Explanation of the hadith of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most beautiful of people, the most generous of people, and the bravest of people. And indeed, the people of Madinah were terrified one night...)

The Shaykh: In our lesson today, we recite the previous hadith in Chapter Number 142, which is "The Chapter of Good Temper." Following this first hadith of the chapter is the second hadith, which is from al-Nu'as ibn Sam'an al-Ansari, and it had already passed with Number 275. Therefore, we read it even though it is repeated, because there is benefit in repetition, without us commenting on it, for what has preceded is sufficient.
From al-Nu'as ibn Sam'an al-Ansari, that he asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about righteousness and sin? He said: Hadith Number 302. The hadith following it, which has a sound chain: From Anas, he said: . This hadith relates to explaining a portion of the characteristics of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and his morals by which he was distinguished from all creation, and Allah indicated that in His Book when He said: . In this hadith is an explanation of something of this noble Prophetic character. First, Anas said: , this phrase can be interpreted in two meanings: The first meaning: He was the best of people in character, and this is what comes to mind from this phrase. And the other meaning: He was the best of people in physical appearance, and we said the first meaning is what comes to mind because the distinction with Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is not by the beauty and radiance and countenance that attracts people's attention with which a person is created, but by the character with which a person adorns himself. However, there is no harm in interpreting this phrase with both interpretations, because both matters were present and realized in the person of the Prophet (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him). So, at the time he was the best of people in character, he was the best of people in physical appearance. So he (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) was the best of them in character and the best of them in physical appearance. And from this, meaning: from the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was the best of people in character, like the best of them in physical appearance, it is possible to derive or reach from this passage something related to tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and the science of theology. There, they mention that any prophet whom our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) chooses as a messenger or prophet to His creation should be good in character and good in physical appearance, because if he were bad in character, people would not accept his call, but rather would be repelled by it. And therefore, pointing to this reality, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said regarding our Prophet (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him): They said: And likewise, the one sent, meaning the prophet sent to people or the messenger sent to them, should also be good in physical appearance, because the physical appearance of a person has an effect, in many cases, in attracting people's hearts to him, even if this, in many cases, does not lead to any benefit. But as was said about some kings: "How beautiful is the mihrab in the mihrab." How beautiful it is that good character is combined with good physical appearance. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) combined in himself these two traits: that he was the best of people in character and he was also the best of them in physical appearance. This concise phrase, meaning the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the best of people in character, if a person wanted to write a specific book to explain the morals of the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) and what came in that of details and explanation, a separate book would be gathered in that. But it is sufficient for one of us, when hearing this concise description from Anas ibn Malik of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he was the best of people in character, to remember some of the hadiths in which it is explicitly stated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the best of people in character. Among that is what is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he said: , so he (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) was the model for his good character with his family, and that was not a matter specific to the family, but rather it was even in his relationship with his opponents, whether they were Muslims or disbelievers. So a man once disputed with him over a debt he had with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and grabbed the garments of the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) from here, from his clothes, and said: "You, O sons of Abd al-Muttalib, are people of delay." So 'Umar stood up wanting to strike him and harm him, so he (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) said: , then he ordered his companions to give him more than what that Bedouin had with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And another example relates to his disbelieving enemies when a man from the polytheists was alone with him; the Prophet (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) was on one of his journeys, so he took refuge under a tree to rest and slept. So a polytheist man came and saw the sword of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) hanging on the tree, so he took it and then woke the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said to him: "Who will save you from me?" So the Messenger said to him one word: , so the man trembled from it and the sword fell from his hand, so he (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) took it from him and said to him: , then he pardoned him. And this is among the best and finest of morals: that the one who is capable pardons when he is capable of his opponent and his enemy. These are examples of the fact that he (peace be upon him) was the best of people in character.