What is the meaning of the Hadith of Tamim al-Dari that seems to say the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) was obese? – Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

What is the meaning of the Hadith of Tamim al-Dari that seems to say the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) was obese?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

The Hadith is question has been mistranslated by many due to a lack of understanding of the meaning of Baduna (literally meaning: to become fat).

The literal meaning of Baduna is inconsistent with the other descriptions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) given by the companions. 

Baduna was an expression the Arabs would use for someone who became older in age or weaker in their body. This coincides with the understanding of the commentators of this narration and the historical context that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) was older in his years at the time when the pulpit was made for him in Madina. [Sahanpuri, Badhl al-Majhud Sharh Sunan Abi Dawud]

Hope this helps

Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.