Miracles of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
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Lily Syahirah Ramlan
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25 Oct 2021
Do you remember listening to stories about the miracles of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ? Those miracles of Islam are awe-inspiring and it makes us feel motivated to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. Miracles in Islam resembles the many events that contradict logic and all sciences!
In this article today, InshaAllah, we will talk about the miracles of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Before we go any further, we should first understand the meaning of miracles in Islam from the respect of linguistics and its terminology.
Definition of Miracles in Islam:
Miracle in Arabic is “معجزة” / “mukjizah”. Linguistically, the word “mukjizah” is derived from the word “a-ja-za” which means "weakening" or "defeat". In terms of terminology, miracles are extraordinary things or events that God reveals through a prophet in support of his prophecy.
Categories of Miracles in Islam:
Our Muslim scholars have divided miracles in Islam into two categories, namely:
1- Mukjizah hissi: A miracle that can be detected and seen by the senses. For example, the stick of the Prophet Moses, Peace be upon him, which turned into a snake.
2- Mukjizah maknawi: Miracles that can only be detected and experienced through the mind and eyes of the heart. For example, the existence of holy Qur’an.
However, bear in mind that not all extraordinary things can be considered as miracles/mukjizah.
According to the scholars, there are few conditions before any event can be considered as a miracle in Islam. Among them are:
- The nature of the thing is lifted (for example, fire loses its heat effect),
- The miracles are only gifted to a prophet. Anything besides this is not considered as a miracles,
- and it must correspond with the prophetic message.
Narrated by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ saw once said:
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدٌ الْمَقْبُرِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَا مِنَ الأَنْبِيَاءِ نَبِيٌّ إِلاَّ أُعْطِيَ مَا مِثْلُهُ آمَنَ عَلَيْهِ الْبَشَرُ، وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ الَّذِي أُوتِيتُ وَحْيًا أَوْحَاهُ اللَّهُ إِلَىَّ فَأَرْجُو أَنْ أَكُونَ أَكْثَرَهُمْ تَابِعًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ".
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) 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 that my followers will outnumber the followers of the other Prophets on the Day of Resurrection."
The Five Miracles of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
Today, we will ponder on five miracles bestowed by Allah the Almighty on our beloved Prophet, Muhammad ﷺ.
1. The Beauty of the Holy Qur’an
The first is the one that we can see to this day: the Holy Qur’an. In the 88th verse of Surah Al-Isra ', Allah the Almighty says:
قُل لَّئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الْإِنسُ وَالْجِنُّ عَلَىٰ أَن يَأْتُوا بِمِثْلِ هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنِ لَا يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِ وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ ظَهِيرًا
Say, ‘Even if all mankind and jinn came together to produce something like this Quran, they could not produce anything like it, however much they helped each other.’ [17:88]
As we know, the Qur'an contains beautiful language that neither humans nor jinn could create a book such as it. It contains ancient stories related to the prophets and apostles, Peace be upon them all, it contains verses that explain knowledge related to scientific findings and describing things related to the Shari’a, it also tells the unseen creatures and realms such as the angels, jinns, heaven, and hellfire.
2. The Famous Story of Isra’ Mi’raj
Every Muslim knows about the story of Isra’ Mi’raj. This miraculous event occurred at a time when Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was faced with trials and tribulations, and it was even known as the Year of Sorrw (‘Am al-Huzun).
سُبحانَ الَّذي أَسرىٰ بِعَبدِهِ لَيلًا مِنَ المَسجِدِ الحَرامِ إِلَى المَسجِدِ الأَقصَى الَّذي بارَكنا حَولَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِن آياتِنا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّميعُ البَصيرُ
“Glory to Him who made His servant travel by night from the sacred place of worship to the furthest place of worship, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him some of Our signs: He alone is the All Hearing, the All Seeing.” [Qur’an 17:1]
The night journey and ascension begins with Prophet Muhammad ﷺ travelling with the Angel Jibril, Peace be upon him, on a heavenly creation called al Buraq to Masjid al-Aqsa, in Jerusalem. This is also one of the most amazing miracles of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, a unique creation that travels faster than the speed of light, quite incomprehensible to the human mind.
According to a hadith, al Buraq is one of the animals of paradise and is described as “a white creature that is larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule, who would place its hoof (step) a distance equal to the range of his vision." (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
Upon reaching Masjid al-Aqsa, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ led all of the earlier Prophets, peace be upon them all, in prayer.
The second part of the journey brings Prophet Muhammad’s ascension to the heavens with Jibril, Peace be upon him. During the ascension, he met other Prophets before him.
When he finally reached the highest level in the heavens, he was brought into the Divine Presence of Allah the Almighty, alone at Sidratul Muntaha (a boundary beyond which none may pass). It is said to be the boundary that has never been passed by anyone except by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Here, Rasulullah ﷺ was given the Divine Decree for the believers to establish daily prayers, and it is also when he kept returning back and forth to Allah, the Merciful for a lesser number of obligatory prayers.
Eventually, the number of compulsory prayers were reduced to five. Upon being given that by Allah the Merciful, Rasulullah ﷺ no longer continued to ask for more, and from then, the practice of five daily prayers was established.
Due to that miraculous event, Muslims today pray five times a day to Allah the Almighty, from all over the world, from mosques to houses and many places where prayers can be observed.
3. The Splitting of the Moon
The second is when Prophet Muhammad ﷺ splits the moon into two.
This historical event is mentioned in the hadith narrated by Imam Bukhari:
حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْوَهَّابِ، حَدَّثَنَا بِشْرُ بْنُ الْمُفَضَّلِ، حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي عَرُوبَةَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ـ رضى الله عنه أَنَّ أَهْلَ، مَكَّةَ سَأَلُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ يُرِيَهُمْ آيَةً، فَأَرَاهُمُ الْقَمَرَ شِقَّتَيْنِ، حَتَّى رَأَوْا حِرَاءً بَيْنَهُمَا.
Narrated Anas bin Malik: The people of Mecca asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) to show them a miracle. So he showed them the moon split in two halves between which they saw the Hira' mountain.
This event occurred when the infidels asked the Prophet ﷺ to prove his prophethood by splitting the moon into two. By the will of Allah Almighty, when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ pointed to the moon, it happened.
4. Radiation of water from in between the Prophet’s ﷺ fingers
Who could produce a mass amount of water from one’s finger other than the Prophet ﷺ himself? SubhanAllah, it is indeed a wonderful miracle as stated in the hadith below:
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّهُ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَحَانَتْ صَلاَةُ الْعَصْرِ، فَالْتُمِسَ الْوَضُوءُ فَلَمْ يَجِدُوهُ فَأُتِيَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِوَضُوءٍ، فَوَضَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَدَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ الإِنَاءِ، فَأَمَرَ النَّاسَ أَنْ يَتَوَضَّئُوا مِنْهُ، فَرَأَيْتُ الْمَاءَ يَنْبُعُ مِنْ تَحْتِ أَصَابِعِهِ، فَتَوَضَّأَ النَّاسُ حَتَّى تَوَضَّئُوا مِنْ عِنْدِ آخِرِهِمْ.
Narrated Anas bin Malik: I saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) at the 'time when the `Asr prayer was due. Then the people were searching for water for ablution but they could not find any. Then some water was brought to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and he placed his hand in the pot and ordered the people to perform the ablution with the water. I saw water flowing from underneath his fingers and the people started performing the ablution till all of them did it.
حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حُصَيْنٌ، عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ أَبِي الْجَعْدِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ عَطِشَ النَّاسُ يَوْمَ الْحُدَيْبِيَةِ، وَالنَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ رَكْوَةٌ فَتَوَضَّأَ فَجَهَشَ النَّاسُ نَحْوَهُ، فَقَالَ " مَا لَكُمْ ". قَالُوا لَيْسَ عِنْدَنَا مَاءٌ نَتَوَضَّأُ وَلاَ نَشْرَبُ إِلاَّ مَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ، فَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ فِي الرَّكْوَةِ فَجَعَلَ الْمَاءُ يَثُورُ بَيْنَ أَصَابِعِهِ كَأَمْثَالِ الْعُيُونِ، فَشَرِبْنَا وَتَوَضَّأْنَا. قُلْتُ كَمْ كُنْتُمْ قَالَ لَوْ كُنَّا مِائَةَ أَلْفٍ لَكَفَانَا، كُنَّا خَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ مِائَةً.
Narrated Salim bin Abi Aj-Jad: Jabir bin `Abdullah said, "The people became very thirsty on the day of Al-Hudaibiya (Treaty). A small pot containing some water was in front of the Prophet (ﷺ) and when he had finished the ablution, the people rushed towards him. He asked, 'What is wrong with you?' They replied, 'We have no water either for performing ablution or for drinking except what is present in front of you.' So he placed his hand in that pot and the water started flowing among his fingers like springs. We all drank and performed ablution (from it)." I asked Jabir, "How many were you?" he replied, "Even if we had been one-hundred-thousand, it would have been sufficient for us, but we were fifteen-hundred."
5. Rainfall during the drought
The Prophet ﷺ once saved the people who were afflicted with famine due to extreme drought, causing the crops and animals to die and the grounds infertile.
حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْمُنْذِرِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَمْرٍو، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ أَصَابَتِ النَّاسَ سَنَةٌ عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَبَيْنَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَخْطُبُ فِي يَوْمِ جُمُعَةٍ قَامَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَلَكَ الْمَالُ وَجَاعَ الْعِيَالُ، فَادْعُ اللَّهَ لَنَا. فَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ، وَمَا نَرَى فِي السَّمَاءِ قَزَعَةً، فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ مَا وَضَعَهَا حَتَّى ثَارَ السَّحَابُ أَمْثَالَ الْجِبَالِ، ثُمَّ لَمْ يَنْزِلْ عَنْ مِنْبَرِهِ حَتَّى رَأَيْتُ الْمَطَرَ يَتَحَادَرُ عَلَى لِحْيَتِهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَمُطِرْنَا يَوْمَنَا ذَلِكَ، وَمِنَ الْغَدِ، وَبَعْدَ الْغَدِ وَالَّذِي يَلِيهِ، حَتَّى الْجُمُعَةِ الأُخْرَى، وَقَامَ ذَلِكَ الأَعْرَابِيُّ ـ أَوْ قَالَ غَيْرُهُ ـ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، تَهَدَّمَ الْبِنَاءُ وَغَرِقَ الْمَالُ، فَادْعُ اللَّهَ لَنَا. فَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ، فَقَالَ " اللَّهُمَّ حَوَالَيْنَا، وَلاَ عَلَيْنَا ". فَمَا يُشِيرُ بِيَدِهِ إِلَى نَاحِيَةٍ مِنَ السَّحَابِ إِلاَّ انْفَرَجَتْ، وَصَارَتِ الْمَدِينَةُ مِثْلَ الْجَوْبَةِ، وَسَالَ الْوَادِي قَنَاةُ شَهْرًا، وَلَمْ يَجِئْ أَحَدٌ مِنْ نَاحِيَةٍ إِلاَّ حَدَّثَ بِالْجَوْدِ.
Narrated Anas bin Malik: Once in the lifetime of the Prophet (ﷺ) the people were afflicted with drought (famine). While the Prophet (ﷺ) was delivering the Khutba on a Friday, a Bedouin stood up and said, "O, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Our possessions are being destroyed and the children are hungry; Please invoke Allah (for rain)". So the Prophet (ﷺ) raised his hands. At that time there was not a trace of cloud in the sky. By Him in Whose Hands my soul is as soon as he lowered his hands, clouds gathered like mountains, and before he got down from the pulpit, I saw the rain falling on the beard of the Prophet. It rained that day, the next day, the third day, the fourth day till the next Friday. The same Bedouin or another man stood up and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! The houses have collapsed, our possessions and livestock have been drowned; Please invoke Allah (to protect us)". So the Prophet (ﷺ) raised both his hands and said, "O Allah! Round about us and not on us". So, in whatever direction he pointed with his hands, the clouds dispersed and cleared away, and Medina's (sky) became clear as a hole in between the clouds. The valley of Qanat remained flooded, for one month, none came from outside but talked about the abundant rain.
What we have shared above are just a few of many other miracles bestowed by Allah on our beloved prophet, Muhammad ﷺ. Hopefully, by pondering the miracles bestowed on him, it helps to increase our faith in Allah the Most Gracious, InshaAllah.
References:
About The Author:
Written By:
Lily Syahirah Ramlan
Lily Syahirah is a Content Writer of SimplyIslam Academy based in Selangor, Malaysia. She recently graduated with a Bachelor's Degree of Education (Teaching English as a Second Language) from International Islamic University Malaysia in 2020. She is actively invovled in public speaking, English language debates, poetry and theatre and loves to express her work through writing. Her love for language arts and imagination has led her to produce, direct and write experimental plays she's passionate about during her degree years. She was also actively invovled as a Master of Ceremony (Emcee) where she hosts minor and major events in IIUM.
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