The Garden of Knowledge

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

12 Rabi ul Awwal 1447/05 September 2025

All praise is due to Allah ﷻ, the Cherisher, Sustainer, Nourisher and Provider of the entire creation. May peace, blessings and salutations be upon our Beloved Prophet Muhammed ﷺ.

As this month draws upon us, there is no better or there is no suitable topic other than that of Nabi Kareem ﷺ. Let us embrace this blessed month of Nabi Kareem ﷺ. And how can we embrace this month? Habib Umar bin Hafiz makes mention that we should receive Rabi ul Awwal with joy, reverence and love. We should also hold gatherings in which stories of Nabi Kareem ﷺ and stories of his ﷺ life are mentioned. In this month, feed your family, give gifts to your family members, your children, your neighbors, your colleagues, whether they are Muslim or not and inform them and let them know that this is the month of Nabi Kareem Muhammed ﷺ, the one who was sent as a mercy unto the entire creation.

This is the month in which the earth was illuminated with the light of Nabi Kareem Muhammed ﷺ. So we ask Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala to make us amongst those who receive this month in the best way possible.

Who is Nabi Kareem Muhammed ﷺ? Who was this personality that we talk so highly of?

Nabi Kareem ﷺ is the last and final messenger of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala that was sent as a mercy to all of creation (everything and everyone besides Allah) . And this is what differentiates Nabi Kareem ﷺ from the rest of the Prophets (Peace be upon them).

Nabi Kareem ﷺ is that personality that on the day of Qiyamah when everyone is more worried about themselves, more worried about their own affairs, Nabi Kareem ﷺ will be that individual on the day of Qiyamah who cries for his ummah.

If we look at Sahih al-Bukhari, there is a very lengthy hadith narrated by Abu Huraira (R.A), hadith number 4 712 which in summary states:

Nabi Kareem ﷺ was speaking to his companions and he said that “I will be the chief of all the people on the day of Qiyamah. ” Why is this so? Nabi ﷺ gives an explanation, that the sun will be over the heads of the people who have been resurrected. And they will say, let us go to someone, let us look for someone who will intercede on our behalf. They will start from the first creations of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala and that is Adam (A.S). They will go to him, they will say, oh Adam (A.S), you are the father of the nation, intercede for us. Adam (A.S) will say, Ya Rabbi nafsi nafsi (Oh Allah myself. myself). Ya Rabbi nafsi nafsi. Go to someone else. Then they’ll go to Nuh (A.S). They’ll say, oh Nuh (A.S), you are the first messenger. You are the first messenger that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala sent with a sent as a guide to a to a nation, that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala has sent to a nation, intercede on behalf of us. Nuh (A.S) will say, Ya Rabbi nafsi nafsi. Ya Rabbi nafsi nafsi. Go to someone else. Then they will go to Ibrahim (A.S). They’ll tell Ibrahim (A.S), oh Ibrahim (A.S), you are the Khalilullah (the friend of Allah). Intercede for us. Ibrahim (A.S) will say, Ya Rabbi nafsi nafsi. Ya Rabbi nafsi nafsi. Go to someone else. Then they will go to Musa (A.S). They’ll say, oh Musa (A.S), Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala allowed you to have a direct conversation with him. Intercede on our behalf. Musa (A.S) will say, Ya Rabbi nafsi nafsi. Ya Rabbi nafsi nafsi. Go to someone else. Then they’ll go to Isa (A.S). They’ll say, oh Isa (A.S), Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala allowed you to speak while you were in the cradle, intercede on behalf of us. Isa (A.S) will say, Ya Rabbi nafsi nafsi. Ya Rabbi nafsi nafsi. Go to someone else. Go to Muhammed ﷺ. Then they will go to Nabi Kareem ﷺ and they say, Ya Rasulullah ﷺ, you are the final messenger of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala forgave your early and late sins. Please intercede for us with your Lord. 

So Nabi Kareem ﷺ will then prostrate to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala and he’ll say, Ya Rabbi ummati ummati. Oh Allah, my ummah. Ya Rabbi ummati ummati. Oh Allah, my ummah. Ya Rabbi ummati ummati. Oh Allah, my ummah. On that day where every single person will be worried about themselves, Nabi Kareem ﷺ will be crying for his ummah.

Moving on to the physical appearance and description of Nabi Kareem ﷺ, it is impossible to accurately describe the actual beauty and elegance of Nabi Kareem ﷺ.

Imam al-Qurtubi makes mention about this that the Sahaba(R.A) have done an immense favor to the ummah of Nabi Kareem ﷺ . Why? Why have they done such a favor to the ummah of Nabi Kareem ﷺ ? It is because they convey to the ummah the perfect intrinsic knowledge of Nabi Kareem ﷺ as well as the perfect elegance of Nabi Kareem ﷺ to the best of their abilities.

Now let let us take a look at some of the hadith on the appearance of Nabi Kareem ﷺ.

Anas ibn Malik (R.A) said:

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَبْعَةً، لَيْسَ بِالطَّوِيلِ وَلا بِالْقَصِيرِ، حَسَنَ الْجِسْمِ، وَكَانَ شَعَرُهُ لَيْسَ بِجَعْدٍ، وَلا سَبْطٍ أَسْمَرَ اللَّوْنِ، إِذَا مَشَى يَتَكَفَّأُ‏.‏

‘Allah’s Messenger ﷺ was of medium height, neither tall nor short. He was of handsome physique, and his hair was neither crisply curled nor smooth, brown color (wheated complexion). When he walked, he used to stride confidently ” – Ash-Shama’il Al-Muhammadiyah 2

At the end of the hadith Anas bin Malik(R.A) says إِذَا مَشَى يَتَكَفَّأُ‏.‏ : That when Nabi Kareem ﷺ walked, he walked confidently. He used to stride confidently. Now what is meant by this? What is meant by the term yatakaffa’u? So there’s three interpretations of what is meant by this. The first interpretation was that Nabi Kareem ﷺ used to walk fast. The second interpretation is that Nabi Kareem ﷺ used to lean forward when walkingwith a slight forward inclination of the head and the shoulders and not with his chest out in pride. The third interpretation is that Nabi Kareem ﷺ used to lift his leg when he used to walk. And all three of these interpretations are correct. They all are correct because Nabi Kareem ﷺ fulfilled all three descriptions. This is a sunnah of Nabi Kareem ﷺ which can easily be practiced.

Ibn Ishaq (R.A) said:

‏ سَمِعْتُ الْبَرَاءَ بْنَ عَازِبٍ، يَقُولُ‏: ‏ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، رَجُلا مَرْبُوعًا، بَعِيدَ مَا بَيْنَ الْمَنْكِبَيْنِ، عَظِيمَ الْجُمَّةِ إِلَى شَحْمَةِ أُذُنَيْهِ الْيُسْرَى، عَلَيْهِ حُلَّةٌ حَمْرَاءُ، مَا رَأَيْتُ شَيْئًا قَطُّ أَحْسَنَ مِنْهُ‏.‏

“I heard al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib (R.A) say: “Allah’s Messenger ﷺ was neither curly nor smooth, of medium height, broad-shouldered, with luxuriant hair reaching the lobes of his ears, wearing a red suit of clothes. I have never seen anything more beautiful than him!” – Ash-Shama’il Al-Muhammadiyah 3

This hadith describes it in a very similar manner as the previous hadith, but at the end of the hadith, he says something amazing and this caught my attention. What he says, : مَا رَأَيْتُ شَيْئًا قَطُّ أَحْسَنَ مِنْهُ‏ -That I have never seen anything more handsome/beautiful than Nabi Kareem ﷺ . The key word here is قَطُّ . قَطُّ – means never. Never ever in his life has he seen anything or anyone more handsome or beautiful than Nabi Kareem ﷺ .

Ibn Ishaq (R.A) said:

‏ سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ الْبَرَاءَ بْنَ عَازِبٍ‏: ‏ أَكَانَ وَجْهُ رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِثْلَ السَّيْفِ‏؟‏ قَالَ‏: ‏ لا، بَلْ مِثْلَ الْقَمَرِ‏.‏

A man asked al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib: “Was the face of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ like the sword?” He said: “No, it was rather like the moon!” – Ash-Shama’il Al-Muhammadiyah 11

Another amazing description of the appearance and the character of Nabi Kareem ﷺ comes in a very famous hadith found in Mustdrak of Imam Hakim, hadith number 4 274

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was granted permission to migrate (the Hijrah) from Makkah to Madinah. He was accompanied by his companions Abu Bakr (R.A) and his freed slave.

During their migration they rested at a camp in Qudaid (near the tribe of Umm Ma’bad) at a time of drought. They requested some food and drink from Umm Ma‘bad but there was unfortunately nothing to offer them. The Prophet ﷺ noticed a solitary and weak goat, which he requested Umm Ma‘bad to milk and she advised that it is old and weak and cannot be milked.

The Prophet ﷺ with the permission of Umm Ma’bad passed his hand on back and udders of the goat and miraculously the goat started gushing milk at the blessed hand of the Prophet ﷺ and they all drank from it and left plenty of milk for Umm Ma‘bad and her family.

When her husband returned from herding his sheep he saw all the milk. He asked his wife where this had come from and she explained a ‘blessed man’ had passed by us. He asked her to describe him (saw) and she said:

رَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا ظَاهِرَ الْوَضَاءَةِ- I saw A man with obvious beauty
أَبْلَجَ الْوَجْهِ – a glowing countenance / radiant face
حَسَنَ الْخَلْقِ- good character and appearance
لَمْ تَعِبْهُ ثَجْلَةٌ- neither a large stomach
وَلَمْ تُزْرِيهِ صَعْلَةٌ- nor a small head
وَسِيمٌ قَسِيمٌ-overly handsome and beautiful
فِي عَيْنَيْهِ دَعِجٌ- his eyes had a contrast , darkness of his eyes were immensely dark , white was excessively white
وَفِي أَشْفَارِهِ وَطَفٌ- long eyelashes
وَفِي صَوْتِهِ صَهَلٌ- natural echo in his voice
وَفِي عُنُقِهِ سَطَعٌ- his neck was elegantly long
وَفِي لِحْيَتِهِ كَثَاثَةٌ – beard was full and thick
أَزَجُّ أَقْرَنُ- eyebrows were arched and not joint
إِنْ صَمَتَ فَعَلَيْهِ الْوَقَارُ-when he was silent, dignity covered him
وَإِنْ تَكَلَّمَ سَمَاهُ وَعَلَاهُ الْبَهَاءُ-when he spoke it was audible and clear , almost commanding and overtaking
أَجْمَلُ النَّاسِ وَأَبْهَاهُ مِنْ بَعِيدٍ- from afar he was the most striking and outstanding in appearance
وَأَحْسَنُهُ وَأَجْمَلُهُ مِنْ قَرِيبٍ- when he came near , he was the best of them and most handsome
حُلْوُ الْمَنْطِقِ فَصْلًا- so exalted and sweet in logic – coherent and smooth
لَا نَزْرٌ وَلَا هَذْرٌ- to the point and not excessive , not short
كَأَنَّ مَنْطِقَهُ خَرَزَاتُ نَظْمٍ- logic and utterance flows forth like a perfect string of pearls
يَتَحَدَّرْنَ رَبْعَةٌ لَا تَشْنَأَهُ مِنْ طُولٍ- medium in height , not too tall
وَلَا تَقْتَحِمُهُ عَيْنٌ مِنْ قِصَرٍ،nor scornfully short
غُصْنٌ بَيْنَ غُصْنَيْنِ-branch between two branches.
فَهُوَ أَنْضَرُ الثَّلَاثَةِ مَنْظَرًا وَأَحْسَنُهُمْ- Among the three he was the most radiant in appearance, the finest of them in stature.
قَدْرًا لَهُ رُفَقَاءُ يَحُفُّونَ بِهِ- He was surrounded by companions.
إِنْ قَالَ: سَمِعُوا لِقَوْلِهِ، وَإِنْ أَمَرَ تَبَادَرُوا إِلَى أَمْرِهِ، مَحْفُودٌ مَحْشُودٌ لَا عَابِسٌ وَلَا مُفَنَّدٌ
When he spoke, they listened attentively. When he gave orders, they hastened to fulfil them. Honoured, served and surrounded by followers. He neither frowned, nor criticised’.

In conclusion, I would like to end off with a reminder that we all would love to dream, we all we all would love to see Nabi Kareem ﷺ in our dream. And we know from the hadith that whosoever sees Nabi Kareem ﷺ in a dream has verily seen him. Why? Because Shaitan cannot take the form of Nabi ﷺ. We all would love and desire to see Nabi Kareem ﷺ in a dream.

How can we do this? The best way to make this happen is to love like Nabi Kareem ﷺ. We need to awaken and we need to enliven the Muhammadan ﷺ methodology and way of life and make it our way of life. We need to speak like Nabi Kareem ﷺ. We need to dress like ﷺ. We need to behave like Nabi Kareem ﷺ . And not only will we see Nabi Kareem ﷺ in a dream, but by the will and grace of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, we will attain the companionship of Nabi Kareem ﷺ in Jannah.

We ask Allah to allow each and every single one of us to witness Nabi ﷺ in our dreams and gain his companionship. May Allah accept our efforts from us and grant us understanding In Sha Allah!