Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This is a sub-chapter of the previous one as it is still detailing the physical appearance of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Alī al-Qārī said,
The title of this chapter entails that it will describe the colour, shape and location of the seal.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
The reason it was called a seal was to indicate the authenticity of his prophethood just like how a seal is used to certify the authenticity of documents. It could also be to signify that he is the last prophet as the term “seal” is often used in reference to the end of something.
16. Al-Sā’ib ibn Yazīd narrated: “My maternal aunt took me to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said to him, ‘O Messenger of Allāh, this nephew of mine is ill.’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) then wiped his hand over my head and supplicated to Allāh to bless me. Then he (peace be upon him) performed ablution and I drank from the water of his ablution. I saw the seal of prophethood between his shoulders; it was similar to the egg of a partridge.” [24]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
“This nephew of mine is ill”: In other hadīths, it was mentioned that she said to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that her nephew fell down. This made scholars conclude that the injury was to his foot, and this is what al-Hafith ibn Hajar confirmed after he acknowledged the other hadīths.
“Wiped his hand over my head”: The Prophet (peace be upon him) rubbed the head instead of the injured area as this is a more kind and sympathetic gesture and through it he could examine the companion’s heartbeat and body temperature.
“I drank from the water of his ablution”: The use of the remnants of water that the Prophet (peace be upon him) made ablution with for remedy and treatment was practiced by his companions. However, this attribute is exclusive to him and thus no one should seek remedy or blessing through anyone else’s spit, sweat or leftovers etc., regardless of their high status and virtue.
“Between his shoulders”: Some scholars said that the wisdom of the seal being placed closer to the left side was because that location is closer to the heart.
Alī al-Qārī said,
Al-Bayhaqī and others reported that the touch of the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the hair of al-Sā’ib caused his hair to stay black until he died, though grey hairs appeared on his other body parts. The supplication of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was answered and so al-Sā’ib died at the age of ninety six whilst enjoying a very healthy body.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
“This nephew of mine is ill”: The boy had pain in his feet and the reason why the Prophet (peace be upon him) wiped his head instead, was either because the boy felt pain in his head as well or because wiping the head is a more noble action than wiping the feet.
17. Jābir ibn Samurah related: “I saw the seal of the prophethood of Allāh’s Messenger (peace be upon him) between his two shoulders. It was red raised flesh that appeared like a pigeon’s egg.” [25]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
“Between his two shoulders”: This gives the approximate location only and it is not intended to identify the exact location of the seal. This is because the seal was positioned closer to the left shoulder.
The colour of the seal has been established to be red, just like the colour of the rest of his body.
Alī al-Qārī said,
“Like a pigeon’s egg”: This shows the similarity between the size, colour and shape of the pigeon’s egg and the seal. Though this comparison entails that the colour of the seal is white, it does not contradict the fact that the skin tone of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was white with some redness. Also, it is possible that the [comparison with something of] white colour was intended to indicate pureness.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
“It was red raised flesh”: This indicates that its colour was the same as his skin.
18. Rumaythah said: “I heard the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) - and at that time the distance between us was very small, such that if I wanted to, I could have kissed the seal of prophethood – saying after the death of Sā’d ibn Mu’ādh, ‘The Throne of Allāh shook [because of his death].’” [26]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
“The distance between us was very small”: This is to confirm that she heard him.
“The Throne of Allāh shook [because of his death]”: This shows the great virtue and status of the companion Sā’d ibn Mu’ādh.
Alī al-Qārī said,
“The death of Sā’d ibn Mu’ādh”: He was the master of the tribe of the Ansār and he died at the age of thirty seven due to an injury he sustained during the Battle of the Trench.
When the hypocrites joked that his coffin was light, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that he was carried by seventy thousand angels.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
“The Throne of Allāh shook [because of his death]”: It shook literally because it was happy that his soul had ascended above and also to make the angels aware of his virtues and his death. In another interpretation, it was argued that the word “shook” was used metaphorically to mean rejoicing at his arrival.
19. Ibrahīm ibn Muhammad, the grandson of Alī ibn Abī Tālib said: “Whenever Alī used to describe the Prophet (peace be upon him), he would narrate the complete hadīth and then add, ‘The seal of prophethood was between his shoulders, and he was the seal of all Prophets.[27]’” [28]
20. Ilyā’ ibn Ahmar al-Yashkurī narrated that Abū Zayd, ‘Amro ibn Akhtab al-Ansārī said: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) said to me, ‘O Abū Zayd, come closer to me and rub my back.’ I began rubbing his back and I felt the seal of prophethood.” Ilyā’ asked Amro (peace be upon him), “What is the seal of prophethood?” He replied, “It was a collection of a few hairs.” [29]
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
“Rub my back”: This indicates that it is permissible for one person to touch the body of another person provided that both are from the same gender and the area touched is not from the ‘awrah.
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
“O Abū Zayd”: This shows the kindness and politeness of the Prophet (peace be upon him) when dealing with his companions i.e. he called his companion using his kunya and not his actual name.
“It was a collection of a few hairs”: However, the seal was not just a collection of hairs. It was a piece of flesh the size of an egg and it was surrounded by a few hairs.
In a different version of this hadīth documented in the Musnad of Imām Ahmad, the Prophet (peace be upon him) wiped his hand over his beard and hair and said, “O Allāh, beautify him and make his beauty last.” The supplication was answered and this companion lived over one hundred years, having hardly any grey hairs and skin without wrinkles.
We can also benefit from the supplication of the Prophet (peace be upon him) if we look after his Sunnah because he said, “May Allāh enlighten the face of a person who heard my words, understood them and delivered them to others as he heard from me.”[30] This is why Sufyān ibn ‘Uyayna said, “No one seeks the knowledge of hadīth except that his face is bright.”
Alī al-Qārī said,
‘Amro ibn Zayd al-Ansārī was one of the four companions who memorised the entire Qur’ān at that time.
“Rub my back”: he was asked to do so either because the Prophet (peace be upon him) needed to scratch his back, or to check if there was something harmful there, or to receive the honour of touching his noble body.
21. Buraydah narrated: “When Salmān al-Fārisī came to Madīnah, he visited the Prophet (peace be upon him) and brought a tray on which there were some dates that he placed before the hands of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, ‘What are these?’ He replied, ‘This is an almsgiving to you and your companions.’ Allāh’s Messenger (peace be upon him) replied, ‘We do not eat from charity; take it away from me.’ And so Salmān complied and removed them. On the next day he brought some dates and placed them in front of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who asked him, ‘O Salmān, what are these?’ To which he replied, ‘O Messenger of Allāh, it is a present for you.’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) invited his companions to eat from these dates. He then saw the seal of prophethood on the back of Allāh’s Messenger and embraced Islām.
At that time, he was a slave to a Jew so the Prophet made an agreement with his master to grant Salmān his freedom in return of a sum of money and after the planting of [a particular number of] date palms for the Jew that Salmān would tend to until they produced dates. The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) planted all the date palms except one that ‘Umar planted. On the same year, all the date palms produced dates except one. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) inquired about it and ‘Umar replied that he planted that palm tree. The Prophet then uprooted it and planted it again. Thereafter the palm tree produced dates in the same year.” [31]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The reason why Salmān (peace be upon him) presented the dates to the Prophet (peace be upon him) as a charity on the first occasion and as a gift on the second was because he sought to find the last prophet. He was aware that from the signs of this prophet was that he does not eat from charity but he accepts that which is gifted to him. The other sign that he looked for was the seal which he saw on his back.
“All the date palms produced dates except one”: The wisdom behind this was so that the miracle of the Prophet (peace be upon him) could be displayed to the people.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
“We do not eat from charity”: This includes both the obligatory and voluntary charity as well as all that which is deemed obligatory in religion such as compensation and vows.
“The Prophet (peace be upon him) agreed with his master to free him... In return of”: It can be concluded from this that it is recommended to help slaves free themselves.
Alī al-Qārī said,
“This is an almsgiving to you and your companions”: One of the commentators said that charity is something that the superior gives to the inferior, seeking the reward in the Hereafter and it entails that the receiver is pitiable. In contrast, a gift is a means to seek closeness to the recipient and it does not entail any sense of pity towards the recipient.
“We do not eat from charity”: The pronoun refers to the prophets as well as his relatives from the tribe of Banī Hashim and al-Muttalib. It does not include the Companions.
“O Salmān, what are these?”: The Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed him on the first occasion without mentioning his name but on the second occasion he mentioned his name to show more kindness as he felt he was about to embrace Islām.
22. Abū Nadrah al-‘Awaqī related: “I asked Abū Sa’īd al-Khudarī about the seal of prophethood of Allāh’s Messenger (peace be upon him). He said, ‘It was a raised piece of flesh on his back.’” [32]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
“... On his back”: As other hadīths show, the seal was located on his back between the two shoulders and it was closer to the left one.
23. ‘Abdullāh ibn Sarjas narrated: “I came to Allāh’s Messenger (peace be upon him) while he was sitting with some of his companions. I went to stand behind him – like this – and so the Prophet (peace be upon him) understood my purpose. So, he dropped the cloak he was wearing on his back and then I saw the place of the seal of prophethood on his shoulders. It was like a clenched fist surrounded by beauty spots. I then walked and stood in front of him and said, ‘O Messenger of Allāh, may Allāh forgive you.’ To that he replied, ‘May Allāh forgive you too.’ The people said to me, ‘Allāh’s Messenger (peace be upon him) has asked Allāh to forgive you?’ I replied, ‘Yes, and he asked Him to forgive you too.’ Then, he recited, {[O Muhammad] seek forgiveness for yourself and the believing males and females.}” [33]
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
“Understood my purpose”: He understood that the companion wanted to see the seal.
“O Messenger of Allāh, may Allāh forgive you”: He said it to show his gratitude for allowing him to see the seal.
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
“It was like a clenched fist”: All the hadīths describing the size of the seal are similar though each narrator used different examples i.e. some said it was the size of an egg, and some said it was like a piece of flesh, and some said it was like a clenched fist.
“Allāh’s Messenger (peace be upon him) has asked Allāh to forgive you”: This was a statement they said to express the greatness of the supplication of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Some people err and misunderstand the statement of Allāh, the Exalted, wherein He said, {And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you, [O Muhammad], and asked forgiveness of Allāh and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allāh Accepting of repentance and Merciful.}[34], thinking that he (peace be upon him) would still ask Allāh to forgive people even after his death. The correct view is that he could ask Allāh to forgive people only during his lifetime as proven in the authentic hadīth in Sahīh al-Bukhārī when Aisha said, “O my head!” Allāh's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “If that (your death) should happen while I am still alive, I would ask Allāh to forgive you and would invoke Allāh for you.”
The inquiry and surprise of the people who asked whether the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked Allāh to forgive the narrator is another proof because if he could do so after his death they would have not showed such surprise and wishful thinking.
Alī al-Qārī said,
It is a matter of fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was infallible; hence the issue of him seeking Allāh’s forgiveness is understood to mean either to forgive him for any thought that crossed his mind unwillingly (as it is the nature of mankind), or to mean that he asked Allāh to maintain his infallibility (though the fact that he was granted it shows his ultimate submission to Allāh), or it can mean that he asked Allāh to forgive his use of lawful matters and his inability to worship Allāh enough to fulfil His due rights.