upon him? Even if every inhabitant of the earth were to gather together, they would be unable to name a single prophet—other than him—who combined all these attributes, attributes that shall remain alive in his community until the Day of Resurrection. They would simply have no way to do so.

His words, “My servant,” mirror the Quranic address: “If you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our servant” [al-Baqarah 2:23]; “Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His servant that he might be a warner to all peoples” [al-Furqān 25:1]; “When the Servant of Allah stood up to call upon Him” [al-Jinn 72:19]; and “Glory be to Him who carried His servant by night” [al-Isrāʾ 17:1].

The phrase, “My chosen one, the delight of My soul,” accords with his own words ﷺ: “Indeed Allah chose Kinānah from the descendants of Ishmael, He chose Quraysh from Kinānah, He chose the Banū Hāshim from Quraysh, and He chose me from the Banū Hāshim.” (1)

The statement, “He does not laugh,” fits the description transmitted about him ﷺ. ʿĀʾishah said: “I never saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ laugh so heartily that his uvula became visible; he merely smiled a gentle smile.” (2) Excessive laughter stems from frivolity and a deficiency of intellect, whereas smiling springs from noble character and perfect discernment.

As for the description found in some earlier scriptures that he is “al-ḍaḥūk al-qatṭāl” (the smiling warrior), the meaning is that his laughter and gracious demeanor never kept him, when the matter was serious for Allah’s sake and truly required, from taking decisive action; nor did that seriousness prevent him from smiling in its proper place. He gave every situation the response it deserved. To forgo laughter altogether is a mark of arrogance, haughtiness, and ill character, while laughing to excess is mere light-mindedness.