The Description of the Seal of Prophethood

Abu al-Husayn, Muhammad ibn al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl from Baghdad narrated to us, saying: Abdulah ibn Ja'far ibn Durustawayh informed us, saying: Ya'qub ibn Sufyan told us, he said: Hisham ibn Ammar narrated to us, he said: Hatim ibn Isma'il told us, he said: Al-Ju'ayd ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Uways reported, he said: I heard As-Sa'ib ibn Yazid saying: My aunt took me to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! My nephew is suffering from a headache." He then wiped his hand over my head, prayed for blessings for me, performed ablution, I drank from his ablution water, and I stood behind him, looking at the seal between his shoulders, resembling the hump of a camel.

In Bukhari it is reported: "I looked at the seal of Prophethood between his shoulders."

The narrator clarifies: "Resembling the hump of a camel" – the word 'hump' is pronounced with a kasrah on the zayn and a shaddah on the ra'. A 'camel hump' is with a fathah on the ha' and a jim, it is a type of bird known as 'the bustard'. The male is called the 'hujjlah' and the female is called the 'hujjah'. The eggs are white. Another narration states: "resembling a dove's egg." It is also said that it has large buttons and moles.

There are varied accounts regarding the description of the Seal of Prophethood, with many similar meanings. In another narration by Muslim from Jabir ibn Samurah: "I saw the seal on his shoulder resembling a dove's egg in size." In a narration by Ahmad from Abdullah ibn Sargis: "I saw the seal of Prophethood on his left shoulder blade as if two black moles were joined together." Also in another narration by Ahmad from Abu Ramthah Al-Tamimiy: "I went with my father until I reached the Messenger of Allah."

Exploring Descriptions of the Prophet Muhammad's Physical Features

Upon observing the Prophet's features, various descriptions have been documented:

• In the book of Al-Bayhaqi, it is described as resembling a tamr (date fruit).
• In Ash-Shama'il, it is likened to a protruding lump.
• According to Ibn Abi Khaythamah's history, there is mention of a green mark on his flesh.

Also, references from different sources mention other details:

• In Ibn Abi 'Asim's biography, it is compared to the size of a small kitten.
• In Ibn Abi 'Asim's history of Naysabur, it is likened to a chestnut carved in flesh with "Muhammad the Messenger of Allah" inscribed on it.
• Described by 'Aisha, a small mole with a light color that resembles a bondmah (ant in black) located near his shoulder.

Moreover, there are reports that detail a ring he possessed:

• As narrated by Abu 'Umrah, the ring between the shoulders of the Prophet had inscriptions, visible and hidden, signifying aspects of faith and prophecy.
• Regarding the ring's origin, there are conflicting beliefs - whether he had it before or after his prophethood.

Another fascinating account includes the Prophet being bathed at birth by angels and presented with a silk cloth on which a luminous signet ring was placed on his shoulder, illuminating like a flower.

Translation of Classical Arabic Text:

Statement of Ibrahim ibn Hamza:

Such is the custom of visiting Hajlah. Hatim said: Visit Hajlah. Pronounce the letter "ra" before the letter "za."
(source: Abu Suleiman)

Various Narrations:

Abu Mansur informed us that Al-Muzaffar ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ziyad Al-Alawi said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) had a radiant face like the sun and moon, and I saw the seal of Prophethood between his shoulders like a pigeon's egg.

Abu Al-Husayn ibn Al-Fadl said: Abdullah ibn Jafar narrated to us, who narrated from Ya'qub ibn Sufyan, who narrated from Ubaydullah and Abu Nuaym, from Israel, who mentioned the hadith except that he said: "And I saw his seal near his shoulders resembling his body." This narration is found in Sahih Muslim. (source: Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah)

Al-Muzaffar ibn Muhammad Al-Alawi informed us, Abu Jafar ibn regarding "Al-Thafr" (in "H" and "S"). In "S," it is mentioned: "resembling." The hadith is mentioned in Muslim's Sahih, in the Book of Virtues, in the chapter about the Seal of Prophethood, summarized by Al-Tirmidhi in the chapter regarding the Qualities of the Prophet (peace be upon him), mentioned by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad.

Hadith on the Seal of Prophethood

Chain of Narrators:
Duhaime narrated to us, Ahmad ibn Hazim narrated to us, Ubaydullah ibn Musa said: Hasan ibn Salih reported to us, from Simak, who said: Jabir ibn Samurah narrated to me saying, "I saw the seal on the back of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, like the size of a pigeon's egg." This was reported by Muslim in Sahih from Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Numair, from Ubaydullah ibn Musa.

Additional Narrators:
Abu al-Fath al-Hilal ibn Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Haffar in Baghdad said, "Al-Hussayn ibn Yahya ibn Ayyash reported to us, from Abu al-Ash'ath, who narrated from Hammad ibn Zaid, from Asim ibn Suleiman. Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz narrated to us, reporting from Abu al-Fadl ibn Ibrahim, who narrated from Ahmad ibn Salama, from Hammad ibn Umar al-Bakrawi, who reported from Abdul Wahid ibn Ziyad, who narrated from Asim al-Ahwal, from Abdullah ibn Sargis. He said, "I saw the Prophet, peace be upon him, and I ate bread and meat with him or he said thareed. I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, may Allah forgive you.' He said, 'And you too.' So I said, 'May the Messenger of Allah seek forgiveness for you, peace be upon him?' He said, 'Yes, and for you too.' Then he recited the verse, 'Seek forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women.' Then I looked behind him and saw the Seal of Prophethood between his shoulders, below his left shoulder, as if it were the size of two buttons, upon it they were like the formation of the Tha'aleel (mountain goats)."

Translation of Classical Arabic Text

Text of the Hadith:

"The wording of the hadith of Abd al-Wahid. Muslim narrated it in Sahih (651) from Hamid ibn Umar al-Bakrawi, and from Abu Kamel, from Hammad. Abu Muhammad informed us: Abdullah ibn Yahya ibn Abdul Jabbar al-Sukkari, from Baghdad, said: Ismail ibn Muhammad al-Saffar told us, he said: Ahmad ibn Mansur narrated to us, he said: Abdul Razzaq informed us, he said: Ma'mar narrated to us, he said: I heard Abdullah ibn Sargis saying: 'You see this old man - meaning himself - I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and I ate with him, and I saw the seal of prophethood below his shoulders, like a protruding rounded mass.'"

Key Points:

• The narrator saw the Prophet Muhammad and ate with him.
• The narrator witnessed the seal of prophethood on the Prophet's body.

Continuation of the Hadith:

Abu Bakr informed us: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Furak said: Abdullah ibn Ja'far ibn Ahmad told us, he said: Yunus ibn Habib informed us, he said: Abu Dawud narrated to us, he said: Qurra ibn Khalid informed us, he said: Muawiya ibn Qurra narrated from his father, he said: 'I came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and said: O Messenger of Allah, show me the seal.' He said: 'Place your hand,' so I placed my hand in between his shoulders, feeling to see the seal, and found it like the size of an egg. That did not prevent him from making supplication for me even though my hand was between his shoulders."

Key Points:

• The narrator asked to see the seal of prophethood on the Prophet Muhammad.
• The narrator describes the size of the seal as that of an egg.

The Healing Touch of the Prophet (PBUH)

Hadith Narration:

Abu Rimthah said: "I was walking with my father towards the Prophet, peace be upon him, and I saw something resembling a tumor between his two shoulders. I asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, I am skilled in treating people's ailments. Shall I treat it for you?' He replied: 'No, its Creator is its Healer.'"

Varying Descriptions of the Prophet's (PBUH) Physical Appearance:

• Iyyad ibn Laqit described it as resembling an apple behind his shoulder.
• Asim ibn Bahdalta stated it looked like a chickpea or a pigeon's egg.

The Seal of Prophethood:

Abu Saeed described the seal between the Prophet's shoulders as a raised piece of flesh.

References:

• Narrated by Ahmad bin Ubaid: "Towards the Prophet" [Ahmad in Musnad 2:227, 2:229, 3:435, 5:35]
• Narrated saying "He told us" [Tanzih Sharih al-Imam (H)]

Hadith on the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Al-Saffar reported: We were told by Timtam, who said: We were informed by Qais ibn Hafs al-Darimi, who said: Muslimah ibn Alqamah told us, who said: We were informed by Dawood ibn Abi Hind, from Simak ibn Harb, from Salama al-Ijlili, from Salman al-Farisi, who said: "I went to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and he threw his cloak over me and said: 'O Salman, have a look at what I have been commanded.' So I saw the seal of prophethood between his shoulders, resembling a pigeon's egg." (Reported by Ahmad in his Musnad)

Encounter with the Messenger of Heraclius

Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami reported: We were told by Al-Hasan al-Mahmoudi, who said: We were informed by Abu Abdullah: Muhammad ibn Ali al-Hafiz, who said: We were told by Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna, who said: We were informed by Abu Aamir: Abd al-Malik ibn Umar, who said: We were informed by Abdullah ibn Ja'far al-Zuhri, from Umm Bakr, who narrated from her aunt, Abd Allah ibn Ja'far:

"I met the Heraclius messenger to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in Ma'sa. He was my neighbor and an old man who had reached the age of senility, or near it. I said to him: 'Won't you inform me?' He replied: 'Yes, the Messenger of Allah arrived at Tabuk, so I set off with the letter of Heraclius until I came to Tabuk. There I found him sitting among his companions on a high place over water, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: 'O brother of Tanukh.' So I approached until I was standing in front of him, and he removed his cloak from his back and said, 'Here, go ahead with what you have been commanded.' So I went on his back, and I found a seal between his shoulders, at the spot of a large button." (Narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad)

The Prophet's Encounter with a Jew

One day, while I was standing behind the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, a Jew passed by. The Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, was performing ablution. The Jew said, "Lift up his garment from his back." So, I went to lift it while the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, was splashed with water in his face.^[657]

I remarked that they were searching for that sign because it was written in their scripture describing the characteristics of the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him.^[657] Musnad Ahmad (4:323).