Ja'far b. Muhammad said his father told that a man of Quraish came to visit his father, `Ali b. al-Husain[*], and suggested that he should tell him something about God's messenger. `Ali agreed that he would like to be told something about Abul Qasim, so he said: When God's messenger became ill Gabriel came to him and said, "God has sent me to you, Muhammad, to show honour and regard specially for yourself and ask you about something He knows better than you, viz. how you are." He replied, "I find myself, Gabriel, worried, and I find myself, Gabriel, full of care." Then he came to him next day and said that to him and the Prophet (ﷺ) gave him the same reply as he had given the previous day. He came again on the third day and said the same as he had said on the first day, and he gave him the same reply. Along with him came an angel called Isma'il who was in command of a hundred thousand angels each of whom was in command of a hundred1, Ja'far as-Sadiq quotes his father Muhammad al-Baqir, who tells about his father 'Ali Zain al-'Abidin. thousand angels. He asked permission to enter, and when the Prophet (ﷺ) asked about him Gabriel replied, "This is the angel of death who is asking permission to come in to you, a thing he has never done to any human being before you and will never do to any human being after you." He told him to let him come in, and when that was done, he gave him a salutation and said, "God has sent me to you, Muhammad, and if you order me to take your spirit I shall do so, but if you order me to leave it alone I shall do so." He asked, "Will you do that, angel of death?" and he replied, "Yes, that is what I have been commanded, and I have been commanded to obey you." God's messenger then looked at Gabriel and Gabriel said, "God has longed to meet you, Muhammad," so the Prophet (ﷺ) said to the angel-of death, "Go on with what you have been commanded," and he took his spirit. When God's messenger died and condolence came, they heard a voice from the corner of the house saying, "Peace, God's mercy and blessings be upon you, members of the family. In God there is comfort for every calamity, a successor for everyone who perishes, and a recompense for everything which passes away, so by God's help guard yourselves and in Him place your hopes for the one who is smitten is he who is deprived of reward." `Ali then asked if they knew who this was and said it was al-Khidr. *Jafar as Sadiq quotes his father Muhammad al Baqir, who tells about his father, Ali Zain al Abidin. Baihaqi transmitted it in Dala'il an-nubuwa.

`A'isha said God's messenger did not leave a dinar or a dirham, or a sheep or a camel, and did not make a will about anything. Muslim transmitted it.

`Amr b. al-Harith, the brother of Juwairiya, said that when God's messenger died, he did not leave a dinar or a dirham, a slave or a slave-woman, or anything but his white she-mule, his weapons and some land which he appointed as sadaqa. Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Musa reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, "When God purposes mercy to a people among His servants He takes their prophet and makes him a forerunner who goes before them; but when He purposes to destroy a people, He punishes them while their prophet is alive, destroys them while he is there to see, and comforts him by their destruction when they disbelieved him and disobeyed his command." Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "By Him in whose hand my soul is, a day will come to one of you when he will not see me; and then a sight of me will be dearer to him than his family and his property along with them." Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "The way in which I may be compared with the prophets is by a castle which was beautifully constructed, but in which the place of one brick was left incomplete. Sightseers went round admiring the beauty of its construction with the exception of the place for that brick. Now I have filled up the place of that brick, in me the building is completed and in me the messengers are complete." A version has "I am the brick and I am the seal of the prophets." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's messenger as saying, "No prophet has failed to be given a miracle which caused men to believe in him when it was seen What I have been given is simply a revelation which God gave to me and I hope I may be the one of them who will have the largest following on the day of resurrection." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Jabir reported God s messenger as saying, "I have been given five things which no one before me has been given: I have been helped by terror as far as a month's journey away, the earth has been made for me a place of worship and ceremonially pure, so that when the time of prayer comes any man of my people may pray; spoils have been made lawful to me, but were not made lawful to anyone before me; I have been granted the right of intercession; and prophets were formerly sent to their people alone, whereas I have been sent to all mankind." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's messenger as saying, "I have been commissioned with words which are concise but comprehensive in meaning; I have been helped by terror ; and while I was asleep, I saw myself being brought the keys of the treasures of the earth which were placed in my hand." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

`Ata' b. Yasar told that he met `Abdallah b. `Amr b. al- `As and asked him to inform him of the description of God's messenger given in the Torah. He agreed, swearing by God that he was certainly described in the Torah by part of the description of him given in the Qur'an when it says, "0 prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of good tidings, and a warner[1], and a guard for the common people. You are my servant and my messenger; I have, called you the one who trusts, not harsh or rough, nor loud-voiced in the streets. He will not repulse evil with evil, but will- pardon and forgive, and God will not take him till He uses him to straighten the crooked creed so that people may say there is no god but God, and opens thereby blind eyes, deaf ears and hardened hearts[2]." Quran; 33:45. Reminiscent of Isaiah 42; 1-4. Bukhari transmitted it, and Darimi also gives something to the same effect on the authority of `Ata who gave as his authority Ibn Salam.

Al- `Irbad b. Sariya reported God's messenger as saying, "I was inscribed in God's presence as the seal of the prophets when Adam was prone in his basic substance[1]. I shall inform you about the beginning of my career: it was the petition of Abraham[2], the good tidings by Jesus[3], and the vision my mother saw when she gave birth to me and a light issued to her from which the castles of Syria shone for her." 1. i.e., the substance to which bodily form was to be added and to which the soul was to be joined. The tradition says Muhammad was inscribed in God's presence as the seal (i.e., the last) of the prophets before Adam's creation was complete. 2. Cf. Quran; 2:129. 3. Cf. Quran; 61:6 It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna, and Ahmad transmitted it on the authority of Abu Umama from "I shall inform you . . .'' to the end.

Jabir reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, "I am the leader (qa'id) of the messengers, and this is no boast; I am the seal of the prophets, and this is no boast; and I shall, be the first to make intercession and the first whose intercession is accepted, and this is no boast." Darimi transmitted it.

Ubayy b. Ka'b reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, "On the day of resurrection I shall be the leader (imam) of the prophets, their spokesman, and the one who will intercede for them, and this is no boast." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abdallah b. Salam said the description of Moses is written in the Torah and also that Jesus, son of Mary will be buried along; with him. Abu Maudud[1] said that a place for a grave has remained in the house[2]." One of the transmitters of the tradition. He was `Abd al-`Aziz b. Abu Sulaiman al Madani (d. 62) i.e., `Aisha's house. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Ibn `Abbas said: God most high gave Muhammad superiority over the prophets and the inhabitants of heaven. On being asked, "In what respect, Abu 'Abbas[1], has God given him superiority over the inhabitants of heaven?'' he replied that God most high said to the inhabitants of heaven, "If any of them says, `I am a god apart from Him,' We shall recompense that one with jahannam. Thus we recompense the evildoers."[2] And God most high said to Muhammad, "We have certainly given you a clear victory, that God may forgive you your former and latter sins[3]." He was asked the nature of his superiority over the prophets and replied that God most high said, "We have sent no messenger who, did not use the tongue of his people to make matters clear to them; then God leads astray those whom He will...[4]" And God most high said to Muhammad, "We have sent you only to all mankind[5]." Then He sent him to jinn and men. This is the kunya of 'Abdallah b. al-'Abbas. Quran; 21:29 Quran; 48:1 f. Quran; 14:4 Quran; 34:28 (Darimi).

Jubair b. Mut'im told that he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say, "I have names. I am Muhammad, I am Ahmad, I am al-Mahi (the obliterator) by whom God obliterates infidelity, I am al-Hashir (the gatherer) who will gather mankind at my feet, I am al-'Aqib (the last in succession), al- `Aqib being the one after whom there will be no prophet." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Musa al-Ash`ari told that God's messenger used to name himself to them in various ways, saying, "I am Muhammad, Ahmad, al-Muqaffi (the follower)[*], al-Hashir, the prophet of repentance and the prophet of mercy." *This title indicates that he follows other prophets, being the last. Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, `Are you not astonished at the manner in which God turns away from me the reviling and cursing of Quraish? They revile one who is blameworthy (mudhammam) and curse one who is blameworthy, whereas I am Muhammad (praiseworthy)." Bukhari transmitted it.

`Abdullah b. Sarjis told that he had seen the Prophet (ﷺ) and had eaten bread and meat along with him (or he said tharid). He had then gone round behind him and looked at the seal of prophecy between his shoulders at the end of his left shoulder-blade, a collection of moles on him like warts. Muslim transmitted it.

Anas said that God's messenger was neither very tall nor was he short, he was neither pure white nor dark, and his hair was neither very curly nor long. God commissioned him when he had just reached the age of forty. He stayed in Mecca ten years and in Medina ten years, and God took him when he had just reached the age of sixty; and there were not twenty white hairs in his head and beard. In a version he describes the Prophet (ﷺ) saying he was a man of average size, neither tall nor short, with a fair complexion; and he said God's messenger's hair came half-way down his ears. Another version says it came between his ears and his shoulder. (Bukhari and Muslim.) In a version by Bukhari, he said he had a large head and large feet and that he had never seen anyone like him before or since. The palms of his hands were thick[*]. In another version by him he said he had callouses on his feet and hands. * The phrase is often used as a figure of speech for generosity, but in the present context it would seem to be meant literally. Bukhari.