A number of miracles were bestowed upon and performed by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) 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 (peace and blessings be upon him) also provided us with a number of true prophecies.We mention some of the miracles of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) reported in Sahih al-Bukhari, the most authentic collection of ahadith. (i) Splitting of the Moon (ii) Food Multiplication (iii) Water Multiplication (iv) Supplication for Rain (v) Lights to guide Companions (vi) Crying of the stem of the Date-palm Tree (vii) Glorification of Allah by the Prophet’s meals (viii) The explusion of a liar’s corpse by the Earth (ix) The Speech of the Wolf (x) The Prophet’s Night Journey to Jerusalem and Ascent to the Heavens (a) 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).” (b) 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. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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. (f) 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). (g) 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). (g) The expulsion of a 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). (h) 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.l” 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 Fath-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.” (i) 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-ul Maqdis (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: arrated 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 Hadrat Abu Dharr (Rady Allahu ‘Anh): Allah’s Apostle (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) said, “While I was at Makka, the roof of my house was opened and Jibril descended, opened my chest, and washed it with Zam-Zam water. Then be brought a golden tray full of wisdom and faith and having poured its contents in my chest, he closed it. Then he took my hand and ascended with me to the nearest heaven; when I reached the nearest heaven, Jibril said to the gatekeeper of the heaven. ‘Open (the gate).’ The gatekeeper asked, ‘Who is it?’ Jibril answered: ‘Jibril’. He asked ‘is there anyone with you?’ Jibril replied ‘Yes, Muhammad (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) is with me.’ He asked ‘Has he been called?’ Jibril said, ‘Yes.’ So the gate was opened and we went over the nearest heaven and there we saw a man sitting with some people on his right and some on his left. When he looked towards his right, he laughed and when he looked towards his left he wept. Then he said, ‘Welcome! O pious Prophet and pious son.’ I asked Jibril, ‘Who is he?’ He replied, “He is Adam (‘Alayhissalaam) and the people on his right and left are the souls of his offspring. Those on his right are the people of Paradise and those on his left are people of Hell and when he looks towards his right he laughs and when he looks towards his left he weeps.’ Then he ascended with me till he reached the second heaven and he (Jibril) said to its gatekeeper, ‘Open (the gate).’ The gatekeeper said to him the same as the gatekeeper of the first heaven and he opened the gate. Hadrat Anas (Rady Allahu ‘Anh) said: “Abu Dharr added that the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) met Sayyidina Adam, Idris, Moses, Jesus and Abraham (‘Alayhimussalaam), he (Abu Dharr) did not mention on which heaven they were but he mentioned that he (the Prophet) met Sayyidina Adam (‘Alayhissalaam) on the nearest heaven and Sayyidina Abraham (‘Alayhissalaam) on the sixth heaven. (Bukhari) Narrated Hadrat Jabir bin ‘Abdullah (Rady Allahu ‘Anh): The Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) said, “When the Quraish disbelieved me (concerning my night journey), I stood up in Al-Hijr (the unroofed portion of the Ka’ba) and Allah displayed Bayt-ul Maqdis before me, and I started to inform them (Quraish) about its signs while looking at it. (Bukhari) (j) Al-Qur’an: The Living Miracle Narrated Hadrat Abu Huraira (Rady Allahu ‘Anh) that the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) said, “Every Prophet was given miracles because of which people believed, but what I have been given is Divine Inspiration which Allah has revealed to me, so I hope my followers will outnumber the followers of other Prophets on the Day of Resurrection. (Bukhari) (k) Human Miracle: He changed people’s hearts, Narrated Sayyidatna ‘Aisha (Rady Allahu Anha): Hind bin Utba bin Rabi’a came and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! By Allah, there was no family on the surface of the earth I liked to see in degradation more than I did your family, but today there is no family on the face of the earth whom I like to see honored more than yours.” Hind added, “Abu Sufyan is a miser. Is it sinful for me to feed our children of his property?” The Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) said, “There is no blame on you if you feed them (thereof) in a just and reasonable manner. (Bukhari)
( The author a teacher at S K University of Agriculture Sciences & Technology-SKUAST Srinagar writes on Islamic topics exclusively for “Kashmir Horizon”)