Conversation Analysis of Muhammad (PBUH) for exploring his Effective Use of Nonverbal Communication including Paralinguistic Features

This paper examined the proficiency of Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in nonverbal communication and particularly its sub-fields like Kinesics, Haptics, and Proxemics during conversation in the light of the Hadiths. The Holy Quran attests it and every Muslim believes it that Muhammad (pbuh) was sent by Allah to serve as a role-model in the sphere of refined and excellent manners. We look up to his conversation manners too and his model of conversation, for holding successful conversation. Communication experts and linguists have come up with new perspectives over the dynamics of conversation, according to which people normally assume that the transmission of meaning to the listener and the creation of impression on the mind of the listener is dependent mostly upon words. But in reality words, instead of working in isolation, work in unison with the nonverbal language. In fact, the share of nonverbal language in conveying meaning is more than the verbal language during an interaction. The Holy Prophet kept his volume and tone low and polite; his eye contact was never irritating; his facial expressions were inviting; his smiles and jolliness were befriending; his body contact was soothing, his manner of speaking made his words understandable and memorable; his use of hands was enlightening; his silence was for lenience, the roughness of his conversation opponent led to increase in his politeness, his address to different participants of the gathering was based on consideration and fairness.