What did he look like?

We have many accounts that describe the physical appearance of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). When the son of an old companion, al-Rubayyi' binti Muawwidh asked his mother, "How did the Prophet (peace be upon him) look like?" She said, "O my dear son, if you were to have seen him, you would have thought that the sun had risen up."

And it is amazing she described him as a sun, while Ka'b ibn Malik, another companion had described him as a moon, he had said, "Whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) was happy, his face would light up as did the full moon."

One is saying he is like the sun, and another the full moon. It is beautiful that the companions are describing the Prophet with what they know to be the most beautiful.

Another beautiful narration is by the companion Amr ibn al-As. He used to be the leader of Quraysh (the people of Makkah); he was a noble enemy - he opposed Islam but did not stoop to dirty tactics. And most of such people were eventually guided to Islam. So, Amr ibn al-As only had an opportunity to be a companion for a few years.

And later on, in his life he would say,

"There was nothing that was sweeter or beloved to me than to stare at the face of the Prophet peace be upon him",
"I could never get enough of looking at him", and yet,
"Were you to ask me how he looked, I couldn't describe him. Because along with this desire to stare at him, there was also this awe I had that couldn't allow myself to stare directly at him and I had to look down."

So, there were both beauty and awe overpowering people around him. You have to show the utmost dignity in front of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

"Even though I loved to stare, I couldn't stare." And this is coming from a nobleman of the Quraysh who was a dire enemy and this is how humbled he became just by the appearance of the Prophet.

Many people even accepted Islam just by seeing his face. The most famous is the chief rabbi of the Jews of Madinah, Abdullah ibn Salam. He heard this man claiming to be a prophet - the first day the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to Madinah, he went to see him and reportedly said that "As soon as I saw him, I knew that this face cannot be the face of a liar."

One conversation and he accept Islam right then and there, just by looking at the face of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). [6]

Young and strong

Most of the descriptions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) come from the younger companions as they didn't have the same type of emotions as the older companions. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was someone still up for playing around and joking with these children. Besides being a prophet, he was also like a father figure for them.

Anas ibn Malik was introduced to the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he was 7 years old - and he would serve him all day. And he said, "The Prophet (peace be upon him) was neither very tall such that he stood above the crowd, nor was he short such that he would be ignored. And he was neither extremely white nor was he ruddy brown."

Generally speaking, when Arabs use the word "white", they mean light brown. So, the Prophet (peace be upon him) had a light skin color of brown.

"The Prophet's hair was not in curls nor was it straight. And I never felt any velvet or silk softer than the hand of the Prophet. Nor did I smell any musk or perfume any fragrant than the smell of the sweat of the Prophet."

Indeed, Ummi Salama used to collect his sweat in a jar to use it as perfume and medicine.

His wife, Aisha described the eloquence and clarity of the Prophet’s speech. She said, "the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not speak quickly like you do now, rather he would speak so clearly, unmistakably, and that those who sat with him would memorize what he said".

Another companion known as Al-Bara' ibn Azib described the Prophet, "The Prophet peace be upon him was of medium stature, and he had broad shoulders. His hair was thick - his beard was very bushy" - and the Prophet peace be upon him would grow it until it went down to his ear lobes.

The Prophet's cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib said, "The Prophet peace be upon him did not have a very fleshy face nor was it round, it was slightly oval.
He had a whitish skin. His eyes were large with jet-black pupils. And his lashes were long. His joints were large as was his upper back (broad shoulders).
And he did not have hair all over his body but he did have a fine line of hair extending from the chest to the navel. When he walked, he would walk briskly (fast) - as if he is walking down a slope.
And when he turned, he would turn to face with his whole body. Between his two shoulders was the Seal of the Prophethood - and he was the seal of the prophets."

The Prophet (peace be upon him) had a physical Seal on his body that Allah gave him. And this was to be a sign by which he would be recognized. It was a small growth of hair of a different color than the usual color of his body hair in between his shoulder blades.

Ali continued, "whoever unexpectedly saw him would stand in awe of him." - so much reverence emanating from his body. "And whoever got to know him would love him. And those who described him would always say, 'I have never seen anyone before him or after him who was like him." [6]

Finally, even when he was around 60 years old, the Prophet still had very few gray hairs, which he blamed not on marital disputes or financial worries, but rather on the stress of memorizing the Quranic verses which were revealed to him by Allah. [1, pp. 12]

Humble and kind

Abdullah ibn Al-Harith narrated, "I did not see anyone who smiled more than the Messenger, peace and blessing be upon him." [1, pp. 23]

Once, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) kissed Hassan, his grandson, and one companion seemed surprised. "I have ten children, and I have never kissed any one of them," said the man. The Prophet looked at him, himself now astonished, and said, "Then what can I do if Allah has deprived you of mercy?" In another narration, the Prophet said, "He who does not show mercy to others will not be shown mercy." [1, pp. 30]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to prevent people from standing up for him out of respect. He used to sit wherever there was a place available in an assembly and never sought a prominent or elevated place. He never wore anything to distinguish himself from his companions or appear in higher rank than them. He used to mix with the poor and the needy; he used to sit with the elderly and support the widows. People who did not know him could not tell him apart from the rest of the crowd. Addressing his companions, he said: "Allah has revealed to me, that you must be humble. No one should boast over one another, and no one should oppress another." [3]

In another account, at the incident of the death of Ibrahim, the baby boy of the Prophet (peace be upon him) there was a solar eclipse, and the people began to say, "The sun is grieving at the sorrow of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Even the sun is sad, and shielding itself because it's crying". At this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) gathered all of the people, and said: "The sun and the moon are among Allah's signs that don't eclipse for the death or the life of someone. So, when you see an eclipse, hasten to remember Allah and perform the salah."

Such incidents prove without the shadow of a doubt the Prophet (peace be upon him) was a sincere prophet. He didn't have to repel against the rumors. He could have just been quiet. What does it lose him? Let the world know the sun is crying because of the death of Ibrahim. But of course, he cannot do this because he is a true messenger. [12]