The Prophet's Face: Description and Character

Hadith Narrations

In a chain of narrators reporting the description of the Prophet Mohammed's face:

First Narration:

Abu Al-Fadl narrated to us that Ubaidullah ibn Abdurrahman ibn Muhammad Al-Zuhri said, on the authority of Abu Ishaq who narrated from Ibrahim ibn Shareek Al-Asadi Al-Kufi, in the year 301 AH:

A man asked Al-Bara'ah: "Was the face of the Prophet Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, like a sword of iron?" Al-Bara'ah replied: "No, but it was like the moon." (Reported by Al-Bukhari in Al-Sahih from Abi Nuaym).

Second Narration:

Abu Al-Husayn ibn Al-Fadl Al-Qattan in Baghdad reported that Abdullah ibn Ja'far ibn Durustawayh narrated to us, on the authority of Abu Yusuf Yakub ibn Sufyan, who narrated from Abu Nuaym and Ubaidullah, through Israel from Simak:

Jabir ibn Samurah was asked by a man: "Was the face of the Messenger of Allah, Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, like Salman?" (This narration is found in Sahih Al-Bukhari and Tirmidhi).

These narrations provide insights into the radiant and luminous appearance of the face of Prophet Mohammed, highlighting its resemblance to the brightness of the moon.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) described on a moonlit night

Jabir narrated: The Prophet (peace be upon him) was not like a sword, rather he was like the sun and the moon, brightening everything around him. This hadith is recorded in Sahih Muslim, narrated by Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah on the authority of Ubaydullah ibn Musa. (Hadith Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 6323)

First Account:

Jabir ibn Samurah said: "I saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) on a moonlit night. He was wearing a red garment, and he appeared more beautiful to me than the moon." (Hadith Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 6324)

Second Account:

Anas ibn Malik reported that he saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) on a moonlit night, wearing a red garment. Anas said that the Prophet resembled the moon on that night. (Hadith Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 6325)

Third Account:

Abdullah ibn Ja'far narrated through his chain of narrators, mentioning that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was seen on a moonlit night, attired in a red garment. It was said that he looked like the moon. (Hadith Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 6326)

Translation of a Hadith Report

Chain of Narrators:

Ubaid ibn Abd al-Wahid reported to us, saying: Yahya ibn Bukayr reported to us, saying: Al-Laith reported to us, from Uqail, from Ibn Shihab, from Abdul Rahman ibn Ka'b ibn Malik.
Abu al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl informed us, saying: Abdullah ibn Ja'far reported to us, saying: Ya'qub ibn Sufyan reported to us, saying: Abu Salih and Ibn Bukayr reported to us, saying: Al-Laith reported to us, saying: Uqail narrated to me, from Ibn Shihab, saying: Abdul Rahman ibn Abdullah ibn Ka'b ibn Malik informed me that Abdullah ibn Ka'b ibn Malik, a leader from his people at the time of his blindness, said:

Content of the Hadith:

"I heard Ka'b ibn Malik saying: When I greeted the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and he turned his face away, his face would light up as if it were a piece of the moon. We recognized that about him."

Hadith Collection:

The wording of the hadith is according to Abu Abdullah.
Reported by Bukhari in Al-Sahih, narrated by Yahya ibn Bukayr.

Additional Hadith Collections:

Bukhari also compiled this hadith in various sections, including the virtues, battles, expeditions of the Ansar, four places in the interpretation of the Quran, and laws in both detailed and summarized forms.
Muslim recorded it in his collection regarding repentance, narrated from Ka'b ibn Malik and his companions.
Imam Ahmad included it in his "Musnad," while Abu Dawood, Nasa'i, and others also reported it through different chains of narrators.

The Prophet's Happy Occasion

Abu Tahir al-Faqih informed us, saying: Abu Bakr al-Qattan informed us, saying: Abu al-Azhar informed us: Ahmad ibn al-Azhar narrated to us, saying: Abd al-Razzaq told us, saying: Ibn Jurayj informed us, from Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, from Urwah, from Aisha who said: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, entered one day in a joyous mood with his cheeks aglow. He said: 'Have you not heard what Mudlij, the son of Mudlij, said when he saw Zaid and Osama covering their heads while their feet were exposed?' He said, 'Indeed, these feet are some of each other's.'

Significance of the Hadith:

'Mudlij' refers to Mudlij bin Mura, a well-known figure. 'Qa'if' is one who tracks traces and recognizes them, as well as one who is expert in ascertaining paternity just as a brother or father. 'Al-Qa'if' is one who identifies or recognizes paternity, like one who tracks and follows traces. In pre-Islamic times, people used to cast doubt on the lineage of Osama bin Zaid due to...

Translation of a Hadith narrated by Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him):

Narrated by Imam Bukhari and Muslim:

Imam Bukhari narrated this Hadith in Sahih from Yahya bin Abdul Razzaq, and Imam Muslim narrated it from Abdul bin Humaid from Abdul Razzaq.

Chain of Narration:

1. Muhammad bin Al-Husayn bin Muhammad bin Al-Fadl Al-Qattan informed us.

2. Abdullah bin Ja'far said that Ya'qub bin Sufyan narrated to us.

3. Saeed reported from Yunus bin Abi Ya'fur Al-Abdi, from Abu Ishaq Al-Hamdani, from a woman of Hamdan.

Description of the Prophet (peace be upon him) by the woman from Hamdan:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) performed Hajj on a camel; upon his hand was a container, with two red leather blankets over him. His shoulder would almost touch one of them. As he passed by the Black Stone, he picked it up with the container and kissed it. The woman compared him to the moon on a full moon night, stating she had never seen anyone before or after him like him.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was pleased when a dispute regarding lineage was resolved in favor of Usamah ibn Zayd, who was a dark-skinned Abyssinian. This incident led the Prophet to praise the wise judgment of the arbitrator and discourage ridiculing others' lineages.

Usamah was the son of Zayd bin Harithah, who was the Prophet's foster son, and his mother was Barakah, an Ethiopian woman. The followers of different Islamic schools interpreted this incident differently, with Imam Shafi'i supporting the arbitrator, Imam Malik using it for evidence in favor of slave lineage, while Imam Abu Hanifa remained firm in the belief that lacking knowledge should prohibit issuing judgments based on personal opinions.

Translation of Classical Arabic Text

Chain of Narration

Abu Al-Husayn ibn Al-Fadl [Al-Qattan] informed us, saying: Abdullah ibn Ja'far narrated to us, saying: Ya'qub ibn Sufyan narrated to us, saying: Ibrahim ibn Al-Mundhir informed us. Abu Muhammad informed us, Abdallah ibn Yusuf Al-Asbahani said: Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq Al-Fakihi informed us in Mecca. Abu Yahya ibn Abi Masarra narrated to us, saying: Ya'qub ibn Muhammad Al-Zuhri narrated to us. Abdallah ibn Musa Al-Taymi informed us, saying: Usama ibn Zaid narrated from Abu Ubaydah ibn Muhammad ibn Ammar ibn Yasir, who said: I said to Rubay' bint Muawwidh, "Describe the Messenger of Allah to me." She said, "If you had seen him, you would have said: 'The sun is rising.'"

Note:

In some versions, instead of Ya'qub ibn Muhammad's wording, Ibrahim's narration states: "O my son, if you had seen him, you would have actually seen the sun rising."