The name of Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Arabic

Many of you know that even though Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, came about 570 years after Jesus, but there is no picture, portrait or statue found of Prophet. This is because he strongly encouraged the faithful follower not to fall into the same mistake as Christians fell into by making statues and images, ultimately worshipping Jesus Christ instead of One God (violating the Commandments of God). Many non-muslims find it fascinating and strange.

Here is a description of how the Prophet Muhammad looks (peace be upon him). His appearance is historically well recorded. Here is some of his description:

Muhammad (peace be upon him) was of a height a little above the average. He was of sturdy build with long muscular limbs and tapering fingers. The hair of his head was long and thick with some waves in them. His forehead was large and prominent, his eyelashes were long and thick, his nose was sloping, his mouth was somewhat large and his teeth were well set. His cheeks were spare and he had a pleasant smile. His eyes were large and black with a touch of brown. His beard was thick and at the time of his death, he had seventeen gray hairs in it. He had a thin line of fine hair over his neck and chest. He was fair of complexion and altogether was so handsome that Abu Bakr composed this couplet on him:

“as there is no darkness in the moonlit night so is (Muhammad) Mustafa, the well-wisher, bright.”

His gait was firm and he walked so fast that others found it difficult to keep pace with him. His face was genial but at times, when he was deep in thought, there there were long periods of silence, yet he always kept himself busy with something. He did not speak unnecessarily and what he said was always to the point and without any padding. At times he would make his meaning clear by slowly repeating what he had said. His laugh was mostly a smile. He kept his feelings under firm control – when annoyed, he would turn aside or keep silent, when pleased he would lower his eyes (Shamail Tirmizi).

He was always the first to greet another and would not withdraw his hand from a handshake till the other man withdrew his. If one wanted to say something in his ears, he would not turn away till one had finished (Abu Dawud, Tirmizi). Those who have seen him, in describing him they always described him as someone in appearance whom they never saw before, and never saw even after his death.

He was especially fond of children and used to get into the spirit of childish games in their company. He would have fun with the children who had come back from Abyssinia and tried to speak in Abyssinian with them. It was his practice to give lifts on his camel to children when he returned from journeys (Bukhari, Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 2 pg.886). He would pick up children in his arms, play with them, and kiss them.

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After praising and thanking Allah the Prophet (saws) said:

“O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city [Mecca] as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that he will indeed reckon your deeds. Allah has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligations shall henceforth be waived. Your capital is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn ‘Abd’al Muttalib [the Prophet's uncle] be waived.

Every right arising out of homicide in pre-islamic days is henceforth waived and the first such right that I waive is that arising from the murder of Rabiah ibn al Harithibn.

O People, the unbelievers indulge in tampering with the calendar in order to make permissible that which Allah forbade, and to forbid that which Allah has made permissible. With Allah the months are twelve in number. Four of them are holy, three of these are successive and one occurs singly between the months of Jumada and Shaban.

Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope of that he will be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah’s trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right, then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with anyone of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste. O People, listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers, fast during the month of Ramadhan, and give your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over a white – except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not therefore do injustice to yourselves. Remember one day you will meet Allah and answer your deeds. So beware: do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.

O People, no prophet or apostle will come after me, and no new [true] faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand my words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Qur’an and ______* and if you follow these/this you will never go astray.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O Allah, that I have conveyed Your message to Your people.”

(*note: The main two sects of Islam differ in their records of this sentence. Sunni Muslims record “the Qur’an and the Sunnah”, while Shia Muslims record “the Qur’an and the Family of the Prophet).

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The Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him)/Joseph had a prophecy in the form of a dream, in which he sees the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing to him. This dream prophesised that his father (sun), mother (moon), eleven brothers (eleven stars) would bow to him.
Both, the Bible and the Quran mention Prophet Joseph’s dream, but the Biblical account contains an error which leaves the prophecy unfulfilled.

“(Remember) when Yusuf (Joseph) said to his father: “O my
father! Verily, I saw (in a dream) eleven stars and the sun
and the moon, I saw them prostrating themselves to me.”
[Quran 12:4]
“Then he (Joseph) had another dream, and he told it to his
brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this
time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
[Genesis 37:9]

The Quran mentions this dream at the beginning of Chapter named
“Joseph”, and shows how it was fulfilled at the end of the story.
The Bible, however, mentions the dream, but never shows that
it was a fulfilled prophecy. The reason why the Bible is not
able to fulfill this dream is due to an error, where the mother
of Jospeh supposedly died when she bore Benyameen/Benjamin.

“And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the
midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you have another
son.” As she breathed her last–for she was dying–she named
her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin. So Rachel
died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
[Genesis 35:17-19]

Rachel is the mother of Joseph and Benjamin; she died two
chapters before Joseph had his dream.
The Quran never says that she died, the proof for that is at
the end of the story where Yusef raises both of his parents
on his throne:
“And he raised his parents to the throne and they fell down
before him prostrate. And he said: “O my father! This is the
interpretation of my dream aforetime! My Lord has made it come
true! He was indeed good to me, when He took me out of the prison,
and brought you (all here) out of the bedouin-life, after Shaitan
(Satan) had sown enmity between me and my brothers. Certainly, my
Lord is the Most Courteous and Kind unto whom He will. Truly He!
Only He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.”[Quran 12:100]

Bible writers make a mistake when they claim that Joseph’s mother
died before the adventures of Joseph happened. The Quran ends this
kind of falsehood which might have been injected to the Bible
intentionally or unintentionally, and corrects the Bible:
1) Jospeh’s dream was a perfect prophecy.
2) His mother never died after giving birth to Benyameen.
3) The dream was fulfilled when his father (The Sun) and
his mother (the Moon) and his eleven brothers (stars)
bowed down to him.

Therefore, the Quran compliments and corrects the Bible
errors. Joseph’s dream is nothing but one of many other
examples of how the Quran corrects the Bible.

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