Physical Descriptions of the Prophet According to Saheeh Bukhari and Muslim
By
Bassam Zawadi
In summary the Prophet (peace be upon him):
- Had a handsome broad white face with reddish wide eyes
- Had big feet and hands.
- Had soft palms
- Was of medium height, not very tall or short statured
- Had his hair hanging down on the lobes of his ears and shoulders. His hair was neither very curly nor straight
- Had very broad shoulders
- When he died, he had scarcely twenty white hairs in his head and beard
Saheeh Muslim
Book 030, Hadith Number 5770.
------------------------------
Chapter : Concerning the characteristic features of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), and he was the most handsome of the people.
Al-Bara' reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) was of medium height, having broad shoulders, with his hair hanging down on the lobes of his ears. He put on a red mantle over him, and never have I seen anyone more handsome than Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him).
Book 030, Hadith Number 5771.
------------------------------
Chapter : Concerning the characteristic features of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), and he was the most handsome of the people.
Al-Bara' reported: Never did I see anyone more handsome than Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) in the red mantle. His hair had been hanging down on the shoulders and his shoulders were very broad, and he was neither very tall nor short-statured. Ibn Kuraib said he had hair.
Book 030, Hadith Number 5772.
------------------------------
Chapter : Concerning the characteristic features of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), and he was the most handsome of the people.
Al-Bara' reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had the most handsome face amongst men and he had the best disposition and he was neither very tall nor short-statured.
Book 030, Hadith Number 5773.
------------------------------
Chapter : Concerning the characteristic features of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), and he was the most handsome of the people.
Qatada reported: I asked Anas b. Malik: How was the hair of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)? Thereupon he said: His hair was neither very curly nor very straight, and they hung over his shoulders and earlobes.
Book 030, Hadith Number 5774.
------------------------------
Chapter : Pertaining to the characteristic features of the face of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and his eyes and his heels.
Anas reported that the hair of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came upon his shoulders.
Book 030, Hadith Number 5775.
------------------------------
Chapter : Pertaining to the characteristic features of the face of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and his eyes and his heels.
Anas reported that the hair of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) reached half of the earlobe.
Book 030, Hadith Number 5776.
------------------------------
Chapter : Pertaining to the characteristic features of the face of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and his eyes and his heels.
Jabir b. Samura reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had a broad face with reddish (wide) eyes, and lean heels. Shu'ba reported: I said to Simak: What does this dali-ul-fam mean? And he said: This means broad face. I said: What does this ashkal mean? He said: Long in the slit of the eye. I said: What is this manhus-ul-aqibain? He said: It implies little flesh at the heels.
Book 030, Hadith Number 5777.
------------------------------
Chapter : Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had a white elegant face.
Jurairi reported: I said to Abu Tufail: Did you see Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)? He said: Yes, he had a white handsome face. Muslim b. Hajjaj said: Abu Tufail who died in 100 Hijra was the last of the Companions of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him).
Book 030, Hadith Number 5778.
------------------------------
Chapter : Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) had a white elegant face.
Abu Tufail reported: I saw Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and there is one amongst the people of the earth who (are living at the present time and) had seen him except me. I said to him: How did you find him? He said: He had an elegant white colour, and he was of an average height.
Saheeh Bukhari
Volume 004, Book 056, Hadith Number 744.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Isma'il bin Abi Khalid : I heard Abii Juhaifa saying, "I saw the Prophet, and Al-Hasan bin 'Ali resembled him." I said to Abu- Juhaifa, "Describe him for me." He said, "He was white and his beard was black with some white hair. He promised to give us 13 young she-camels, but he expired before we could get them."
Volume 004, Book 056, Hadith Number 745.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Wahb Abu Juhaifa As-Sawwai : I saw the Prophet and saw some white hair below his lower lip above the chin.
Volume 004, Book 056, Hadith Number 746.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Hariz bin 'Uthman : That he asked 'Abdullah bin Busr (i.e. the companion of the Prophet), "Did you see the Prophet when he was old?" He said, "He had a few white hairs between the lower lip and the chin."
Volume 004, Book 056, Hadith Number 747.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Rabia bin Abi Abdur-Rahman : I heard Anas bin Malik describing the Prophet saying, "He was of medium height amongst the people, neither tall nor short; he had a rosy colour, neither absolutely white nor deep brown; his hair was neither completely curly nor quite lank. Divine Inspiration was revealed to him when he was forty years old. He stayed ten years in Mecca receiving the Divine Inspiration, and stayed in Medina for ten more years. When he expired, he had scarcely twenty white hairs in his head and beard." Rabi'a said, "I saw some of his hairs and it was red. When I asked about that, I was told that it turned red because of scent."
Volume 004, Book 056, Hadith Number 748.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Anas : Allah's Apostle was neither very tall nor short, neither absolutely white nor deep brown. His hair was neither curly nor lank. Allah sent him (as an Apostle) when he was forty years old. Afterwards he resided in Mecca for ten years and in Medina for ten more years. When Allah took him unto Him, there was scarcely twenty white hairs in his head and beard.
Volume 004, Book 056, Hadith Number 749.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Al-Bara : Allah's Apostle was the handsomest of all the people, and had the best appearance. He was neither very tall nor short.
Volume 004, Book 056, Hadith Number 750.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Qatada : I asked Anas, "Did the Prophet use to dye (his) hair?" He said, "No, for there were only a few white hairs on his temples."
Volume 004, Book 056, Hadith Number 751.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Al-Bara : The Prophet was of moderate height having broad shoulders (long) hair reaching his ear-lobes. Once I saw him in a red cloak and I had never seen a more handsome than him."
Volume 004, Book 056, Hadith Number 752.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Abu Ishaq : Al-Bara' was asked, "Was the face of the Prophet (as bright) as a sword?" He said, "No, but (as bright) as a moon."
Volume 005, Book 059, Hadith Number 432.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Al-Bara : When it was the day of Al-Ahzab (i.e. the clans) and Allah's Apostle dug the trench, I saw him carrying earth out of the trench till dust made the skin of his abdomen out of my sight and he was a hairy man. I heard him reciting the poetic verses composed by Ibn Rawaha while he was carrying the earth, "O Allah! Without You we would not have been guided, nor would we have given in charity, nor would we have prayed. So, (O Allah), please send Sakina (i.e. calmness) upon us and make our feet firm if we meet the enemy, as they have rebelled against us. And if they intend affliction (i.e. want to frighten us, and fight against us) then we would not (flee but withstand them)." The Prophet would then prolong his voice at the last words.
Volume 007, Book 072, Hadith Number 787.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Anas bin Malik : The Prophet was neither conspicuously tall, nor short; neither, very white, nor tawny. His hair was neither much curled, nor very straight. Allah sent him (as an Apostle) at the age of forty (and after that) he stayed for ten years in Mecca, and for ten more years in Medina. Allah took him unto Him at the age of sixty, and he scarcely had ten white hairs on his head and in his beard.
Volume 007, Book 072, Hadith Number 788.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Al-Bara' : I did not see anybody in a red cloak looking more handsome than the Prophet Narrated Malik: The hair of the Prophet used to hang near his shoulders. Narrated Shu'ba: The hair of the Prophet used to hang down to the earlobes.
Volume 007, Book 072, Hadith Number 791.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Qatada : I asked Anas bin Malik about the hair of Allah's Apostle. He said, "The hair of Allah's Apostle was neither much straight, nor much curly, and it used to hang down till between his shoulders and his earlobes.
Volume 007, Book 072, Hadith Number 792.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Anas : The Prophet had big hands, and I have never seen anybody like him after him. The hair of the Prophet was wavy, neither curly nor straight.
Volume 007, Book 072, Hadith Number 793.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Anas : The Prophet had big hands and feet, and I have not seen anybody like him, neither before nor after him, and his palms were soft.
Volume 007, Book 072, Hadith Number 794.
-----------------------------------------
Narated By Abu Huraira : The Prophet had big feet and a good-looking face and l have not seen anybody like him after him. Narrated Anas: The Prophet had big feet and hands. Narrated Anas or Jabir bin 'Abdullah The Prophet had big hands and feet and I have not seen anybody like him after him.
Return to General Articles on Islam
Return to Homepage
