42/25. Chapter:
Jami at-Tirmidhi 2718 — Seal on the Prophet’s Letters
What Has Been Related About Putting A Seal On A Letter
Hadith About the Seal on the Prophet’s Letters
Jami at-Tirmidhi : 2718
Jami at-TirmidhiHadith Number 2718
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ لَمَّا أَرَادَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ يَكْتُبَ إِلَى الْعَجَمِ قِيلَ لَهُ إِنَّ الْعَجَمَ لاَ يَقْبَلُونَ إِلاَّ كِتَابًا عَلَيْهِ خَاتَمٌ فَاصْطَنَعَ خَاتَمًا . قَالَ فَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى بَيَاضِهِ فِي كَفِّهِ . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ .
Anas bin Malik Narrated from:
When The Prophet Of Allah (ﷺ) Wanted To Write To The Foreigners, It Was Said To Him: 'The Foreigners Do Not Accept A Letter Unless It Has A Seal.' So He Had A Ring Made. He Said: "It Is As If I Am Now Looking At Its Whiteness In His Hand."
Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2718In-book reference : Book 42, Hadith 31English translation : Vol. 5, Book 40, Hadith 2718
Summary of Jami at-Tirmidhi Hadith 2718
This hadith about the Prophet’s seal ring explains a practical reason for using a seal. Anas bin Malik narrated that when the Prophet of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم wanted to write to the foreigners, it was said to him that the foreigners would not accept a letter unless it had a seal. So he had a ring made. Anas said it was as if he could still see its whiteness in the Prophet’s hand. The hadith about sealed letters in Islam shows care for how messages are received by their audience. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used a method that made the letter acceptable in that setting. The report focuses on written communication, acceptance of letters, and the visible ring used as a seal.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used a seal when it was needed for letters.
- The reason given was that foreigners would not accept unsealed letters.
- Written communication was handled in a way people could recognize.
- Anas remembered the whiteness of the ring in the Prophet’s hand.
