Zād al-Maʿād - Ibn al-Qayyim - (1/196)

Some of them said: “Until the whiteness of the skin could be seen” (1).

Al-Tahāwī said: Since everyone considers shortening the moustache a sunnah, shaving it is preferable by analogy with the head. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, supplicated three times for those who shaved their heads and once for those who shortened their hair, thus establishing that shaving the head is preferable to shortening its hair. The same therefore applies to the moustache (2). Allah knows best and is most wise.

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His manner of speaking, remaining silent, laughing and weeping

He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was the most eloquent of Allah’s creation, the most pleasing in speech, the finest (3) in delivery, and the sweetest in expression. His words captivated hearts and enthralled souls. Even his enemies acknowledged this.

When he spoke, his words were distinct and clear, so that they could be counted. His speech was neither a hurried stream that could not be remembered nor disjointed, with pauses between individual words. Rather, his manner of speaking was the most perfect. ‘Ā’ishah said: “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not speak in the rapid stream of speech you use, but he would

(1) Reported by al-Tahāwī in Sharh al-Ma‘ānī (4:231), with an authentic chain of transmission from ‘Āsim ibn Muhammad (ibn Zayd ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Umar), from his father, from Ibn ‘Umar. (2) See al-Tahāwī’s discussion in Sharh al-Ma‘ānī (4:230), which is similar to what Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr mentions. (3) The printed editions read wa-asra‘ahum (and the quickest of them). This is an error, since rapid delivery was not characteristic of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as will be explained below.

وقال بعضهم: حتى يُرى بياضُ الجلد (١). قال الطحاوي: ولما كان التقصير مسنونًا عند الجميع كان الحلق فيه أفضل قياسًا على الرأس. وقد دعا النبيُّ ﷺ للمحلِّقين ثلاثًا وللمقصِّرين واحدةً، فجعل حلقَ الرأس أفضلَ من تقصيره، فكذلك الشارب (٢). والله أعلم وأحكم. فصل في هديه في كلامه وسكوته وضحكه وبكائه كان ﷺ أفصح خلق الله، وأعذبهم كلامًا، وأحسنهم (٣) أداءً، وأحلاهم منطقًا، حتى كان كلامه يأخذ القلوب، ويسبي الأرواح. وشهد له بذلك أعداؤه. وكان إذا تكلَّم تكلَّم بكلام مفصَّل مبيَّن يعُدُّه العادُّ، ليس بَهذٍّ مسرع لا يُحفَظ، ولا مقطَّع يتخلَّلُه السكتات بين أفراد الكلم، بل هديه فيه أكمل الهدي. قالت عائشة: «ما كان رسول الله ﷺ يسرُد سردَكم هذا، ولكن كان

(١) أخرجه الطحاوي في «شرح المعاني» (٤/ ٢٣١) بإسناد صحيح عن عاصم بن محمد (بن زيد بن عبد الله بن عمر) عن أبيه عن ابن عمر. (٢) انظر كلام الطحاوي بنحو ما ذكره ابن عبد البر في «شرح المعاني» (٤/ ٢٣٠). (٣) في النسخ المطبوعة: «وأسرعهم»، وهو غلط، فليست السرعة في الأداء من صفته ﷺ كما جاء فيما بعد.