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A number of miracles were bestowed
upon and performed by the Prophet Muhammad
to establish the proof of his
prophet hood. The greatest miracle bestowed upon him was the revelation of the
Qur'an. The Qur'an is miraculous in a number of aspects: Its linguistic
perfection and inimitability, its validation by recent historical,
archaeological, and scientific discoveries, its prophecies and so on. Unlike the
miracles of other prophets before him, the miracle of the Qur'an is eternal.
Prophet Muhammad
also provided us with a number of
true prophecies.
Below are accounts of the some of
the other miracles of Prophet Muhammad
. Before reading these, it helps
to know something about the Science of Traditions (Arabic: Hadith), an exacting
and comprehensive system developed by early Muslim scholars to verify the chain
of transmission of these accounts, as well as investigating the trustworthiness
and capability of every narrator at every level of the chain. This thorough
authentication process ensures that these accounts are real, validated
narrations of the sayings, actions, and tacit approvals of the Prophet
Muhammad . The Traditions mentioned below
are all from Sahih al-Bukhari, the most authentic
collection.
Splitting of the Moon
"The Hour has drawn near, and the moon
has been cleft asunder" [Qur'an 54:1]
Narrated
Abdullah:
The moon was cleft asunder while
we were in the company of the Prophet, and it became two parts. The Prophet
said, Witness, witness (this miracle)."
Food Multiplication
Narrated Jabir:
My father had died in debt. So I
came to the Prophet and said, "My father (died) leaving unpaid debts, and I have
nothing except the yield of his date palms; and their yield for many years will
not cover his debts. So please come with me, so that the creditors may not
misbehave with me." The Prophet went round one of the heaps of dates and invoked
(Allah), and then did the same with another heap and sat on it and said,
"Measure (for them)." He paid them their rights and what remained was as much as
had been paid to them.
Water
Multiplication
Narrated 'Abdullah:
We used to consider miracles as
Allah's Blessings, but you people consider them to be a warning. Once we were
with Allah's Apostle on a journey, and we ran short of water. He said, "Bring
the water remaining with you." The people brought a utensil containing a little
water. He placed his hand in it and said, "Come to the blessed water, and the
Blessing is from Allah." I saw the water flowing from among the fingers of
Allah's Apostle , and no doubt, we heard the meal glorifying Allah, when it was
being eaten (by him).
Narrated Al-Bara:
We were
one-thousand-and-four-hundred persons on the day of Al-Hudaibiya (Treaty), and
(at) Al-Hudaibiya (there) was a well. We drew out its water not leaving even a
single drop. The Prophet sat at the edge of the well and asked for some water
with which he rinsed his mouth and then he threw it out into the well. We stayed
for a short while and then drew water from the well and quenched our thirst, and
even our riding animals drank water to their satisfaction.
Narrated 'Imran:
Once we were traveling with the
Prophet and we carried on traveling till the last part of the night and then we
(halted at a place) and slept (deeply). There is nothing sweeter than sleep for
a traveler in the last part of the night. So it was only the heat of the sun
that made us to wake up and the first to wake up was so and so, then so and so
and then so and so (the narrator 'Auf said that Abu Raja' had told him their
names but he had forgotten them) and the fourth person to wake up was 'Umar bin
Al-Khattab. And whenever the Prophet used to sleep, nobody would wake up him
till he himself used to get up as we did not know what was happening (being
revealed) to him in his sleep. So, 'Umar got up and saw the condition of the
people, and he was a strict man, so he said, "Allahu Akbar" and raised his voice
with Takbir, and kept on saying loudly till the Prophet got up because of it.
When he got up, the people informed him about what had happened to them. He
said, "There is no harm (or it will not be harmful). Depart!" So they departed
from that place, and after covering some distance the Prophet stopped and asked
for some water to perform the ablution. So he performed the ablution and the
call for the prayer was pronounced and he led the people in prayer. After he
finished from the prayer, he saw a man sitting aloof who had not prayed with the
people. He asked, "O so and so! What has prevented you from praying with us?" He
replied, "I am Junub and there is no water. " The Prophet said, "Perform
Tayammum with (clean) earth and that is sufficient for you."
Then the Prophet proceeded on and
the people complained to him of thirst. Thereupon he got down and called a
person (the narrator 'Auf added that Abu Raja' had named him but he had
forgotten) and 'Ali, and ordered them to go and bring water. So they went in
search of water and met a woman who was sitting on her camel between two bags of
water. They asked, "Where can we find water?" She replied, "I was there (at the
place of water) this hour yesterday and my people are behind me." They requested
her to accompany them. She asked, "Where?" They said, "To Allah's Apostle ." She
said, "Do you mean the man who is called the Sabi, (with a new religion)?" They
replied, "Yes, the same person. So come along." They brought her to the Prophet
and narrated the whole story. He said, "Help her to dismount." The Prophet asked
for a pot, then he opened the mouths of the bags and poured some water into the
pot. Then he closed the big openings of the bags and opened the small ones and
the people were called upon to drink and water their animals. So they all
watered their animals and they (too) all quenched their thirst and also gave
water to others and last of all the Prophet gave a pot full of water to the
person who was Junub and told him to pour it over his body. The woman was
standing and watching all that which they were doing with her water. By Allah,
when her water bags were returned the looked like as if they were more full (of
water) than they had been before (Miracle of Allah's Apostle) Then the Prophet
ordered us to collect something for her; so dates, flour and Sawiq were
collected which amounted to a good meal that was put in a piece of cloth. She
was helped to ride on her camel and that cloth full of food-stuff was also
placed in front of her and then the Prophet said to her, "We have not taken your
water but Allah has given water to us." She returned home late. Her relatives
asked her: "O so and so what has delayed you?" She said, "A strange thing! Two
men met me and took me to the man who is called the Sabi' and he did such and
such a thing. By Allah, he is either the greatest magician between this and this
(gesturing with her index and middle fingers raising them towards the sky
indicating the heaven and the earth) or he is Allah's true Apostle."
Afterwards the Muslims used to
attack the pagans around her abode but never touched her village. One day she
said to her people, "I think that these people leave you purposely. Have you got
any inclination to Islam?" They obeyed her and all of them embraced
Islam.
Abu 'Abdultah said: The word
Saba'a means "The one who has deserted his old religion and embraced a new
religion." Abul 'Ailya said, "The Sabis are a sect of people of the Scripture
who recite the Book of Psalms."
Supplication for
Rain
Narrated Anas:
A man came to the Prophet on a
Friday while he (the Prophet) was delivering a sermon at Medina, and said,
"There is lack of rain, so please invoke your Lord to bless us with the rain."
The Prophet looked at the sky when no cloud could be detected. Then he invoked
Allah for rain. Clouds started gathering together and it rained till the Medina
valleys started flowing with water. It continued raining till the next Friday.
Then that man (or some other man) stood up while the Prophet was delivering the
Friday sermon, and said, "We are drowned; Please invoke your Lord to withhold it
(rain) from us" The Prophet smiled and said twice or thrice, "O Allah! Please
let it rain round about us and not upon us." The clouds started dispersing over
Medina to the right and to the left, and it rained round about Medina and not
upon Medina. Allah showed them (the people) the miracle of His Prophet and His
response to his invocation.
Lights to guide
Companions
Narrated Anas bin
Malik:
Two of the companions of the
Prophet departed from him on a dark night and were led by two lights like lamps
(going in front of them from Allah as a miracle) lighting the way in front of
them, and when they parted, each of them was accompanied by one of these lights
till he reached their (respective) houses.
Crying of the stem of the Date-palm
Tree
Narrated Ibn Umar:
The Prophet used to deliver his
sermons while standing beside a trunk of a date palm. When he had the pulpit
made, he used it instead. The trunk started crying and the Prophet went to it,
rubbing his hand over it (to stop its crying).
Glorification of Allah by the Prophet's
meals
Narrated 'Abdullah:
We used to consider miracles as
Allah's Blessings, but you people consider them to be a warning. Once we were
with Allah's Apostle on a journey, and we ran short of water. He said, "Bring
the water remaining with you." The people brought a utensil containing a little
water. He placed his hand in it and said, "Come to the blessed water, and the
Blessing is from Allah." I saw the water flowing from among the fingers of
Allah's Apostle , and no doubt, we heard the meal glorifying Allah, when it was
being eaten (by him).
The expulsion of a Christian liar's corpse by the
Earth
Narrated Anas:
There was a Christian who embraced
Islam and read Surat-al-Baqara and Al-Imran, and he used to write (the
revelations) for the Prophet. Later on he returned to Christianity again and he
used to say: "Muhammad knows nothing but what I have written for him." Then
Allah caused him to die, and the people buried him, but in the morning they saw
that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, "This is the act of Muhammad
and his companions. They dug the grave of our companion and took his body out of
it because he had run away from them." They again dug the grave deeply for him,
but in the morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They
said, "This is an act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our
companion and threw his body outside it, for he had run away from them." They
dug the grave for him as deep as they could, but in the morning they again saw
that the earth had thrown his body out. So they believed that what had befallen
him was not done by human beings and had to leave him thrown (on the
ground).
The Speech of the
Wolf
Narrated Abu
Huraira:
The Prophet said, "While a man was
riding a cow, it turned towards him and said, 'I have not been created for this
purpose (i.e. carrying), I have been created for sloughing." The Prophet added,
"I, Abu Bakr and 'Umar believe in the story." The Prophet went on, "A wolf
caught a sheep, and when the shepherd chased it, the wolf said, 'Who will be its
guard on the day of wild beasts, when there will be no shepherd for it except
me?' "After narrating it, the Prophet said, "I, Abu Bakr and 'Umar too believe
it." Abu Salama (a sub-narrator) said, "Abu Bakr and 'Umar were not present
then." (It has been written that a wolf also spoke to one of the companions of
the Prophet near Medina as narrated in Fatah-al-Bari:
Narrated Unais bin 'Amr: Ahban bin
Aus said, "I was amongst my sheep. Suddenly a wolf caught a sheep and I shouted
at it. The wolf sat on its tail and addressed me, saying, 'Who will look after
it (i.e. the sheep) when you will be busy and not able to look after it? Do you
forbid me the provision which Allah has provided me?' " Ahban added, "I clapped
my hands and said, 'By Allah, I have never seen anything more curious and
wonderful than this!' On that the wolf said, 'There is something (more curious)
and wonderful than this; that is, Allah's Apostle in those palm trees, inviting
people to Allah (i.e. Islam).' "Unais bin 'Amr further said, "Then Ahban went to
Allah's Apostle and informed him what happened and embraced Islam.)" palm trees
or other trees and share the fruits with me."
Healing of ill and wounded people
Authentic
books of Tradition, including primarily Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih
al-Muslim, report:
During
the Battle of Khaybar, God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, asked
where ‘Ali was. ‘He is suffering from sore eyes’, the Companions answered. He
sent for him. ‘Ali came and the Messenger applied his healing saliva to his
eyes. At the same moment the pain ceased and ‘Ali’s eyes became better than
before.5
‘Uthman
ibn Hunayf relates:
A
blind man came to God’s Messenger and requested him to pray to God to recover
his eyes. The Messenger said: “If you desire, I’ll not pray-being blind may be
better for your afterlife-or I’ll pray.” The man chose to be relieved of
blindness and the Messenger told him: “Go and do an ablution. Then pray two
rak‘as and say: ‘O God! Surely my appeal is to You and I turn toward You
through the Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of mercy: O Muhammad, surely I turn
toward God through you, that He uncover my sight. O God, make him my
intercessor.’” The man did what the Messenger told him and his sight was
restored.6
The Prophet's protection as a miracle
As
related through various channels, during the military campaign of Ghatfan and
Anmar, a courageous chieftain named Ghowras unexpectedly appeared at the side of
God’s Messenger, who was lying under a tree. Ghowras unsheathed his sword and
asked God’s Messenger, ‘Who will save you from me now?’ God will, the Messenger
replied. “God!” Then he prayed: “O God, suffice me against him in any way You
will.”16
At
that moment, Ghowras was knocked down and his sword slipped from his hand. God’s
Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, took the sword and asked him: Now,
who will save you from me?
Ghowras
began to tremble and entreated God’s Messenger to spare his life. ‘You are a
noble, forgiving one; only forgiveness is expected of you,’ he pleaded. God’s
Messenger forgave him, and when Ghowras returned to his tribe, he said to them:
‘I have just come from the best of mankind.’
Abu
Hurayra relates:
Abu
Jahl once asked those near him:
'Does
Muhammad still rub his face against earth [i.e. make prostration]?'
'Yes,
he does', they answered.
Abu
Jahl added:
'By
Lat and ‘Uzza, if I see him doing that again, I will tread on his neck or bury
his face with soil.'
A
short while later God’s Messenger came and set out to pray. When he was in
prostration, Abu Jahl approached him but suddenly turned back in fear and
amazement, trying to protect himself with his hands. When asked why he had done
so, he answered: ‘Truly, between him and me is a trench filled with fire, and
something horrible and some wings.’
God’s
Messenger commented on the event:
'If
he had approached me, the angels would have torn him to
pieces.'17
God
promised to guard him against people:
O
Messenger! Make known whatever is revealed unto you from your Lord, for if you
do it not, you will not have conveyed His Message. God will protect you from
people. Surely, God guides not the unbelieving folk. (5:67)
The Prophet's Night Journey to Jerusalem
(Arabic: Israa)
And Ascent to the Heavens (Arabic: Miraj)
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:
Regarding the Statement of
Allah"
"And We granted the vision
(Ascension to the heavens) which We made you see (as an actual eye witness) was
only made as a trial for the people." (17.60)
Ibn Abbas added: The sights which
Allah's Apostle was shown on the Night Journey when he was taken to
Bait-ulMaqdis (i.e. Jerusalem) were actual sights, (not dreams). And the Cursed
Tree (mentioned) in the Quran is the tree of Zaqqum (itself) .
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
The Prophet said, "On the night of
my Ascent to the Heaven, I saw Moses who was a tall brown curly-haired man as if
he was one of the men of Shan'awa tribe, and I saw Jesus, a man of medium height
and moderate complexion inclined to the red and white colors and of lank hair. I
also saw Malik, the gate-keeper of the (Hell) Fire and Ad-Dajjal amongst the
signs which Allah showed me." (The Prophet then recited the Holy Verse): "So be
not you in doubt of meeting him' when you met Moses during the night of Mi'raj
over the heavens" (32.23)
Narrated Anas and Abu Bakra: "The
Prophet said, "The angels will guard Medina from Ad-Dajjal (who will not be able
to enter the city of Medina)."
Narrated Abbas bin
Malik:
Malik bin Sasaa said that Allah's
Apostle described to them his Night Journey saying, "While I was lying in
Al-Hatim or Al-Hijr, suddenly someone came to me and cut my body open from here
to here." I asked Al-Jarud who was by my side, "What does he mean?" He said, "It
means from his throat to his pubic area," or said, "From the top of the chest."
The Prophet further said, "He then took out my heart. Then a gold tray of Belief
was brought to me and my heart was washed and was filled (with Belief) and then
returned to its original place. Then a white animal which was smaller than a
mule and bigger than a donkey was brought to me." (On this Al-Jarud asked, "Was
it the Buraq, O Abu Hamza?" I (i.e. Anas) replied in the affirmative). The
Prophet said, "The animal's step (was so wide that it) reached the farthest
point within the reach of the animal's sight. I was carried on it, and Gabriel
set out with me till we reached the nearest heaven.
When he asked for the gate to be
opened, it was asked, 'Who is it?' Gabriel answered, 'Gabriel.' It was asked,
'Who is accompanying you?' Gabriel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has
Muhammad been called?' Gabriel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said, 'He
is welcomed. What an excellent visit his is!' The gate was opened, and when I
went over the first heaven, I saw Adam there. Gabriel said (to me). 'This is
your father, Adam; pay him your greetings.' So I greeted him and he returned the
greeting to me and said, 'You are welcomed, O pious son and pious Prophet.' Then
Gabriel ascended with me till we reached the second heaven. Gabriel asked for
the gate to be opened. It was asked, 'Who is it?' Gabriel answered, 'Gabriel.'
It was asked, 'Who is accompanying you?' Gabriel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was
asked, 'Has he been called?' Gabriel answered in the affirmative. Then it was
said, 'He is welcomed. What an excellent visit his is!' The gate was
opened.
When I went over the second
heaven, there I saw Yahya (i.e. John) and 'Isa (i.e. Jesus) who were cousins of
each other. Gabriel said (to me), 'These are John and Jesus; pay them your
greetings.' So I greeted them and both of them returned my greetings to me and
said, 'You are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.' Then Gabriel
ascended with me to the third heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was
asked, 'Who is it?' Gabriel replied, 'Gabriel.' It was asked, 'Who is
accompanying you?' Gabriel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has he been
called?' Gabriel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said, 'He is welcomed,
what an excellent visit his is!' The gate was opened, and when I went over the
third heaven there I saw Joseph. Gabriel said (to me), 'This is Joseph; pay him
your greetings.' So I greeted him and he returned the greeting to me and said,
'You are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.' Then Gabriel ascended
with me to the fourth heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was asked,
'Who is it?' Gabriel replied, 'Gabriel' It was asked, 'Who is accompanying you?'
Gabriel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has he been called?' Gabriel replied
in the affirmative. Then it was said, 'He is welcomed, what an excel lent visit
his is!'
The gate was opened, and when I
went over the fourth heaven, there I saw Idris. Gabriel said (to me), 'This is
Idris; pay him your greetings.' So I greeted him and he returned the greeting to
me and said, 'You are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.' Then Gabriel
ascended with me to the fifth heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was
asked, 'Who is it?' Gabriel replied, 'Gabriel.' It was asked. 'Who is
accompanying you?' Gabriel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has he been
called?' Gabriel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said He is welcomed,
what an excellent visit his is! So when I went over the fifth heaven, there I
saw Harun (i.e. Aaron), Gabriel said, (to me). This is Aaron; pay him your
greetings.' I greeted him and he returned the greeting to me and said, 'You are
welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.' Then Gabriel ascended with me to
the sixth heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was asked. 'Who is it?'
Gabriel replied, 'Gabriel.' It was asked, 'Who is accompanying you?' Gabriel
replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has he been called?' Gabriel replied in the
affirmative. It was said, 'He is welcomed. What an excellent visit his
is!'
When I went (over the sixth
heaven), there I saw Moses. Gabriel said (to me),' This is Moses; pay him your
greeting. So I greeted him and he returned the greetings to me and said, 'You
are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.' When I left him (i.e. Moses)
he wept. Someone asked him, 'What makes you weep?' Moses said, 'I weep because
after me there has been sent (as Prophet) a young man whose followers will enter
Paradise in greater numbers than my followers.' Then Gabriel ascended with me to
the seventh heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was asked, 'Who is
it?' Gabriel replied, 'Gabriel.' It was asked,' Who is accompanying you?'
Gabriel replied, 'Muhammad.' It was asked, 'Has he been called?' Gabriel replied
in the affirmative. Then it was said, 'He is welcomed. What an excellent visit
his is!'
So when I went (over the seventh
heaven), there I saw Abraham. Gabriel said (to me), 'This is your father; pay
your greetings to him.' So I greeted him and he returned the greetings to me and
said, 'You are welcomed, O pious son and pious Prophet.' Then I was made to
ascend to Sidrat-ul-Muntaha (i.e. the Lote Tree of the utmost boundary) Behold!
Its fruits were like the jars of Hajr (i.e. a place near Medina) and its leaves
were as big as the ears of elephants. Gabriel said, 'This is the Lote Tree of
the utmost boundary) . Behold ! There ran four rivers, two were hidden and two
were visible, I asked, 'What are these two kinds of rivers, O Gabriel?' He
replied,' As for the hidden rivers, they are two rivers in Paradise and the
visible rivers are the Nile and the Euphrates.'
Then Al-Bait-ul-Ma'mur (i.e. the
Sacred House) was shown to me and a container full of wine and another full of
milk and a third full of honey were brought to me. I took the milk. Gabriel
remarked, 'This is the Islamic religion which you and your followers are
following.' Then the prayers were enjoined on me: They were fifty prayers a day.
When I returned, I passed by Moses who asked (me), 'What have you been ordered
to do?' I replied, 'I have been ordered to offer fifty prayers a day.' Moses
said, 'Your followers cannot bear fifty prayers a day, and by Allah, I have
tested people before you, and I have tried my level best with Bani Israel (in
vain). Go back to your Lord and ask for reduction to lessen your followers'
burden.' So I went back, and Allah reduced ten prayers for me. Then again I came
to Moses, but he repeated the same as he had said before. Then again I went back
to Allah and He reduced ten more prayers. When I came back to Moses he said the
same, I went back to Allah and He ordered me to observe ten prayers a day. When
I came back to Moses, he repeated the same advice, so I went back to Allah and
was ordered to observe five prayers a day.
When I came back to Moses, he
said, 'What have you been ordered?' I replied, 'I have been ordered to observe
five prayers a day.' He said, 'Your followers cannot bear five prayers a day,
and no doubt, I have got an experience of the people before you, and I have
tried my level best with Bani Israel, so go back to your Lord and ask for
reduction to lessen your follower's burden.' I said, 'I have requested so much
of my Lord that I feel ashamed, but I am satisfied now and surrender to Allah's
Order.' When I left, I heard a voice saying, 'I have passed My Order and have
lessened the burden of My Worshipers."
Special Favors Granted By Allah to
Prophet Mohammed
(1) Almighty Allah wrote
Prophet Mohammed name in the Heavens and in the seven
skies.
(2)
After the birth of
Prophet Mohammed , Shaytaan could not go into the skies and steal news from
the Angels.
(3)
Prophet Mohammed
used to be cradled by the Angels when he was a child.
(4)
He could see in the darkness as well as he could see in
the daylight.
(5)
His blessed saliva revived those who were sick
(6)
He never yawned during his entire lifetime.
(7)
His perspiration had a sweet scent.
(8)
Although he was of medium height, he looked taller when
he stood next to a tall person.
(9)
The Angels followed him wherever he walked.
(10)
When he stepped on a rock, his footprint would be left
on it.
(11)
He possessed the greatest wisdom of all
creations.
(12)
Other Prophets were Prophets for a certain country or
special nation. He was the Prophet unto the entire creation.
(13)
The Ummah (nations) of
Prophet Mohammed are more than that of all the Nations (Ummah) of all the other
Prophets put together.
(14)
He was visited approximately twenty four thousand times
by Jibra'el (Gabreal).
(15)
It is obligatory on every Muslim to love Prophet Mohammed . The sign of love for him is to adapt his
way of life and always remember him.
So even after his death his way of life remains alive.
(16)
He was granted Miraj (night journey) by Almighty
Allah.
(17) He was a mercy for all of humanity and all of the creatures of
all of the worlds.
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