The Shamā’il of al-Imām al-Tirmidhī is one of the most extensive and celebrated works on the description and attributes of the Messenger of Allah. The 415 narrations were carefully selected by the great muḥaddith to craft a vivid portrayal of the Prophet. Through this, a portrait of his blessed physical appearance, habits, worship, daily routine, spirituality and much more is painted by those most beloved to him: his noble companions and family members.
To aid the reader in extracting the maximum beauty and wisdom from the narrations, we have carefully selected explanatory gems from numerous classical and contemporary works. Some of the scholars from whom we have taken include: ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Badr, Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, ʿAlī al-Qārī, al-Bājūrī, Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, Abū Bakr b. al-ʿArabī, al-Nawawī, Ibn al-ʿUthaymīn, al-Ghazālī, al-Qāḍī ʿIyād, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Shawkānī, Muḥammad Amīn al-Shanqīṭī, Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, Ibn Rajab, al-Qasṭallānī, Ibn Kathīr, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Mubārakfūrī, Ibn al-Jawzī, ʿAbd al-Muḥsin al-ʿAbbād, al-Suyūṭī, al-Ḥāfiẓ al-ʿIrāqī, al-Ṣanʿānī, Ibn Baṭṭāl and others.
Ibn Kathīr said,
“Scholars authored many titles on the description of the Prophet, some of which were dedicated books and some of which were chapters in books. From the best books authored about the description of the Prophet is the book of Abū ʿĪsā, Muḥammad b. ʿĪsā al-Sulamī al-Tirmidhī, known as al-Shamaʾil.” [al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah 8/385]
ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Badr said,
“This blessed book is from the best and most beneficial books written about the character and description of the Prophet and its author made it such an excellent work through his structuring of it and the ḥadīths he included therein. This is the reason why many scholars praise the book and consider it from the best books authored about this topic.”
