Believing in the perfection of creation, the beauty of appearance, and the magnificence of the body of the Prophet Muhammad is a pillar of faith in prophethood. The limbs and features of the Messenger of Allah, the source of all beauty and the beloved of Allah, were in perfect condition. The sun of truth that arose from his heart shone on his face. Even if a lantern, a candle, or even the full moon or the sun were to shine in front of him, the light of his face would extinguish them.
The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had a perfect body and a beautiful creation. He was neither tall nor short but of medium height. Those who saw him for the first time might think he was short, but upon closer inspection, they would realize he was closer to tall. No matter who walked with him, he appeared taller than them. This was one of the miracles of the Messenger of Allah. It showed that no one in his community could match him in appearance or in spiritual and inner qualities.
In conclusion, it is evident that the body of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), which captivated hearts, was well-proportioned, his limbs were balanced, and his stature was remarkably beautiful.
The color of his blessed skin was not dark but had a luminous and radiant hue close to red. From head to toe, he was like pure silver. All his limbs were white, but some limbs had distinctness or redness due to the effect of the sun and the abundance of blood. His head was large, indicating the strength of his intellect and wisdom.
His hair, which smelled like amber, was black. It was neither curly nor straight but perfectly between the two. When he did not cut his hair, it would reach his earlobes. His forehead was long and wide, and the sides of his forehead were bright and clear. His blessed eyebrows were long, thin, arched like a bow, and just perfect. They were almost connected but not joined or frowning. Although they appeared connected, upon closer look, there was a vein between his eyebrows that would become invisible when he was calm and soft, and prominent when he was angry.
The eyelashes of the Messenger of Allah were thick and long. His eyes were large, with black pupils and a bit of redness in the white part, which made his eyes exceedingly beautiful. He saw in the dark of night as clearly as he saw in the daylight. He saw and knew as well what was behind him as he did what was in front of him.
His nose was very beautiful and proportionate, with a thin and beautiful tip. There was a slight elevation in the middle of his nose, which was the most appropriate to the sense of beauty. At first glance, his nose seemed high, but upon closer inspection, one would realize it to be thin. His face was not long. It was a bit round and flat, not very much but only slightly so. His beautiful face in this way was lovelier than the faces of others, and light seemed to flow from it like the rays of the sun. Though he had the greatest grandeur, his blessed face shone in the hearts of those who looked at him, radiating like the full moon.
Although our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), the most beautiful of created beings, had no equal in the world, it is customary for poets to liken his beauty to the moon to evoke imagery in the minds of listeners through examples and comparisons. Jabir (radiyallahu anh) said:
“I saw the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) on a moonlit night. To understand whether the shining face of the Prophet or the moon was more beautiful, I looked at the beautiful face of the Messenger of Allah and then at the moon. By Allah, in my view, the face of the Prophet was more beautiful than the moon.” (ad-Darimi, Muqaddimah, 10)
His mouth was neither large nor small but in between. His teeth were spaced out, white as pearls, and clear, and light would shine from between them when he spoke. When he closed his lips, his mouth looked so beautiful that no human could match him in grace.
His wise words were very clear and accurate. He possessed immense eloquence and superior rhetoric. His words would captivate hearts and attract souls. No one among the creatures could speak as clearly and beautifully as he did. People could not fathom the clarity and beauty of his speech. Even the best-speaking Arabs could only speak in the accent of their tribe, but the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) spoke in the accent of whichever tribe he was speaking to.
It is beyond doubt that all the words of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) were truthful and impactful, in accordance with the ayah, "He does not speak from his own desire. It is nothing but a revelation revealed" (An-Najm 3-4) , and that all his actions were exemplary, as confirmed by the divine words, "And indeed, you are of a great moral character." (Al-Qalam, 4)
How could it not be so? His tongue was a divinely inspired vessel, shaped by the will of the Creator of the worlds and bearing His words to the rest of the creation. All commands, obligatory acts, and Sunnahs were revealed and clarified through it. The path of truth, the knowledge of the beginning and the end of the universe, were clarified through it. He spoke so clearly and understandably that those who were present and listened to his blessed words could memorize them. If they wanted, they could count each letter he uttered.
His blessed saliva had many miracles. His voice was the most beautiful of all voices and could reach distances that other voices could not. His beard was very black and dense. It was neither curly nor straight, but wavy. Those who looked suddenly at his luminous face, shining with the brilliance of the dignity and grace inherent in his exalted personality, would be filled with awe.
Those who wanted to describe his superiority and morality would admit their incapacity and declare their deficiency, saying: “Before and after the Messenger of Allah I have never seen anyone who resembled him in terms of appearance, inner state, morality, and creation.”
The neck of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was very beautiful and harmonious, his throat was clear and immaculate. When he looked at something, he did not turn his head right or left, but directed his whole body toward what he was looking at. When he spoke to someone, he turned his whole body, not just his head.
The joints, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and knees of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) were large-boned. The size of a person’s bones indicates their strength and power. His shoulders and arms were hairy. His arms were fleshy from the elbow to the wrist, and his wrist bones were long.
His hands were large and fleshy, his palms were wide. The breadth of a person’s palm indicates their generosity. His fingers were thick and of normal distance. Among his beautiful features, his hands were colder than snow, softer than silk, and more fragrant than musk. Whatever he touched with his hands would be cured of illness and find healing.
The armpits of the Prophet were white and hairless. The space between his shoulder blades was broad. The moderate breadth of his shoulders was a sign of nobility and leadership.
Between the shoulder blades of the Messenger of Allah, at the level of his heart, there was a small lump in the shape of a pigeon’s egg, which was the seal of prophethood. This seal, which was proof that he was the last of the prophets and messengers, was of his skin color, had beautiful hair, and was surrounded by pearl-like beauty marks. It was famously known as the “Seal of Prophethood.”
From his chest to his navel, there was a line of hair like the letter “alif,” indicating the splitting of his chest. He had no other hair on his chest. His stomach was in line with his chest, meaning his stomach was not ahead of his chest, nor his chest ahead of his stomach. Both his chest and stomach were flat, clean, and radiant. In summary, all his organs were pleasant and harmonious. His body was neither fat nor thin. All his limbs were balanced and beautiful.
Various narrations describe the blessed heart of our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), the most distinguished of all creation.
Because he was superior to all created beings, he had special attributes. These attributes showed the beauty of his states and morals. His praised morals, as mentioned in the Qur’an, revealed the secrets in his sacred heart, which was under Allah’s gaze.
Before the Mi’raj (the ascension), his heart, like the hearts of other prophets, would sometimes constrict and then expand after a while. Thus, he would endure what came from both Allah and the people. A year before the Hijrah (migration), when he ascended to the heavens (mi’raj), Jibril split open the chest of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), removed a piece of numb, impure blood from his heart, and said:
“O Messenger of Allah! This is the part Satan has in you. After this, the deceitful Satan can never prevail over you.”
Then he washed the luminous heart of the Prophet with Zamzam water in a golden basin and placed it back. This was one of his greatest miracles.
After this event of chest-splitting, his heart was always spacious. He comfortably explained his prophethood and missions to humans and jinn. His heart was free from sorrows and suffering. In times of joy and times of grief, he was in the same state.
The Prophet’s calves were somewhat thin, which added to his beauty.
His feet were large and flat. The back of his heels had little flesh. The soles of his feet were flat, soft, and of normal height. His toes were thick and of normal length. The toe next to his big toe was longer than the others. His feet were more beautiful than those of other people.
When he walked, he lifted his feet from the ground with vigor, directed himself towards where he would go without swaying right or left, and when he stepped, he placed his feet entirely, not tiptoeing for elegance. He walked looking only at his feet, as if descending from a slope.
In conclusion, our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was neither arrogant nor excessively cheerful and always acted with humility. Avoiding haughty behavior, he took large strides and walked calmly. His unique way of walking was very careful and, like all his features, extremely beautiful and balanced.
If someone carefully thinks about and keeps in mind the description of the appearance of our Prophet given here, his clean and radiant body will come to their mind. This way, their love will increase, and it may be granted to see the beauty of the Messenger of Allah, against which even the most exquisite roses pale in comparison, in a dream.
