the Messenger’s face sword-like?” “No,” he said: “it was moon-like.” But in another version: he said,
“His face was round.” Ar-Rabi‘ bint Muawwidh said: “Had you seen him, you would have felt that the sun was shining.” Jabir bin Samurah said, “I saw him at one full-moony night. I looked at him. He was dressed in a red garment. I compared him with the moon and found that — for me — he was better than the moon.”
Abu Huraira said: “I have never seen a thing nicer than the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him).
It seems as if the sunlight were moving within his face. I have never seen one who is faster in pace than the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him). It seemed as if the earth had folded itself up to shorten the distance for him. For we used to wear ourselves out while he was at full ease.”
Ka‘b bin Malik said: “When he was pleased, his face would shine with so bright light that you would believe that it was a moon-piece.” Once he sweated hot at ‘Aishah’s, and the features of his face twinkled; so I recited a poem by Abu Kabeer Al-Hudhali:
“If you watch his face-features, you will see them twinkling like the lightning of an approaching rain.”
Whenever Abu Bakr saw him he would say:
“He is faithful, chosen (by Allâh), and calls for forgiveness. He shines like a full-moon light when it is far from dark (clouds).”
‘Umar used to recite verses by Zuhair describing Haram bin Sinan:
“Were you other than a human being, you would be a lighted moon at a full-moon night.”
Then he would add: “Thus was the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) .
When he got angry his face would go so red that you would think it were “an inflected red skin-spot with pomegranate grains on both cheeks.”
Jabir bin Samurah said: “His legs were gentle, delicate and in conformity. His laughter is no more than smiling. Looking at him will make you say ‘He is black-eyed though he is not so.’”
Ibn Al-‘Abbas said: “His two front teeth were splitted so whenever he speaks, light goes through them.
His neck was as pure and silvery as a neck of doll. His eyelids were long haired but his beard was thick.
His forehead was broad; but his eyebrows were like the metal piece attached to a lance, but they were unhorned. His nose was high-tipped, middle-cambered with narrow nostrils. His cheeks were plain, but he had (little hair) running down like a rod from his throat to his navel. He had hair neither on his abdomen nor on his chest except some on his arms and shoulders. His chest was broad and flatted.
He had long forearms with expansive palms of the hand. His legs were plain straight and stretching down.
His other limbs were straight too. The two hollows of his soles hardly touch the ground. When he walks away he vanishes soon; but he walks at ease (when he is not in a hurry). The way he walks seems similar to one who is leaning forwards and is about to fall down.”
Anas said: “I have never touched silk or a silky garment softer than the palm of the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him); nor have I smelt a perfume or any scent nicer than his.” In another version, “I have never smelt ambergris nor musk nor any other thing sweeter than the scent and the smell of the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him).”
Abu Juhaifa said: “I took his hand and put it on my head and I found that it was colder than ice and better scented than the musk perfume.”
Jabir bin Samurah — who was a little child then — said: “When he wiped my cheek, I felt it was cold and scented as if it had been taken out of a shop of a perfume workshop.”
Anas said, “His sweat was pearl-like.” Umm Sulaim said: “His sweat smelt nicer than the nicest perfume.”
Jabir said: “Whoever pursues a road that has been trodden by the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), will certainly scent his smell and will be quite sure that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) has already passed it.” The Seal of Prophethood, which was similar in size to a pigeon’s egg, was between his shoulders on the left side having spots on it like moles.
THE PERFECTION OF SOUL AND NOBILITY:
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was noted for superb eloquence and fluency in Arabic. He was remarkable in position and rank. He was an accurate, unpretending straightforward speaker. He was well-versed in Arabic and quite familiar with the dialects and accents of every tribe. He spoke with his entertainers using their own accents and dialects. He mastered and was quite eloquent at both bedouin