002 - Specialties of Prophet Muhammad SAW (Part 2)

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In our last halaqa (حلقة), we mentioned only around 15 khasa'is; but realize there are close to 50 special qualities that only the Prophet PBUH was given.

Today, insha'Allah, we will begin by talking about his physical appearance PBUH.

The Physical Appearance of Prophet Muhammad PBUH

It is the sunnah of Allah (سنة الله - the custom of Allah) that He sends prophets with the most perfect characteristics, inner and outer, so that mankind has no reason to reject the messenger. As we know, Prophet Yusuf (يوسف - Joseph) was given half of all beauty. Some scholars say this means half of all beauty of mankind (this is the majority opinion); but some scholars say it means half of the beauty of Prophet Muhammad PBUH because —according to this opinion— the Prophet Muhammad PBUH is the most handsome and beautiful of the entire creation.

We have many narrations that describe the physical features of our Prophet PBUH. It is reported in al-Tabarani's (الطبراني) al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (المعجم الكبير) and Bukhari's Kitab al-Manaqib (كتاب المناقب) that once, a son of an old sahabiyya (صحابية - female Companion) asked his mother al-Rubayyi' bint Muawwidh (الربيع بنت معوذ) after the Prophet PBUH had passed away, "What was the Prophet PBUH like?" She said, "O my dear son, if you were to have seen him, you would have thought that the sun had risen up." It is amazing that she described him as a sun, and another sahabi Ka'b ibn Malik (كعب بن مالك) described him as a moon. Ka'b said, "Whenever the Prophet PBUH was happy, his face would light up as if it was the full moon." It is beautiful that the sahaba are describing the Prophet PBUH with what they know to be the most beautiful.

There is a tradition that almost makes you want to cry: The tradition of Amr ibn al-As (عمرو بن العاص). He used to be of the leaders of the Quraysh (قريش) who were against Islam, and he only had the opportunity to be a sahabi for a few years. Later on in his life, he would say, "There was nothing sweeter or more beloved to me than to stare at the face of the Prophet PBUH." The beauty and nur (نور - light) of the Prophet PBUH was so great that Amr is saying there is nothing sweeter than to simply look at his face PBUH. "I could never get enough of looking at him. And yet were you to ask me how he looked, I couldn't describe him. Because along with this desire to stare at him, there was also this awe I had that couldn't allow me to stare directly at him, and I had to look down." So there were two types of powers emanating from the Prophet PBUH: the first of them was attracting Amr's vision to him, and the second was making him look away. "Even though I loved to stare, I couldn't." This is coming from a nobleman of the Quraysh, and this is how humbled he was just by the appearance of the Prophet PBUH.

003 - Why Study the Seerah and Pre-Islamic Arabia

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Before we discuss the life of the Prophet PBUH, we must discuss pre-Islamic Arabia. In order to understand the seerah, we need to understand the world at his time. This is why every single book of seerah has a number of introductory sections.

What does the word seerah (سيرة) mean? It means to traverse or to journey. It is derived from the root س ي ر (s-y-r) which means to travel — and the reason why seerah (the biography of a person) is called seerah is because you are traveling his journey, following his footsteps. Even though its use can be for the biography of anybody, Muslim scholars have now kept it only for the biography of the Prophet PBUH.

Benefits of Studying the Seerah

Why should we study the seerah?

1. Allah has commanded us to know this man. This is an obligation that Allah has put upon us. And there are over 50 verses in the Quran that command us to take the Prophet PBUH as an example. Of them:

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ

"Indeed there is for you, in the messenger of Allah, an exemplary manner, a perfect conduct" [see Quran, 33:21]. We have the perfect example to follow. And therefore, the study of the life & times of our Prophet PBUH is the study of someone we must follow. And amazingly, no matter which angle we look at the seerah, we will benefit from it:

(i) In terms of religion: how the Prophet PBUH worshipped Allah

(ii) In terms of manners and morals: his mercy and tenderness

(iii) In terms of leadership: how he led the Muslims to success

(iv) In terms of how he was as a father and a husband

004 - Religious Status of the World Before Islam

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Today, we will shed some light upon the religious status of the Arabs and the world before the coming of the Prophet PBUH. We talk about this to appreciate the blessings the Prophet PBUH came with. When we understand pre-Islam, we will appreciate Islam. When we understand Jahiliyyah (جاهلية - the Age of [Pre-Islamic] Ignorance) and their idolatry, we will appreciate the blessing of the sending of the Prophet PBUH.

Pre-Islamic Arabia: The Monotheism of Ibrahim & Ismail

We know every nation had a prophet. And one of the prophets of the Arabs was Ibrahim AS. And Ibrahim AS sanctioned many practices which remained for thousands of years until the coming of the Prophet PBUH. These include:

1. To consider Makkah sacred — And as we know, we Muslims call Makkah "al-Haram (الحرام - the Sacred)," which comes from the same word as "haram (حرام - forbidden)." Makkah is called al-Haram because many things that are halal (حلال - permissible) outside the Haram are haram (حرام - forbidden) inside the Haram. For example, you are not allowed to hunt animals and you are not allowed to pull a leaf of a tree inside the Haram — you cannot 'touch' natural things. Allah says in the Quran:

وَمَنْ دَخَلَهُ كانَ آمِناً

"Whoever enters the Haram is safe" [3:97]. And this is a ruling we still apply in our shariah (شريعة - Islamic law). Ibn Abbas said, "A person would see the murderer of his father doing tawaf (طواف), and he would not touch a hair on his head"—because Makkah is sacred.

2. Showing respect to the Ka'bah (كعبة).

3. Instituting the four Sacred Months (Dhu al-Qa'dah [ذو القعدة], Dhu al-Hijjah [ذو الحجة], Muharram [محرم], and Rajab [رجب]) — In these months, all hostility has to cease, and you are not allowed to engage in any warfare. Everybody must be at peace.

4. Hajj (حج) with all of its rites and rituals — doing tawaf, doing sa'i (سعي), the aspect of sacrificing animals around the Haram, the aspect of decorating animals that are assigned to be sacrificed, etc.

(Side note: Many non-Muslim researchers say these practices of Islam are taken from pagan culture. But this is all a matter of perspective. For the non-Muslims, they are not looking at the fact that these practices are coming from Ibrahim AS. So according to their perspective, they say the Prophet PBUH adopted certain practices from paganism and then added his own two cents. But we say no, he PBUH adhered to the original monotheism of Ibrahim AS, and he cleansed away the paganism.)