Translation of Nurul Uyun by Imam Ibn Sayyid An Naas. Concise biography of the Prophet sallallahu...

8/2/2019 Translation of Nurul Uyun by Imam Ibn Sayyid An Naas. Concise biography of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam

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The Light of SightTranslation of Nur al-Uyun A Concise Biography of the Propheth

IMAM IBN SAYYID AN-NASQ

S I R A H ~ S E R I E S


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The Light of Sight A Concise Biography of the Pr

Original Arabic Work by

Imam Ibn Sayyid an-Ns

Translation and Footnotes

Abu Hasan

AcknowledgementsAbu Nibras, Aqdas, Noori

Copyright Ridawi Press

Rabi al-Awwal 1433/February 2012

Version 1.2

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The Light of Sight


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TRANSLATORS PREFACE

one among you has truly believed, until I have become morebeloved to him than his children, his parents and all of mankind,1said RaslAllh . Early Muslims were mindful of this instruction,

and held it dear to their hearts; they were successful in this world andhope for success in the hereafter.

Many biographies have been written describing the Prophet and hisattributes, his exceptional character and his immaculate life which is amodel for mankind to follow. Allh tl says:

Verily, it is better for you to follow the

Messenger of Allh; [and] for those who

hope [to meet] Allh and the final day,

and remember Allh tl immensely. 2

Muslims should learn about the Messenger of Allh, and strive to knowmore and more about him . It is therefore, that scholars approved of

1 Lit. his son, his father and all of mankind. This is a famous and a adth recorded inBukhr and Muslim among other adth compilations.

2

Srah Al-Azb, 33:21. Even though, in the context of revelation, this is addressed to aspecific group of people, exegetes have considered it as generic.

N


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gatherings to remember him. This epistle is a concise biography of theProphet which is perfect for reading during Mawlid gatherings as it canbe read in one or two hours. A knowledgeable reciter or scholar canelaborate on any particular aspect of the life of RaslAllh ; about hismiracles or attributes or his sayings. Also, as this book is based onauthentic narrations and compiled by a well-known adth imm, chronicgrumblers and grudging malcontents will not have much to complain.

The translation follows the printed copy, edited and annotated byMuammad Sad dnn al-Abrash and Muammad Ghassn Na.I have cross-checked where necessary, with classical biographies likeMawhib, Madrijetc., in transcribing names and clarifications mentionedin footnotes. Footnotes translated from the print edition are captioned

Editors Note. Even though the Arabic printed edition is extensivelyreferenced, I have omitted them in the translation to keep it concise andsimple. In sh Allh, we may release a fully referenced edition in thefuture.

We live in challenging times in which, ignorant preachers attempt todiminish the lofty stature of RaslAllh in the name of tawd; andinstead of being silenced, they are hailed as guides. These misguidedspeakers have created an atmosphere of suspicion and encouraged a

culture of disrespect that has emboldened ordinary folk to labelpermissible practices and valid concepts as polytheism and innovationwithout hesitation or research. Especially, praising the Prophet isdecried as an exaggeration, even though such praise is mentioned in aadth.

I have included appendices in which adth and commentaries arementioned to clarify wrong notions and false ideas circulated byignoramuses masquerading as scholars. In the spirit of the book, I have

tried to keep the appendices short and derived them from famous works.Appendix A: Clarifications

Appendix B: Loving the Messenger

Appendix C: Visiting the Prophet

Appendix D: Intercession

Appendix E: Y RaslAllh in adth


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Appendix F: Prophets are Alive in their Graves

Appendix G: Further Reading (Biographies of the Prophet)

We beseech Allh tl to bestow upon us the love of the Prophet andmake us his diligent followers and remain faithful to his sunnah. We askAllh tl to raise us under his standard on the day of Judgement andgrant us the intercession of His beloved for the sake of His beloved.

Abu Hasan

12th Rabi al-Awwal 1433


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AUTHORS INTRODUCTION

Thus said the meticulous research scholar, the imm, shaykh FatuddnAbul Fat Muammad ibn Muammad ibn Muammad ibn Sayyidin Nsal-Ymury ar-Rabiy may Allh tl sanctify his secret:

Praise be to Allh tl who opens the doors [of Grace] when He is calledupon; and He, who bestows means for guidance; Salutations and blessingsupon His Prophet Muammad , whom Allh tl sent as a guide tothose who accepted guidance; and a proof3 upon those who turned away;and [salutations be] upon his descendants and his companions who loved

and cherished his

tradition all their lives.yn al-Athar f Funn al-Maghz wash Shamyil was Siyar,4 is acomprehensive biography that I have compiled, which is a copious andsufficient resource for seekers of this knowledge. After completing it, I feltthat it should be abridged to facilitate quick reference, easy to read and tocarry; that which imparts knowledge to the beginner and serves as areview for the master. Hence, I have summarised in these pages, andnamed it, The Light of the Sight A Concise Biography of theTrustworthy, the Vouchsafed.5

Thus we begin, with a prayer for aid and guidance from Allh tl andbeseech Him to steer our essay and ease the path to goodness.

3ujjah

4 The Gushing Springs of Tradition: On the subject of Battles, Attributes and Biographies.

5Nr al-yn f Talkhi Sratil Amn al-Mamn.


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THE GENEALOGY OF THE PROPHET

He is Muammad2the son ofbdullh,

the son ofbdal-Mualib,

the son ofHshim,

the son ofbdManf,

the son ofQusayy,

the son ofKilb,the son ofMurrah,

the son ofKab,

the son ofLu-ayy,

the son ofGhlib,

the son ofFihr,

the son ofMlik,the son ofNar,

the son ofKinnah,

the son ofKhuzaymah,

the son ofMudrikah,

the son ofIlys,

the son ofMuar,

the son ofNizr,

the son ofMa-dd,

the son ofdnn

There is agreement until dnn, and above him until Sayyidun dam7, there is an intense disagreement among genealogists.


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Hismother is Ladyminah,

the daughter ofWahb,

the son ofbdManf,

the son ofZuhrah,

the son ofKilb,6

the son ofMurrah,

the son ofKa-b,

the son ofLu-ayy.7

6 Thus the ancestry of RaslAllhh from his fathers and mothers side converges at Kilb.

7 Bayhaqi in Dalyil an-Nubuwwah (1:183) and Ibn Hishm in his Srah (#1156).


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HIS BLESSED BIRTH

He was born on Monday, in the month of Rabi al Awwal, in the Year ofthe [Attack of the] Elephants.8 It is said that it was on the second or thethird or the twelfth of the month. Other dates have also been mentionedin this regard. His mother bore him during the days of tashrq9 near theMiddle Stoning Area.10 It is also said that it was perhaps another day.11

On the night of his birth , the palace12 of Chosroes shook until the soundof its tremor was heard and fourteen columns13 of his palace collapsed;the grand fire of the Persians died out and it had not quenched for a

thousand years; and the lake in Swah evaporated.14

8

Abraha was an Ethiopian king who attempted to invade Makkah, in an attempt to destroythe Kabah. He came with an army of elephants which were destroyed by a flock of smallbirds sent by Allh tl. The story is mentioned in the 105thsrah of the Qurn. The yearin which this event occurred is known as the Year of the Elephants : m al-fl.

9Ayym al-tashrq: the rising days, the radiant days. These are the 5 days in Dhul ijjah, thetwelfth month of the Islamic year.

10Jamrah al-Wus during the Rising Days (ayym al-tashrq)

11 Because it depends on the other narrations of birth date, and there are varying reportsconcerning these dates.

12Ywn: palace; it is said that it was the massive palace built by Darius at Persepolis calledApadana.

13 Wikipedia: This palace was called the Apadana. The King used it for official audiences.The work began in 515 BC. His son Xerxes I completed it 30 years later. The palace had agrand hall in the shape of a square, each side 60 m long with seventy-two columns, thirteenof which still stand on the enormous platform. Each column is 19 m high with a squareTaurus and plinth. The columns carried the weight of the vast and heavy ceiling. The tops ofthe columns were made from animal sculptures such as two headed bulls, lions and eagles.[retrieved February 2012].

14 Saveh is an ancient city in Persia.


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HIS BEING NURSED

He was suckled by almah al-Hudhaliyyah, the daughter of AbDhuayb. While he was in almahs care, the event of incision of hischest occurred, when his bosom was filled with wisdom and faith; andafter the portion for the devil15 was removed from it.HHewas also suckled by Thuwaybah al-Aslamiyyah,16 the slave-girl ofAb Lahab.17

He was nursed in the care ofUmm Ayman Barakah al-abashiyyah,18

[a slave-girl owned] by his father19

and whom he inherited. When he

grew up, he freed her and she was given in marriage to Zayd ibn al-rithah.

15 The wording of adth is: ba-da anistukhrija aush shayni minhu. This adth isin a Muslim 261/162, Ibn Hibbn 6334, Musnad Imm Amed 3/121, and BayhaqsDalyil an-Nubuwwah 1/135. There are various interpretations of this adth, keeping inmind the principle of Ahlus Sunnah, that Prophets are free from sin; one of the bestexplanation is by Q y in Ikml al-Mlim wherein he says that the portion for shaytan

means the portion which the Devil covets and exploits for his advantage. It was removedbefore it could be exploited. See Appendix A for clarification.

16 Belonging to the Al-Aslam tribe. There is a difference of opinion whether she becameMuslim; fi Ibn Mandah affirmed that she became a Muslim [Usd al-Ghbah]

17 He was the paternal uncle of RaslAllh . He opposed RaslAllh and became anenemy; and on account of his abusiveness, he was damned forever and mentioned by thename in the Qurn in Srah 111.

18 The Abyssinian.

19 Umm Ayman was his fathers slave-girl.


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GROWING UP

His father passed away, when he was still in his mothers womb. It isalso said that he was either two or seven or twenty-eight months old[when his father passed away].20

His mother passed away, when he was a boy of four years. It is alsosaid that he was six [when his mother passed away].21

He was then in the guardianship of his grandfather bdul Mualib.When he reached eight years, two months and ten days, hisgrandfather bdul Mualib passed away. His [paternal] uncleAb lib

took him in his care.

When he was twelve years, two months and ten days he set outwith his uncle Ab lib to the Levant. When they reached Bur,22 themonk23 Bar saw him and recognised him by his attributes anddistinguishing marks. Bar came to him , held his hand and said:This is the Messenger of the Lord of all worlds, whom Allh tl willsend forth as a mercy to the worlds. Verily, when you descended from thevalley, the very stones and trees prostrated and they do not prostrate,

except for a prophet. We find the description of his attributes in ourbooks; and it was well-known to those who came before us. And then hetold Ab lib: If you proceed to the Levant, the Jews will kill him. Sohis uncle turned back [without proceeding further] fearing their harm tohis nephews life.

The Prophet set out a second time to the Levant in the company ofMaysarah, a slave ofKhadjahg, representing her business, before hemarried her.24 When he reached the Levant, he sat under a tree close

20 The well-known and generally accepted report is the first narration, that he was still inhis mothers womb.

21 The second report that hewas six years old is widely accepted.

22 Bostra; an ancient city in southern Syria.

23 Christian monk

24 With Sayyidah Khadjah in his twenty-fifth year.


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to a monastery.25 The monk (of the hermitage) said: None, except aprophet has ever sat under this tree.

Maysarah use to say: During the journey, when the sun was very hot, I

saw two angels descend from the sky giving him shade.

After he returned from this journey, he married Khadjah bint26Khuwaylid; and his age was twenty five years, two months and tendays. It is also said that his age was something else.

When he reached his thirty-fifth year, he witnessed the rebuildingof the Kabah and he placed the black stone with his own blessedhands.

25ma-h: monastery, hermitage. rhib: monk, ascetic, hermit.

26bint: the daughter of


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PROCLAMATION OF PROPHETHOOD27

When he reached the age offorty years and a few days, Allh tl senthim forth as a Messenger bearing glad tidings28 and a Warner29 to allworlds. The archangel Jibrl307 came to him in the cave ofHirawith a revelation31 from the Lord of the Worlds and said: Read. And he said: I am not read.32

He said: And he33 clasped me in a tight smothering embrace; hereleased me [from the embrace] and he once again said, Read. And Isaid: I am not read. So the third time, he said:34

Read! In the name of thy Lord who hath

created thee. He hath created man from

a congealed clot of blood. Read, in [the

name of] your Lord, the most

Honourable. He who taught by the pen;

and taught man, what he knew not.35

27 bi-thah: to be sent forth on a mission; proclamation of his being a prophet and theannouncement of the message that hewas sent with. See Appendix A for a clarification.

28bashr: one who gives glad tidings of Paradise for believers; one who gives glad tidings offorgiveness and mercy of the Almighty.

29nadhr: one who warns of punishment to the evildoers and infidels; one who warns of the

wrath of the Almighty.30 Gabriel in the Judeo-Christian literature

31way

32 It is also said that he was asking: What shall I read? See Appendix A for clarification.

33 Sayyidun Jibrla

34 adth of Bukhr#3, and Muslim #160 . In the adth, the angel embraces him threetimes and asks him to read; and recites the verse after the third time.

35 Srah Al-laq, 96:1-5.


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He received the first revelation as mentioned above on Monday, theeighth day of Rabi al-Awwal.

The people of Makkah then blockaded him and he was confined to

the hollow36 of Ab lib along with his family for more than three years.When they emerged from the valley [after the blockade was eased] he was forty-nine years old.

Eight months and twenty-one days after the boycott collapsed, his uncle Ab lib died; [Sayyidah] Khadjah died three days later.

When he reached fifty years and three months, a party of Jinn of theNabn37 came to him and became Muslims.

When he was fifty-one years and nine months, he went on the NightJourney38 commencing from the place between Zamzam and theMaqm,39 to Jerusalem. The Burq40 was brought [again] and he mounted it and was raised to the heavens; prayer was made obligatoryduring this journey.

When he reached fifty-three, he migrated from Makkah to Madnahon a Monday, on the 22nd of Rabi al-Awwal, and entered Madnah on aMonday. He resided in Madnah for ten years until he passed away

from this world.

Some of these dates are differed upon by historians, and I have mentioneddates that I have determined [as accurate] in my book yn al-Athar.

36Shib Ab lib

37 A well-known city in the Arabian peninsula.

38Al-Isra wal Mirj

39 Maqm Ibrhm: the stone bearing the footprints of Sayyidun Ibrhm; maqm or thestanding place of Ibrhm.

40 A celestial steed. The text gives the impression that Burq was brought for the first timein Jerusalem. Whereas, RaslAllh had already arrived to Jerusalem upon it; and here itis the commencement of the heavenly ascension of RaslAllh . Burq is a white animal,taller than a donkey and shorter than a mule and it stride was as far as it could see. [Muslim]


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CAMPAIGNS AND SORTIES

He undertook twenty-five or twenty-seven wars in this period. Heparticipated in seven of these himself.

1. Badr2. Uud3. Khandaq (The battle of the Trench)4. Ban Qurayah5. Ban Mualaq6. Khaybar417. unayn8. yif

It is said that he also participated in the battles ofWd al-Qur,Ghbahand Ban Nar.

He sent smaller sorties on aboutfifty expeditions.

41 Editors Note: There is a variance in the manuscripts that we have examined betweenKhaybar and unayn; and we have listed both here; as the Prophet participated in thesetwo wars; Imm Ibn ajar attests in Fat al-Br [narrating] from Ms ibn qabah thatRaslAllh participated in eightwars. Allh tl knows best.


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PILGRIMAGE

He went on ajj, the major pilgrimage only once after it was madeobligatory; and twice prior to this.

He set out for the farewell pilgrimage in the day; he oiled andcombed his hair, perfumed his clothes and stayed overnight in Dhululayfah.42

He said: Last night, a herald came to me from my Lord and said: Prayin this blessed valley and say: I intend for mrah43 and ajj.44

So he donned the iram45 for both pilgrimages together.46He entered Makkah on Sunday morning from the two rising hills; andperformed the awf47 of arrival. In three of the rounds he did ramal48and walked at ease in the rest of the four. He proceeded to af andmade the circuit49 on a mount.

He then ordered those who could not muster a sacrifice50 to suspendthe ajjand end their irm with the mrah; he camped on the ridge ofthe ajn hill.

42 About 10 km south of Madnah.

43 The minor or lesser pilgrimage.

44 The major or greater pilgrimage.

45 The pilgrims garb and also the state of being a pilgrim.

46Qirn: to intend both lesser and greater pilgrimage (ajjand mrah) together in the sameirm.

47 Circumambulation of the Kbah; seven rounds of the Kbah are required for thecompletion of the rite.

48 To march, with chest protruded and shaking shoulders as in a parade.

49Saor the circuit is a rite in the pilgrimage to go from af to Marw and back againseven times; starting from af and ending on Marw.

50 Hadyi: a sacrificial animal which is obligatory for those who do the two types of ajj:Qirn and Tamatt.


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On the eighth day of Dhul ijjah,51 he set out to Min. He prayeduhr, r, Maghrib, sh, and stayed there overnight; he also prayedFajr the following morning there.

After sunrise, he went to rafah and a tent was erected for him atNamirah. He stayed there until the sun began to descend,52 and he gave a sermon; he prayed in congregation and combined both prayersof early and late afternoon. Both were prayed with one adhn53 but withseparate iqmah.54

He then went to the standing place [in rafah] and stood theresupplicating and glorifying his Lord Almighty, and proclaiming Hisgreatness55 until sunset.

He returned to Muzdalifah after sunset and stayed there overnight andprayed the Fajr of the following morning there. He then stood atMashr al-arm, just until sunrise.56

He returned to Min before sunrise. [Thereafter,] he stoned thedevil at Jamarah al-qabah,57 casting seven pebbles. So also, on theremaining three days of Tashrq, he went on foot, to stone the devil,and he cast seven pebbles in each of the three stoning places. [On theremaining three days,] he started from the smaller stoning placeadjacent to Khayf,58 and then the middle one, and then Jamarah al-

qabah.

51 The day ofTarwiyah.

52 After mid-noon.

53 The call to prayer.

54 The announcement prior to standing for prayer.55Tahlland Takbr

56 When orange-red light fills the sky.

57Jamarah, Jamart(pl.): These are three places between Min and Makkah; and a symbolicstoning of the devil is one of rituals in ajj. The stoning place (Jamarah) closer to Makkah isthe Jamarah al-qabah (The Greater Stoning Place); the middle is Jamarah al-Wus (TheMiddle Stoning Place); and the one closer to Min is Jamarah al-ughr (The SmallerStoning Place).

58 Situated in Min, a big mosque is built there.


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He made lengthy supplications at the first and the second place.

He offered the sacrifice, the very day he returned to Mina59 and thenwent to [Makkah, where hemade the obligatory]60awf al-Ifah; he

made the circumambulation seven times and then went to the well [ofZamzam] and drank from it. He then came back to Min.

He left [Min] on the third day61 and camped in Al-Muaab.Sayyidah ishahg did the mrah [starting from]Al-Tanm.

RaslAllh then ordered [the company] to prepare for departure. He did the awf al-Wad62 and set out to Madnah.

RaslAllh did mrah four times [other than that during ajj] and allwere performed in Dhul Qadah.

59 On the 10th Dhul ijjah, after the stoning.

60 The circuit of the Kbah after returning from rafah on the 10 th is an obligatory ritual inthe ajj. This is known as awf al-Ziyrah or awf al-Ifah.

61 This is the completion of the ajj.

62 The farewellawf.


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HIS PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

RaslAllhwas of medium height and had broad shoulders.His complexion was white white with a pinkish hue. His hairwould reach his earlobes. There were no more than twenty grey hairs inboth his [blessed] head and beard. His face was radiant and shining likethe full moon. Hewas the most beautiful to behold.

He was the epitome of dignity, when he kept silent; and when he spoke, there was an effusion of splendour and awe.

From afar, he appeared the most handsome of all; graceful and elegant.And so too from near; he was the most beautiful, comely and pleasant.

His speech was sweet and his forehead ample.63 His eyebrows [thinand] long, and they were not joined;64 his nose was aquiline thin andstraight, and soft cheeks, a full mouth, white and sparkling teeth; and asmall and narrow chink65 between the two front teeth. The Seal ofProphethood was between his shoulders [on his back] and the personwho described his beauty said: I had not seen anyone more handsome

than him before, and I never saw anyone like him after.

63 Apart from the physical attractiveness of an ample forehead, there are also otherconnotations. In Arabic, the same description is used to signify an amiable person and one

with pleasant nature; and negates frowning and scowling. Thus was RaslAllh, alwayssmiling and a gracious countenance to behold.

64 Though they appeared to be joined when observed from a very close range, they wereapart when viewed from a sitting distance. Regardless, this is to negate synophyrs or aunibrow. Allh tl knows best.

65 This was a very narrow separation that enhanced the natural beauty of his blessed teeth;or that the teeth were slightly curved in the lower portion of the front teeth such that a smallopening is formed when the upper teeth sit on the lower ones, which is a mark of attractiveteeth. It may not necessarily be diastema, but nevertheless, it was beautiful as RaslAllh was the most perfect and the most beautiful in creation.


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HIS NAMES

RaslAllh has many names among which are, as he has himself said:I am Muammad,66

I amAmed,67

I am My, the Effacer; by whom Allh tl effaces disbelief,

I am shir, the Gatherer as people will be gathered andassembled by my feet in the hereafter,

and I amqib, the Ultimate; and there is no prophet after me.

In another narration:

I am Muqaff,

I am Nabiyut Tawbah, the Prophet who brings redemption [tosinners,]

I am Nabiyur Ramah, the Prophet of Mercy.

In a report of a Muslim: Nabiyul Malamah, the Prophet of War.68

66 He who is the most praised by Allh tl.

67 One who praises Allh tl the most.68 Editors Note: We did not find this in a Muslim, though Ibn ibbn claimed thusly.Here, it may sound contradictory that he is said to be both a Prophet of Mercy and and aProphet of War; llmah Laj in his Muntah as-Sl cites a beautiful explanation fromKhab: That he was sent with war and sword, is actually a form of mercy. Because it wasthe way of Allh tl to hasten punishment when they belied prophets of previous nationsand were exterminated; and his community was given the mercy that they were notexterminated, but rather given a chance to revert from their disbelief even if it was underthe fear of the sword.


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Allh tl has named him in his book:

Bashr, the Harbinger, the bearer of glad tidings;

Nadhr, the Warner of punishment and Allhs wrath;Sirj, the Light of guidance;

Mnr, the Illuminated;

Raf, the Kindl

Ram, the Merciful;

Ramatun lil lamn, Mercy to all worlds;

Muammad, the Praised One;

Amed, the Praising One;

h;

Ysn;

Muzzamml, the Cloaked One;

Muddaththir, he who is wrapped in his mantle;

Andbd, His Slave, as Allh tl has said:

Glory to Him, who has made his slave to

travel in a part of the night69

And when His slave stood beseeching

Him70

69 Srah Al-Isr, :17-1.

70 Srah Al-Jinn, :72-19.


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Allh tl has named himNadhr Mubn, a Manifest Warner,as He has said:

And say: Verily I am a Manifest Warner71

And named himMudhakkr, The Reminder, as He says:

Verily you are a Reminder ...72

Other names have also been mentioned. Most of these names are

descriptive of his attributes.73

71 Srah Al-ijr, :15-89.

72 Srah Al-Ghshiyah, :88-21.

73Editors Note: Scholars have collected his names and compiled books among which,the following are prominent: llmah ibn DiyahsAl-Mustawf, Imm SuysAl-BahjatulBahiyyah, fi Sakhwis Al-Qawl al-Bad; llmah Ysuf Nabhn condensed all these inhis Al-Asm fm li Sayyidin Muammad minal Asma; he also versified the same in hisAsanul Wasyil fi Nami Asma an-Nabiyy al-Kmilin which he listed upto 824 names.


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HIS LOFTY CHARACTER

Sayyidah ishah was asked about his character, and she said: Hischaracter was the Qurn. He was angered or pleased only for the sakeof his Lord. He did not avenge or become angry for his own self. But,when someone transgressed limits, he would be angry for the sake ofhis Lord. And when he was angry, no one could dare stand in hispresence.

He was the bravest of men, the most generous of them and the mostmagnanimous. He never said No, to anything that was asked of him.

He did not hoard gold or silver;74 he did not even keep it overnight; ifsomething was left and someone had not taken it by nightfall, he didnot come home until he had found someone deserving and handed it tothem.

He would not take anymore than was necessary for the sustenance ofhis family for a year; and such a provision would be quite ordinary ofdates and wheat. He would give charity from even this, and sometimesit would happen that his provision would be exhausted before the end of

the year.

He was the most truthful of men, and the most righteous in speech; he was the most trustworthy, the most courteous with people and themost honourable in transactions and upright in society.

He was the most forebearing of men, and also the most bashful andmodest more bashful than a veiled maiden.

His gaze was always lowered [from bashfulness and humility] and looked

at the earth more often than he would cast his sight on the sky; andusually when he beheld anything, it was just a quick glance.

He was exceptional in his humility; he accepted invitations fromeveryone, whether rich or poor, freeman or slave.

74dirham: silver, and dnr: gold.


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He was the kindest of men; he would place a bowl for the cat to drinkfrom [and wait] and would not take it away until it had drunk its fill, outof kindness to the cat.

He was the most chaste of men, and foremost in honouring andconsideration for his companions. He would not stretch his legs whenseated in the midst [of others] and would make room for others [bymoving] if the place was crowded. He would sit such that his kneeswould not touch another person in the assembly.

Whoever saw him suddenly would be awestruck; and if he stayed in hiscompany, he would begin to love him.

His companions would be around him; when he spoke they remainedsilent, intently listening to him; and when he bade them do something,they rushed to fulfil his command. When he met with someone, he was the first to greet with salm.

He was courteous with his companions and would miss those whowere absent; he would ask about them and if they were sick, he would visit them; and if someone was away,75 he prayed for them; andwhen any of them died, he would do istirj76 and pray for thedeceased.

If someone was frightened that something would befall them, he walkwith them until their doorstep. He would visit the gardens of his companions and partake from anything offered to him as a guest. Heengaged with respectable folk and honoured people of merit; yet, he never turned away from anybody, nor was supercilious with anyone. Ifsomeone asked for forgiveness, he readily accepted their excuse andforgave them. The strong and the weak were equal in his presenceconcerning their rights.

He did not allow anyone to walk behind him and would say: Leavemy back for the angels.

75 On a journey or for any other reason not present.

76Istirj is to utter the prayer: We belong to Allh tl and to Him is our return which issaid by those who are close to the deceased. Here it indicates his concern for his companions and how much he cared for them.


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Neither would he allow anyone to walk with him when he wasriding; he would urge them to ride with him, and if they declined he would say: Hasten, and go where you wish to go.

He would serve those who served him; he owned slaves andslavegirls, but he never withheld anything from them or kept himselfabove them in anything; whether in food, drink or clothing.

Sayyidun Anas says: I was in the service of RaslAllh for tenyears; and by Allh! I was in his company and attended to him at all times,whether he was at home or travelling. Yet, he served me more than Iwould serve him. He never reprimanded [anyone] harshly, or evensaid Alas! Neither did he question me for something I did: Why did

you do so? nor did he ask me for something I did not do: Why did younot do so?

Once RaslAllh was on a journey, and he asked his companions toprepare lamb for dinner. One of them said: O Messenger of Allh! I willslaughter it. Another said: I will skin it. Another said: I will cook it,RaslAllh said: Then I will gather firewood. His companions said:O RaslAllh! We will take care of it [and you need not trouble yourself].RaslAllh told them: I know that you will take care of it. But I do not

wish to be distinct or eminent upon you. Verily Allh tl does not likethat slave of His who tries to maintain distinction among hiscompanions. So he rose and gathered firewood.

Once during a journey, the caravan stopped for prayer. He tarried andturned to go back. He was asked: O Messenger of Allh, where do youwish to go? He replied: To tie my camel. The companions said: Weshall tie it for you, O Messenger of Allah and he said: Be self-reliant; anddo not ask for help, even as [little as] a twig.77

He neither sat nor stood up without first mentioning his Lord. When he went in a room full of people, he would sit in the back78 and would

77 Both the printed edition and the manuscript mention l yastain even though, in mostnarrations it is simply: la-yastaghni / be self-reliant. See Bayhaqs Shub al-mn, #3252.Hence the translation. The idiom: qamatin min siwk, means howsoever insignificant.

78 Lit. at the end of the assembly. Because when one arrives after people are already sitting,the only place left would be in the back.


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ask his followers to do the same. He would be courteous to everyperson in the audience such that each of them felt that he was the mosthonoured in the assembly.

If someone came to sit with him, he would not leave until that personrose to leave except when he had to go and could not delay; in whichcase, hewould take the persons leave.

Nobody could face RaslAllhwith something that he did not like.

He did not retribute evil with evil; rather, he would pardon andforgive.

RaslAllh visited the sick, loved the poor, sat with them and attended

their funerals; he never despised a poor man on account of his poverty,nor admired a rich man on account of his wealth. He cherished andthanked for everything he received, howsoever little and neverdenigrated or belittled anything.

He never criticised food; if he liked something, he would eat; if he did not like it, he simply avoided it.

He was amiable with his neighbours and honoured his guests. He

was always smiling and cordial with everyone. He did not do anythingthat was not for the sake of Allh tl; except such chores which wereinevitable. If he had to choose between two things, he would choosethe easiest of the two except when the easier choice would result intransgression or severing relation; hewas the farthest from doing so.

Hewould mend his own shoes and sew the tears in his clothes.

He would ride a horse, a mule or a donkey; and make his slaves orothers to ride with him on the pillion. He would [sometimes] wipe

the face of his horse with his sleeve or the corner of his mantle.

He appreciated favourable signs, but disliked augury.

If something occurred that pleased him, he would say: Praise be toAllh, the Lord of all worlds.79

79alamdu lillhi rabbil lamn


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If something happened that displeased him, he would say: Praise be toAllh, always and in every state and condition.80

When dishes were taken away [after food,] he would say: Praise be to

Allh, who has given us food, drink and shelter; and has made usMuslims.

He would usually sit facing the Qiblah, and would remember his Lordoften; his prayer would be lengthy and his sermon would be short.

He would do istighfr,81 a hundred times in a single sitting. Sometimeswhen he prayed, gasps would be heard arising from his chest, similarto a person stifling his sobs.

He would fast on Mondays82 and Thursdays, three days of everymonth, and on the day ofshr.83 He rarely ate on a Friday. Most ofhis supererogatory fasts were in the month ofShbn.

His sleep was such that his eyes would sleep, but his heart was awake;in anticipation of revelation.

If he saw something in his dream that he disliked, he would say:Allh is He [the only God]; and who hath no partner.84

When he went to bed, he would say: O my Lord! Protect me fromyour torment on the day you bring forth your slaves [from theirgraves.]85

And when he awoke, he would say: Praise be to Allh; He has givenus life after death and we shall be assembled in His Presence.86

80alamdu lillhi l kulli l81 To beseech the forgiveness of Allh and implore Him to accept repentance.

82 In a adth of Muslim, he was asked why he fasted on Mondays, and he replied:Because I was born on that day. RaslAllh himself commemorated the day of hisbirth; this is the proof from sunnah for the validity of celebrating his mawlid.

83 The 10th day of Muarram.

84huwa Allhu l sharka lahu

85rabbi qin dhbaka yawma tabthu bdaka


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HIS FOOD AND DRINK

He did not partake from alms and charity; but he would partakefrom gifts and recompense those who gave him gifts.

His food was neither sumptuous nor extravagant.

Sometimes, he would tie stones upon his belly, to suppress hunger.87Allh tl bestowed upon him the keys of all the treasures of theEarth; but he did not accept that, and chose the hereafter instead.

He would eat bread with vinegar and he has said: What a splendid

sauce is vinegar!RaslAllh has eaten the flesh of chicken and houbara.88

He savoured calabash89 and shoulder meat.90

He would use [olive] oil in food; and oil his hair; and he has said:Use [olive] oil for food and oil your hair; as it comes from a blessed tree.

Hewould eat with three fingers and would lick them [afterward].91

He has eaten [Arabic] bread92 made of barley together with dates; andwatermelon with fresh dates; cucumber with fresh dates; and dates withcream; he loved sweets and honey.

He would always drink seated; sometimes he would drink standingup; and he would drink in three draughts, and each time parting the glassfrom his lips.

86al-amdu lillhil ladh ayn bada m amtan wa ilayhin nushr

87 This was out of contentment and to teach his followers patience and contentment.

88 A bustard found in Arabia.

89 Bottle gourd; dubba or qar in Arabic.

90 Of lamb.

91 Out of modesty and to indicate that it was opposed to vainglory.

92 Pita bread, khubz.


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He always started from the right side, when he passed [the chaliceof] milk to drink; or when he drank it himself.93

RaslAllh said: When Allh tl has fed someone, he should say: OAllh! Make our food blessed and give us even better food.94 And whenAllh tl has given him milk, he should say: O Allh! Make our drinkblessed and increase it for us.95

He has said: Nothing can compensate for food and drink except milk.

93 That is, when he drank, he drank with his right hand; and when he passed thebowl, he did so from the right side.

94allhumma brik lan fhi wa aimn khayran minhu

95allhumma brik lan fhi wa zidn minhu


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HIS DRESS

He would wear clothes made of wool. He would wear layeredshoes.96 He did not wear ostentatious or grandiose clothes.

The ibarah,97 a type of Yemenite cloak with red and white stripes, wasmost beloved to him among apparel.

Among garments, the qam,98 was most beloved to him.

When he wore new clothes, he would say: O Allh! I praise you forclothing me. I ask you for its goodness and the goodness for which it was

made; I seek your refuge from its evil; and the evil apportioned for it.99He liked green garments.

Sometimes he would wear only the lower garment100 without anythingelse and tie its two ends between the shoulders.101

On Fridays, hewould don a reddish102 cloak and wear a turban.

He would wear a silver signet ring which had the inscription

Muammad, the Messenger of Allh carved on it; he would wear iton the little finger of his right hand; and sometimes on his left hand.

96makhf: shoes made of multiple layers; or patched.

97 Dwd says: ibarah is green garment; [and he loved it because] they are a reminder ofgarments in paradise. Ibn Battal said: ibarah are cotton mantles from Yemen, and used tobe highly regarded by them. Qurub said: It is known as ibarah because it is a synonym fordecorated, and beautified. [Fat al-Br]

98 Shirt99allahumm lakal amdu kam albastanh; asaluka khayrahu wa khayra m uni lahu; waadhu bika min sharrihi wa sharri m uni lahu.

100izr: it is the lower garment and is unstitched cloth tied at the waist; some have said thatit is the lower garment and starting from the middle of the torso; that which covers theshoulders and back (another unstitched piece of cloth) is known as rid. [Tj al-rs]

101 According to one description it is wrapped such that lower half of the torso is covered;and this narration in the text reinforces that view. Allh tl knows best.

102 Scholars have clarified that this was not blinding red; it just had red stripes.


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He loved perfumes.

He disliked foul odours and offensive smells and he has said: VerilyAllh tl has made pleasing to me, women and perfume; and has made

prayer, the coolness of my eyes.

Hewould use ghliyah,103 a mixed perfume; or unmixed musk.

Hewould also perfume by fumes of oud and camphor.

He used to wear kohl made from stibnite;104 hewould apply105 thricein his right eye and twice in his left eye; he has also applied kohl whenhewas fasting.

Hewould oil his hair and his beard.

When he applied oil, he did so in privacy,106 and applied kohl an oddnumber of times.

He liked to begin from the right107 in combing his hair or wearing hisfootwear; in ritual cleaning108 and everything that he did he alwayspreferred to start from the right side.

Hewould also look in the mirror.

103Ghliyah is a mixture of musk, ambergris (nbar,) agalloch (d) and oil.

104 Stibnite, a mineral containing antimony. Ithmid, in Arabic. Various studies that establishkohl as hazardous to eyes, explain that it is because of lead content. In a study by Carol Parryand Joseph Eaton: Much of the literature on the Middle East and Arab cultural habits thatmentions kohl identifies it as ground antimony. However, testing consistently foundantimony levels of less than 0.1%. Excavations in the Middle East and Africa have frequently

turned up ancient eye makeup containers, which occasionally have contained makeup.When tested, some of these eye makeups were composed primarily of ground antimony.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1567936/pdf/envhper00414-0118.pdf

105 It is said that he used an applicator.

106 He was very modest and bashful; in another adth, it is mentioned that he would groomhis hair only in private.

107Tayammun

108Wu


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He never parted with the following when he travelled: a flacon of oil, avial of kohl, a mirror, a comb, a pair of scissors, the toothbrush (miswk,)needle and thread.

He would brush109 his teeth thrice before he went to bed and afterwaking from sleep, during his prayers in the night, and when he set outfor the morning prayer.

He has also used cupping.110

109 With a twig known as miswk.

110ijmah: cupping is a form of ancient treatment by bloodletting.


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HUMOUR

Hewould sometimes jest; yet, he always spoke the truth.A woman came to RaslAllh once and said: O Messenger of Allh,make me ride on a camel. RaslAllh said: I will make you ride on thecalf of a she-camel.111 The woman said: But it will not bear my weight.People then explained it to her: Is there any camel that is not the calf of ashe-camel?

Another woman came to RaslAllh and said: My husband is ill andrequests you to visit him. RaslAllh told her: Perhaps, your husband

is that person who has white in his eyes? The woman returned home andwas tried to pry open her husbands eyes; [startled,] the man exclaimed:What is wrong with you? She said: RaslAllh told me that there iswhite in your eyes. The man replied: How nave you are! Is there anyonewho does not have white in their eyes?

Another woman said to him: Ya RaslAllh, pray to Allh that He makesme to enter paradise. He told her: O lady,112old maids will not enterparadise. The old lady went back weeping. RaslAllh said to his

companions: Go and tell her that she will not enter paradise as an oldmaid as Allh tl has said:

Verily, We created those women exquisite; and

we made them virgins; loving their husbands,

and beloved to them; [damsels] of equal age;

for the people of the right-side.113

Glory be to Allah who bestowed him the most beautiful character.

111Nqah: she-camel;jamal: camel.

112 Umm Fuln; the Arabs address someone politely by their appellation. Fuln is a place-holder meaning so-and-so, as the narrator does not specify the name.

113 Srah Al-Wqih, 56:35-38.


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HIS NOBLE WIVES

RaslAllh married Khadjah bint Khuwaylid g, the daughter ofKhuwaylid as mentioned earlier.114

He then married Sawdah bint115 Zamh ibn Qays ibn Abdu Shams ibnAbdu Wudd ibn Nar ibn Mlik ibn isl ibn mir ibn Lu-ayy. When shebecame old, RaslAllh wished to divorce her; so she gifted her day116to ishah and said: I have no inclination towards men. But I wish to beraised among your wives on Judgement day.117 May Allh tl be wellpleased with her.

He then married ishah bint Ab Bakr bdullh ibn thmn ibnmir ibn mr ibn Kab ibn Sad ibn Taym ibn Murrah. He married her inMakkah two years before the migration118 to Madnah. It is also said thatit was three years prior, when she was a girl of six or seven. She went tolive with him119 in Madnah when she was nine. When RaslAllh passed away, she was eighteen. She passed away at the age of fifty-eightor thereabouts. RaslAllh did not marry a virgin other than her; herapellation was Umm bdullh. May Allh tl be well pleased with her.

He then married afah bint mar ibn Al-Khatb ibn Nufayl ibn bdal-zz ibn Riy ibn bdullh ibn Qur ibn Raz ibn diy ibn Kab. It isreported that RaslAllh divorced her and the Archangel Jibrl7came to him with a message: Verily, Allh tl commands you to takeafah back; as she fasts and prays immensely. In another report: As amercy for mar. May Allh tl be well pleased with both of them.

114 He did not marry another lady, so long as Sayyidah Khadijah was alive.115Bint: daughter of; Ibn/Bin: son of.

116 If a person has many wives, it is necessary to appoint days for each of them equally and inturns.

117 So RaslAllh did not divorce her and she passed away as one of his wives.

118Hijrah.

119 In Arab/Islamic cultures, the marriage or the contract takes place first and the bride goesto live with her husband after a short period. In the subcontinent this is known as rukhsati.


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RaslAllh married Umm abbah Ramlah bint Ab Sufyn Sakhr ibnarb ibn Umayyah ibn Abdu Shams ibn Abdu Manf. The marriage tookplace while she was in Abyssinia. Najsh paid a dower of four hundredgold coins120 on behalf of RaslAllh . thmn ibn ffn stood as herkinsman.121 It is also said that it was Khlid ibn Sad ibn al- . Shepassed away in 44 AH. May Allh tl be well pleased with her.

He married Umm Salamah Hind bint Ab Umayyah ibn Al-Mughayrahibn bdullh ibn mar ibn Makhzm. She passed away in 62 AH, and wasthe last of his blessed wives to leave this world. It is also said that it wasMaymnah. May Allh tl be well pleased with her.

He married Zaynab bint Jash ibn Ri-b ibn Yamur ibn abirah ibn

Murrah ibn Kabr ibn Ghanm ibn Ddn ibn Asad ibn Khuzaymah. Shewas the daughter of Umaymah, his paternal aunt. She passed away inMadnah, in the year 20 AH. She was the first to demise after RaslAllhamong his noble wives. May Allh tl be well pleased with her.

Hemarried Juwayriyah bint rith ibn Ab irr ibn abb ibn yidhibn Mlik ibn al-Mualiq. She was a comely lady, and was enslaved afterthe battle of Ban Mualaq and taken by Thbit ibn Qays ibn Shamms,who then agreed to free her for a sum.122 She came to RaslAllh

seeking his help to pay the sum; RaslAllh said to her: If you wish, Ican offer you a better arrangement. I shall pay the sum that is due, andtake you in marriage. She accepted it and RaslAllh paid the due andmarried her. She passed away in the year 56 AH. May Allh tl be wellpleased with her.

He married afiyyah bint Huyy ibn Akhab [ibn Sanah ibn Thlabahibn bayd] ibn Kab ibn Khazraj an-Nariyyah123 from the progeny of[the prophet] Hrn7. She was enslaved after the battle ofKhaybar. RaslAllh manumitted her and stipulated her manumissionas her dower. She passed away in the year 50 AH. May Allh tl be wellpleased with her.

120dnr

121waliy

122 This is known as muktabah in legal parlance.

123 Belonging to the Ban Nar, a Jewish tribe.


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Hemarried Maymnah bint rith ibn azim ibn Bujayr ibn Harim ibnRuwaybah ibn bdullh ibn Hill ibn mir; and she was the maternalaunt of Khlid ibn Wald and bdullh ibn bbsg. She was the last to

marry RaslAllh

. She passed away in the year 51 or 66 AH; and if thelatter date is validated, then she would be the last of his noble wives toleave this world. May Allh tl be well pleased with her.

These were the noble wives (except Sayyidah Khadjah) who survivedRaslAllh.

He also married Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, known as Umm al-Maskn,124 in 3 AH. She lived for a short time afterward, perhaps fortwo or three months, and passed away. May Allh tl be well pleased

with her.

He married Fimah bint ak; and RaslAllh gave her theoption, when the Verse of Option125 was revealed; and she chose thistemporal world. RaslAllh divorced her. After this she fell togathering dung and used to say: I am the wretched woman who chose thelife of this temporal world.126

He also married:

Isf, the sister of Diy al-Kalb. May Allh tl be well pleased with her.

Khawla the daughter of Hudhayl or akm. She is the lady who giftedherself to RaslAllh . It is also said that it was [not her, but] UmmShark.

Asma bint Kab al-Jawniyyah. May Allh tl be well pleased with her.

mrah bint Yazd [ibn al-Jawn al-Kilabiyyah] and divorced her beforeconsummating the marriage.

He married a woman from the Ghifr tribe, and he saw white[patches] on her; he sent her back to her family.

124 Mother of the poor.

125 The verse of Srah al-Azb, 33:28.

126Editors Note: This report is baseless and that none of his noble wives chose the option ofseparation.


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He married a woman from the Tamm tribe, and when he enteredher chamber she said: I seek Allhs refuge from you. He said: Allhtl prevents you from that which you seek refuge from; go back to yourfamily.

He married liyah bin abyn; but he divorced her when shearrived at his place.

Hemarried the daughter ofalt, and she died before consummation ofthe marriage.

He married Mulaykah al-Laythiyyah; and when he entered in thechamber and said: Present yourself to me, she replied: Does a queen127

present herself to a commoner? RaslAllh pronounced the explicitdivorce.128

He proposed to a woman from the Murrah tribe and her father saidthat she had vitiligo even though this was not true. When her fatherreturned home, he found his daughter afflicted with the disease. 129

He proposed to a woman through her father, who described hisdaughter to him and said: Also, she has never had any illness.RaslAllh said, She has no goodness near Allh. He forsook her.

According to the most reliable reports, the dower for every one of his noble wives was five hundred pieces of silver, except for afiyyah andUmm abbah. May Allh tl be pleased with all of them.

127 Meaning herself; and her name Mulaykah means little queen.

128 Thus it said in abaqtof Ibn Sad reporting from Wqidi, who said that she is the samewoman who sought refuge from him.

129 The woman was Jumrah bint rith ibn wf al-Murr al-Ghafn according to abar.


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HIS CHILDREN

Qasim, and it is on his account that RaslAllh has the appellation ofAbul Qsim.

bdullh,

ayyib hir; it is also said that ayyib is different from hir (thatthey are two sons and not one).

Zaynab,

Ruqayyah,Umm Kulthm,

and Fimah. May Allh tl be pleased with them all.

His sons passed away in infancy and before the rise of Islm; but hisdaughters lived and all of them accepted Islm.

All his children [mentioned above] were borne by Sayyidah Khadjah.

In Madnah, a son Ibrhm was born from Mriyah; but he passed awayas an infant. It is said that he was either seventy days, or seven months,or eighteen months old at the time of his demise.130

All his children except Fimah passed away in his lifetime.131Famahg demised six months after the passing of RaslAllh.

Zaynabgwas married to Abul ibn Rab ibn bdu Shams. She borehim a son namedl who died in infancy; and a daughter Ummah, whomarried Sayyidun l132 and survived him; she then married Mughayrahibn Nawfal ibn rith ibn bdul Mualib and bore him a son, Yay.

130 The latter narration of eighteen months (one-and-a-half year) old is widely accepted.

131 His life in this world, because prophets are alive in their graves. See Appendix F.

132 The fourth caliph, our master l who married her after the demise of Lady Faimahg.


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Sayyidah Fimah was married to Sayyidun l. She bore him thefollowing sons:

asan,

usayn,

and Musin, who passed away in infancy.

and the following daughters:

Ruqayyah,

Zaynab,

and Umm Kulthm.

Ruqayyah [daughter of Sayyidah Fimah] passed away before shereached adulthood.

Zaynab marriedbdullh ibn Jfar133 and bore him a sonl;134

Umm Kulthm married Sayyidun mar and bore him a son Zayd;[after mar was martyred] she married wn ibn Jfar whom shesurvived; and then married his brother Muammad, surviving him aswell; she then married his brotherbdullh.

As for Sayyidah Ruqayyah [the daughter of RaslAllh ] she wasmarried to Sayyidun thmn and she bore him a son bdullh. Shepassed away the day Zayd ibn rithah came to Madnah bringing thegood news of the victory at Badr. thmn then married her sister UmmKulthm, who demised in the month of Shbn of the year 9 AH. Prior tothmn, Umm Kulthm was married to taybah and Ruqayyah to tbah,both sons of Ab Lahab.

133 Jafar is the brother of l ibn Ab lib.

134 She was with her brother Imm usayn in Karbala; and was later imprisoned and sent toDamascus.


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HIS UNCLES AND AUNTS

His paternal uncles are:rith,

Qutham,

Zubayr,135

amzah,

bbs,

Ab lib whose name wasbd Manf,

Ab Lahab whose name wasbdul zz,

bdul Kbah,

ajl whose name was Mughayrah,

irr,

and Ghaydq.136

His paternal aunts are:

afiyyah,

tikah,

Arw,

Umaymah,Barrah,

and Umm akm Bay.

135 Though this is the popular pronunciation, Balladhr says that it is pronounced as Zabr.

136 This is a title given to him for his immense generosity. It is said that his name was eitherMub or Nawfal; or ajl mentioned earlier was the same person. Allh tl knows best.


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Only three among them became Muslims:

Sayyidun amzah,

Sayyidunbbs,and Sayyidah afiyyah.

May Allh tl be pleased with them.


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HIS SLAVES AND BONDWOMEN

His slaves:Zayd ibnrithah, whom RaslAllh freed.

his son, Usmah ibn Zayd,

Thawbn ibn Bujdud,

Ab Kabshah Sulaym, who also participated in the battle ofBadr and RaslAllh freed him thereafter; he passed away the

day Sayyidun mar

became the Khalifah.Anasah, who was also freed by RaslAllh .

Shuqrn, whose name was li. It is said that he eitherinherited him from his father or bought him from bdur Ramnibn wf. He then manumitted him.

Raba the Nubian; who was also manumitted by RaslAllh.

Yasr, the Nubian; who was martyred by the ran people.

Ab Rfi Aslam,137 who was given to him by bbs as a gift;RaslAllh freed him when he brought the good news thatSayyidun bbs had accepted Islm. And he married Aslamto Salm, his slavegirl, who gave birth to a son namedbaydullh.

Ab Muwayhibah, who was also manumitted.

Falah, who passed away in the Levant.Rfi who was [earlier] the slave of Sad ibn al-; who wasalso manumitted by RaslAllh.

Mid-m who was presented to RaslAllh as a gift by Rifhal-Judhm; he was killed in the battle of Wd al-Qur.

137 fi Ibn ajar inAl-Ibah mentioned ten different names for Ab Rfi.


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Karkarah138 the Nubian, presented to RaslAllh as a gift byHawdhah ibn l; RaslAllhmanumitted him.

Zayd, the grandfather of Bill ibn Yasr,

bayd,

Tahmn,

Mabr the Copt, gifted by Muqawqis,

Wqid, andAb Wqid,

Hishm,

Ab amrah, received as his share from spoils; RaslAllh emancipated him.

unayn,

Ab shb, whose name wasAmar,

Ab bayd,

Safnah, who was Umm Salamahs slave and she freed him on the

condition that he would serve RaslAllh for life. And he said:Even if she did not stipulate that condition, I would never haveseparated from RaslAllh. It is said that his name was Rabor Mihrn.

Ab Hind, who was emancipated by RaslAllh.

Anjashah the songster,

Ab Lubbah, who was manumitted by RaslAllh.

Many others have also been mentioned; may Allh tl be wellpleased with all of them.

138 Or Kirkirah.


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His bondwomen were:

Umm Rfi Salm,

Barakah, who was his governess and whom he inheritedfrom his father.

Mriyah,

Raynah, who was enslaved from Banu Qurayah,

Maymnah bint Sad,

Kharah,

and Raw.

May Allh tl be well pleased with all of them.


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HIS FREEMEN SERVANTS

His servants among freemen:Anas ibn Mlik,

Hind andAsma, both daughters of rithah,

Rabh ibn Kab,

bdullh ibn Masd,

qbah ibn mir,

Bill,

Sad,

Dh Mikhmar, the nephew of Negus,

Bukayr ibn Shaddkh al-Layth,

andAb Dharr al-Ghifr.

May Allh tl be well pleased with them all.


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HIS GUARDS

Those who served as his guards were:Sad ibn Mudh, on the day of the Battle of Badr.

Dhakwn ibn bd Qays and Muammad ibn Maslamah were hisguards in the Battle of Uud.

Zubayr, in the Battle of the Trench.

bbd ibn Bishr, Sad ibn Abi Waqq and Ab Ayyb in the

Battle of Khaybar.Bilal, in the Wad al-Qur.

May Allh be well pleased with them all.

When the following verse was revealed, RaslAllh abstained fromretaining a guard.

And Allh shall protect you from men.139

139 Srah Al-Myidah, 5:67.


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HIS EMISSARIES

mr ibn Umayyahd was his envoy to Najsh, the king of Abyssinia,whose name was Aamah. Najsh placed the missive of RaslAllhupon his eyes, climbed down from his throne, sat on the ground andaccepted Islm. He died in the year 9 AH, and RaslAllh performed hisfuneral prayer in absentia.

Diyah ibn Khalfah al-Kalbd was the emissary to Caesar, the king ofRome, whose name was Hercules. He recognised (and acknowledged) theprophethood of RaslAllh and he contemplated accepting Islm, but

the Roman [Christians] opposed him. He feared their displeasure andheld back from becoming a Muslim.

bdullh ibn udhfah al-Sahmd was the emissary to Chosroes, theking of Persians may Allhs damnation be upon him. He toreRaslAllhs letter and [when the news reached him,] he said: MayAllh tl cleave his kingdom and rend it asunder.

ib ibn Ab Baltahd was an envoy to Muqawqis; who came close toaccepting Islm. He presented the bondwomen Mriyah and her sister

Srn; and a mule named Duldul, [and it is said that he also sent] athousand gold coins and garments, twenty of which were made of silk.

mr ibn al-d was the emissary to Jayfar and bd, the two sons ofJuland and the two kings of Oman. They both became Muslims. Andthey relinquished their authority in favour of the verdict of mrconcerning charity and commandments. He stayed there until the passingof RaslAllh.

Salibn Amr al-mirdwas the envoy to Hawdhah ibn l, the chief ofYammah, who honoured him and sent his reply to RaslAllh : What abeautiful message that you bring and beckon us towards; I am the oratorof my community and their poet. [I ask you to] grant me autonomy insome parts of the religion. RaslAllh refused and Hawdhah did notaccept Islm.

Shuj ibn Wahb al-Asadiy d was sent to rith ibn Ab Shamir al-Ghassn, the king of Levant. He flung the message of RaslAllh andsaid, I shall invade him. Caesar stopped him from undertaking it.


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Muhjir ibn Ab Umayyah al-Makhzmd was sent as an emissary torith al-Himyari in Yemen.

la ibn a-aram d was sent to Mundhir ibn Sw, the king of

Bahrain, who accepted Islm.

Ab Ms al-Ashriyd was sent to Yemen along with Mudh ibnJabald. The entire Yemeni population and their kings became Muslimswithout any resistance or fight.


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HIS SCRIBES

Among those who were his scribes are the four righteously guidedcaliphs:

Ab Bakr,

mar,

thmn,

and l.

And others:

mir ibn Fuhayrah,

bdullh ibn Arqam,

Ubayy ibn Kab,

Thbitibn Qays ibn Shamms,

Khlid ibn Sad,analah ibn Rab,

Zayd ibn Thbit,

Muwiyah, [ibn Abi Sufyn]

and Shurabl ibn asanah.

May Allh tl be pleased with them all.


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HEADSMEN

Among those who carried executions upon his command were:l,

Zubayr,

Muammad ibn Maslamah,

im ibn Thbit ibn Ab Aqla,

and Miqdd.



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HIS LIEUTENANTS

Those among his companions who were his lieutenants:Ab Bakr,

mar,

l,

amzah,

Jfar,

Ab Dharr,

Miqdd,

Salmn,

udhayfah,

IbnMasd ,

mmr,

and Bill.

May Allh tl be well pleased with them all.140

140 Sayyidun l reports that RaslAllh said: Every prophet was given ninelieutenants [nujaba] or he said aides [nuqaba], and I was given fourteen. We [Tbi]asked: Who are they? And he [l] replied: I and my two sons, and Jafar, amzah, AbBakr, mar, Mub ibn mayr, Bill, Salmn, Miqdd, Ab Dharr, mmr and bdullh ibnMasd. [Tirmidhi]


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THE TEN GIVEN GLAD TIDINGS OF PARADISE

The ten who were given glad tidings of paradise are the four righteouslyguided caliphs:

Ab Bakr,

mar,

thmn,

l.

and the following six:

Zubayr ibn al-wwm,

Sad ibn Ab Waqq,

bdur Ramn ibn wf,

alah ibn baydullh,

Sad ibn Zayd,and Ab baydah mir ibn al-Jarr.



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HIS ANIMALS

There is a difference [among historians] about the horses he owned;and the names of ten of his horses are:141

Sakb, which he rode in Uud; and he had a blaze,142 white legsand unmarked on two legs.143

Murtajiz, that which Khuzaymah ibn Thbit bore witness for,144

Lizz, presented to him by Muqawqis,

Laf,145

presented to him by Rabh ibn Ab Bara,arib, presented to him by Farwah al-Judhm,

Ward, gifted to him by Tamm al-Dr,

ars,

Mulwi,

Sabah which participated in a race and this horse won the

race; RaslAllhwas pleased by this.

Bar, a horse he purchased from a Yemeni merchant; and thricewon the race; RaslAllh wiped his face and said: Truly, youare an ocean.

141Editors Note: li al-Shm has mentioned sixteen horses in Subul al-Hud war Rashd;the names of seven are agreed upon and included in this list.

142 A horse with a blaze on it forehead is agharr; and that which has a white mane is artham.

143alq al-yamn: a horse with white legs except for one or two legs.

144 RaslAllh bought this horse from someone and he disputed it. Khuzaymah gavewitness in favour of RaslAllh ; and he asked: How can you bear witness when youwere not present with us? He said: O Messenger of Allh! I bore witness in your favourbecause, I have believed in your message, and that you speak nothing but the truth.RaslAllh said: Khuzaymahs witness is sufficient for anyone for or against. [Usd al-Ghbah, #1446]

145 Or Lakhf; mentioned with both and kh (without and with a dot)


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He had three mules:

Dul-dul gifted by Muqawqis; it was the first mule that was riddenin Islm.

Fiah,

Ayliyyah, a gift from the king of Aylah.

He also had a donkey name Yfr.

As for cattle, it is not reported whether he owned any cows or bullock.

He had twenty milch camels146 in the woods.

Sad ibn bdah had a she-camel sent from the stock of Ban qayl.

He had a she-camel named Qasw, and he rode on it on the journeyto Madnah, during migration. He would not be mounted on any[animal] other than this, during revelation. It is said that this is the veryshe-camel that was namedba.

He had another she-camel named Jada; and this is the camel that fellbehind in a race, and Muslims were saddened because of this. RaslAllh

said: It is a law of Allh, and befitting that whatever rises in this worldshould wane and decline.147 It is also said that the losing camel wasanother one.

He had hundreds of sheep.

He had an ewe named Ghaythah, and he would drink its milk.

He had a white cockerel.

146liqah

147 Lit. It is a law of Allh, that He does not let anything to rise in this world, except that Hemakes it fall eventually.


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HISWEAPONS

He had nine swords:Dhul Fiqr, which came from the spoils of Badr from the Banuajjj of the Sahm tribe. RaslAllh2 saw in his dreamthat the blade of this sword was splintered; and he interpreted asbeing routed in battle. The battle of Uud took place andMuslims were defeated.

Three swords came from the campaign of Ban Qaynuq:

Qala,Battr,

atf,

He also had the following:

Mikhdam,

Rasb,

another sword that he inherited from his father,148

b, which was given to him by Sad ibn bdah,

and Qab; which was the first sword in Islm, that RaslAllh wore in a scabbard.

He had four lances: Muthwiy,149 and three others from Ban Qaynuq.

He had an iron tipped staff.150 He had a crook151 of an arms length. He hada walking stick152 named rjn.

148 Its name was mathr, and was the first sword owned by RaslAllh.

149 And another named muthn or muthn[Mawhib]

150nzah: shorter than a spear and longer than a walking stick.

151Mijan: a short stick curved on the top.


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He also had a baton153 named Mamshq.

He had four bows154 and a quiver.155

He had a shield which was gifted to him and had an insignia of an eagle;he placed his hand upon the mark and it was erased.

Anas ibn Mlik said that the pommel156 and the quillon157 were made ofsilver; and there were rings of silver on the hilt of RaslAllhs sword.

He had two armours158 that he received from [the spoils of] BanQaynuq named Sughdiyyah and Fiah. He had another armournamed Dhat al-Fuul, which he wore on the day of the battle of Badr andunayn. It is also said that he possessed the mail worn by Sayyidun

Dwd7when he slayed Goliath.159

He had an aventail160 named Sabgh.

He had a leather belt161 with three loops of silver; its clasp and prongwere also made of silver.

His flag was white.

152Mikharah: walking stick.

153 Qab: longer than a wand, it is used to point during a speech, etc. Usually, carried bypeople in authority.

154Qisiyy: pl. ofqaws, a Bow. [other plural is aqws] Zawra, Rawa, afra, Shawa,Katm, and Sadd.

155 Named Kfr

156Nalu sayf: the lower most portion of a sword.157Qabh: the hand-guard; between the blade and the hilt. It is also said that it is the guardbelow the quillon.

158 Body armour.

159Jlt

160Mighfar: helm or camail; a curtain of metal rings worn under a helmet (or attached to it)covering the neck and shoulders. Armour for the head and neck.

161Minaqah


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HIS CLOTHES AND POSSESSIONS

When RaslAllh passed away from this world, he left behind twoibarah mantles, an Omani lower-garment,162 two uhr cloaks, a uhrshirt, another Sul163 shirt, a Yemeni Jubbah,164 and napkin;165 a whitecloak, three or four tight-fitting skull caps, and a dyed166 blanket.167

He had a pouch in which he kept his ivory comb, a vial of kohl, a pair ofscissors and a toothbrush.

His bed was made of leather filled with palm fibres. He had a gobletreinforced168 with silver scraps in three places; and another goblet.169

He had a basin made of stone.170 He had a brass vessel in which hewould mix Henna and Katam171 and apply this mixture on his head. He also had a goblet of glass, and a bucket made of brass.

He also had a cauldron;172 and a measure which he used to measure[grain] given as charity during Eid al-Fir; and another smaller measuringvessel.173

162izr

163 uhr and Sul are places in Yemen.

164 Long shirt; Shaykh bdul aqq says thatjubbah and qam are synonyms.

165khamah: a square piece of chiffon-like cloth.

166muwarrasah: reddish or yellowish dye.

167milafah: similar to a blanket.

168 Because it was cracked; it is said that Sayyidun Anas patched it for him.

169 The names of his goblets as given in Mawhib are: Rayyn and Mughth

170 It is said that he used this to do wu.

171 Katam is a plant found in Yemen whose extract gives a burgundy dye; the colour ofHenna is red; the colour of the dye when both are mixed is reddish-black. [Fat al-Br]

172 Zarqn says citing Musnad Imm Amed and Ab Dwdthat it was big and requiredfour men to lift it.

173 and mudd


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He had a couch and a velvet quilt.174

He had a signet ring made of silver, and its bezel was also made ofsilver175 and the inscription: Muammad, Messenger of Allh carved

upon it. It is also said that it was a steel ring gilded with silver.

Najsh had presented him with a pair of plain socks, which hewore.

He had a black cloak, and a turban named Sab, which he gifted tol; sometimes, when he saw l wearing it, he would say: l comesto you on a cloud.176

He had two garments for Fridays, other than which he usually woreon other days.

He had a towel which he would use to wipe his blessed face, afterablution.

174 In which he would wrap himself.

175 There is some disagreement among scholars; some have said that its bezel had anAbyssinian agate (qq) gemstone set in it; others say that it was a different ring which hediscarded later. [Zarqn, Shar al-Mawhib]

176sab means, a cloud.


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SOME OF HISMIRACLES

The Qurn is the greatest miracle brought by him.The cleaving of his chest.

He informed [the Meccans] about Jerusalem.

The splitting of the moon.

When a cabal of Quraysh conspired to kill him and surrounded his house,he came out in front of them, but they were blinded; their chins

drooped to their chest and he stood in front of them, took a handful ofgravel and said: Disgraced are these faces, and threw it on their heads.Whosoever was hit by gravel that day was slayed on the day of Badr.

In the battle of unayn, he threw a handful of dust in the faces ofenemy fighters and Allh tl caused them to be vanquished.

A spider spun the web at the entrance of the cave.

That which transpired with Surqah ibn Mlik when he pursued

RaslAllh during his migration; his horse sank in solid ground.He passed his blessed hand on the back of a young she-goat that hadnever mated, but began to give milk.

And the ewe of Umm Mabad [which gave milk copiously after beingtouched by RaslAllh]

He prayed to Allh tl to strengthen Islm by Sayyidun mar.

His prayer to ward off heat and cold from Sayyidun l.

RaslAllh put his saliva on ls sore eye and he was curedimmediately; his eye was never sore ever after.

He restored the eye of Qatdah ibn Nmn after it had popped out andflowed on his cheek; and this eye became his better eye.

He prayed to Allh tl to bestow upon bdullh ibn bbs, themeaning of the Qurn and knowledge of the religion.


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He prayed for Jabirs camel and it became the fastest animal; prior tothat, it was the slowest.

And he prayed for increase [barakah] in the dates of Jbir, by which he

repaid his lenders and still thirteen piles of dates were left over.

He prayed for rain and it rained for a week, and then they asked him topray for the rain to subside and when he prayed, the clouds vanishedand the skies cleared.

He prayed for the punishment of tbah, the son of Ab Lahab and a liondevoured him in Zarqa in the Levant.

A tree bore witness that he was the Messenger of Allh, in the report of

the bedouin whom RaslAllh invited to Islm. The bedouin asked: Doyou have any witness for what you say? RaslAllh said, Yes. Thistree, and he beckoned the tree to come. The tree came walking to himand bore witness three times; and thereafter went back to its place.

Once he commanded two trees separated by distance to join together;they came together and then separated again by his command. He sent aperson to bring palm trees and to say: RaslAllh bids you both to jointogether. RaslAllh relieved himself and then ordered them to go

back to their places.

Once when he was resting, a tree came to him cleaving the earth; whenhe woke up, hewas informed of this and he said: This tree soughtpermission of the Lord to come and salute me; it was given permission.

Rocks and trees saluted him in the night before he received therevelation: as-salmu layka y RaslAllh, and this was indicated byRaslAllh when he said: I recognise those rocks in Makkah thatsaluted me before revelation.

A block of wood wept, pining for him.

Pebbles in his fist uttered the glorification of Allh.

So also food [uttered tasb].

A piece of cooked lamb informed him that it was poisoned.


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A camel complained to him of [its master that he gave her] less fodderand more labour.

A gazelle requested him to set her free so that it could nourish its kid

and return; so he set her free and the deer pronounced the twoshahadah.177

He informed of the very places where polytheists would be slayed inBadr; none of them missed those [marked] places.

He foretold that a group of his followers would sail in the sea for a holywar; and that Umm arm bint Miln would be with them; and thus itcame to pass.

He told thmn: You will suffer intense tribulation and it transpiredas he foretold, and Sayyidun thmn was martyred in his own house.

He told the Anr: Verily you will be oppressed after me. And thus ithappened in the time of Muwiyah.178

He said about asan: This son of mine is a sayyid.179 Allh tl willmake him the means for reconciliation and peace between two greatarmies of Muslims.

He informed of the slaying of nsiyy the liar, the very night he wasslayed and the name of the person who slayed him.

He told Thbit ibn Qays: Live well and die a martyr. And he wasmartyred in Yammah.

A man became an apostate and joined the polytheists. News reachedRaslAllh that he had died, and he said: The earth will not accepthim. And thus it happened.

177 The two shahdah, or the Kalimah: L ilha ill Allh Muammad RaslAllh.

178 Because the administrators and governors of Sayyidun Muwiyah were unjust withthe people of Madnah.

179 leader, master.


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He told a man eating with his left hand: Eat with your right. He said, Iam not able to do so. He said You are not able. The man could not lifthis hand to his mouth ever again.

He entered Makkah after Victory and idols were hung on the Kbah; he had a cane in his hand with which he pointed to the idols and said:Truth has come and falsehood vanquished. And the idols fell.

The story of Mzin ibn Ghabah al-y,180 Sawd ibn Qrib181 andothers like them.

A lizard bore witness that hewas the Messenger of Allh.

During the Battle of the Trench, he fed a thousand warriors with only a

182 of wheat and a few dates they were all satiated as the foodincreased immensely. He put together food that was available andcovered it with a rug and prayed for increase; and then food wasdistributed to the whole army and it sufficed.

Ab Hurayrah once came to him with a few dates in his hand and askedRaslAllh to pray for an increase (and blessing) in them. He prayedand Ab Hurayrah says: I have given from these dates such and such apile in the way of Allh; and we would eat from it and feed others from it

until they were lost during the caliphate of Sayyidun thmn.

He once prayed upon a bowl of porridge183 for the People of theBench.184 Ab Hurayrah says: I stood up hitching myself, expectinghim to call me when everybody stood up; the bowl did not have much andthere were only crumbs pasted around the bowl. RaslAllh gatheredit and it became a mouthful; he picked it in his fingers and said: Eat, inthe name of Allh. Ab Hurayrah says: By He, in whose Hands my liferests I kept eating from it until I was fully sated.

180 In short: He was a priest guarding idols; he heard the idol giving him news of the adventof the Prophet. The man broke the idol and joined the Prophet.

181 He was a soothsayer who was informed by a genie about the advent of the Prophet.

182 A measure about half a bushel or so.

183thard: pieces of bread are dunked in meat soup.

184ahl as-uffah


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Once, water spouted from his blessed fingers and a host of men drankfrom it and made ablutions. They were a thousand and four hundred men.

Once, a glass of water was brought to RaslAllh . He put his four

fingers in it and said: Come! and all present made ablutions and theywere seventy or eighty in number.

During the Battle of Tabk, the companions passed by water which wouldnot quench the thirst of even one man; and people were intensely thirsty.They complained to him of this. So RaslAllh took out an arrowfrom his quiver and planted it; water gushed out and a multitude used thewater and they were thirty thousand men.

A group of people complained to RaslAllh about the salinity of waterin their well; RaslAllh came to one of his companions, and stood atthe well and spat in it. Water of that well became sweet and soft.

A woman came to him with her bald child; and RaslAllh strokedthe boys head his hair grew and the disease disappeared. The news ofthis miracle reached the people of Yammah. A woman took her child toMusaylamah185 and he touched the head of that child that child becamebald and baldness remained in his offspring.

The sword of kkshah was broken in the Battle of Badr; RaslAllh gave him a lath, which became a sword in kkshahs hand; and itremained with him forever.

In the Battle of the Trench, when trenches were being dug, a rock posedgreat difficulty as it was unmoved by hoes and pickaxes. RaslAllh hitit once and it was pulverised.

He touched the broken leg of Ab Rfi, and it was repaired instantly,as if nothing had happened to it.

The miracles of RaslAllh are so many that a mere volume isinsufficient to list them all.186

185 The false prophet, the great liar.

186Editors Note: A comprehensive collection of his miracles has been compiled by llmahYsuf an-Nabhn in his book: ujjatullhi l al-lamn f Mjizti Sayy

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Translation of Nurul Uyun by Imam Ibn Sayyid An Naas. Concise biography of the Prophet sallallahu...

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