Today we begin with the twenty-seventh chapter after the one hundredth. He said: "The chapter on when he advances, he advances entirely, and when he retreats, he retreats entirely."

The Shaykh : Today we begin with the twenty-seventh chapter after the one hundredth. He said: "The chapter on when he advances, he advances entirely, and when he retreats, he retreats entirely." Then he cited beneath it the hadith of Abu Hurayrah with a good chain of narration, that he would sometimes narrate from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He says: "He who has long eyelashes, white flanks, when he advances he advances entirely, and when he retreats he retreats entirely, no eye has seen his like and will not see his like." The chain of this hadith is good for other reasons.
The point of it is his saying: The hadith is narrated by the famous Companion, the companion of the Messenger (peace be upon him), and the one who narrated the most from him, namely Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him). The narrator from Abu Hurayrah says that it was the habit of Abu Hurayrah that when he narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he would sometimes describe him with some of his characteristics and traits. He would say: The shufr is naturally the eyelid on which the hair grows. He describes the Messenger (peace be upon him) as being beautiful in appearance, in addition to being good in character, as is well known. His Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He) combined for him the two good things: the beauty of the exterior and the beauty of the interior. This is among the most complete things that can be combined for a person in this worldly life: to be beautiful in appearance and good in morals. Therefore, it came in the authentic Sunnah that it is recommended for the Muslim, whether male or female, when he stands before the mirror and admires himself, to say: From the goodness of his creation, he was "long-eyelashed," meaning the hair on his eyelids (peace be upon him) was long. It is known that this is a sign of the beauty of the eyes, and the beauty of the eyes in a person is the foundation and origin of his beauty. So Abu Hurayrah tells us that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was "long-eyelashed." He also says: "white-flanked," and this is an allusion to the fact that the Messenger (peace be upon him) was contrary to the common expectation regarding the Arabs in general, who are dark-complexioned. The Messenger (peace be upon him) had a white complexion. The complexion becomes white in the parts of the body that are hidden and not exposed to the sun, heat, or cold, because these natural factors, as is known, affect the color of the skin and darken it over time. Therefore, Abu Hurayrah spoke about a part of the body of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that by its nature is not exposed to the factors of nature, so this part remains in its natural state and as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) created it. This part that Abu Hurayrah mentioned in this hadith is the flanks, and the flanks refer to the sides of the waist. He says that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), just as he was long-eyelashed, was white-flanked, meaning white on the sides of the waist. And as we said, this is an allusion to the fact that he (peace and blessings be upon him) had a white complexion. What supports this is that it came in his traits (peace and blessings be upon him) that some of the noble Companions, when they described his face (peace be upon him), would say that he was white with reddish cheeks. This is part of the perfection of his creation (peace and blessings be upon him), in addition to the perfection of his character. Among his traits (peace and blessings be upon him) indicated by this hadith is that: "when he advances, he advances entirely, and when he retreats, he retreats entirely." The meaning of these two phrases is that the Messenger (peace be upon him) was a dignified man and was not a frivolous person. So when he walked, he walked directed toward his goal with his whole being when he advanced, and when he retreated, he retreated with his whole being as well. This means that he did not do as some people do, where while walking like this, they look back and keep walking, or they appear to be walking backward while walking like this... The Messenger (peace be upon him), when he advanced, advanced with his whole body toward the goal he was heading to, and when he retreated, he retreated with his whole being and came to the side he was heading to. He did not walk like this, with a part of his body deviating like this or like that, but rather he directed his whole body (peace and blessings be upon him) whether advancing or retreating. This means that the Muslim must follow him (peace and blessings be upon him), even in his walking, because he is the most perfect person Allah (Mighty and Majestic) created on the face of this earth and made him a model for all people. So they must follow him and tread in his footsteps, even in his walking and his gait (peace and blessings be upon him). "When he advances, he advances entirely, and when he retreats, he retreats entirely, no eye has seen his like and will not see his like"; that is: in his beauty and his perfection. He is the most beautiful of people in creation and character. No eye has seen his like, and Abu Hurayrah affirms that no one will see his like ever, until Allah (Mighty and Majestic) inherits the earth and those upon it. So, to summarize, the point of this hadith is the paragraph for which the chapter was established. He said: "The chapter on when he advances, he advances entirely, and when he retreats, he retreats entirely." That is, a person must walk toward his goal with his whole being. If it occurs to him to look behind him, let him turn with his whole being and then walk. As for walking like this, twisted, he fears that he may be afflicted with something he does not know and does not feel. So let him advance with his whole being or let him retreat with his whole being. This is among his habits (peace and blessings be upon him) and among his character.