In the Shade of the Green Dome

The blessed scent of the bodies of the Prophets ‫َال ا َبُ ْو ُه ْم اِنِٰیْ لَا َ ِج ُد ِر ْيحَ ُي ْو ُس َف ل َْول َا ا َ ْن ت ُ َف ِٰن ُد ْو ِن‬ َ ‫َو ل َٰمَا ف َ​َصل َِت الْ ِع ْي ُر ق‬ ‘And when the caravan departed (from Egypt), their father (Yaqub) said, “I’d be sure I got a scent of Yusuf, if you didn’t think me senile” ’ (Surah Yusuf, verse 94).

According to the Holy Qur’an, the shirt of the Prophet Yusuf �, which was at a distance of eight days, was enough for his father Sayyidina Yaqub �, to get his scent. Not only does this verse tell us about the possession of miraculous powers by the Prophets of Allah, but it also lays open another characteristic of how the Prophets are different from ordinary people by virtue of the distinct scent of their bodies.

In Sahih Buhkari, Sayyidina Anas bin Malik � narrated: I never touched a cloth weaved of pure wool and silk that was softer and velvety than the palms of the Holy Prophet ‫ﷺ‬, – neither did I discover a musk or ambergris with a better fragrance than that of the Holy Prophet ‫( ﷺ‬Bukhari, hadith 1973).

Jabir bin Samura � reported: I offered the zuhr prayer along with Allah's Messenger, may peace be upon him. He then went to his family and I also went along with him when he met some children [on the way]. He began to pat the cheeks of each one of them. On my turn [to my delight] he patted both my cheeks and I experienced coolness or a fragrance of his hand as if it had been brought out from