Book 29: Excellent Qualities and Description of the Prophet

Abu Musa told that Abu Talib went to Syria accompanied by the Prophet (ﷺ) alone with some shaikhs of Quraish. When they came near where the monk was, they alighted and loosened their baggage, and the monk came out to them although when they had passed that way previously, he had not done so. While they were loosening their baggage the monk began to go about among them till he came and, taking God's messenger by the hand, said, "This is the chief of the universe: this is the messenger of the Lord of the universe whom God is commissioning as a mercy to the universe." Some shaikhs of Quraish asked him how he knew, and he replied, "When you came over the hill not a tree or a stone failed to bow in prostration, and they prostrate themselves only before a prophet. I recognise him by the seal of prophecy, like an apple, below the end of his shoulder-blade." He then went and prepared food for them, and when he brought it to them the Prophet (ﷺ) was looking after the camels, so he told them to send for him. He came with a cloud above him shading him, and when he approached the people, he found they had gone before him into the shade of a tree. Then when he sat down the shade of the tree inclined over him, and the monk said, "Look how the shade of the tree has inclined over him. I adjure you by God to tell me which of you is his guardian." On being told that it was Abu Talib he kept adjuring him to send him back until he did so. Abu Bakr sent Bilal along with him and the monk gave him provision of coarse bread and olive-oil. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

`Ali b. Abu Talib said: Once when I was with the Prophet (ﷺ) in Mecca and we went out into one of its districts in the neighbourhood, not a mountain or tree which confronted him failed to say, "Peace be upon you, messenger of God." Tirmidhi and Darimi transmitted it.

Anas told that on the night when the Prophet (ﷺ) was taken up to heaven al-Buraq was brought to him bridled and saddled, but it proved refractory, so Gabriel said to it, "Is it to Muhammad you are doing this? No one more honourable in God's sight than he has mounted you." It then poured with sweat. Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition.

Buraida reported God's messenger as saying, "When I came to Jerusalem Gabriel made a sign with his finger, making with it a hole in the stone, and tied al-Buraq to it." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Ya'la b. Murra ath-Thaqafi said: There are three things I saw relating to God's messenger. While we were travelling with him, we passed a camel being used for irrigation, and when the camel saw him, it rumbled and bent down its neck. The Prophet (ﷺ) stopped beside it and asked where the owner of that camel was, and when he came, he asked him to sell it to him. He replied, "No, I shall not give it to you, messenger of God, it belongs to a family which has no other means of livelihood." He said, "Since you have mentioned this about it, note that it has complained to me of a great amount of work and a small amount of fodder; so, treat it well[*]." We then travelled on, and when we came to a stage and the Prophet (ﷺ) had lain down to sleep a tree came cleaving the earth till it overshadowed him and then returned to its place. When God's messenger awoke, I mentioned the m atter to him and he said, "It is a tree which asked its Lord's permission to give a salutation to God's messenger, and He allowed it." We then travelled on, and when we passed a watering-place a woman brought a son of hers who was possessed, and the Prophet (ﷺ) seized his nostril and said, "Come out, for I am Muhammad, God's messenger." We then travelled on, and when we passed that watering-place on the way back he asked the woman about the boy and she said, "I swear by Him who commissioned you with the truth that we have seen nothing in him to disturb us since you left." *The Prophet (ﷺ) evidently had no desire to take the camel either by payment or as a gift, since it was the man's only means of earning a livelihood. He therefore left him with an exhortation to treat the camel properly. It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

Ibn `Abbas told that a woman brought a son of hers to God's messenger and said, "Messenger of God, my son is possessed, and it seizes him when we have our morning and evening meals." God's messenger stroked his breast and made a supplication, and when the boy had vomited once, something like a black puppy came running out from within him. Darimi transmitted it.

Anas told that Gabriel came to the Prophet (ﷺ) when he was sitting grieved, smeared with blood as a result of what the people of Mecca had done[*], and said, "Messenger of God, would you like me to show you a sign?" When he agreed, Gabriel looked at a tree behind him and said, "Call it." He did so, and it came and stood in front of him. He then said, "Order it to go back," and when he had done so and it had gone back God's messenger said, "That is enough for me, that is enough for me." *Mirqat, v, 474, relates this to the injuries the Prophet (ﷺ) suffered at the battle of Uhud Darimi transmitted it.

Ibn `Umar said: When we were on a journey with the Prophet (ﷺ) a nomadic Arab approached, and when he came near God's messenger said to him, "Do you testify that there is no god but God alone who has no partner and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger?" He asked, "Who will testify to what you say?" Replying, "This mimosa tree," he called it. It was at the side of the wadi, and it came forward furrowing the ground till it stood in front of him. He asked it to testify three times, and when it had testified three time that it was as he had said, it returned to its said. Darimi transmitted it.

Ibn 'Abbas told that a nomadic Arab came to God's messenger and asked, "By what means can I know that you are a prophet?" He replied, "If I call this raceme from this palm-tree it will testify that I am God's messenger." He called it and it began to come down from the palm-tree and fell beside the Prophet. He then told it to go back, and when it returned the nomadic Arab accepted Islam. Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying it is sahih.

Abd Huraira said: A wolf came to a shepherd and took a sheep, and the shepherd went after it and snatched it from it. The wolf went up on a mound, and sitting on its haunches with its tail between its legs, it said, "I went to provision, God had provided for me and took it, then you snatched it from me." The man declared, "I swear by God that have never seen anything like what I have seen to-day, a wolf talking!" The wolf replied, "Something more wonderful than this is a man among the palm-trees between the two harras[*] who can tell you what has happened and what will happen after your time." The man who was a Jew came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and told him and accepted Islam. The Prophet (ﷺ) believed him and said, "There are signs before the last hour. A man will soon go out and not return before being informed by his sandals and his whip about the new things his family have been up to since he left them." * Two mountains. It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

Abul `Ala' quoted Samura b. Jundub as follows: We were with the Prophet (ﷺ) and were taking turns out of a large bowl from morning till night; ten getting up and ten sitting down. He was asked from what it was being replenished and replied, "What are you wondering at[*]?" "It was being replenished only from here," pointing with his hand to the sky. *Mirqat, 5:476, explains this as being addressed by Samura to Abul `Ala. Tirmidhi and Darimi transmitted it.

`Abdallah b. `Amr told that the Prophet (ﷺ) went out at the battle of Badr with three hundred and fifteen men and said, "0 God, they are barefoot, so provide mounts for them; O God, they are naked, so clothe them; O God, they are hungry, so satisfy them." God then gave him victory, and when they went back there was not a man who did not return with one camel or two, and they were clothed and had enough to eat. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn Mas'ud reported God's messenger as saying, "You will be helped, granted spoils, and given victory; so, let those of you who attain to that fear God, command what is reputable, and forbid what is disreputable." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Jabir told that a Jewess belonging to Khaibar poisoned a roasted sheep and presented it to God's messenger. He took a foreleg and ate some of it, and some of his companions ate along with him. Then telling them to withdraw their hands, he sent for the Jewess, called her and said, "You have poisoned this sheep." She asked who told him and he replied, "This which is in my hand," referring to the foreleg. She said, "Yes, I said to myself that if he is a prophet, it will not harm him, and if he is not a prophet, we shall be rid of him." God's messenger pardoned her and did not punish her. His companions who had eaten some of the sheep died, and God's messenger had himself cupped on the upper arm because of what he had eaten of the sheep. Abu Hind who was a client of the B. Bayada, a section of the Ansar, cupped him with a horn and the edge of a knife. Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it.

Sahl b. al-Hanzaliya told that on the day of Hunain they travelled for a long time with God's messenger, and that in the evening a horseman came and said, "Messenger of God, I went up such and such a mountain and saw Hawazin all together with their women and animals, having collected at Hunain." God's messenger smiled and said, "That will be the booty of the Muslims to-morrow if God most high will." He asked who would go on guard that night, and when Anas b. Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi said he would, he told him to mount. Then when he had mounted a horse of his he said, "Go forward to this ravine till you get to the top of it." In the morning God's messenger came out to his place of prayer and after praying two rak'as he said, "Have you seen any sign of your horseman?" to which a man replied, "We have not, messenger of God." The announcement that the time of prayer had come was then made, and while God's messenger was saying the prayer he began to glance towards the ravine, and when he finished, he said, "Cheer up, for your horseman has come." They began to look between the trees in the ravine, and sure enough he had come. He came on and standing by God's messenger said, "I went till I reached the top of this ravine where God's messenger commanded me, and in the morning, I looked down into both ravines but saw no one." God's messenger asked him if he had dismounted during the night, and when he replied that he had not, except to pray or to relieve himself, God's messenger said, "No blame will apply to you if you do no more supererogatory deeds in future*." *Literally, "no blame will apply to you supposing you do not work (i.e., do anything) after it." The translation above is based on the explanation given in Mirqat, 5:478. ' Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Huraira said: I brought the Prophet (ﷺ) some dates saying, "Ask God for a blessing on them, messenger of God." He took them, prayed that I might have a blessing in them and said, "Take them and put them' in your provision-bag; and as often as you wish to take any, put in your hand and take them, but do not scatter them." I carried such and such a number of camel loads from those dates in God's path, eating of them and giving others something to eat. It never left my side until the day `Uthman was killed, for the bag was cut away. Tirmidhi transmitted it.