I turned back I saw that the one that was speaking was the Messenger of Allah." (see ibid, p. 154)
Salama b. al-Aqwa (ra) narrates:
"Hz. Uthman wore an izar that covered half of his legs. He said, 'The izar of my friend, that is, the Messenger of Allah, was like this.'" (see ibid, p. 155)
Anas b. Malik (ra) narrates:
"The seal of the Prophet (pbuh) was made of silver. Its bezel was made of Abyssinian stone.
When the Messenger of Allah wanted to send letters to the rulers of foreign countries, he ordered a signet ring to be made.
I still see the brightness of the ring that was around the finger of the Prophet (pbuh)."
There were three words "Muhammad Rasulullah" carved in the form of three lines on the signet ring of the Prophet (pbuh). "Muhammad" was carved on the first line, "Rasul" was carved on the second line and "Allah" was carved on the third line. (see ibid, p. 114-117)
- The Way the Prophet (pbuh) Walked
Abu Hurayra (ra) narrates:
"I have never seen anyone more handsome than the Messenger of Allah. It looked as if the sun was moving on his face. I have never seen anyone walking faster than the Prophet (pbuh). When he walked, the earth seemed to roll under his feet. We had to try hard and walk very fast to keep up with him." (see ibid, s.157)
Ibrahim b. Muhammad, one of the grandchildren of Hz. Ali narrates: When my grandfather, Hz. Ali, told me about the Prophet (pbuh), he said,
"When the Messenger of Allah walked, he would lift his feet hard as if going downhill."
Thus, he stated that the Prophet (pbuh) walked very easily. (see ibid, p. 158)
Hz. Yazid Ibn Mirsad said,
"When the Prophet walked, he would walk solemnly but fast. Those who walked with him could hardly catch up with him."(G. Ahmed Ziyaüddin, Ramuz al Ahadith, Vol. 2, Gonca Yayınevi, İstanbul, 1997, 541/1)
From Hz. Abu Ataba (ra):
"He walked with strong steps." (see ibid)
"... When he walked, he would lift his feet off the ground a bit and walk by leaning to the front slightly. He would not hit the ground hard; so, he would not make any noise and would not raise dust. He took long and fast steps but he walked calmly and solemnly. When he walked, he looked as if he was walking downhill on a rough road.
When he turned right, left or round, he would turn with his whole body. He would not look right or left randomly. He looked more at the ground than the sky. He usually looked out of the corner of his eye.
When he walked with his Companions, he made them walk at the front and he himself walked behind them. When he met someone on the road, he would greet first."[From the translation of Tirmidhi's book called Şemail by Prof. Dr. Ali Yardım, Peygamberimiz (sav)'in Şemaili, Damla Yayınevi, 3rd Impression, İstanbul, 1998, p. 66-67]
"His acts were always moderate. When he walked somewhere, he would not hurry; he would not tend to the right or left; he would walk straight solemnly. However, he walked quite fast and easily. He looked as if he walked normally but those who were with them had difficulty in catching up with them though they walked very fast." [Ahmed Cevdet Paşa, Kısas-ı Enbiya, Part (Vol.) 4, Kanaat Matbaası, İstanbul 1331, p. 364-365; Prof. Dr. Ali Yardım, Peygamberimiz (sav)'in Şemaili, Damla Yayınevi, 3rd Impression, İstanbul, 1998, p. 51]
- The Way the Prophet (pbuh) Sat
Qayla bint Mahrama (ra) narrates:
"When I saw the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sitting so modestly and humbly, my body started to shiver due to his majesty."(at-Tirmidhi Imam Abu I'sa Muhammad, Şemail-i Şerife, Vol 1, Hilal Yayınları, Ankara, 1976, p. 160)
Jabir b. Samura (ra) narrates:
"I saw the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) leaning on a cushion on his left side." (see ibid, p. 163)
- The Way the Prophet (pbuh) Spoke
The Prophet (pbuh) was known for his influential style and wise and sharp speech. His speech influenced people a lot and everybody took pleasure from his talk. The narrations reported by the Companions show this characteristic of his. Some of the narrations regarding the issue are as follows:
The Messenger of Allah was the most fluent and eloquent person; he was also soft-spoken and smooth-tongued. The Prophet said,
"I am the most eloquent person among Arabs." (Tabarani, Hakim; Hujjatu'l Islam Imam Ghazali, Ihya'u Ulum'id-din, Vol. 2 Translated by: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle, Huzur Yayınevi, İstanbul 1998, p. 800,)
Hz. Aisha describes the speech of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) as follows:
"The Prophet did not utter words quickly one after another as you did. He spoke concisely. You add sentences one after another."(al Fawaid, Hujjatu'l Islam Imam Ghazali, Ihya'u Ulum'id-din, Vol. 2 Translated by: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle, Huzur Yayınevi, İstanbul 1998, p. 800)
"The Messenger of Allah spoke very concisely. Jibril taught him to speak like that by the order of Allah. He made himself understood by short sentences. He made concise sentences. He uttered neither more nor fewer words than necessary. His words came one after another in harmony; he paused between words; thus, those who listened to him memorized his words easily. His voice was sonorous and soft. He spoke when it was necessary. He did not utter bad words. He always told the truth whether he was angry or not." (Abu Dawud, Hujjatu'l Islam Imam Ghazali, Ihya'u Ulum'id-din, Vol. 2 Translated by: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle, Huzur Yayınevi, İstanbul 1998, p. 800)
"He turned his face away from those who uttered bad words. When he had to use a word that he disliked and regarded bad, he would hint it instead of uttering it directly." (Buhari, Hujjatu'l Islam Imam Ghazali, Ihya'u Ulum'id-din, Vol. 2 Translated by: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle, Huzur Yayınevi, İstanbul 1998, p. 800)
When he kept silent, those near him would speak. People did not argue in front of him. (Tirmidhi; Hujjatu'l Islam Imam Ghazali, Ihya'u Ulum'id-din, Vol. 2 Translated by: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle, Huzur Yayınevi, İstanbul 1998, p. 800)
He always smiled at his Companions. He liked their words, listened to them carefully and regarded himself as one of them.(see ibid, p. 800)
Hz. Aish (ra) narrates:
"His words were clear. Anybody who listened to him understood him easily. " (G.Ahmed Ziyaüddin, Ramuz El Hadis, 2. cilt, Gonca Yayınevi, İstanbul, 1997, 521/4)
From Hz. Abu Umama,
"He was the most cheerful and friendly person among people." (see ibid, 545/4)
Hz. Anas narrates:
"The Prophet (pbuh) was the one who used the most pleasant words among people."(see ibid, 545/5)
- The Nice Scent of the Prophet (pbuh)
The Prophet (pbuh) gave great importance to cleanliness. He always smelled clean, nice and fragrant. He advised Muslims to be clean. The narrations reported by the Companions give detailed information about this characteristic of his. Some of the narrations regarding the issue are as follows:
Anas b. Malik (ra) narrates:
"When the Messenger of Allah walked through one of the streets of Madinah, his nice scent would be perceived at once; so, people would say the Prophet passed. We understood that the Prophet was coming over from his scent."(Ibn Sa'd Tabaqat, I, 398-399; Majma'uz Zawaid, VIII, 282; al-Matalib'ul-Aliya, IV , 25; Bahjat'ul Mahafil, II, 254; Prof. Dr. Ali Yardım, Peygamberimiz (sav)'in Şemaili, Damla Yayınevi, 3rd Impression, İstanbul, 1998, p. 280)
Ibn Abi Adi, Humayd, reports from Anas (ra):
"I have never touched any wool or silk softer than the hand the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). I have never smelled anything better than the scent of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)." [Bukhari, 1/503; Muslim, 2/257; Ibn Kathir, Peygamberimiz (sav)'in Şemaili, Mucizeleri, Çelik Yayınevi, p. 46]
Muaz b. Hisham (ra) reports from his father Qatada, who reports from Anas:
"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was known for his nice scent. The Messenger of Allah was handsome. His scent was pleasant. He liked nice scents."(Ibn Kathir, Prof. Prof. Dr. Ali Yardım, Peygamberimiz (sav)'in Şemaili, Damla Yayınevi, 3rd Impression, İstanbul, 1998, p. 51)
"His body was clean and his scent was nice. His skin smelled nicer than the most beautiful scent whether he wore any perfume or not. When somebody shook hands with the Prophet, he would feel the Prophet's nice smell all day long; when the Prophet touched the head of a child, that child would be known among other children due to his nice scent." (Ahmed Cevdet Paşa, Kısas-ı Enbiya, Part (Vol.) IV. Cüz, Kanaat Matbaası, İstanbul 1331, p. 364-365)
- The Food the Prophet (pbuh) Liked
"He did not like very hot food."(Bayhaqi, Hujjatu'l Islam Imam Ghazali, Ihya'u Ulum'id-din, Vol. 2 Translated by: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle, Huzur Yayınevi, İstanbul 1998, p. 802)
"The food he liked best was meat." (see ibid, p. 803)
"He liked pumpkin very much." (G. Ahmed Ziyaüddin, Ramuz al Ahadith, Vol. 2, Gonca Yayınevi, İstanbul, 1997, 552/7)
"He ate the meat of the birds that were hunted." (Hujjatu'l Islam Imam Ghazali, Ihya'u Ulum'id-din, ibid)
"Among the dates, he liked Ajwa dates best." (see ibid, p. 803)
Hz. Aisha (ra) stated the following about the food the Prophet (pbuh) liked:
"He liked desserts and honey." (G. Ahmed Ziyaüddin, ibid)
Some kinds of food that the Prophet (pbuh) ate are as follows:
"The forearm and back of sheep, lamb chops, kebab, chicken, bustard, meat soup, brewis, pumpkin, olive oil, skim-milk cheese, melon, halwa, honey, dates, chard, cachalot..."[Abu Dawud, III, 496-497, nu: 3840; Nasai, VII, 207-209; Prof. Dr. Ali Yardım, Peygamberimiz (sav)'in Şemaili, Damla Yayınevi, 3rd Impression, İstanbul, 1998, p. 219]
Hz. Aisha said,
"The Prophet ate melon and watermelon with wet dates." (G. Ahmed Ziyaüddin, ibid)
Hz. Cabir (ra)'den:
"He ate fresh dates and melon a lot and said, 'They are nice fruits.'" (G. Ahmed Ziyaüddin, ibid)
"He never criticized any food. If he liked, he ate the food; if he did not like, he did not eat it. When he did not like a certain food, he did not say any bad things about it to others."(There are similar narrations in Bukhari and Muslim. Hujjatu'l Islam Imam Ghazali, Ihya'u Ulum'id-din, Vol. 2 Translated by: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle, Huzur Yayınevi, İstanbul 1998, p. 804)
Some comments the Prophet (pbuh) made about the food he liked are as follows:
"The best meat is from the back of an animal." (Haydar Hatipoğlu, Sünen-i İbni Mace Tercemesi ve Şerhi, Kahraman Yayınları, Vol. 9, İstanbul 1983, p. 62)
"Vinegar is very nice food to eat with bread." (see ibid, p. 70)
"Mushroom is manna." (see ibid, p. 209)
"Keep eating senna and sannut (honey put into butter in goatskin). For, these two things have cure for all diseases except death." (see ibid, p. 213)
"Eat and use olive oil because it is blessed." (see ibid, p. 73)
- The Drinks that the Prophet (pbuh) Liked
Hz. Aisha (ra) narrates:
"He liked sweet and cold sherbets." (G.Ahmed Ziyaüddin, ibid, 521/15)
"The Prophet (pbuh) liked the drinks like honey sherbet, dates sherbet and grape juice."[Prof. Dr. Ali Yardım, Peygamberimiz (sav)'in Şemaili, Damla Yayınevi, 3rd Impression, İstanbul, 1998, p. 261]
"The drinks that the Prophet (pbuh) liked best were cold and sweet sherbets." (see ibid)
"Among sherbets, he liked the honey sherbet best." (G.Ahmed Ziyaüddin, ibid, 521/17)
"Among drinks, he liked milk best." (G.Ahmed Ziyaüddin, ibid, 521/18)
The Prophet (pbuh) stated the following for milk:
"When Allah makes someone eat food, he should pray as follows: 'O Allah! Make this food abundant for us and give us good sustenance from it.' When Allah makes someone drink milk, he should pray as follows: 'O Allah! Make this milk abundant for us and give us more milk.' For, there is nothing but milk that can replace both food and drink." (Haydar Hatipoğlu, Sünen-i İbni Mace Tercemesi ve Şerhi, Kahraman Yayınları, Vol. 9, İstanbul 1983, p. 75)
What the Prophet (pbuh) said about water:
The Prophet distributed water to his Companions especially during journeys. Once, he stopped during a journey and asked some water. After washing his hands and face, he drank some water and said to his Companions,"Pour some water on your face and neck." (Konyalı Mehmed Vehbi, Tam Metni Sahih-i Buhari, Vol. 4, Üçdal Neşriyat, İstanbul 1993, p. 64-65)
The Messenger of Allah prayed as follows after drinking water:
"Praise be to Allah, who made water sweet with His mercy not salty or bitter." (Imam Ghazali, Ihya'u Ulum'id-din, Vol. 2, Huzur Yayınevi, İstanbul 1998, p. 16)
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stated the following for water in another narration:
"Allah created water as a cleaner. Nothing can dirty it except the things that change its taste, color or smell." (Imam Ghazali, Ihya'u Ulum'id-din, Vol. 1, Huzur Yayınevi, İstanbul 1998, p. 295)
Conclusion
"... Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets..." (al-Ahzab, 40)
As Allah states in the verse above, Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) is the last prophet sent for people; he is Allah's friend, to whom He sent His last true book, whom He made a model for people with his high ethics, taqwa and closeness to Allah; he is also believers' friend who has a high rank in the eye of Allah.
"Soon shall We send down to thee a weighty Message." (al-Muzzammil, 73/5)
As Allah states in the verse above, Allah laid a great burden and responsibility on Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), who is the last prophet. With his strong belief in Allah, the Prophet fulfilled his responsibility in the best way; he led people to the way of Allah and became the guide and light of all believers.
Even though we did not see the Prophet (pbuh), we can know his good attitudes, speech and ethics through the verses of the Quran and hadiths; we can do our best to resemble him and to be a friend of him in the hereafter.
Today, people especially young people take many people as examples and imitate their attitudes, speech, talking styles and dressing styles; and they try to be like them. However, most of these people are not on the right path and they do not have good attitudes and high ethics. Therefore, it is an important responsibility to guide people to high ethics and good attitudes. The person whose attitude and ethics a Muslim needs to imitate is Hz. Muhammad (pbuh). Allah expresses this reality as follows in a verse:
"Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the praise of Allah." (al-Ahzab, 33/21)
Our Prophet, Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), and the other prophets are people that Allah sent as examples for believers and that Allah is pleased with. (Imam Muhammad Bin Muhammad bin Sulayman ar-Rudani, Büyük Hadis Külliyatı, Jam'ul-fawaid min Jami'il-usul wa Majma'iz-Zawaid, Vol. 5, İz Yayıncılık, p. 33) . Allah states the following in the chapter of Yusuf:
"There is, in their stories instruction for men endued with understanding. It is not a tale invented, but a confirmation of what went before it a detailed exposition of all things, and a Guide and a Mercy to any such as believe." (Yusuf, 12/111)
The reason why this article was written is to make the Prophet (pbuh) known through various aspects and to make people imitate his ethics by showing what superior characteristics and merits a community that consists of people who take his ethics as an example will have.
"I am leaving you two things. You will not go astray as long as you stick to them: The book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah."
As it is stated in the hadith above, the two most important guides of Muslims are the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh). The Prophet set a model a model for people with his high ethics and asked people to have high ethics.
The Prophet (pbuh) said, "The heaviest thing on the scales of the believer in the hereafter is high ethics. Allah definitely dislikes a person who does bad things and utters bad and immoral words." He also said, "I swear by Allah, who holds my spirit under His power, that only people with high ethics will enter Paradise."
It is necessary for the Muslims who follow the Prophet (pbuh) to set good examples for humanity with their high ethics and good manners and to call everybody to high ethics both verbally and in writing.“Allahümme salli ala seyyidina Muhammedin ve ala alihi ve sahbihi ve sellim”
ALLAH ALMIGHTY KNOWS BEST
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