The following is excerpted and adapted from Shaykh Mohammed Aslam’s classes on Imam al-Tirmidhi’s Al-Shama’il al-Muhammadiyya.

The seventh chapter of Imam al-Tirmidhi’s Al-Shama'il al-Muhammadiyya, titled "What Has Been Narrated Concerning the Antimony (kohl) of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ", contains five short hadith about the Prophet's ﷺ habit of applying kohl, also known as antimony, to his eyes.

Kohl has both cosmetic & medicinal benefits, which were known to the Arabs at that time. We learn from these hadith that the Prophet ﷺ preferred a particularly high quality type of kohl known as ithmid. We also learn that the Prophet ﷺ applied kohl at night, before he slept. Scholars have taken this to indicate that he ﷺ applied kohl for its medicinal benefits rather than for beautification.

For example, hadith 51 of the Shama’il mentions that the Prophet ﷺ had a container from which he would apply kohl before he slept. Shaykh Aslam explains what this means:

"The Prophet ﷺ was prepared with his kohl, because he had his own container with antimony in it. This is an indication that this was something that the Prophet ﷺ prepared for himself, and would keep with himself whilst he was resident. Some said even whilst he was traveling, this was one of the items that he would carry with him ﷺ."

Every detail of the Shama’il contains lessons, drawn from all aspects of the Prophet’s life ﷺ — The Shama’il contains a remarkable level detail about numerous aspects of the life of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ

From this information, Shaykh Aslam discusses the larger significance of the Prophet's ﷺ use of kohl.

Kohl was a type of medicine, recognized by the Arabs of that time. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ made use of the best medicines & treatments available among the people of his time, and the details of these hadith show us how much care he ﷺ took in use of these medicines.

Shaykh Aslam explains:

"The scholars have said that the reason why the Prophet ﷺ would apply ithmid [kohl], is because amongst the Arabs it was known to strengthen the eyesight and strengthen the eyelashes. So the Prophet ﷺ took on this practice himself.

"The Prophet ﷺ, when he would physically fall unwell, and fall ill, doctors would be brought to him. Hakims, herbalists, herbal doctors would be brought to him, and they would treat him and give him different types of herbal medicines.

"Sayyida 'Aisha رضي الله عنها, she was known to be the most intelligent in terms of medicine from amongst the Companions.

"Why?

"Because she said, when the Prophet ﷺ would be unwell - and Sheikh Samer told us, the Prophet ﷺ was often very unwell physically - doctors and herbalists would be brought to him, and they would treat him with different types of herbal medicine."

In other words, the wife of the Prophet رضي الله عنها learned a great deal about medicine, by being at his side & assisting him ﷺ while he received & applied treatments!

Of course, the Prophet ﷺ could have simply asked God to cure his illnesses. Yet he ﷺ still sought treatment from trained healers.

Shaykh Aslam explains some of the wisdom behind the Prophet's use of medical treatments:

"This is a tradition of kohl and ithmid that the Arabs knew of, and it was a known tradition. So the Prophet ﷺ, he applied it to his eyes also. Why? To strengthen the tradition, because if the Prophet ﷺ is applying it, it must be good. This strengthens the hearts of those Arabs who knew that this is a type of medicine. When they saw the Prophet ﷺ applied kohl, their confidence in the medicine became stronger because of the Prophet ﷺ.
"You see, the Prophet ﷺ, he would do certain things, not necessarily because he needed them, but to strengthen that matter. In the Shama'il, Shaykh Abdullah Siraj-al-Din mentioned the narration, that when the Prophet ﷺ would see something beautiful and good, he used to strengthen it. And he used to praise it. Why? So other people attend to it and engage with it. And if he saw something that was ugly, he would weaken it, so people kept away from it.
"So the Prophet ﷺ applied ithmid to his blessed eyes, strengthened the fact that indeed this is a certified medicine. The Prophet ﷺ is certifying the medicine by using it and applying it."

Shaykh Aslam finishes the class with an extraordinary discussion of the Prophet's ﷺ eyesight.

The full class can be viewed in this video, with the discussion of kohl beginning at about the 45 minute mark.

The full playlist of Shaykh Aslam’s classes on his and Abdul Aziz Suraqah’s translation of al-Tirmidhi’s Al-Shama’il al-Muhammadiyya can be accessed here.