Respect the things associated with Prophet

Another element of the one's reverence and esteem for Beloved Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Him is found in all things and places connected to him in Makkah al-Mukarrama, Madinah al-Munawwarah and elsewhere.

Hadrat Saffiyah bint Najda Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha tells us that Abu Madhura Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho had a long lock of hair on his forehead that touched the ground when he sat down. When he was asked why he did not cut it he replied, "I will not cut off something that the hand of the Messenger of Allah Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Him touched." [Ash-Shifa, Vol 2, Page 62]

The Sword of Islam, Hadrat Sayyiduna Khalid Ibn Waleed Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho had some strands of the Prophet's of hair that he placed inside his cap. During one of the battles the cap fell off whereupon he fought zealously to retrieve it. He told his companions that he had not fought for the sake of the cap, rather he had fought to retrieve the strands of the Prophet's hair that were tucked within it so that he would not be deprived of their blessing, and also to avoid them falling into the hands of the unbelievers. [Majma' az-Zawaid, Vol. 9, Page 349 – Mustadrik, Vol. 3, Page 239]

Ibn al-Sakan narrated through Safwan ibn Hubayra from the latter's father: Thabit al-Bunani said: Anas ibn Malik said to me (on his death-bed): "This is one of the hairs of Allah's Messenger, Allah's blessings and peace upon him. I want you to place it under my tongue." Thabit continued: I placed it under his tongue, and he was buried with it under his tongue." [al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba (Calcutta - 1853), Vol. 1, Page 72]

Hadrat Sayyiduna Ibn Umar Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho was seen placing his hand on the seat of the Beloved Prophet's pulpit and then wipe it over his face. [Dalail an-Nabuwwah lil Bayhaqi, Vol. 6, Page 249]

Abu Abd ar-RaHman Salma Alaihir raHma narrated from Ahmad Ibn Fadlwiya Zahid Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anho that he was a famous archer in Battles. He says that he never touched his bow without Ablution from the time Beloved Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Him) took it in his Blessed Hands. [Ash-Shifa, Vol 2, Page 63]

It was on account of the esteem Imam Malik Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho had for the Prophet Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Him that we would not ride a mount in Madinah al-Munawwarah. He would say, "I am too shy before Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta'ala to trample with the hoof of an animal upon the earth in which the Messenger of Allah Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon Him is buried." [Ash-Shifa, Vol 2, Page 63]

The Beloved Prophet Cleanliness

The Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi wa Sallam was blessed by Allah with the extra special quality of being free from all forms of uncleanliness and bodily defects. These qualities were special for him and no one else has ever been privileged with such qualities. Moreover, the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi wa Sallam said, "The religion is based on cleanliness." [Sunan Tirmidhi, Vol 4, Page 18]

When the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi wa Sallam was born he was already circumcised and his umbilical cord cut. [Dalail an-Nabuwwah li Abi Nu'aym, Vol 1, Page 153 - Tibrani, Vol 8, Page 238]

His mother Syeda Aamina Radi ALLAHu Ta'ala Anha reported, "He was clean when he was born and there was no trace of impurity upon him." [Tabqat Ibn Sa'ad, Vol 1, Page 12]

The Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi wa Sallam was adorned with the sweetest of fragrances, as was his perspiration. Anas commented, "I have never smelled amber, musk or any other (perfume) more fragrant than the aroma of the Messenger of Allah." [Sahih Muslim, Vol 4, Page 1814]

If the sweat of my rose is given to the bride;

She will instantly put her roses and her perfumes aside!!

One day the Messenger of Allah SallAllahu Alaihi wa Sallam touched the cheek of Jabir, Samura's son and Jabir said, "I felt a cool sensation and his hand was fragrant, it was as if he had withdrawn it from a sachet of perfume." [Sahih Muslim, Vol 4, Page 1814]

Jabir also said, "When the Prophet walked down a road, anyone who happened to pass along the same road knew he had been there on account of his fragrance." [Sahih Muslim, Vol 4, Page 1815]

When the prophet walked along any street;

The entire earth became fragrant and sweet!!

On another occasion Jabir rode behind the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi wa Sallam and put his mouth upon the seal of his prophecy between his shoulders and its fragrance spread over him like musk. [Tareekh Ibn Asakir, Vol 5, Page 361]

The Handsome Eyes of Our Beloved Prophet

ان کی آنکھوں پہ وہ سایہ افگن مژہ ۔ ۔ ۔ ظلہ قصر رحمت پہ لاکھوں سلام

اشکباری مژگاں پہ برسے درود ۔ ۔ ۔ سلک در شفاعت پہ لاکھوں سلام

معنی قد رائ مقصد ما طغی ۔ ۔ ۔ نرگس باغ قدرت پہ لاکھوں سلام

جس طرح اٹھ گئی دم میں دم آگیا ۔ ۔ ۔ اس نگاہ عنایت پہ لاکھوں سلام

نیچی نظروں کی شرم وحیا پر درود ۔ ۔ ۔ اونچی بینی کی رفعت پہ لاکھوں سلام

In the following piece of work, We have given a detailed description of the gorgeous eyes of our Noble Prophet Muhammad (May Allah give him peace & blessings) that were described by many of his companions, and We have explained the Arabic terms used in Arabic to describe them:

1. The beautiful eyes were “wide” and “large” described as [1]"عظيمُ العَينَيْن" and [2]"كانتْ عَينَاهُ نَجْلَاوَين".

2. The Iris was "extremely black" described as [3]"أدْعَجُ العَين" and [4] "أسودُ الحَدَقًة" however the former more precisely means “a large eye with a dark black Iris having an extremely white sclera” "أدعج العين شديد سواد حدقتهما لكن قيد مع سعة العين وشدة بياضهما ".[5]

3. The sclera -white part of the eye- had a touch of redness in it described as [6]"أشْكًلُ العَيْن", [7]"مُشرّبُ العَينِ بِحُمْرَة" and "كانَ فِي عَينَيْهِ تَمَزُّجٌ من حُمْرَة".

Shu`ba once asked Simak about the meaning of "أشْكًلُ العَيْن" to which he said: “an eye that has a long eyelashes”. Qadhi `Iyyadh commented: this is a misapprehension (wahm) by Simak and the sound view is that the word "شَكلًة" in Arabic means to have a complexion of redness in the eye as the entire scholars have agreed to and this is what the entire scholars of the science of unusual Arabic literary (al-Gharib) have concurred on. The word "شَهلَة" is used to describe a touch of redness in the Iris. Redness in the eye is a praiseworthy attribute and a handsome quality according to the Arabs.[8]

Hafiz al-`Iraqi considered this redness one of the signs of the Prophet hood. When the Noble Prophet travelled with Maysara to Basra, Rahib questioned him whether he had some redness in his eyes, upon knowing, he affirmed that he is the promised Messenger.[9]

4. The eyelashes were “long” and “full” described as "أًَهْدَبُ الأَشفار" .[10]

5. The eyelashes were naturally dark black as if kuhl had been applied to them described as "أكْحل العَينَين" [11]

6. The blessed eyebrows were “long” and shaped like a “bow” described as"أزَجّ الحَواجِب" [12]. Al-Qamus defines “azajj” as “bow shaped and long” and al-Sihah defines it as “thin and long”. [13] Al-Fa’q defines it as “fine eyebrows that lead onto the end of the eye”.[14] Munawi adds “plenteous in hair and far stretched”.[15]

7. The eyebrows were “fine” and not “thick” described as "دَقِيقَ الحَاجِبَين".

8. The eyebrows were “perfect” and “never met in the middle” above the nose, described as "سَوابِغَ في غيرِ قَرَن"[16].

Sayyiduna `Ali, Umm Ma`bad and Suwayd bin Gafalah reported that the Noble Prophet’s eyebrows (upon him be peace & blessings) did meet, giving the Arabic description "مقرُونَ الحاجِبَين". However, the scholars have explained the sound view is that they “did not” meet and reconciled between the two reports by saying that if one was to “attentively” look at the eyebrows, he would realise that there was a “thin white gap” between them, otherwise it appeared as if they met.[17] The word that describes the non-meeting of the eyebrows in Arabic is "بَلج" and thus "أبلَج الحواجب".[18]

9. In the affairs of Allah, the beloved’s anger would appear as such that a vane would clearly appear filled by blood in between his eyebrows rising over his forehead, described as "بَينهما عِرقٌ يُدِرُّه الغَضَب".

Our Beloved Prophet's eyes (upon him be peace & blessing) were mentioned by many poets in Persian, Arabic and Urdu. Among the great Gnostics who often made mention of the precise details of the eyes were Pir Sayyid Mehr `Ali Shah in his Punjabi odes which he penned after seeing the Noble Mustafa in just outside Madina in Wadiy Hamra, and the great Mujaddid Imam Ahmad Ridha especially in his Qasida Salamiya, in which he described the entire hilya. The people of the subcontinent are always overwhelmed by these odes as much that my personal experience is that hair lifts up on my skin and tears fill my eyes when passionately sang.

Pir Sayyid Mehr Ali Shah says;

“The Beloved’s bow-shaped eyebrows appeared before me

And it seemed though the lashes were firing arrows”

Footnotes:

[1] Narrated Bayhaqi on the authority of Sayyiduna `Ali ibn Abi Taalib & cited by `Ali Qari in Jam` al-Wasa’il (1:55)

[2] Qadhi Yusuf Nabhani cited this wording in Wasa’il al-Wusul p63

[3] As in a narration of `Umar bin Khattab and `Ali ibn Abi Talib

[4] As in a narration of Sayyiduna `Ali ibn Abi Talib

[5] Mulla `Ali Qari, Jam` al-Wasa’il (1: 31)

[6] Narrated by Tirmidhi in his Shama’il on the authority of Jabir ibn Samura. Ibn al-Athir also affirmed that Ashkal means “a touch of redness” in al-Nihaya.

[7] Narrated by Bayhaqi on the authority of Sayyiduna `Ali ibn Abi Taalib & cited by `Ali Qari in Jam` al-Wasa’il (1:55)

[8] `Ali Qari in Jam` al-Wasa’il and Munawi in Sharh al-Shama’il (1: 55)

[9] Munawi’s Sharh al-Shama’il, 1:55

[10] This explanation to the word "أهدَب" was given by `Ali Qari in Jam` al-Wasa’il (1: 32) and is also understood by the following narration cited by Yusuf al-Nabhani in Wasa’il al-Wusul p63: "وكان أهدب الأشفار حتي تكاد تلتبس من كثرتها". This description was given by Sayyiduna `Ali in the popular narration of the Hilya narrated by Tirmidhi.

[11] In a narration of Abu Hurayrah, and narration of Jabir bin Samurah cited by Tirmidhi

[12] In the popular Hilya narration by Hind bin Abi Haala cited by Tirmidhi.

[13] `Ali Qari in Jam` al-Wasa’il (1:43)

[14] Munawi in Sharh al-Shama’il (1:43)

[15] Ibid

[16] In the popular Hilya narration of Hind bin Abi Haala cited by Tirmidhi.

[17] Ibn al-Athir in al-Nihaya, Yusuf al-Nabhani in Wasa’il al-Wusul p 73, `Ali Qari in Jam` al-Wasa’il (1:44)

[18] `Ali Qari, Jam` al-Wasa’il (1:44)

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