43/31. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 2347a — Balanced Description of the Prophet
How Long He (SAW) Lived, And How Long He Stayed In Makkah And Al-Madinah
Prophet Muhammad Physical Description Hadith
Sahih Muslim : 2347a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 2347a
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَالِكٍ عَنْ رَبِيعَةَ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَهُ يَقُولُ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَيْسَ بِالطَّوِيلِ الْبَائِنِ وَلاَ بِالْقَصِيرِ وَلَيْسَ بِالأَبْيَضِ الأَمْهَقِ وَلاَ بِالآدَمِ وَلاَ بِالْجَعْدِ الْقَطَطِ وَلاَ بِالسَّبِطِ بَعَثَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى رَأْسِ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً فَأَقَامَ بِمَكَّةَ عَشْرَ سِنِينَ وَبِالْمَدِينَةِ عَشْرَ سِنِينَ وَتَوَفَّاهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى رَأْسِ سِتِّينَ سَنَةً وَلَيْسَ فِي رَأْسِهِ وَلِحْيَتِهِ عِشْرُونَ شَعْرَةً بَيْضَاءَ .
Anas bin Malik Narrated from:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was neither very conspicuously tall nor short-statured, and his color was neither glaringly white nor brown; his hair was neither very curly nor very straight; Allah commissioned him (as a Prophet) when he had reached the age of forty years, and he stayed in Mecca for ten years and for ten years in Medina; Allah took him away when he had just reached the age of sixty, and there had not been twenty white hair in his head and beard.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2347aIn-book reference : Book 43, Hadith 147USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 30, Hadith 5794
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 2347a
This hadith from Anas b. Malik gives a balanced physical description of Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم. He was not described as very tall or short. His complexion was not described as glaringly white or brown. His hair was not very curly or very straight. The narration also gives timeline details: Allah commissioned him as a Prophet at forty. It then states that he stayed in Mecca for ten years and in Medina for ten years, and that Allah took him when he had reached sixty. It also says there were not twenty white hairs in his head and beard. The report is direct, measured, and centered on description.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet’s appearance is described in balanced terms, avoiding extremes.
- The report links physical description with key timeline details from Anas.
- The hadith states that his white hairs were fewer than twenty in his head and beard.
