Back to search

Is the drawing described as "the Seal of Prophethood," of which it is said that whoever looks at it is protected by Allah, authentic and existent, and are the sayings attributed to Al-Tirmidhi regarding it authentic?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The description of the Seal of Prophethood is mentioned in a hadith narrated by At-Tirmidhi and Al-Hakim from Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari, stating that the monk Bahira recognized the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, by the Seal of Prophethood located below the cartilage of his shoulder, resembling an apple. At-Tirmidhi graded this hadith as hasan (good), and Al-Hakim authenticated it (sahih). Al-Albani also authenticated it, though he expressed reservations about the mention of Bilal in it.

There is no harm in drawing an illustration of the Seal based on the description. However, the claim that looking at it has specific effects is baseless, and there is a concern that it might be speaking without knowledge. Lying about the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is a grave sin: "Whoever intentionally lies about me, let him take his seat in Hellfire," and "Whoever narrates a hadith from me, believing it to be a lie, then he is one of the liars."

We should be grateful to Allah Almighty for sending the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and for revealing the Qur'an to us. Whoever follows the Prophet and acts upon the Qur'an and Sunnah, Allah will grant him success and mercy. We should be content with what is authentically established and avoid engaging with what is not.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy