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Miracles of Muhammad
Events attributed to the Islamic prophet From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Miracles of Muhammad are miraculous claims attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. A number of terms are used in Islam to refer to the claims of events happening that are not explicable by natural or scientific laws, subjects where people sometimes invoke the supernatural.[1]
In the Quran the term āyah; Arabic: آية; pl. آيات, lit. "sign") refers to signs in the context of miracles of God's creation and of the prophets and messengers (such as Ibrahim/Abraham and Isa/Jesus).[2] In later Islamic sources miracles of the prophets were referred to by Muʿjiza (مُعْجِزَة),[2] literally meaning "that by means of which [the Prophet] confounds, overwhelms, his opponents"; while of saints are referred to as karamat (charismata)[3] included in the books of Manaqib.
The Sīrah had almost no miracles (dalāʾil al-nubuwwa) in the first records, although there were hundreds of additions made in later periods.[4] A range of miraculous incidents related to Muhammad have been reported in post-Quranic texts such as the Hadith and the Sīrah.[5][6][7] Some of them relied on ambiguous Quranic verses that were then developed into elaborate narratives. Notably, the Quranic verses 53:1-2, which is said to have originally forecasted a forthcoming event linked to the Day of Judgment based on a sighting of a lunar eclipse, were ultimately transformed into a historical miracle, the splitting of the moon.[8][9] This tradition has inspired many Muslim poets.[10] The Qur'an does not overtly describe Muhammad performing miracles, according to historian Denis Gril, and the supreme miracle of Muhammad is finally identified with the Qur'an itself.[1] At least one scholar (Sunni Modernist scholar Muhammad Asad) states that Muhammad performed no miracles other than to bring the Quran to humanity,[11] and other scholars, such as Cyril Glasse and Marcia Hermansen, downplay the miracles of Muhammad, stating "they play no role in Islamic theology",[12] or "play less of an evidentiary role than in some other religions".[2]
Believing in the existence and miracles of Awliya is presented as a "condition" for orthodox Islam by many prominent Sunni creed writers such as Al-Tahawi and Nasafi[13][14] and is accepted in traditional Sunnis and Shi'ism. Traditional Islam may severely punish the denial of miracles because of consensus of Sunni scholars, rejecting a single letter of the Quran or a hadith which is mutawatir causes one to become a apostate. According to them believing in the miracles of Muhammad in the Quran and in hadith were transmitted by mutawatir way and believing to them was obligatory.[15][16][17][18] This understanding, along with expressions of respect and visits to the graves of saints, are seen as unacceptable heresy by puritanical and revivalist Islamic movements such as Salafism, Wahhabism and Islamic Modernism.[19]
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Qur'an
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Perspective
Several Quranic verses highlight instances where Muhammad's contemporaries challenged him to validate his prophetic claims by demanding that he demonstrate phenomena that defied the ordinary course of nature, such as causing a fountain to gush from the ground, creating a lush garden with flowing rivers, manifesting a golden house, or delivering a readable book from heaven.[Quran 1][Quran 2][20][21]
However, Muhammad refused to fulfill any of those challenges on the basis of Quranic revelations, reasoning that prophets could not produce a sign without God's authorization.[Quran 3][Quran 4][Quran 5][20] He argued that the regularities of nature already served as sufficient proof of God's majesty[Quran 6][21] and contended that miracles were pointless because they had not prevented past civilizations from rejecting their own prophets.[Quran 7][20][22] He maintained that he served solely as a warner[Quran 8] and underscored that the Quran alone was adequate for his opponents.[Quran 9][20][21]
Arabic: انشق القمر, romanized: "Inshaqqā al-Qamar" was a possible idiom, Surah Al-Qamar 54:1–2 also mentioned in Imru' al-Qais poems.[23] Its use in the Quran is also within the poetic expressions of the Quran. In this respect, it is possible to explain context for the expression "sihr" (it is magic) that the Meccans gave in response to the expressions in the narrations, with the mysterious connection and phonetic closeness established between the poets and magicians in the understanding of that period.[24]
Glory be to the One Who took His servant by night from Masjid al-Haram to the Masjid al-Aqsa whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
When the clear meaning of the verse is examined, it is understood that the two places, Masjid al-Haram and Masjid al-Aqsa, are at a distance that can be covered by a night walk, and with the meanings they have gained over time, Muhammad traveled between two places thousands of kilometers apart in one night, and from there, passing through various steps, he ascended to the sky, to the presence of God. Other questions about the sura are whether this verse mentions Muhammad and the construction dates of the places mentioned in the verse. (See: Isra' and Mi'raj)
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Tradition
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The Quran describes Muhammad as ummi (Q7:157),[27] which is traditionally interpreted as "unlettered,"[28][29] and the ability of such a person to produce the Quran is taken as miraculous[29] and as a sign of the genuineness of his prophethood. I'jaz al-Quran – literally the inimitability of the Quran – refers to the Quranic claim that no one can hope to imitate its (the Quran's) perfection,[2] this quality being considered the primary miracle of the Quran and proof of Muhammad's prophethood. In recent decades, the term I'jaz has also come to refer to the belief that the Quran contains "scientific miracles", i.e. prophecies of scientific discoveries.[30]
List of claimed miracles in tradition
Contrary to those of biblical prophets, claims of miracles attributed to Muhammad are not consistently incorporated into a cohesive life narrative. Some collections simply list these miracles, primarily aiming to showcase that Muhammad performed miracles similar to earlier prophets, particularly Jesus, rather than delving into doctrinal aspects or interpreting specific life events. One example is a book by the 12th-century Islamic scholar al-Ghazali titled Ihya' 'ulum ad-din (The Revival of the Science of Religion) which provides the following list of Muhammad's miracles:[31]
- Quran – The revelation of the Quran is considered by Muslims to be Muhammad's greatest miracle[32][33][34] and a miracle for all times, unlike the miracles of other prophets, which were confined to being witnessed in their own lifetimes.[35]
- Scientific miracles: The theory of the scientific miracle of the Quran claims that the Quran has a miracle in expressing some scientific material (some modern scientific discoveries that were unknown at the time of writing the Quran). The history of writing in connection with the science and religion of Islam dates back to the works of Ibn Sina, Fakhr al-Razi, and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, but has increased significantly in recent times. Authors in this field include Naeem Al-Mohassi, Maurice Bucaille, Rafiei Mohammadi, Mostarhameh, Makarem Shirazi and Rezaei Isfahani. These interpretations state that some verses of the Quran reflect prophetic statements about the nature and structure of the universe, physics, fetal biological growth, biological evolution, geology, mountain structure, and other phenomena that have been later confirmed by scientific research. This group of Quran-commentators present this as a proof of the divinity of the Quran.[36][37][38]
- Splitting of the Moon; While standing on the Mount Abu Qubays, Muhammad splits the moon into two parts.[Hadith 1]
- Isra and Mi'raj (Night Journey); occurring in 621, in which Muhammad leads the prayers to previous prophets in Al-Aqsa.[Hadith 2]
- Radd al-Shams: According to tradition, Muhammad asked God to return the sun to its position before the sunset, so that Ali could have enough time to say his Asr prayer.[40]
- When Abu Jahl was going to trample Muhammad's neck or smear his face with dust as he was engaged in prayer, Abu Jahl came near him but turned upon his heels and tried to repulse something with his hands. It was said to him: "What is the matter with you?" He said: "There is between me and him. A ditch of fire and terror and wings." Thereupon Muhammad said: "If he were to come near me the angels would have torn him to pieces."[Hadith 3]
- According to Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari, Muhammad's success and victory against his enemies was one of his miracles. Muhammad Himself claimed multiple miraculous deeds during his battles, including angels fighting for him, the wind being on his side, him blinding his opponents with dust, summoning slumber and Allah purifying the Muslims With rain [41] Similarly, many modern Muslim historians believe Muhammad's greatest miracles were his worldly accomplishments, in a short time span, in various fields (such as the religious, social, proselytising, political, military and literary spheres) and "the transformation of the Arabs from marauding bands of nomads into world conquerors."[42][43]
- The events which occurred during his Hijrah (migration from Mecca to Medina):
- something similar occurred after the revelation of Surah Al-Masad when Abu Lahab's wife got offended and wanted to confront him
He could cure the blind by only spitting or blowing on the patient.[Hadith 4][Hadith 5][Hadith 6]
- The day Muhammad came to Medina, everything there became illuminated, and the day he died, everything in Medina became dark.[Hadith 7][Hadith 8][Hadith 9]
- When Muhammad and Abu Bakr migrated to Medina, Suraqa bin Malik pursued them. When they realized they were discovered, Muhammad looked at Suraqa so his horse sank into the earth. Suraqa then begged Muhammad to rescue him, and Muhammad prayed to Allah for him; hence he was saved.[Hadith 10][Hadith 11][Hadith 12][Hadith 13]
- Prophecies made by him. This includes:
- Muhammad telling his companion and Uthman, that a calamity would befall him, which would be followed with his entering paradise; this eventuated during Uthman's Caliphate.[Hadith 14][19]
- He told his companion, Ammar ibn Yasir, that the unjust party would kill him; this eventuated during the First Fitna.[Hadith 15][19]
- He prophesied to Suraqa bin Malik that he would wear the bracelets of Kosroe.
- He said that Allah would make peace between two large Muslim groups through his grandson Hasan ibn Ali; this eventuated with the Hasan–Muawiya treaty.[Hadith 16][19]
- He said that a man who was apparently fighting for the Muslim cause would actually be of the people of Hell; this was proven when the man committed suicide in order to remove his suffering following a wound in battle.[Hadith 17][19]
- He said that he would kill one of the enemies of the Muslims, Ubay ibn Khalaf, which he achieved at the Battle of Uhud.[Hadith 18][45]
- Before the Battle of Badr, he showed exactly where each of the enemy chiefs would be killed; they all died in the exact locations stated.[45]
- He said that his daughter Fatimah would be the first of his family to die after him; which eventuated.[Hadith 19][45]
- On several occasions he provided food and water supernaturally.[46]
- He quenched the thirst of thousands of his soldiers during the Battle of Tabouk and enabled them to use water for ablution after causing water to pour forth.[19][46]
- He caused two trees to move at his command.[46]
- He caused a well to swell with water after he rinsed his mouth with some water and then threw it out into the well. This was during the event of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, enabling his followers with him to drink and use the water for ablution.[Hadith 20]
- He threw a handful of dust at some of the enemy during the Battle of Hunain, causing them to be blinded.[Quran 10][19]
- He caused Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud to convert to Islam after he made a barren ewe, which produced no milk, to produce milk.[45]
- He used his saliva to cure Ali's sick eye, during the Battle of Khaybar, and it became healthy.[Hadith 21][47]
- His companions would hear the food before him praising Allah.[Hadith 22][47]
- He caused it to rain during a drought in Medina.[Hadith 23][48]
- His prayers were instantly answered.[Hadith 24]
- Stones and trees used to greet him before and during his prophethood.[Hadith 25][Hadith 26]
- He used to understand the language of animals.[Hadith 27][Hadith 28]
- He comforted a palm tree that was crying and upset after he stopped leaning on it during his sermons.[Hadith 29]
- He had The Seal of Prophethood (Khatam an-Nabiyyin) between his shoulders, specifically on the end of his left shoulder blade, It is depicted as a mole, in size compared to the egg of a partridge or to a pigeon's egg and its color was the same as that of Muhammad's body.[Hadith 30][Hadith 31][Hadith 32][Hadith 33][Hadith 34] It is believed that each prophet sent by Allah had this Seal on a certain part of his body.[49]
- It is reported, that Muhammad did not cast a shadow, interpreted as a sign of his "light".[50]
- When Muhammad ascended Mount Uhud and he was accompanied by Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman. The mountain shook beneath them. Muhammad then hit it with his foot and said, "O Uhud! Be firm, for upon you there is none but a Prophet, a supporter of truth and two martyrs."[Hadith 35][Hadith 36][Hadith 37][Hadith 38][Hadith 39]
- The same event occurred on Jabal al-Nour in Mecca.[Hadith 40][Hadith 41][Hadith 42][Hadith 43][Hadith 44]
- Muhammad used to hear the voices of persons who were being tortured in their graves.[Hadith 45][Hadith 46]
- He used to speak to the dead and hear them. It also occurred with the bodies of the enemy chiefs after the Battle of Badr in the presence of his companions.[Hadith 47][Hadith 48][Hadith 49]
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Notes
- "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 Bait-ul-Maqdis before me, and I started to inform them (Quraish) about its signs while looking at it."[25]
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