The Prophet’s Appearance

“I saw a man who is handsome, of glowing countenance, and of good proportions, with neither a large stomach nor a small head. He is smart of appearance, with balanced features, deep black eyes, and long eyelashes. His voice is not coarse. He has a long neck, a full rounded beard, and thick eyebrows that meet each other. When he is silent, he is stately and composed, and when he speaks, his appearance is impressive. “He is the most beautiful and striking man from a distance and the best and most beautiful from close up. He is well spoken, clear in what he says, saying neither too much nor too little, his words flowing forth like a perfect string of pearls.” The Prophet’s Family The Prophet had a large family. He had many wives, each with a separate household. In those days, when men were often killed in battle, the women who were left behind had to be looked after. So taking several wives was like taking helpless refugees into one’s home. They were treated kindly and generously. Muslim men were encouraged to look after the widows of friends who had died in battle, give them separate homes, and treat all wives equally in every respect. The Prophet’s wives shared his pious way of life. They made great personal sacrifices, bearing patiently with all kinds of hardship in the path of God. So they became known as the mothers of the faithful. All the Prophet’s sons died in infancy. But four daughters borne by Khadijah grew to adulthood, married and bore children. They were Fatimah, Umm Kulthum, Ruqayyah and Zaynab. Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum were married to Uthman bin Affan (one after the death of the other). Zaynab was married to Abu al-As. Fatima, the youngest was married to Ali ibn Abi Talib. All his daughters accepted Islam. Ali and Uthman were among the earliest Muslims but Zaynab’s husband Abu al-As did not accept Islam before the Hijrah. He had a lot of respect for the Prophet Muhammad but he felt that people would say that he had accepted Islam at the instance of his wife. Abu al-As was taken prisoner at the Battle of Badr and ransomed. He became a Muslim much later and migrated to Madinah. Here he was re-married to Zaynab whom he had divorced following a promise to the Prophet Muhammad after Badr. The marriages of Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum had previously been performed with two sons of Abu Lahab Utba and Utayba. Before these marriages were consummated, the Prophet had started to invite people to Islam. Then both the sons of Abu Lahab divorced their wives. Mothers of the Believers All the wives of The Prophet Muhammad are considered to be an excellent example and role model for the Ummah, exemplifying true faith and sincerity. They are still remembered for their piety, simple lifestyle, purity of heart and devotion to worship. They were generous and kind hearted, spending almost every precious thing they possessed in the cause of Allah and hoping for a greater reward from Allah alone. They all were a great source of solace and support to the Prophet Muhammad and underwent many hardships along with the Prophet without any complaint.