It cannot be said of any other prophet or messenger that their words, actions, and tacit affirmations received such accurate preservation and provided such forthcoming details about their lives as that of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad ﷺ.
The sources of the Messenger of Allah’s ﷺ descriptions are none other than his contemporaries, most of whom not only came to believe in his message but were deeply enamoured of him. For he was the beloved of God ﷺ and all that issued from him carried Divine approval. Therefore, they were willing to sacrifice everything at his behest, knowing it was for the truth.
Scholarly generations arose through Divine Providence, after his companions, to safeguard these Prophetic descriptions. They were unmatched as a second generation of followers following a prophet. They were driven by love and concern, which saw them forgo the allure of this world to provide the subsequent generations with works that would act as a portal back in time. These works came to form a genre called shamāil (noble characteristics). Hence, giving our attention to such texts, born out of a labour of love involving many righteous hearts and hands, allows us today to experience the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as if living alongside him. Imam al-Tirmidhi wrote a seminal work in this area, forming the basis of this course.
This module will cover His ﷺ physical aspects which are mentioned over six chapters, His ﷺ attire is described over fourteen chapters, His ﷺ different postures are defined over three chapters, His ﷺ manners and types around food and drink are covered in twelve chapters.
Module Text: The course draws on works that came to inform Islam’s traditional pedagogy and represent its’ normative expression. These works are cited below for reference, followed by a brief biography of the authors:
al-Tirmidhi, Abū ‘Esā and Bajūri, Muhammad b. Ibrahim. Sharh al-Muwwāhib al-Laduniyya ‘alā al-shamāil al-Muhahmmadiyya. Edited by Muhammad ‘Awāmah. Dar al-Minhāj: Saudi 2001
al-Lahjī, Abdulah bin ‘Saīd, Muntaha al-Sūl ‘an al-shamāil al rasūl, 4 vols. Dar al-Minhāj: Jeddah 2005 Mahmood, Thaqib, The Perfect Paragon A Summary of al-shamāil al-Muhahmmadiyya. CEI. fourth edition, London 2013
Module Outline
Below is the weekly outline for this module.
Week 1 – The Physical stature of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, The Seal of Prophethood
Week 2 – The Hair of the Messenger of Allah The Combing of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ The Messenger of Allah’s ﷺ white hairs The Messenger of Allah dyeing his hair ﷺ The Attire of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ The Leather Moccasins of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
Week 3 – The Sandals of the Messenger of Allah The Prophetic signet ring ﷺ The Prophet’s wearing a ring on his right hand ﷺ The Sword of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
Week 4 – The Armour of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ The Helmet of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ The Turban of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ The Wraparound of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
Week 5 – The Walk of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ The Undercloth the Messenger of Allah would place beneath his turban ﷺ The Manner in which the Messenger of Allah would sit ﷺ
Week 6 – The Reclining of the Messenger of Allah upon something ﷺ The Leaning of the Messenger of Allah upon someone ﷺ
How the Messenger of Allah would eat
Week 7 – The Type of bread the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ate The Broth the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would take with his bread
Week 8 – The Messenger of Allah’s ﷺ washing to partake from food The Invocations of the Messenger of Allah prior to & after food
Week 9 – The Drinking vessel of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ The Fruits the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ate
Week 10 – The Types of drinks the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would consume The Manner in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would drink
Muhammad ibn `Isa al-Tirmidhi
Muhammad ibn `Isa al-Tirmidhi was born during the reign of the Abbasid caliph al-Ma’mun. His birth year was 209 AH (824/825). Adh-Dhahabi only states that at-Tirmidhi was born near 210 AH (825/826); thus, some sources give his birth year as 210 AH. Some sources indicate that he was born in Mecca (Siddiqi says he was born in Mecca in 206 AH (821/822)), while others say he was born in Tirmidh (Persian: Termez), in what is now southern Uzbekistan. The stronger opinion is that he was born in Tirmidh. Specifically, he was born in one of its suburbs, the village of Bugh (hence the nisbats “at-Tirmidhi” and “al-Bughi”).
At-Tirmidhi began the study of hadith at the age of 20. From 235 AH (849/850), he travelled widely in Khurasan, Iraq, and the Hijaz to collect hadith.
At the time, Khurasan, at-Tirmidhi’s native land, was a major learning centre, home to many muhaddiths. Other significant learning centres visited by at-Tirmidhi were the Iraqi cities of Kufa and Basra. At-Tirmidhi reported hadith from 42 Kufan teachers. In his Jami`, he used more reports from Kufan teachers than from teachers of any other town. At-Tirmidhi was a pupil of al-Bukhari who was based in Khurasan. Adh-Dhahabi wrote, “His knowledge of hadith came from al-Bukhari.” At-Tirmidhi mentioned al-Bukhari’s name 114 times in his Jami`. He used al-Bukhari’s Kitab at-Tarikh as a source when saying discrepancies in the text of a hadith or its transmitters. He praised al-Bukhari as being the most knowledgeable person in Iraq or Khurasan in the science of discrepancies of hadith. When mentioning the rulings of jurists, he followed al-Bukhari’s practice of not saying the name of Abu Hanifah. Because he never received a reliable chain of narrators mentioning Abu Hanifa’s decrees, he would attribute them to “some people of Kufa.” Al-Bukhari held at-Tirmidhi in high regard. He is reported to have told at-Tirmidhi, “I have profited more from you than you have from me,” in his Sahih, he narrated two hadith from at-Tirmidhi.
At-Tirmidhi also narrated some hadiths from Abu Dawud and one from Muslim. Muslims also narrated one hadith from at-Tirmidhi in his own Sahih.
A.J. Wensinck mentions Ahmad ibn Hanbal as among at-Tirmidhi’s teachers. However, Hoosen states that according to the most reliable sources, at-Tirmidhi never went to Baghdad, nor did he attend any lectures of Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Furthermore, at-Tirmidhi never directly narrates from Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his Jami`. Several at-Tirmidhi’s teachers also taught al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, and an-Nasa’i.
Purchase the Perfect Paragon book here for just £10. This is only for local students who can pick up the book at the class. For students who wish to have the book delivered please purchase the book from Fountain Bookshop and it will be delivered to you.
Module Instructor
“The scholars are the inheritors of the prophets.” [Abu Dawud]
Shaykh Thaqib Mahmood
Shaykh Thaqib Mahmood’s educational journey in the Islamic disciplines comprises a rich tapestry of experiences from the late 90s to 2007. He sought knowledge in many locations, benefiting from and receiving licenses in general and specific areas from scholars in Yemen, Syria, Morocco, Turkey, Mauritania, Makkah and Madinah.~
All our Saturday classes are available both in person and online. As an institute, we strongly encourage students to attend in person, as the benefits of in-person learning far exceed those of online attendance. The Friday sessions are conducted online via Zoom.
Location
Inperson: Challney High School for Boys, Stoneygate Rd, Luton LU4 9TJ. Online Zoom: links will be provided via email
Date/Time
Starting – 3rd October 2026 for 10 weeks Saturday – 11.30am to 12.30pm
Course Material
Average Review Score:
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Knowledge
Knowledge is understanding that every choice and view one forms is framed in the guidance presented in the Quran and the Prophetic way as understood by Ahle Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah.
Practice
Practice seeks to implement that knowledge in all aspects of our lives. Sincerely applying knowledge facilitates the soul to acquire virtuous characteristics and move beyond its vices and capricious element
Realisation
The soul becomes receptive to realisations concerning God’s oneness, majesty, beauty, and how creation is an ongoing sign of Divine favour. This witnessing is highlighted in the Prophetic statement,‘Excellence is to worship Allah as though you see Him. If you do not see Him, He sees you.
Shaykh Thaqib Mahmood
Shaykh Thaqib Mahmood’s educational journey in the Islamic disciplines comprises a rich tapestry of experiences from the late 90s to 2007. He sought knowledge in many locations, benefiting from and receiving licenses in general and specific areas from scholars in Yemen, Syria, Morocco, Turkey, Mauritania, Makkah and Madinah.
The central place of studying abroad unfolded in Damascus, where Shaykh Thaqib Mahmood immersed himself in a traditional curriculum. He received one-on-one tutoring for particular subjects or was part of a small group of students. Over time, he studied various subjects to their advanced levels with various scholars. This led to a comprehensive study of the well-known and established scholarly works, showcasing the depth of arguments and positions representing the mainstream understandings of this Ummah.
Since his return to the UK in the last 17 years, Shaykh Thaqib Mahmood has been actively involved in teaching a broad spectrum of Islamic disciplines, from Sirah to Tafsir. In addition developing educational programmes at the various institutions he’s been serving. His significant contributions include a 9-year tenure as a Quranic Arabic tutor at the University of Oxford, where he designed and developed the Quranic Arabic programme, which was previously neglected, bringing it up to par with the other languages taught at the Faculty of Theology and Religion. He also played a crucial role in creating the first approved BSL (British Sign Language) Adhan, providing essential knowledge of the Arabic phrases that BSL can best capture. His academic achievements include a PGDip in teaching communicative Arabic and an MA in linguistics; he completed both postgraduate programmes at SOAS, which have further enriched his understanding and teaching of Islamic disciplines.
The following are the names of some of the scholars he studied under, each of whom played a meaningful role during his time away studying.
In Yemen: Habib Umar b. Hafidh In Damascus: Shaykh Abdulah Siraj ud-Din, Shaykh Shukri al-Luhafī, Shaykh Ramadhan al-Buṭī, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, Shaykh Abdul Wahaab, Shaykh Muhammad al Yaqoubi, Shaykh Adnan al Majd, Shaykh Maree al Rashid and Shaykh Khalil al Sabbagh, In Mauritania: Murabit al-Hajj, Murabit Ahmad Fāl and Murabit Hadamīn. In Turkey: Shaykh Mahmud Effendi, Shaykh Muhammed Ameen Siraj, Shaykh Ehsaan Hojah. In Makkah: Shaykh Khalid, Shaykh Abdul-Qadir al-Dhabwān, Shaykh Ahmad al-Ruqaymi, Shaykh Ahmad al-Kāf, and Shaykh ‘Abbas al-Maliki In Madinah: Shaykh Abdur Rahman And in the UK: Shaykh Siraj and Shaykh Muhammad Ba Shuayb.
May Allah preserve those who are alive and grant them the best in this world and the hereafter. And may Allah shower His mercy on those who have returned to their creator and, forgive their shortcomings, and raise their ranks. He continues his learning under both local and international scholars. Shaykh Thaqib has been part of the Fountain for over 25 years.
