Virtues and Merits of the Prophet (pbuh) and his Companions

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not use to raise his hands in his invocations except in the Istisqa (i.e. invoking Allah for the rain) in which he used to raise his hands so high that one could see the whiteness of his armpits. (Note: It may be that Anas did not see the prophet (as) raising his hands but it has been narrated that the Prophet (as) used to raise his hands for invocations other than Istisqa. See Hadith No. 612 Vol. 5. and Hadith No. 807 & 808 Vol 2.)

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to talk so clearly that if somebody wanted to count the number of his words, he could do so. Narrated `Urwa bin Az-Zubair: `Aisha said (to me), "Don't you wonder at Abu so-and-so who came and sat by my dwelling and started relating the traditions of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) intending to let me hear that, while I was performing an optional prayer. He left before I finished my optional prayer. Had I found him still there. I would have said to him, 'Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) never talked so quickly and vaguely as you do.' "

That he asked `Aisha "How was the prayer of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in the month of Ramadan?" She replied, "He used not to pray more than eleven rak`at whether in Ramadan or in any other month. He used to offer four rak`at, let alone their beauty and length, and then four rak`at, let alone their beauty and length. Afterwards he would offer three rak`at. I said, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Do you go to bed before offering the witr prayer?' He said, 'My eyes sleep, but my heart does not sleep."'

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "My similitude in comparison with the other prophets before me, is that of a man who has built a house nicely and beautifully, except for a place of one brick in a corner. The people go about it and wonder at its beauty, but say: 'Would that this brick be put in its place!' So I am that brick, and I am the last of the Prophets."

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Name yourselves after me, but do not call yourselves by my Kuniya."

Abu-l-Qasim said, "Name yourselves after me, but do not call yourselves by my Kuniya."

I saw As-Sa'ib bin Yazid when he was ninety-four years old, quite strong and of straight figure. He said, "I know that I enjoyed my hearing and seeing powers only because of the invocation of Allah's Apostle . My aunt took me to him and said, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! My nephew is sick; will you invoke Allah for him?' So he invoked (Allah) for me."

I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) and saw some white hair below his lower lip above the chin.

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was neither very tall nor short, neither absolutely white nor deep brown. His hair was neither curly nor lank. Allah sent him (as an Apostle) when he was forty years old. Afterwards he resided in Mecca for ten years and in Medina for ten more years. When Allah took him unto Him, there was scarcely twenty white hairs in his head and beard.

I heard Ka`b bin Malik talking after his failure to join (the Ghazwa of) Tabuk. He said, "When I greeted Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) whose face was glittering with happiness, for whenever Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was happy, his face used to glitter, as if it was a piece of the moon, and we used to recognize it (i.e. his happiness) from his face."

Whenever Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was given the choice of one of two matters, he would choose the easier of the two, as long as it was not sinful to do so, but if it was sinful to do so, he would not approach it. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) never took revenge (over anybody) for his own sake but (he did) only when Allah's Legal Bindings were outraged in which case he would take revenge for Allah's Sake.

The Prophet (ﷺ) never criticized any food (presented him), but he would eat it if he liked it; otherwise, he would leave it (without expressing his dislike).

When the Prophet (ﷺ) prostrated, he used to keep his arms so widely apart that we used to see his armpits. (The sub-narrator, Ibn Bukair said, "The whiteness of his armpits.")

By chance I went to the Prophet (ﷺ) at noon while he was at Al-Abtah (resting) in a tent. Bilal came out (of the tent) and pronounced the Adhan for the prayer, and entering again, he brought out the water which was left after Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) had performed the ablution. The people rushed to take some of the water. Bilal again went in and brought out a spear-headed stick, and then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came out. As if I were now looking at the whiteness of his leg. Bilal fixed the stick and the Prophet (ﷺ) offered a two-rak`at Zuhr prayer and a two-rak`at `Asr prayer, while women and donkeys were passing in front of the Prophet (beyond the stick) .

That they were with the Prophet (ﷺ) on a journey. They travelled the whole night, and when dawn approached, they took a rest and sleep overwhelmed them till the sun rose high in the sky. The first to get up was Abu Bakr. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)s used not to be awakened from his sleep, but he would wake up by himself. `Umar woke up and then Abu Bakr sat by the side of the Prophet's head and started saying: Allahu-Akbar raising his voice till the Prophet (ﷺ) woke up, (and after traveling for a while) he dismounted and led us in the morning prayer. A man amongst the people failed to join us in the prayer. When the Prophet (ﷺ) had finished the prayer, he asked (the man), "O so-and-so! What prevented you from offering the prayer with us?" He replied, "I am Junub," Alllah's Apostle ordered him to perform Tayammam with clean earth. The man then offered the prayer. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ordered me and a few others to go ahead of him. We had become very thirsty. While we were on our way (looking for water), we came across a lady (riding an animal), hanging her legs between two water-skins. We asked her, "Where can we get water?" She replied, "Oh ! There is no water." We asked, "how far is your house from the water?" She replied, "A distance of a day and a night travel." We said, "Come on to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), "She asked, "What is Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ?" So we brought her to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) against her will, and she told him what she had told us before and added that she was the mother of orphans. So the Prophet (ﷺ) ordered that her two water-skins be brought and he rubbed the mouths of the water-skins. As we were thirsty, we drank till we quenched our thirst and we were forty men. We also filled all our waterskins and other utensils with water, but we did not water the camels. The waterskin was so full that it was almost about to burst. The Prophet (ﷺ) then said, "Bring what (foodstuff) you have." So some dates and pieces of bread were collected for the lady, and when she went to her people, she said, "I have met either the greatest magician or a prophet as the people claim." So Allah guided the people of that village through that lady. She embraced Islam and they all embraced Islam.

When the Verse:-- 'And warn your tribe of near kindred.' (26.214) was revealed, the Prophet (ﷺ) started calling (the 'Arab tribes), "O Bani Fihr, O Bani `Adi" mentioning first the various branch tribes of Quraish.

Once Hassan bin Thabit asked the permission of the Prophet (ﷺ) to lampoon (i.e. compose satirical poetry defaming) the infidels. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "What about the fact that I have common descent with them?" Hassan replied, "I shall take you out of them as a hair is taken out of dough." Narrated `Urwa: I started abusing Hassan in front of `Aisha, whereupon she said. "Don't abuse him, for he used to defend the Prophet (with his poetry).

While the Prophet (ﷺ) was in the market, a man called (somebody), "O Abu-l-Qasim!' The Prophet (ﷺ) turned to him and said "Name yourselves after me but do not call yourselves by my Kuniya."

The Prophet (ﷺ) was of moderate height having broad shoulders (long) hair reaching his ear-lobes. Once I saw him in a red cloak and I had never seen a more handsome than him."