Concerning his words, “fa-ghādarahā rahanan ladayhā li-ḥālib” (“so he left it there as a pledge with her for a milker”): that is, he left the sheep with the woman, held in pledge until it should give milk.

Sufyān ibn Wakiʿ ibn al-Jarāḥ said: Jamiʿ ibn ʿUmar al-ʿAjlī dictated to us, saying, “A man from Banū Tamīm—one of the descendants of Abū Hālah, Khadījah’s former husband, whose kunyah was Abū ʿAbd Allāh—related to us from a son of Abū Hālah, from al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: ‘I asked my uncle Hind ibn Abī Hālah—who excelled in vivid description—about the outward traits of the Prophet ﷺ, for I was eager that he describe something I could hold fast to. He said:

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was dignified and held in awe. His face gleamed like the full moon. He was taller than a man of average stature yet shorter than one who is conspicuously tall. His head was large; his hair wavy. When he parted his forelock he did so distinctly; otherwise, when he let it grow, it did not pass the lobes of his ears. His complexion was radiant; his forehead broad. His eyebrows were long, gracefully arched, full but not joined; between them ran a vein that swelled when he became angry. His nose was aquiline, with a light shining upon it—one who did not look closely might think it high-bridged. He had a thick beard, soft cheeks, a wide mouth; his teeth were bright and slightly spaced. A fine line of hair ran from his chest to his navel. His neck was like the neck of a statue, pure and silvery. His build was perfectly proportioned—sturdy and well knit; his chest and abdomen were level. His chest was broad; the distance between his shoulders wide. His joints were large; the exposed parts of his body shone. From the base of his throat to his navel a single line of hair ran like a traced line; his breasts and stomach were otherwise free of hair, while his forearms, shoulders, and upper chest were covered. His forearms were long, his palms expansive; his hands and feet were thick-set. His fingers and extremities were long and tapering. The arches of his feet were high, their soles scarcely touching the ground; water would glide off them. When he set out he moved decisively, striding …”’