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Some
of the Miracles of Muhammad(P)
A number of miracles were bestowed upon and
performed by the Prophet Muhammad(P) to
establish the proof of his prophethood. 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(P) also
provided us with a number of true
prophecies.
Below are accounts of the some of the other
miracles of Prophet Muhammad(P) .
Before reading these, it helps to know something about the Science of
Traditions (Arabic: Ahadith), 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(P).
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]
Volume 6, Book 60, Number 388:
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
Volume 4, Book 56, Number 780:
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
Volume 4, Book 56, Number 779:
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).
Volume 4, Book 56, Number 777:
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.
Volume 1, Book 7, Number 340:
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
Volume 8, Book 73, Number 115:
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
Volume 1, Book 8, Number 454:
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
Volume 4, Book 56, Number 783:
Narrated Ibn Umar:
The Prophet used to deliver his sermons
while standing beside a trunk of a datepalm. 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
Volume 4, Book 56, Number 779:
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
explusion of a Christian liar's corpse by the Earth
Volume 4, Book 56, Number 814:
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
Volume 3, Book 39, Number 517:
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."
The Prophet's Night
Journey to Jerusalem (Arabic: Israa) and Ascent
to the Heavens (Arabic: Miraj)
Volume 5, Book 58, Number 228:
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) .
Volume 4, Book 54, Number 462:
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)."
Volume 5, Book 58, Number 227:
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."
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