THE BODY LANGUAGE AND STYLE OF THE PROPHET

How He Walked

According to information available in the sources Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not shuffle his feet, but raised them firmly when taking a step. While walking he did not sway either to the right or to the left, but would walk leaning slightly forward when going up an incline. He would never walk completely upright nor would he walk rapidly. However, he could cover long distances in a short period of time, which was by the grace of Allah.

How He Sat

The documents available to us concerned with how the Prophet sat are scattered among the hadith texts and consist of the following information:

1. Sitting in the kurfasa style: This is a position in which a person sits on a seat, pulls his knees up to his stomach, wrapping the arms around them and joining the hands in front. In the sources there are documents reporting that Prophet Muhammad occasionally sat in such a position.
2. Sitting in an ihtibah position: Ihtibah is same as the position above, except that in the former position the knees are held with the hands, whereas in this style the knees are held with a belt or some such similar object.
3. Sitting cross-legged: According to an account recorded by Abu Dawud, “After the Holy Prophet performed his morning prayer he would sit cross-legged until dawn.”
4. Squatting: The Prophet used this position, known as ihtifâz or ik'â, mostly while eating.
5. Leaning back and crossing the legs: In the sources there are some accounts of Prophet Muhammad leaning back, crossing his legs and resting in the masjid.
6. Sitting with feet dangling: Among the hadith texts, there are some accounts in which Prophet Muhammad sits with some companions on the side of a well, with his feet dangling.
7. Kneeling: In sources that report the sitting styles of the Prophet there are accounts of him sitting in a kneeling position. However, in the biographies, which give accounts of the life of the Companions and in the sabab-i wurud sections of hadith texts, it is not possible to find such a position.

The reason for this lack of information about kneeling was that it was the most usual sitting style of Prophet Muhammad. For that reason, it would not be expected for one of his Companions to say, “I saw the Holy Prophet kneeling”, as this would just be a repetition of what is known and would be of no interest. The Prophet’s other sitting styles were sitting styles that he was seen to perform rarely. The Prophet sat in all the manners described above at various stages of his life. In so doing, he did not limit the sitting styles of other Muslims who wanted to resemble him in every way.

Objects upon Which He Leant

Prophet Muhammad said: “Three things will not be rejected (by me): pillows, fine scent and milk!”

Prophet Muhammad would put a cushion under his arm and lean on it in conversational gatherings and when he sat for a long time.

We have also information about the fact that the Prophet would sit on an object called serir, made of date leaves.

There are also documents which state that the Prophet would sit on a bench that had iron or wooden legs.

The Prophet would not refuse to sit on any object that was offered to him, provided that it was not luxurious for society at that time. As a matter of fact, Prophet Muhammad would sometimes sit on a carpet or divan covered with a rug in places he was visiting, or would refuse to sit on the divan offered and sit on the wooden floor or bare soil instead.

Speaking Style

One of the most distinctive features of Prophet Muhammad was the beauty and precision of his speech. Prophet Muhammad said: “I was sent equipped with the ability to speak concisely (javami’ul-kalim)”. The environment in which the Prophet grew up had an important effect on his ability to speak fluently.

The Prophet would speak slowly, clearly and in a way that everyone could understand. He would speak so slowly that the audience could count the words one by one if they wanted to. He would repeat important words three times while speaking if necessary.

Prophet Muhammad served as a preacher, mufti, judge, teacher, trainer, head of family, diplomat, commander, conqueror, and a community member who had many friends; he would talk to people from all backgrounds, be they friend or enemy, Muslim or non-Muslim, rich or poor, adult or child, man or woman.

The Prophet always treated his companions like a caring teacher and a compassionate father when speaking to them. He would address them in a fine rhetoric when he wanted to teach them some rules of etiquette. He would say the things that needed to be said in a humorous way sometimes and sometimes in a pleasing way; he also spoke with joy, hope and encouragement. He would use irony and examples and would put forward ideas that were thought-provoking.

The Prophet’s tone and style in his public speeches were very different from his everyday mode of speech. The sources use terms derived from the word khutba (sermon) to define the Prophet’s public speeches. No other speech or sermon is as long as the Farewell Khutba, the last public speech the Prophet made.

When addressing the public, the Prophet’s eyes would become blood-shot, his tone would rise, and he would become excite. Prophet Muhammad also had a stick, called a mihsara (walking stick, truncheon, or club) that he used to lean on when making speeches or to point at things.

Prophet Muhammad did not tolerate unnecessary excess or indecent behavior that would bring shame on Islam, or attitudes that would harm the basic principles. If he were to encounter such behavior the Prophet would become sad and angry, and try to prevent those who had committed the act with gentle words of advice.

The Prophet had an unchanging attitude; he never embraced a rude, hard, insulting, affronting or offensive speaking style.

Facial Expressions

As pointed out in the sources, Prophet Muhammad was a happy and cheerful person by nature. His face always had a smile on it. He never let his sorrows show and did not behave in ways that would depress others, even in times of unhappiness. He would smile, especially when he came across people that he liked, in such a way that his face shone like the moon.

Apart from these manners, the Prophet had a particular manner of laughing. The hadith sources give many examples of how he laughed and what he laughed about. In particular, Aisha mentioned the Prophet’s manner of laughing in the following words:

“I never saw the Holy Prophet laugh in such a way that the back of his mouth was seen or that he lost awareness of what was happening. His laughter was rather a modest smile.” Most of his Companions used the following statement when they spoke of how he smiled : “… He laughed so that his molars were visible!” By laughing like this, the teeth are visible but one cannot hear a sound. This is how the Prophet laughed.

His Jokes

Anas bin Malik says: “The Prophet joked with children much more than anyone else.” “The Holy Prophet joked with his wives much more than anyone else”

The Prophet enjoyed sharing jokes with children, with his wives, with poor people, and those that needed his affection. When he said: “Don’t quarrel with your friends; don’t joke with them; always hold your promises!” the people around him said: “But Holy Prophet, you also joke!”  “Yes, I also joke; but I only tell the truth (even when joking)”.