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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant
Detailed description of Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ physical appearance and character by Sheikh Dr. Abdulrazzaq Al-Badr.
Key Takeaways
- Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had a perfectly balanced and moderate physical appearance.
- His complexion was unique, combining whiteness with a reddish tint.
- He was neither excessively tall nor short, with a well-proportioned body.
- His hair and gait were distinctive and described in detail by his companions.
- There are slight variations in historical narrations, but all emphasize his beauty and perfection.
What the video covers
- Introduction praising Allah and bearing witness to the oneness of God and prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ.
- Description of the Prophet’s ﷺ physique as moderate in height, neither tall nor short, with symmetrical limbs and a balanced build.
- Explanation of his complexion as neither stark white nor brown but a white mixed with a reddish hue.
- His hair was neither curly nor lank but moderate, reaching his earlobes or shoulders.
- The Prophet ﷺ was sent at age 40, stayed in Makkah for about 10-13 years, then 10 years in Madinah before passing at age 60-63.
- His gait was distinctive, inclining forward as if descending a slope.
- Narrations from companions like Anas bin Malik and Al-Bara bin Azib describe his beauty and physical traits.
- Discussion of slight variations in narrations and scholarly interpretations regarding his complexion and age at passing.
- Sheikh Ibn Taymiyyah’s commentary on the perfection and completeness of the Prophet’s ﷺ physical form.
- Mention of prohibitions related to red saddle cloths and linguistic notes on terms describing his hair.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Praise to Allah
- 00:51Physical Description: Height and Complexion
- 01:47Explanation of Height and Build
- 02:52Complexion Details and Hair Description
- 03:44Prophethood Age and Time in Makkah and Madinah
- 05:00Age at Passing and Hair Color
- 06:11Medium Stature and Symmetry
- 07:27Gait and Additional Descriptions
- 09:23Narrations from Companions
- 10:23Linguistic Notes and Prohibitions
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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and messenger, may Allah bless him. And grant him peace, and upon his family and all his companions. To proceed.
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Allah has favored our Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with perfection of physique, beauty of appearance, and radiance of countenance. And Allah, Glorified be He, gifted him with a body of moderate build and symmetrical limbs. Thus, his
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physique, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his appearance were the most complete, perfect, and beautiful of forms. Following is a description of his physique, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, from Anas bin Malik,
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may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was not excessively tall. Nor was he short. He was not stark white. Nor was he brown, nor was his hair curly, nor was it lank.
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Allah sent him at the age of 40; he stayed in Makkah for 10 years and in Madinah for 10 years, and Allah caused him to pass away at the age of 60.
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There were not 20 white hairs in his head and beard. Agreed upon. His saying, may Allah be pleased with him: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was not excessively tall, nor was he short."
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This is an explanation of his height, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and that he was of medium build.
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Between the excessively tall, meaning those of extreme height. And the short person whose body is compact in shortness. He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was closer to being tall than being short. As this has been
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explicitly stated in some narrations. Therefore, Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, described him here as not being excessively tall, and he did not mention a contrasting description for shortness because he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was closer to
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height. And his word "al-ba'in" is said to come from "bana yabinu bayanan" if it appears or is manifest. And it is said it comes from "bana yabunu bunan" if it is far or distant. The meaning is that he, may Allah bless him and grant
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him peace, did not exceed his height beyond the limits of moderation. And his saying "nor stark white, nor brown" is an explanation of his complexion, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. One says "stark white" (amhaq) when
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the whiteness is pure, not mixed with tan, redness, or otherwise. "Al-adam" is the brown color. The meaning is that he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was not intensely white, nor was he brown. Rather, his complexion, may
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Allah bless him and grant him peace, as will come in some narrations, was white mixed with a reddish hue. And his saying, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: "Nor curly, nor lank," is an explanation of the characteristics of
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his hair, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and that it was in the middle. Not curly. Kinky. Which is intensely coiled and curled.
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Intertwining with itself. Twisting one part over another. Twisting one part over another due to its curliness. Nor lank, which is straight, flowing hair.
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But it was moderate between that. And his saying, "Allah sent him at the age of 40," meaning that he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was made a prophet when he completed 40 years of age. And his saying, may Allah bless
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him and grant him peace, "He stayed in Makkah for 10 years after his mission." It has come in some narrations as 13 years, which is the period the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stayed in Makkah after his mission.
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So he was sent. Peace and blessings be upon him at the age of forty, and he migrated after completing 13 years as a prophet. The statement of those who said ten years is understood as the duration of openly declaring the
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prophethood, for when he was sent, he remained in concealment for three years. More clearly, the statement of ten years refers to the period after the revelation of Al-Muddaththir and the command to warn, while those who said 13 years included the three years prior
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to that command, or the narrator omitted the fraction. His statement, "and he spent ten years in Medina," means he stayed in Medina for ten years after the migration. His statement, "and Allah took him at the age of 60,"
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contradicts the established fact that Allah took him at the age of 63, so this narration is interpreted as omitting the fraction. His statement, "and there were not 20 white hairs on his head and beard," means that the
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gray hair in his beard and on his head was so sparse that it did not reach 20 hairs. On the authority of Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was of
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medium stature, not tall nor short. Well-built. His hair was neither curly nor lank. Of a brownish complexion. When he walked, he would incline forward. Recorded by At-Tirmidhi in his Jami'. His statement, may Allah be pleased with him, "The Messenger of Allah, peace and
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blessings be upon him, was of medium stature." It will come in some narrations as "marbu'an" (medium height). Both have the same meaning. They refer to being moderate in stature. And he clarified it by saying "not tall nor short," meaning he was in between them.
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And his statement "well-built." Body. Meaning that Allah Almighty favored him with a body of moderate proportions, with symmetrical limbs. His body, peace and blessings be upon him, was beautiful. And his limbs were symmetrical. Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn
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Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: His creation, peace and blessings be upon him, and his appearance were among the most perfect and complete of forms, embodying all virtues, which is evidence of his perfection, peace and blessings be upon him. And his
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statement, "his hair was neither curly nor lank," means that his hair, peace and blessings be upon him, was moderate. This sentence has already appeared in the previous hadith. And his statement, "brownish complexion," which has appeared in the previous hadith of Anas,
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that he, peace and blessings be upon him, was neither stark white nor dark-skinned, and "Adam" means brown.
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Here, he described him as brownish. For this reason, some scholars believe this wording is not authentic, as Humayd was the only one to report it from Anas, and other narrators differed from him, saying "azhar" (bright-white) instead of brownish. Some scholars interpreted
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this to mean that the "brownish" refers to the light redness that mingled with his whiteness, peace and blessings be upon him, so it was a whiteness tinged with some redness. And his statement, "when he walked, he would incline
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forward," means when he walked, peace and blessings be upon him, it was as if he were descending a slope. It has come in some hadiths that when he walked, he would incline as if he were descending from a high place. This is
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the description of his gait, peace and blessings be upon him. On the authority of Al-Bara bin Azib, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was a man of medium
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stature, broad between the shoulders, with abundant hair reaching his earlobes, wearing a red garment; I have never seen anything more beautiful than him. Agreed upon. In another narration, he said: I have never seen anyone with abundant hair in a red garment more
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beautiful than the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, who had hair that reached his shoulders.
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Broad between the shoulders. He was not short nor was he tall. Agreed upon. His statement, may Allah be pleased with him, "a man of medium stature,"
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It is similar to what Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said in the aforementioned hadith. "The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was of moderate height." The term "rab'
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Rather, he was in the middle. This is all by way of approximation. Otherwise, there are texts that indicate......that he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was closer to being tall than short. His saying "ba'id ma bayn
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al-munkibayn"(broad between the shoulders)—the word "ba'id" is narrated in both the extended and shortened forms. The "munkib"(shoulder) is the joint between the upper arm and the shoulder. So his saying "between the shoulders" refers to the right and the left. The meaning is that he, peace
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and blessings of Allah be upon him... ...was broad in the upper back. His saying "azimu al-jummah ila shahmati udhunayhi"(having a full head of hair reaching his earlobes)—hair, depending on its length, has three terms: "jummah,""wafrah," and "limmah," all of which are used to describe the
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hair of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Linguists have differed on these terms.
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The "wafrah" is hair that descends... ...to the earlobe. The earlobe is the soft, hanging part of the ear, where women wear earrings. The "limmah" is hair that exceeds the earlobe, whether it reaches the shoulders or not. The "
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jummah" is hair that touches the shoulders. Thus, his saying "azimu al-jummah ila shahmati udhunayhi" means his hair, reaching his earlobes; otherwise, hair that reaches the earlobe is called "wafrah." Regarding his saying, "wearing a red garment"...
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The term "hullah"(suit/garment) is only applied to clothing......if it consists of two pieces. Such as the "izar"(lower garment) and the "rida"(upper garment).
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It is said that the reason for naming it so is that one piece rests upon the other. It has been reported from him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that he forbade the wearing of red "mayathir"(saddle cloths or cushions).
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Al-Bara 'bin' Azib, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, forbade us from red 'mayathir'." Agreed upon. Some scholars, in reconciling his wearing of the red garment with the prohibition of red "
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mayathir," have said that the prohibition specifically refers to pure red. If it is not pure red but mixed with another color, such as white, black, or similar, then it is not prohibited, as the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, wore a
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red garment. Regarding his saying, "I have never seen anything more beautiful than him," he did not say, may Allah be pleased with him......I have never seen a person. Rather, he said, "I have never seen anything." To encompass all
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the things he had seen. Including the moon. And the sun, and other beautiful things. His saying "qatt"(ever) means always and continuously. Regarding everything he had seen and witnessed.
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This highlights the perfection of his creation and the beauty......of his form and the brilliance of his appearance, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. And what Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, endowed him with of grace and beauty. So Al-Bara ', may
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Allah be pleased with him, says: "I have never seen anything more beautiful than him." For Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, gave him grace, beauty, and brilliance that surpassed what is seen of beautiful things. In this, as previously mentioned, is the perfection
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of his creation. And the beauty of his form and the brilliance of his appearance, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. And what Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, endowed him with of grace and beauty. May Allah send
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peace and blessings upon His servant and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions. And peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Topics:Prophet MuhammadPhysical descriptionIslamic teachingsSheikh Abdulrazzaq Al-BadrHadithAnas bin MalikProphetic characterIslamic biographyProphet's appearanceIslamic scholarship
