He then continued—with his own chain—from Yaʿqūb ibn Sufyān who said: “ʿAmr ibn ʿAwn and Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr narrated to me; both said: Khālid ibn ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us, from Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl, from Anas ibn Mālik, who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was of a brown complexion.’”

The ḥadīth was likewise transmitted by the ḥāfiẓ Abū Bakr al-Bazzār through al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī (1), from Khālid ibn ʿAbd Allāh, from Ḥumayd, from Anas. He further said: “Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Wahhāb narrated to us, who said: Ḥumayd narrated to us, from Anas, who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was neither tall nor short; when he walked he inclined forward, and he was of a brown complexion.’” (2)

Al-Bazzār then remarked: “We know of no one who reported this from Ḥumayd except Khālid and ʿAbd al-Wahhāb.”

Al-Bayhaqī (3) said: “Abū al-Ḥusayn ibn Bushrān informed us; Abū Jaʿfar al-Rāzī informed us; Yaḥyā ibn Jaʿfar narrated to us; ʿAlī ibn ʿĀṣim narrated to us; Ḥumayd narrated to us, saying: I heard Anas ibn Mālik describe the Prophet ﷺ, and he said: ‘He was fair-skinned, his fairness tinged with brown.’”

I say: This wording is more authentic than the one before it, and it indicates that the brownish hue upon his blessed face ﷺ was the result of his many journeys and constant exposure to the sun—Allah knows best.

Yaʿqūb ibn Sufyān al-Fasawī also said (4): “ʿAmr ibn ʿAwn and Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr narrated to me; they said: Khālid ibn ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us, from al-Jurayrī, from Abū l-Ṭufayl, who said: ‘I saw the Prophet ﷺ, and no one else who saw him remains alive. We asked him, “Describe the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for us,” and he replied: “He was fair-skinned and handsome of face.”’”

Muslim recorded this report as well (5) from Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr, and Abū Dāwūd likewise transmitted it (6) through Saʿīd ibn Iyās al-Jurayrī, from Abū l-Ṭufayl ʿĀmir ibn Wāthilah al-Laythī.