{"id":5695,"date":"2019-12-04T00:15:46","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T05:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/?p=5695"},"modified":"2020-06-28T10:57:09","modified_gmt":"2020-06-28T15:57:09","slug":"the-physical-miracles-of-the-prophet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/the-physical-miracles-of-the-prophet\/","title":{"rendered":"The Physical Miracles of the Prophet \ufdfa: The Proofs of Prophethood Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

This publication is part of the Proofs of Prophethood series<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Grantor of Mercy<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The Physical Miracles of the Prophet<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Abstract<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Conviction in the prophethood of Muhammad \ufdfa is not dependent on his performance of miracles, but historically reliable reports of these miracles make their occurrence undeniable and increase one\u2019s awe of the Divine. This paper will feature some of the most authentically transmitted miracles, after assessing the utility, plausibility, and\u00a0provability\u00a0of miracles in the first place.<\/p>\n

Making Sense of Miracles<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad\u2019s \ufdfa ministry was supported by physical miracles that were witnessed and reported by a generation of superb moral integrity.\u00a0While the Qur\u2019an is the Prophet\u2019s \ufdfa greatest miracle, and certainly sufficient on its own as a miracle, this does not negate that God\u2019s generosity allotted humanity many other miraculous signs along with it. Some\u00a0have\u00a0claimed\u00a0that the Qur\u2019an repeatedly denies the attribution of any miracle to the Prophet Muhammad \ufdfa other than the Qur\u2019an itself\u00a0but this is not true. A careful reading\u00a0of those passages reveals that they concerned God\u2019s refusing to grant specific miracles to a defiant people, or His censure of human beings for feeling entitled to demand from God a miracle in the first place, or for disregarding the Qur\u2019an when nobody on earth\u00a0was\u00a0more equipped to recognize its matchlessness than they were.<\/p>\n

The Utility of Miracles<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

The\u00a0message<\/a><\/span>,\u00a0character<\/a><\/span>, and\u00a0accomplishments<\/a><\/span>\u00a0of the Prophet Muhammad \ufdfa all vouch for his claim to prophethood, but the power of miracles in further corroborating\u00a0our\u00a0conviction\u00a0in him\u00a0should not be underestimated.\u00a0Some people\u2019s\u00a0initial conviction\u00a0may even hinge on the performance of miracles, as that is their intellectual orientation and their\u00a0path to faith. Subsequently, however, the believer is encouraged to pursue higher states of certainty through contemplation, seeking knowledge,\u00a0and purifying\u00a0their\u00a0heart until they can witness the truth through the message of Islam itself.\u00a0As\u00a0Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 1350) writes, \u201cThe paths to guidance are diverse, as a mercy and kindness from God to His servants, due to the variation in their intellectual, mental, and spiritual insights.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0He then proceeded to give examples of how some are guided by recognizing the truth in the message itself, due to the purity of their own nature, such as Abu Bakr a\u1e63-\u1e62idd\u012bq\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>, and some recognized the truth through the impeccable character of its bearer \ufdfa, such as Khad\u012bja b. Khuwaylid\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u0639\u0646\u0647\u0627<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0A third segment of humanity was brought to faith by God through miracles,\u00a0while a fourth was\u00a0impressed\u00a0by the\u00a0triumphs and successes of the Prophet\u2019s lifetime, and a fifth group inherited faith by association.<\/p>\n

In addition to bringing some people to faith, miracles augment existing faith by inspiring those who read these stories with immense love, respect, and admiration for the Prophet Muhammad \ufdfa. Reflecting on God\u2019s Mercy and Aid to the believers grants the faithful a firm confidence in Divine Providence and Help in times of hardship and difficulty. Reading and believing in the reality of Divine omnipotence as manifested through these miracles enables a person to dream big, pushing their boundaries, and shaking off self-limiting beliefs. One recognizes that the natural order, seemingly fixed, is in fact entirely contingent on the Divine Will.<\/span><\/p>\n

This\u00a0is the utility of miracles and why deemphasizing them to appear more \u2018rational\u2019 and \u2018sophisticated\u2019 is a great disservice to many sincere conviction seekers out there. As for those solely interested in validating their presupposed truths, the Qur\u2019an itself\u00a0asserts that miracles are futile for those not willing to believe them, even if they were to witness them with their own eyes. Allah (Most High) says,\u00a0\u201cAnd even if We opened for them a gate to heaven, through which they continued to<\/strong> ascend, still they would say, \u2018Our eyes have truly been dazzled! In fact, we must have been bewitched\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0(Qur\u2019an 15:14-15).[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The Qur\u2019an repeatedly describes this inevitable response to miracles from skeptical minds across the ages and explains why some still rejected Islam after witnessing the Prophet\u2019s miracles themselves. It demonstrates the veracity of a key epistemological perspective that the Qur\u2019an postulates\u2014namely,\u00a0the futility of skepticism\u00a0as\u00a0an approach to knowledge. Even the clearest signs and miracles can be doubted if a person is willing to be skeptical of their\u00a0own\u00a0senses and question reality entirely. But, because our postmodern times view religion and especially the supernatural with greater suspicion than any other period in human history, let us first begin with dispelling the commonly held\u00a0misconceptions\u00a0that miracles are\u00a0either\u00a0logically impossible\u00a0or\u00a0historically unprovable.<\/p>\n

The Possibility of Miracles<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Most people\u00a0believe that God is the Creator of the universe and remains a willful agent in the world; hence, God\u2019s ability to perform miracles\u2014or enable others to perform them\u2014is easy for them to accept.\u00a0After all, if God created the laws of\u00a0nature, it logically follows that He is not bound by the system He designed, but can also bring about occurrences outside of that system.\u00a0Miracles are only problematic for atheists (who believe in\u00a0no God) and deists (who posit a\u00a0non-intervening God), both of whom may find it refreshing to familiarize themselves with the\u00a0Case for Allah\u2019s Existence in the Qur\u2019an and Sunnah<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

The swift developments building up to the European Enlightenment triggered in many Westerners a profound aversion\u00a0to any suggestion of miraculous\u00a0intervention.\u00a0Such objectors commonly reject the notion of miracles under the premise that demonstrable scientific truths have concluded that the natural order of this universe cannot be \u2018magically\u2019 altered. Perhaps the most notable vanguards of the miracles-are-unscientific philosophy were the Dutch rationalist Baruch Spinoza (d. 1677) and the Scottish empiricist David Hume (d. 1776). Both used various arguments to reject the possibility of miracles, all of which suffer from either factual errors, logical inconsistency, or irrelevance to the miracles of the Prophet Muhammad \ufdfa.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his\u00a0Theological-Political Treatise<\/span><\/em>, Spinoza argues that belief in miracles is but a remnant of the naive premodern mind, its inability to interpret natural phenomena, and\u00a0not the intended meaning behind\u00a0passages in the Torah. His contempt for miracles is expected, as the idea of \u2018supernatural intervention\u2019 was perceived to be at odds with the philosophical outlook of rationalism that dominated his era and soon produced the European Enlightenment. However, Spinoza\u2019s unbridled zeal to disprove\u00a0the\u00a0very possibility of miracles\u00a0is contrary to\u00a0his usual astuteness. For instance, he attempts to explain away every explicit\u00a0biblical account of miracles\u00a0as an example\u00a0of\u00a0either\u00a0hallucination or interpolation. Equally odd was his claim that every supposed miracle can be\u00a0seen as\u00a0a misunderstood natural phenomenon. While ignorance and superstition had certainly driven\u00a0ancient people to prematurely classify some events as miracles, what scientific evidence suggests that staffs can be transformed into snakes, people blind from birth can\u00a0have their sight restored, or that the moon can be split? According to Spinoza, since our knowledge of nature is incomplete, there is no way to assert that a particular event is miraculous since it may have an as-of-yet undiscovered natural explanation. Spinoza presumed that inexplicable occurrences should simply require us to rewrite our understanding of the laws of nature. However, modern philosophy of science considers Spinoza\u2019s argument fallacious; the fundamental laws of nature are not like tentative hypothetical conclusions that await data for revision. A key feature of the scientific method is reproducibility; if the same circumstances do not recreate the same event, then it does not require any such revision. Moreover,\u00a0miracles are phenomena whose supernatural origin and rupture from the natural realm is manifestly obvious; hence, they do not require revision of our knowledge of the natural laws. A bird being miraculously resurrected from a disassembled carcass (Qur\u2019an 2:260) does not require us to revise our knowledge of the natural decay of corpses.<\/p>\n

Aside from this epistemological objection to miracles, another objection Spinoza raised was quasi-theological cum ontological: \u201cIf anyone asserted that God acts in contravention to the laws of nature, he, ipso facto, would be\u00a0compelled to assert that God acted against His own nature.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0But this argument is entirely contingent upon accepting Spinoza\u2019s impoverished conception of God. Spinoza considered God as nothing other than nature itself (a view that limits the Divine so severely that many are convinced that Spinoza\u2019s beliefs are essentially no different from atheism). On such a view, certainly it would seem absurd for nature to contradict itself. But when God is the Supreme Master of all in existence, who says \u201cBe\u201d and\u00a0something\u00a0comes into existence, then there is no rational objection to God intervening in His creation and delimiting the scope of applicability for some of the natural laws that He has ordained.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is interesting that Spinoza also asserts that if miracles were true, they would imply that God created a flawed world that He had to keep repairing. Not only does this contradict his \u2018humans simply have not yet understood it\u2019 rule, but it also constitutes a strawman fallacy where a position nobody holds is being refuted. Believers do not claim that the purpose of miracles is to fix a flawed world; rather,\u00a0they\u00a0prove that the One who sent this prophet is the One who created this world and the laws that govern it, by momentarily suspending them.<\/span><\/p>\n

The weakness of Spinoza\u2019s critique was evident.\u00a0It was only after Hume published his\u00a0Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding<\/span><\/em>\u00a0that debates surrounding the logical and scientific possibility of miracles intensified. Not only were Hume\u2019s arguments more refined, but prevailing paradigms of the Enlightenment era such as skepticism and naturalism were conducive to a wider embrace of his views. Hume alleged that we are forced by the round-the-clock testimony which continues to prove nature\u2019s uniformity, to dismiss even the strongest testimony of any passing supernatural event, since it would, by definition, violate the proven laws of nature. He further justified this by the lack of historical evidence for any one miracle, and by the multitude of\u00a0the faithful\u00a0who claim them in support of their conflicting doctrines. How Islam\u2019s unique mechanism\u00a0of knowledge transmission\u00a0satisfies the criterion of historical evidence will be discussed shortly, but how can the\u00a0standoff between\u00a0accounts from different religions ever legitimize being dismissive of them all? Such haste would render the very study of history useless, since sifting through conflicting reports and weighing them against one another is every historian\u2019s methodology. Even Hume himself followed this protocol when he considered nature\u2019s ongoing testimony stronger than history\u2019s transient testimony. As for Hume\u2019s argument of empirical science over historical testimony, this stems from his conceptual framework which was effectively that of an agnostic or\u00a0atheist.\u00a0Theists, on the other hand, perceive miracles as identical to the phenomena of the natural world, in that both originate with God. Just as the universe began by the command of God, and its laws run as ordered by God, miracles can sometimes occur in it by the will of God. The reality of miracles is ultimately an extension of the Divine reality; just as God evidenced His existence and magnificence through the brilliant laws of nature, He evidenced His omnipotence and the integrity of His messengers through occasionally breaching these same laws in mind-boggling ways. Finally, the \u2018laws of nature\u2019 are a mere description of the world as we experience it, not a necessary prescription for how it\u00a0must<\/span><\/em>\u00a0function. Miracles can, therefore, simply be exceptions to the predominant natural order, contrary to it but not contradictory. That would deliver us from Hume\u2019s presumption of irreconcilability, and shift our investigation from logical possibility to historical\u00a0provability.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Provability of Miracles<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Neither the logical possibility of an omnipotent God performing miracles, nor the mere historical claim of their incidence, prove that miracles did, in fact, take place. There must be compelling evidence, and no sensible person will handle accounts of miracles without heightened scrutiny, as it is often said, \u201cextraordinary claims require extraordinary\u00a0evidence.\u201d However, we must discern whether we are genuinely open to evidence\u2014albeit extraordinary\u2014or blindly committed to our presuppositions. Consistency is an excellent litmus test; questioning whether all similar convictions I hold about life and faith meet the same stringent criteria, or has a double standard snuck in here due to prejudice or extreme skepticism? Many people today may not realize that they are, in fact, Humeans:\u00a0dogmatic naturalists who believe no amount of historical evidence for miracles can ever suffice, and that nothing at all is provable except that which we personally experience. Though\u00a0experiencing the miraculous Qur\u2019an firsthand will be the next installment in this series, consistency necessitates acknowledging that nobody actually lives by the \u201cunless I have seen it myself\u201d rule. Such a position would entail denying every map we have not charted ourselves and every scientific fact we have not personally established. Rational and balanced people accept that testimony, its traceability, and its corroboration, are acceptable proofs towards asserting that a fact or event is certainly true or likely true.<\/span><\/p>\n

The discipline of Hadith is an instrumental science in the Islamic intellectual tradition, invested in verifying reports about the Prophet Muhammad \ufdfa, and hence central\u00a0to any\u00a0discussion\u00a0of miracles. It is a unique sophisticated process which involves the interplay of seven sub-disciplines, all engineered to satisfy an inflexible stipulation of traceability for each narration. Ultimately, a tiny fraction of these transmitted narrations survive the rigorous mechanism to receive the \u201cauthentic\u201d classification, but Hadith scholars did not stop there. Authentic narrations were further stratified into\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(abundantly recurring) and\u00a0a\u1e25\u0101d<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(solitary).\u00a0Mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>\u00a0reports are those narrated by a large number of narrators in each layer of their transmission, making it inconceivable that they were all mistaken or had all colluded on a forgery.\u00a0A\u1e25\u0101d<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>reports\u2014when authentic\u2014are those transmitted reliably but without meeting the criteria of\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>, hence most Hadith scholars believe they confer preponderance (greater likelihood) as opposed\u00a0to certain knowledge. However, this majority simultaneously deems\u00a0a\u1e25\u0101d<\/span><\/em>\u00a0reports worthier of\u00a0being\u00a0accepted\u00a0than discarded, due to the reliability of their chains of transmission and the fact that all sensible people act on greater likelihood in the absence of certainty.<\/p>\n

Miracles occurring at the hands of Prophet Muhammad \ufdfa is a\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span>\u00a0<\/em>concept, meaning the sheer multitude of reports\u00a0make\u00a0it uncontestable in principle, even if some of its specific accounts are not independently\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0The occurrence of World War I is a simple example of a\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>\u00a0concept;\u00a0the concurrence of abundant testimony about it renders it inconsequential whether any particular report of it having taken place is verifiable.\u00a0Rejecting a\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>\u00a0concept would be tantamount to someone refusing to confirm that Mayan, Inca, or Aztec civilizations existed until humans invent a time machine and travel to their era themselves. Until then, this person would be willing to entertain the possibility of it all being an oversight or\u00a0transhistorical conspiracy\u2014similar to what the Flat Earth Society champions today.<\/p>\n

Islam, therefore, requires a demonstrable chain of command before attributing a statement or action (like a miracle) to its Prophet \ufdfa, unlike the many religions whose accounts of miracles are only believed by the proponents of blind faith. Muslim theologians often highlight this important distinction, and how it compels every honest person to not differentiate between the miracles of Prophet Moses and Jesus\u00a0\u0639\u0644\u064a\u0647\u0645\u0627<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u0627\u0644\u0633\u0644\u0627\u0645<\/span>\u00a0because of their comparable historicity, and first accept the miracles of Prophet Muhammad \ufdfa since their historicity is far stronger. Ibn al-Qayyim says in\u00a0Igh\u0101that al-Lahf\u0101n<\/span><\/em>, \u201cIf this [inconsistency] was the case with the miracles of these two messengers, alongside how long ago that was, and how fragmented their nations became in the world, and the eventual disappearance of their miracles, then what should be assumed regarding the prophethood of Muhammad \ufdfa and his miracles and signs when they were more recent, exceeded one thousand in number, were transmitted by the the most pure and honorable individuals ever, and when this transmission was conveyed by\u00a0taw\u0101tur<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(abundant recurrence) one century after another?\u201d[4]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Muhammad \ufdfa would additionally be the most authoritative confirmer\u00a0of\u00a0the miracles of the previous prophets\u00a0and the most qualified to\u00a0put an end to the controversies surrounding them.<\/p>\n

Specific Miracles of the Prophet<\/strong> \ufdfa<\/h1>\n

In addition to miracles being a\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>phenomenon during the Prophet\u2019s \ufdfa ministry,\u00a0<\/span>there are specific miracles whose\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>\u00a0transmission elevates them above\u00a0any\u00a0possibility of fabrication.\u00a0The remainder of this paper\u00a0discusses this subset, but we must first assert that\u00a0requiring\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>\u00a0testimony before believing anything is\u00a0cynicism, not prudence. Most of acquired human knowledge comes through\u00a0a\u1e25\u0101d<\/span>\u00a0<\/em>reports, and such a stipulation would prevent us from believing any bit of news that people circulate. It\u00a0might\u00a0even prevent us from believing our own eyes\u00a0when we are the sole witness to an event. We\u00a0generally trust\u00a0our eyes, at least until we are compelled by stronger reasons to suspect them. Therefore, after realizing the possibility and provability of miracles in principle, even\u00a0a\u1e25\u0101d<\/span><\/em>\u00a0reports of them should not be dismissed whenever their reliability is defensible and no defects in their transmission have been identified.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a brilliant passage in\u00a0Fat\u1e25 al-B\u0101ri<\/span><\/em>, in which Ibn \u1e24ajar (d. 1449) speaks on the abundance of the Prophet\u2019s miracles, he says,<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

This collectively confers necessary knowledge (certainty) that a great number of supernatural events occurred\u00a0<\/span>at<\/span>\u00a0his hands \ufdfa, in the same manner that someone can conclusively assert the generosity of \u1e24\u0101tim [\u1e6c\u0101\u2019i] and the courage of \u2018Ali, even if the individual reports on this are only speculative due to their being reported through a\u1e25\u0101d chains. However, it should be noted that many of the Prophet\u2019s miracles became well-known and widespread, were narrated by huge groups of people (mutaw\u0101tir), and consequently conferred certainty by the scholars of transmission, biographical verification, and testimony authentication<\/span>\u2014<\/span>even if those unfamiliar with these disciplines did not reach this degree of confidence regarding them. In fact, if someone were to claim that most of these incidents (even the non-mutaw\u0101tir) were definitively established, this would not be far-fetched because it is undeniable how accurately these narrators usually related these accounts in every layer of transmission. Furthermore, it is not documented from the Companions [of the Prophet \ufdfa] or those after them a single conflicting report that challenges these accounts, and this silence necessitates approval since they are collectively above turning a blind eye to falsehood. And hypothetically, had they denied one another\u2019s reports on these miracles, this would only be due to doubting the reliability of the narrator, or accusing him of lying, poor memory, or senility. As for the content of the narration itself, nobody ever criticized it.<\/span><\/em><\/strong>[5]<\/strong><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Thus, even\u00a0a\u1e25\u0101d<\/span><\/em>\u00a0reports about miracles can be considered authentic and reliable.\u00a0Despite\u00a0this, the following accounts of specific miracles will be restricted to the most indisputable examples,\u00a0those established by\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>\u00a0transmission.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Moon Splitting<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Allah (Most High) says,\u00a0\u201cThe Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two]. And if they see any miracle, they turn away and say, \u2018Passing magic.\u2019 And they denied and followed their desires<\/span>\u2014<\/span>and every matter will be settled\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(Qur\u2019an 54:1-3).<\/span><\/p>\n

In an attempt to stump him, disbelievers from the Quraysh clan demanded an undeniable sign from the Prophet \ufdfa, which led to God splitting the moon before their eyes; the Prophet\u00a0\ufdfa\u00a0then said,\u00a0\u201cBehold<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/strong>[6]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The baffled crowd said that Muhammad must have cast a spell on them, but\u00a0since\u00a0he could not have cast a spell on everyone,\u00a0they decided to\u00a0ask the travelers from surrounding areas if they saw what\u00a0they\u00a0did.\u00a0They sent riders racing out to question those beyond the city of Mecca, and they too confirmed having seen the exact same phenomenon.[7]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Ultimately, the idolaters from Quraysh chose denial and,\u00a0because\u00a0nobody could deny seeing the moon split, they were forced to deny their own eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many Hadith luminaries have independently verified the\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>-grade reporting of this miraculous event by exploring its narrators from every layer of transmission.\u00a0This was done by as-Subki in\u00a0Shar\u1e25 Mukhtasar Ibn al-\u1e24\u0101jib<\/span><\/em>, Ibn \u1e24ajar in\u00a0al-Am\u0101li<\/span><\/em>, al-Qur\u1e6dubi in\u00a0al-Mufhim<\/span><\/em>, Ibn Kath\u012br in\u00a0al-Bid\u0101ya wan-Nih\u0101ya<\/span><\/em>, Imam al-Mun\u0101wi in\u00a0Shar\u1e25 Alfiyat al-\u2018Ir\u0101qi<\/span><\/em>, and Ibn \u2018Abdil-Barr, among others.[8]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Alongside showcasing many reports of the moon-splitting, Ibn Kath\u012br (d. 1373) brings a key aspect of this incident to our attention:\u00a0\u201cWhen the moon split, it never left the sky, rather it cleaved once the Prophet \ufdfa gestured to it and became two pieces. It [only] proceeded to hover behind Mount \u1e24ir\u0101\u2019, setting the mountain between itself and its counterpart, as described by Ibn Mas\u2018\u016bd who reports witnessing this himself.\u201d[9]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Imam al-Kha\u1e6d\u1e6d\u0101bi (d. 988) similarly said, \u201cThe moon splitting was a grand sign\u00a0to which\u00a0no other prophet\u2019s miracle could\u00a0compare, for it was something that appeared in the distant sky that was contrary to every naturally existing phenomenon which this world is comprised of. It therefore falls beyond what anyone can hope to achieve through trickery, making its proof value even more evident.\u201d[10]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Of the bizarre objections to this incident is the expectation that there should be scientifically detectable sequelae to a supernatural event, such as a gravitational disturbance or a geological trace on the moon\u2019s surface. However, this is a fallacious objection. The splitting of the moon is a miraculous phenomenon, something that transcends the natural order.\u00a0It is unclear why one should\u00a0expect a supernatural event to have natural effects. Miracles are always meant for those who witness them directly. It is certainly within the power of an Omnipotent God to cleave asunder an astronomical object while suspending any of the expected impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another objection is\u00a0why people beyond the Prophet\u2019s audience did not see the moon split. This is a very weak objection, founded on a false presumption about historical records and the global visibility of a miracle that was intended for the Prophet\u2019s audience. Classical scholars like az-Zajj\u0101j[11]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0have offered many possible answers to satisfy this inquiry. Among them is that people near Mecca did, in fact, confirm it and that other geographical locations were either experiencing daylight or were deeper into the night when hardly anyone would be awake and inspecting the sky. Another possibility is lack of visibility, or that a few other people saw it worldwide but assumed it to be a hallucination, or feared being accused of such, or shared it with others but were not taken seriously.\u00a0People identify and report events based on context; a momentary decontextualized strange sight in the sky would be unlikely to be believed, reported, or documented, let alone transmitted.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Night Journey<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Allah (Most High) says,\u00a0\u201cGlory be to the One Who took His servant [Muhammad] by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him of Our signs. Indeed, He Alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(Qur\u2019an 17:1).<\/span><\/p>\n

The Prophet Muhammad \ufdfa was taken from Mecca to Jerusalem and back in a single night; a journey that would ordinarily take a full month for any traveler in the 7th century.\u00a0When the pagans caught scent of this story being shared the following morning, they became jubilant with hopes of finally proving Muhammad was a madman. They rushed to gather everyone around him, and to their delight, people literally fell off their seats in laughter upon hearing this \u2018ludicrous tale\u2019 from the Prophet \ufdfa. Saddened by their mockery and disbelief, he \ufdfa proceeded to the Ka\u2018ba where he praised God and asked Him to be reshown Jerusalem. To the dismay of everyone present, the Prophet \ufdfa then began describing that blessed city\u00a0in\u00a0inexplicable detail, as if he was walking through it at that very moment. People nervously turned to the Meccan traders who\u2014unlike Muhammad\u2014were known to frequent Jerusalem, only to find them admitting his accuracy. Many still\u00a0denied\u00a0him and stormed out in frustration.<\/span><\/p>\n

As history tends to repeat itself, the leading critics of Islam today\u2014like\u00a0the\u00a0new atheists\u00a0Richard Dawkins[12]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0and Sam Harris[13]<\/a><\/sup>\u2014also love to taunt Muslims who accept that \u2018Muhammad flew to heaven on a winged horse\u2019 and in the process reject \u2018scientific realism.\u2019 However, this shows demonstrable ignorance about the Islamic faith, in addition to fallacious reasoning that actually undermines the scientific enterprise. With regards to their lack of familiarity with what Islamic sources actually say, it should be known that the creature called al-Bur\u0101q was emphatically not a winged horse and was never described as such by the Prophet Muhammad \ufdfa.[14]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Moreover, the narrations explicitly mention that al-Bur\u0101q took the Prophet to Jerusalem; the mechanism by which God ascended the Prophet to Heaven is a different matter, as has been discussed in the Islamic tradition.[15]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

As for the logical fallacy behind this argument, it is grounded only in what is known as\u00a0argumentum ad incredulum<\/span><\/em>\u2014the argument from incredulity. They seek for people to ridicule a belief purely because it sounds unimaginable and fantastically foreign to the natural realm. Yet, it is,\u00a0in fact,\u00a0the logical consequence of belief in an omnipotent God that such miraculous matters lie entirely within His Capability. Moreover, the argument from incredulity would entail the demise of science for it is science\u00a0that\u00a0continually challenges our imagination of what is possible, unveiling the unfathomable world of quantum mechanics, bringing to light the possibility of multiple dimensions, and so on. To dismiss something out of hand simply on the basis of incredulity would spell the end of the scientific enterprise which challenges us to explore the frontiers beyond what is imaginable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr.\u00a0Hatem al-Haj<\/a>, a contemporary Muslim scholar, explains that \u201cnot being described as a huge horse or something fancier stresses the point that it was not about this particular creature; it was about the will of God. Just as God said about the legions of angels He sends to support the believers,\u00a0\u2018And Allah made it not except as [a sign of] good tidings for you and to reassure your hearts thereby. And victory is not except from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise\u2019<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0(Qur\u2019an 3:126). God created the laws of physics, and it is only rational that He is not bound by them. The inclusion of al-Bur\u0101q in the story made it more\u00a0memorable. It was also meant to be familiar for the comfort and assurance of the rider, blessings and peace be upon him.\u201d[16]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

In addition to the Qur\u2019an\u00a0describing\u00a0this night journey, al-Katt\u0101ni (d. 1927) collected the names of forty-five different Companions who reported in corroboration this astonishing event.[17]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0In one of these narrations, \u2018Aisha\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a<\/span>\u00a0\u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 <\/span><\/span>\u0639\u0646\u0647\u0627<\/span>\u00a0reports that even some Muslims felt this miracle was too outrageous to accept, and reneged on their Islam that morning as a result. They rushed to her father, Abu Bakr\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>, and said in protest, \u201cYour companion is claiming he was taken to Jerusalem last night.\u201d Abu Bakr asked, \u201cDid he say that?\u201d They said, \u201cYes.\u201d He said, \u201cIf he did, in fact, say that, then he has been truthful.\u201d They said, \u201cYou are willing to believe that he was carried to Jerusalem in a single night?\u201d He said, \u201cYes, for I believe him about something that is more astonishing than that; I believe that he receives messages from heaven in the blink of an eye.\u201d \u2018Aisha\u00a0<\/span>\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647\u0627<\/span>\u00a0says that it was from that day forward that Abu Bakr was crowned with the title\u00a0a\u1e63-\u1e62idd\u012bq<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(the confirmer of truth).[18]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Finally, the Qur\u2019an is filled with parallels of this miracle, such as God splitting time for the man who slept a hundred years without aging while his donkey decomposed (Qur\u2019an 2:259), and for the youth and their dog who slept for 309 years while generations\u00a0were born and died\u00a0outside their cave (Qur\u2019an 18:9-25).<\/span><\/p>\n

The Tree Weeping<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u2018Abdull\u0101h b. \u2018Umar\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647\u00a0<\/span>\u0639<\/span>\u0646\u0647\u0645\u0627<\/span>\u00a0reports that the Prophet \ufdfa used to deliver his sermons while standing beside the trunk of a date-palm tree. Upon the request of an An\u1e63\u0101ri woman, the Prophet \ufdfa permitted that a small pulpit of three steps be constructed for him so that he\u00a0would be more visible and project his voice farther into the growing audience. When the Prophet \ufdfa ascended the new pulpit on the following Friday, loud sounds of weeping emerged from this tree-trunk. The Prophet \ufdfa descended and proceeded over to it, and began rubbing his hand over it just as someone does to quiet a child. Anas b. M\u0101lik\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0adds, \u201cAnd the mosque shook from its whimpers.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Sahl b. Sa\u2018d\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0adds, \u201cMany people started weeping from hearing its crying and moaning.\u201d Ibn \u2018Abb\u0101s\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647\u0645\u0627<\/span>\u00a0adds, \u201cHe \ufdfa went and hugged it until it quieted, then said [to us],\u00a0\u2018Had I not embraced it, it would have continued like this until the Day of Resurrection.\u2019<\/span><\/strong>\u201d Jabir\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0adds, \u201cIt was weeping over the Revelation that it would hear [recited] close by.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

These were\u00a0only\u00a0five Companions who reported this incident firsthand, though nearly twenty in total were present, according to the leading Hadith authorities. Ibn \u1e24ajar summarizes this investigation by saying, \u201cThe hadith(s) of the tree weeping and moon splitting have each been transmitted by an enormous number, one that offers sure knowledge for Hadith experts who examine their chains of transmission, not those untrained in that, and Allah knows best.\u201d[19]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Similarly, al-Mun\u0101wi reports this hadith on the tree whimpering through many authentic chains which\u00a0collectively entail it being a\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>\u00a0event, then states that it has been narrated from nearly twenty Companions.[20]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Their corroboration led al-Bayhaqi (d. 1066) to say that tracing the narrations of this incident to verify whether it happened or not, after an entire generation conveyed it to an entire generation without any discrepancy in principle, is\u00a0unnecessary.[21]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Imam ash-Sh\u0101fi\u2018i (d. 820) said, \u201cGod never granted any prophet what He granted Muhammad.\u201d \u2018Amr b. Saw\u0101d disagreed, saying, \u201cJesus was given the ability to revive the dead\u2026\u201d He replied, \u201cMuhammad was granted the whimpering of the tree-trunk, till it could be heard, and this is greater than that.\u201d Ibn Kath\u012br cites this exchange and then explains; \u201cHe said it was greater because a tree-trunk is not subject to becoming alive [as humans are], and yet it became sensitive and emotional when he left it for the pulpit. It whimpered and moaned like a pregnant camel does until Allah\u2019s Messenger \ufdfa stepped down and embraced it.\u201d[22]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0This should never be understood as\u00a0slighting the previous signs of God or His messengers, as that is tantamount to disbelief in Islam.<\/p>\n

Increasing the Water Supply<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Imam an-Nawawi (d. 1277) says, \u201cThese hadith(s) on water gushing from among his fingers and increasing for him, and the food supply increasing as well, are all clear miracles\u00a0performed\u00a0by Allah\u2019s Messenger \ufdfa on many occasions and in different conditions and have collectively reached\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>\u00a0status.\u201d[23]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Hadith scholars have compiled volumes on just these incidents, of which are the following:<\/span><\/p>\n

Ibn Mas\u2018\u016bd\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0said, \u201cWe used to consider miracles as Allah\u2019s Blessings, but you people consider them to be threatening. We were once with the Messenger of Allah \ufdfa on a journey, and our water ran short. He said,\u00a0\u201cBring me the remaining water.\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0The people presented him a vessel containing water, which he then placed his hands inside of and said,\u00a0\u201cCome get the blessed purification water, and all blessings are from Allah.\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0I saw the water flowing from between the fingers of Allah\u2019s Messenger \ufdfa. Indeed, we used to also hear the food glorifying Allah as it was being eaten [by him].\u201d[24]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

J\u0101bir b. \u2018Abdill\u0101h\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0narrated that the people became very thirsty on the Day of \u1e24udaybiya. There was a small pot containing some water in front of the Prophet \ufdfa, and he found the people rushing towards him as he finished performing his ritual ablution using it. He \ufdfa asked them,\u00a0\u201cWhat has happened?\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0They said, \u201cWe neither have water for ablution nor drinking.\u201d So he \ufdfa placed his palm into that pot, and water began flowing upwards from between his fingers like springs. He said,\u00a0\u201cAll those seeking ablution, come forward; the blessing is from Allah.\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0J\u0101bir said, \u201cWe all drank and performed ablution [from that pot], and I did not care how much I drank because I knew it was blessed.\u201d One narrator asked J\u0101bir, \u201cHow many were you?\u201d He said, \u201cEven if we had been one hundred thousand, it would have been sufficient for us, but we were fifteen hundred.\u201d[25]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Anas b. Malik\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0personally narrated several other nearly identical incidents[26]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0of water pouring forth from between the Prophet\u2019s \ufdfa blessed fingers.<\/span><\/p>\n

These reports may indicate that water was emerging from the actual fingers of the Prophet \ufdfa, or that\u00a0it\u00a0sprang\u00a0through the gaps between them. The majority of Hadith interpreters\u2014including al-Bughawi and as-Suy\u016b\u1e6di\u2014chose the first view, and consequently deemed this feat particularly exceptional. Ibn \u2018Abdil-Barr (d. 1071) explains, \u201cWhat the Prophet \ufdfa was granted in this inimitable miracle is clearer than the signs of the other prophets, and even the most notable of them, such as what Moses had been granted when he struck the stone with his staff, causing twelve springs to erupt from it. That is because some stones can be found with springs erupting from them, while water emerging from between the fingers of a human being has never been witnessed from anyone but our Prophet, salutations and peace be upon him.\u201d[27]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Of course, this does not disparage the profound sign of Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, just as stones erupting with 12 springs for the Israelites do not disparage God\u2019s sign in erupting springs for mankind at the most unexpected places.<\/span><\/p>\n

Increasing the Food Supply<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Salama b. al-Akwa\u2018\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0narrates: We once set out on an expedition with Allah\u2019s Messenger \ufdfa and faced great hardship, and decided to slaughter some of our riding animals [for food]. The Messenger of Allah \ufdfa ordered us to pool our food rations, so we spread a sheet and leather where everyone\u2019s rations were collected. I stretched myself to assess how much that was, and it was [only] the area a small goat could sit on. We were fourteen hundred people; we ate to our satisfaction and then filled our bags with provisions. The Messenger of Allah \ufdfa then said,\u00a0\u201cIs there any water for performing ablution?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>A man came forward with a small container that held very little water, which the Prophet \ufdfa emptied into a wider basin. From that amount all thoroughly performed their ablution. Eight individuals later came and said, \u201cIs there any water left to perform ablution?\u201d Allah\u2019s Messenger \ufdfa replied,\u00a0\u201cThe ablution water has finished.\u201d<\/span><\/strong>[28]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0As Imam an-Nawawi points out elsewhere, \u201cWhen a Companion narrates something this incredible, and cites as evidence personally attending it himself along with the other Companions, who hear his narration and claim or hear about it, and do not denounce him, that further confirms it and necessitates [sure] knowledge about the truth of his words.\u201d[29]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

J\u0101bir b. \u2018Abdill\u0101h\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0reports that his father, \u2018Abdull\u0101h b. \u2018Amr b. \u1e24ar\u0101m, died while leaving behind a sizable debt. He said, \u201cSo I sought the Prophet\u2019s \ufdfa help with his creditors so that they would decrease his debt. He \ufdfa requested this [from them], but they refused, so the Prophet \ufdfa said to me, \u2018Go divide your dates according to their\u00a0kinds; set the \u2018Ajwa dates on one side and the \u2018Idhq Ibn Zayd on another side, then notify me.\u2019 I did so, then notified the Messenger of Allah \ufdfa. He came, sat down, then said,\u00a0\u2018Measure for the people (creditors).\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>I measured out their amounts until I had repaid them all that they were owed and my dates remained as if nothing had decreased from them.\u201d When \u2018Umar b. al-Kha\u1e6d\u1e6d\u0101b\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0was informed of this miraculous surplus, he said, \u201cOnce the Messenger of Allah \ufdfa walked in [your garden], I knew it would be blessed.\u201d[30]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\u2018Abdur-Rahm\u0101n b. Abi Bakr\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647\u00a0<\/span>\u0639\u0646\u0647\u0645\u0627<\/span>\u00a0reports: \u201cWe were 130 people with the Prophet \ufdfa, and he said to us,\u00a0\u2018Does any one of you have food with them?\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>One man had about a\u00a0s\u00e2\u2018<\/span><\/em>[31]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0of food, and so that was mixed. Then a tall pagan man with disheveled hair came by driving some sheep. The Prophet said to him, \u2018Selling or gifting?\u2019 He said, \u2018No, selling.\u2019 He purchased a sheep from him and it was cooked, and the Prophet \ufdfa ordered that the liver be roasted [as well]. By Allah, there was not a single person from the 130 except that the Prophet \ufdfa cut for him a piece of its liver; those who were present were given, and those absent were stowed for. It was made into two dishes which they all ate from, and we had our fill, and [yet] the two dishes remained and we loaded them onto a camel.\u201d[32]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

J\u0101bir b. \u2018Abdill\u0101h\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647\u00a0<\/span>\u0639\u0646<\/span>\u0647<\/span>\u00a0reports: We were digging on the Day of the Trench\u00a0when a huge solid boulder hindered us. They came to the Prophet \ufdfa and complained to him about this boulder, and he said,\u00a0\u201cI am coming.\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0He then stood, stones tied to his stomach, as we had not tasted food in three days, and took the sledgehammer and struck the boulder until it became a dust mound. I said, \u201cO Messenger of Allah, would you permit me to [go to] my home?\u201d I [went and] said to my wife, \u201cI saw on the Prophet \ufdfa something that one cannot bear (i.e., the stones he\u00a0had\u00a0fastened from hunger). Do you have anything?\u201d She said, \u201cI have some wheat and a small goat.\u201d I slaughtered the small goat, ground the wheat, then placed the meat in the clay pot. Before I left, my wife said, \u201cDo not humiliate me in front of the Prophet \ufdfa and those with him.\u201d I went to the Prophet \ufdfa and whispered to him, \u201cI have a little food, so you come, O Messenger of Allah, along with a man or two.\u201d He said,\u00a0\u201cHow much is it?\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0I informed him, so he said,\u00a0\u201cThat is plenty and good!\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Then, he \ufdfa said,\u00a0\u201cO People of the Trench! [Stand, all of you], J\u0101bir has prepared a banquet for you. Let us go.\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0The Muh\u0101jir\u012bn and An\u1e63\u0101r stood, and the Prophet \ufdfa said to me, \u201cTell her not to pull the pot, nor the bread from the oven, until I come.\u201d When I entered upon my wife and informed her of the army behind me, she said, \u201cWhat is with you?!\u201d I said, \u201cI did what you said!\u201d She said, \u201cDid he ask you?\u201d I said, \u201cYes.\u201d The dough was brought out to the Prophet \ufdfa, and he spat in it and prayed for blessings, then reached for the pot and did the same. Then, he would tear the bread and place it inside the pot and serve ample bread and meat to each Companion. They were one thousand people and, by Allah, each of them ate until they stopped [of their own accord] and left, and our pot was still\u00a0full\u00a0and our bread still plenty. In the end, he \ufdfa said to us,\u00a0\u201cEat from this, or gift it, for the people [of Madinah] have been struck with hunger.\u201d<\/span><\/strong>[33]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Anas b. M\u0101lik\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0reports: Abu Tal\u1e25a said to Um Sulaym, \u201cI have heard the voice of Allah\u2019s Messenger \ufdfa reflecting weakness, and I could recognize hunger in it. Do you have anything?\u201d She said, \u201cYes.\u201d She pulled out several wheat loaves, wrapped them in her veil, then tucked them under my arm and wrapped me with the remaining part of the veil. She sent me to the Messenger of Allah \ufdfa and, upon reaching the mosque, I found people with him. I stood beside them, until the Messenger of Allah \ufdfa said to me,\u00a0\u201cDid Abu Tal\u1e25a send you?\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0I said, \u201cYes.\u201d He said,\u00a0\u201cWith food?\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0I said, \u201cYes.\u201d The Messenger of Allah \ufdfa then said to the people,\u00a0\u201cLet us go.\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0They took off, and I took off in front of them\u00a0until I reached Abu Tal\u1e25a and informed him. Abu Tal\u1e25a said, \u201cO Um Sulaym, the Messenger of Allah \ufdfa has come, accompanied by the people, and we have nothing to feed them.\u201d She said, \u201cAllah and His Messenger know best.\u201d Upon arrival, the Messenger of Allah \ufdfa said, \u201cO Um Sulaym, what do you have?\u201d She presented that same bread, which the Prophet \ufdfa took and shredded, and then Um Sulaym emptied her jar of shortening (butter) over it as a condiment. The Messenger of Allah \ufdfa then supplicated over it for however long he wished before saying,\u00a0\u201cPermit for ten [to enter].\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0They were permitted entrance\u00a0and ate to their fill before leaving. Then he said,\u00a0\u201cPermit for ten.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>They too were permitted entrance and ate to their fill before leaving. Then he said,\u00a0\u201cPermit for ten.\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Everyone ate in this fashion, until they all had their fill, and they were seventy or eighty men in total.[34]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Answered Prayers<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Al-Q\u0101\u1e0di \u2018Iy\u0101\u1e0d (d. 1149) says, \u201cThe Prophet\u2019s \ufdfa supplications being answered for those he prayed for and against is\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>\u00a0in principle, known by necessity.\u201d[35]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0He meant that God responded to the prayers of the Prophet \ufdfa on so many occasions, and this was corroborated by testimony from so many directions, that doubting it would be utterly irrational. An outnumbered and unequipped Muslim army was granted victory by God at the Battle of Badr, milk was drawn from the udders of a non-lactating goat, and rain poured from a cloudless sky\u2014all by virtue of the Prophet \ufdfa raising his palms to the heavens, and those who spent the shortest time with him witnessed these events, and were driven to conviction by them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anas\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0narrates that as the Prophet \ufdfa was once delivering a Friday sermon, a man rose up and said, \u201cO Messenger of Allah, the horses and sheep have perished; will you not invoke Allah to bless us with rain?\u201d The Prophet \ufdfa proceeded to lift his two hands and supplicated at a time when the sky was as clear as glass. Suddenly wind blew, driving together the clouds and causing heavy rain. We exited [the mosque] wading through the flowing water till we reached our homes. It kept raining until the following Friday, when the same man\u2014or another man\u2014stood up and said, \u201cO Messenger of Allah \ufdfa, the houses have [almost] collapsed; please ask Allah to withhold the rain!\u201d On that, the Prophet \ufdfa smiled and said,\u00a0\u201cO Allah, [let it rain] around us and not upon us.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>I looked to the clouds and found them separating into a crown-like formation around Madinah.[36]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Abu Hurayra\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646<\/span>\u0647<\/span>\u00a0narrates that he once came to the Prophet \ufdfa with tears in his eyes, which caused him to ask,\u00a0\u201cWhat makes you cry, O Abu Hurayrah?\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0He said, \u201cI have not stopped inviting my mother to Islam but she continues to reject it. Today, I invited her again and heard from her painful words about you. Pray that Allah opens the heart of Abu Hurayra\u2019s mother to Islam.\u201d The Prophet \ufdfa obliged and said,\u00a0\u201cO Allah, guide the mother of Abu Hurayra.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>Abu Hurayra narrates: I left hopeful from the prayer of the Prophet \ufdfa and returned home to find the door partially open and could hear water splashing inside. When my mother heard my footsteps, she said, \u201cStay where you are, O Abu Hurayra.\u201d After putting on her clothes, she instructed me to enter. When I entered, she said, \u201cI testify that none is worthy of worship but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.\u201d I returned to the Prophet \ufdfa while weeping with joy, just as an hour earlier I had gone weeping in sadness, and said, \u201cGreat news, O Messenger of Allah! Allah has answered your prayer and guided the mother of Abu Hurayra to Islam.\u201d He praised Allah and thanked Him, and then I said, \u201cO Messenger of Allah, pray that Allah make my mother and I beloved to His believing slaves, and make them beloved to us.\u201d He \ufdfa obliged, and there has not been a believing slave who hears of me, or sees me, except that he loves me.[37]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\u2018Abdull\u0101h b. \u2018Abb\u0101s\u00a0<\/span>\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647\u0645\u0627<\/span>\u00a0narrates: I once placed water for the Prophet \ufdfa upon him entering the lavatory, so that he could perform his ablution. He \ufdfa asked,\u00a0\u201cWho placed this?\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0They informed him that I had placed it, so he said,\u00a0\u201cO Allah, grant him a deep understanding of the religion, and teach him to interpret [the Qur\u2019an].<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/strong>[38]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Shortly after the Prophet\u2019s death, even the senior-most Companions recognized that this young man had developed a unique prowess when it came to understanding the Qur\u2019an and elucidating its nuances. Fourteen centuries later, nearly every credible work on Qur\u2019anic commentary from Sunni scholarship considers the explanations of Ibn \u2018Abb\u0101s authoritative, is filled with examples of his exegetical forte, and testifies to him being\u00a0Turju<\/span>m\u0101n al-Qur\u2019\u0101n<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(the Master Interpreter of the Qur\u2019an).<\/p>\n

Anas b. Malik\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0narrates: The Messenger of Allah \ufdfa once visited us at home while nobody was there but myself, my mother (Um Sulaym), and her sister (Um \u1e24ar\u0101m). My mother said to him, \u201cO Messenger of Allah, this is your little servant (Anas); invoke Allah\u2019s blessings upon him.\u201d He \ufdfa supplicated that I be afforded every good, and this is what he said to conclude his supplication:\u00a0\u201cO Allah, increase him in his wealth and progeny, and bless him in what you grant him.\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0By Allah, my wealth has certainly become abundant, and my children and grandchildren [together] certainly surpass a hundred today.[39]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\u2018Abdull\u0101h b. \u2018Umar\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647\u0645\u0627<\/span>\u00a0narrates that the Prophet \ufdfa said,\u00a0\u201cO Allah, honor Islam through the dearest of these two men to you: through Abu Jahl or through \u2018Umar b. al-Kha\u1e6d\u1e6d\u0101b.\u201d<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Ibn \u2018Umar said, \u201cAnd the dearest of them turned out to be \u2018Umar.\u201d[40]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Indeed, no person from the Prophet\u2019s Companions honored Islam by advancing its public presence like \u2018Umar\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>, as Ibn Mas\u2018\u016bd\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0used to say, \u201cWe remained powerful since the moment \u2018Umar embraced Islam.\u201d[41]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Even after the Prophet\u2019s death, it was the unique impact of \u2018Umar in spreading the light of Islam that compelled the historian Michael Hart to showcase him in his book,\u00a0The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History<\/span><\/em>.[42]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Abu \u2018Umra al-An\u1e63\u0101ri\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0reports: During a battle alongside the Messenger of Allah \ufdfa, the people once again suffered from great hunger, and \u2018Umar\u00a0\u0631\u0636\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0639\u0646\u0647<\/span>\u00a0said, \u201cO Messenger of Allah, if you see [it proper], you can collect what remains of our rations. We can gather them, then you can call upon Allah to bless them, for Allah the Blessed and Exalted will certainly deliver us with your supplication.\u201d Some people brought a single handful, and nobody had more than a\u00a0s\u00e2\u2018<\/span>\u00a0<\/em>of dates. The Messenger of Allah \ufdfa gathered it all together, then stood and supplicated for as long as Allah willed. Then, he called the army to come forth with their containers and fill them, and there did not remain a single container in the whole army except that they filled it! The Messenger of Allah \ufdfa smiled until his molars could be seen, and said,\u00a0\u201cI testify that none is worthy of worship except Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah. No slave meets Allah with these two [statements] except that the Fire is veiled from him on the Day of Resurrection.\u201d<\/span><\/strong>[43]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Ibn Taymiya says, \u201cIt is known that when Allah accustoms someone to having\u00a0their prayers answered, this only happens in conjunction with righteousness and religiosity. When someone claims prophethood, they are either the most pious person\u2014in the case they are truthful\u2014or the most wicked person\u2014in the case they are lying. But when Allah accustoms them to answering their supplications, then [it must be that] they are not wicked but instead pious. Even if the claim of prophethood was only accompanied by righteousness [from the claimant, without miracles], it would necessitate him being a genuine prophet, for such a person cannot be someone who deliberately lies, nor can he be some deluded person who assumes that he is a prophet.\u201d[44]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The physical miracles of the Prophet Muhammad \ufdfa are therefore not \u2018the failing weak leg that the entire case for Islam hobbles on\u2019 as some skeptics claim. They are neither the only proof of his prophethood nor are they unfounded. Due to their\u00a0mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>\u00a0transmission, the historical proofs backing them are staggering, and confer such certainty that their denial would necessitate rejecting the miracles of all other prophets, and rejecting every last factoid of acquired knowledge. As for the presumed \u2018logical\u2019 and \u2018scientific\u2019 contentions against miracles, they only stem from a faulty theology, such as the indefensible claims of God not existing or not being anything but nature itself. But when such theologies are the ethos of today\u2019s dominant culture, and when humans have such a propensity for groupthink, those positions being intellectually tenable is irrelevant. This is why the God of the Qur\u2019an evokes objectivity in humanity, liberating them from the indoctrination which resists the glaring proofs of prophethood;\u00a0\u201cSay O Prophet, \u2018I advise you with just one thing: that you take a stand for \u02f9the sake of\u02fa God\u2014individually or in pairs\u2014then reflect. Your companion (Muhammad) surely has no traces of insanity; he is but a warner to you before the coming of a severe punishment\u2019\u201d<\/strong> (<\/span>Qur\u2019an\u00a0<\/span>34:46). In this verse is a call to courage, as honesty and the willingness to\u00a0detach oneself\u00a0from the herd can sometimes come with a significant cost.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya,\u00a0<\/span>Mift\u0101h D\u0101r as-Sa\u2018\u0101da<\/span><\/em>, Maktabat al-Kutub al-\u2018Ilmiyya, Beirut, 2\/13.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[2]<\/a>\u00a0In fact, to this day, when asked what proof it would take for them to reconsider their position and believe in the Divine, some prominent atheist debaters have candidly admitted that there is absolutely nothing that would change their mind. Even a miracle of the most spectacular kind would be dismissed as a \u2018hallucination\u2019 (See for instance\u00a0<\/span>John Lennox vs Peter Atkins \u2013 Can science explain everything? Southampton University Christian Union, January 31st, 2019<\/a><\/span>). Of course, this is precisely what the Qur\u2019an indicates, that even the greatest of miracles will not convince one who obstinately chooses to ignore every conceivable form of proof.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[3]<\/a>\u00a0Baruch Spinoza,\u00a0<\/span>A Theological Political Treatise<\/span><\/em>, Dover Philosophical Classics (2004), Chapter VI, p. 83.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[4]<\/a>\u00a0Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya,\u00a0<\/span>Igh\u0101that al-Lahf\u0101n<\/span><\/em>, Maktabat al-Ma\u2018<\/span>\u0101<\/span>rif, Riyadh (1975), 2\/347.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[5]<\/a>\u00a0Ibn \u1e24ajar al-\u2018Asqal<\/span>\u0101<\/span>ni,\u00a0<\/span>Fat\u1e25 al-B\u0101ri<\/span><\/em>, D\u0101r al-Ma\u2018rifah, Beirut (1960), 6\/582.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[6]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by al-Bukh\u0101ri (3636-3638, 4864-4868), Muslim (2800, 6724-6730), and at-Tirmidhi (3285-3289) with authentic chains.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[7]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by Abu D\u0101w\u016bd (2447), al-Bayhaqi in\u00a0<\/span>Dal\u0101\u2019il al-Nubuwwa<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(2\/266), and Ibn Jar\u012br a\u1e6d-\u1e6cabari in his\u00a0<\/span>Tafs\u012br<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(22\/567), among others. The first portion was also collected by at-Tirmidhi (3289).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[8]<\/a>\u00a0Muhammad al-Katt\u0101ni,\u00a0<\/span>Na\u1e93m al-Mutan\u0101thir min al-\u1e24adith al-Mutaw\u0101tir<\/span><\/em>, D\u0101r al-Kutub al-\u064dSalafiyya, no. 264.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[9]<\/a>\u00a0Ism\u0101\u2018\u012bl b. Kath\u012br,\u00a0<\/span>al-Bid\u0101ya wan-Nih\u0101ya<\/span><\/em>, D\u0101r Hujar, Egypt (2003), 4\/303.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[10]<\/a>\u00a0Ibn \u1e24ajar al-\u2018Asqal\u0101ni,\u00a0<\/span>Fat\u1e25 al-B\u0101ri<\/span><\/em>, 7\/185.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[11]<\/a>\u00a0Ibid.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[12]<\/a>\u00a0\u201cRidiculing belief in a winged horse is not \u201cbigotry<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d not \u201cIslamophobia<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d not \u201cracism<\/span>.<\/span>\u201d It\u2019s sober, decent, gentle, scientific realism.\u201d Richard Dawkins, Twitter @RichardDawkins, 2:20 AM \u2013 27 Dec 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[13]<\/a>\u00a0Sam Harris writes, \u201cScience, in the broadest sense, includes all reasonable claims to knowledge about ourselves and the world. If there were good reasons to believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, or that Muhammad flew to heaven on a winged horse, these beliefs would necessarily form part of our rational description of the universe.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Science must destroy religion<\/span><\/em>, January 2, 2006.\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/samharris.org\/science-must-destroy-religion\/<\/a><\/span>\u00a0In this essay, of course, Sam Harris merely begs the question, dismissing out of hand the notion that there could be any good reasons to entertain the existence of miracles in the world, despite the overwhelming evidence of testimony to the contrary. But dismissing the evidence of testimony entails a death sentence for science, since science is grounded upon the faithful testimony of scientists regarding their accumulated experimental data, the vast majority of which could not be feasibly reproduced (See for instance\u00a0<\/span>Baker, M. (2016) 1,500 scientists lift the lid on reproducibility.\u00a0<\/a><\/span>Nature<\/a><\/span>\u00a0533, 452\u2013454<\/a><\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[14]<\/a>\u00a0Al-Bur\u0101q is a creature that is not from this world\u00a0and has been described as a white beast that was smaller than a mule but larger than a donkey, whose stride was as far as the eye could see. When the Prophet mounted al-Bur\u0101q, the creature shied, upon which the Angel Jibr\u012bl said to al-Bur\u0101q, \u201cDo you behave this way with Muhammad? Verily, no one has ridden you who is more noble than him!\u201d (Tirmidhi). This may suggest that al-Bur\u0101q had been ridden by other riders from the homeworld of this creature, perhaps even indicating extra-terrestrial life<\/span>\u2013<\/span>forms known only to God; see for instance Qadhi, Yasir.\u00a0<\/span>Seerah of Prophet Muhammed 21<\/a><\/span>, lecture delivered 25th January, 2012.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[15]<\/a>\u00a0Ibn \u1e24ajar notes in his\u00a0<\/span>commentary on the hadith<\/a><\/span>\u00a0that other narrations specifically mention that after the Prophet Muhammad arrived in Jerusalem, he left al-Bur\u0101q and ascended to Heaven through the\u00a0<\/span>mi\u2018r\u0101j<\/span>, a portal of ascension<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>concerning which the Prophet \ufdfa stated,\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>I have never seen anything more wondrous than it.\u201d Az-Zarq\u0101ni and Mulla Ali al-Q\u0101ri\u00a0<\/span>point out<\/a><\/span>\u00a0that the abridged version of the hadith simply mentions the ascension after mentioning the Prophet riding al-Bur\u0101q, without mentioning that he dismounted al-Bur\u0101q in Jerusalem, which is specified in other hadith(s).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[16]<\/a>\u00a0Adapted, with permission, from https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/288104347940200\/posts\/1187891574628135\/<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[17]<\/a>\u00a0Muhammad al-Katt\u0101ni,\u00a0<\/span>Na\u1e93m al-Mutan\u0101thir<\/em>,\u00a0<\/span>no. 258.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[18]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by at-Tirmidhi (3667), Ibn \u1e24ibb\u0101n (6863), al-Bayhaqi in\u00a0<\/span>Dal\u0101\u2019il an-Nubuwwa<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(680), and authenticated by al-Alb\u0101ni in\u00a0<\/span>\u1e62a\u1e25i\u1e25 as-S\u012bra<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(p. 120).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[19]<\/a>\u00a0Ibn \u1e24ajar al-\u2018Asqal\u0101ni,\u00a0<\/span>Fat\u1e25 al-B\u0101ri<\/span><\/em>, 6\/592.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[20]<\/a>\u00a0See:\u00a0<\/span>Na\u1e93m al-Mutan\u0101thir<\/em>,\u00a0<\/span>no. 263.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[21]<\/a>\u00a0Ibn \u1e24ajar al-\u2018Asqal\u0101ni,\u00a0<\/span>Fat\u1e25 al-B\u0101ri<\/span><\/em>, 6\/603.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[22]<\/a>\u00a0Ism\u0101\u2018\u012bl b. Kath\u012br,\u00a0<\/span>al-Bid\u0101ya wan-Nih\u0101ya<\/span><\/em>, 9\/353.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[23]<\/a>\u00a0Ya<\/span>\u1e25<\/span>y\u0101 an-Nawawi,\u00a0<\/span>Shar\u1e25<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u1e62a\u1e25i\u1e25<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em>Muslim<\/em>,<\/span>\u00a0Dar Ihy\u0101\u2019 at-Tur\u0101th al-\u2018Arabi, Beirut (1971), 15\/38.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[24]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by al-Bukh\u0101ri (3579) and at-Tirmidhi (3633).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[25]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by al-Bukh\u0101ri (3576, 4152, 5639).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[26]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by al-Bukh\u0101ri (3572, 3573, 3574).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[27]<\/a>\u00a0Y\u016bsuf b. \u2018Abdil-Barr,\u00a0<\/span>at-Tamh\u012bd<\/span><\/em>,<\/span>\u00a0Awq\u0101f Ministry, Morocco (1967), 1\/220.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[28]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by Muslim (1729).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[29]<\/a>\u00a0 Ya\u1e25y\u0101 an-Nawawi,\u00a0<\/span>Shar\u1e25<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u1e62a\u1e25i\u1e25<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em>Muslim<\/em>,<\/span>\u00a012\/35.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[30]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by al-Bukh\u0101ri (2709, 2127).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[31]<\/a>\u00a0A\u00a0<\/span>s\u00e2\u2018<\/span><\/em>\u00a0is a container which measures volume, comparable to a large salad bowl, and is equivalent to 3 liters.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[32]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by Muslim (2056).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[33]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by al-Bukh\u0101ri (4101, 4102) and Muslim (2039).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[34]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by al-Bukh\u0101ri (3578) and Muslim (2040).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[35]<\/a>\u00a0\u2018Iyad b. Mus\u0101,\u00a0<\/span>ash-Shif\u0101 bi \u1e24uq\u016bq al-Mus\u1e6daf\u0101<\/span><\/em>, D\u0101r al-Fikr, Beirut (2002), p. 321.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[36]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by al-Bukh\u0101ri (1013, 3582).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[37]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by Muslim (2491).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[38]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by al-Bukh\u0101ri (143), Muslim (2477), and Ahmad (2397, 2879).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[39]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by al-Bukh\u0101ri (6334) and Muslim (2481).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[40]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by Ahmad (311, 5696) and authenticated by Ahmad Sh\u0101kir\u00a0and at-Tirmidhi (3681) who authenticated it, as did al-Alb\u0101ni in\u00a0<\/span>\u1e62a\u1e25\u012b\u1e25 at-Tirmidhi<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[41]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by al-Bukh\u0101ri (3684).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[42]<\/a>\u00a0Hart, Michael H.\u00a0<\/span>The 100: A ranking of the most influential persons in history<\/span><\/em>. 1978, Citadel Press.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[43]<\/a>\u00a0Collected by Muslim (27) and Ahmad (3\/417).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[44]<\/a>\u00a0A\u1e25mad b. Taymiya,\u00a0<\/span>al-Jaw\u0101b a\u1e63-\u1e62a\u1e25\u012b\u1e25<\/span>li-man Baddala D\u012bn al-Mas\u012b\u1e25<\/span><\/em>, D<\/span>\u0101<\/span>r al-\u2018A<\/span>\u1e63<\/span>ima, KSA (1999), 6\/297.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Disclaimer:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0The views, opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in these papers and articles are strictly those of the authors. Furthermore, Yaqeen does not endorse any of the personal views of the authors on any platform. Our team is diverse on all fronts, allowing for constant, enriching dialogue that helps us produce\u00a0<\/span>high-quality\u00a0<\/span>research.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 201<\/span>9. Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This publication is part of the Proofs of Prophethood series. In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Grantor of Mercy The Physical Miracles of the Prophet Abstract Conviction in the prophethood of Muhammad \ufdfa is not dependent on his performance of miracles, but historically reliable reports of these miracles make their occurrence undeniable … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":5696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prophet-muhammad"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prophet-Muhammad.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prophet-Muhammad.jpg",1280,720,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prophet-Muhammad-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prophet-Muhammad-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prophet-Muhammad-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prophet-Muhammad-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prophet-Muhammad.jpg",1280,720,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prophet-Muhammad.jpg",1280,720,false],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prophet-Muhammad.jpg",300,169,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prophet-Muhammad.jpg",400,225,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Prophet-Muhammad.jpg",600,338,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Site Admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/author\/admin2\/"},"uagb_comment_info":21,"uagb_excerpt":"This publication is part of the Proofs of Prophethood series. In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Grantor of Mercy The Physical Miracles of the Prophet Abstract Conviction in the prophethood of Muhammad \ufdfa is not dependent on his performance of miracles, but historically reliable reports of these miracles make their occurrence undeniable…","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcT0IL-1tR","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8672,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/kommentare-der-wissenschaftler-ueber-die-wissenschaftlichen-wunder-im-heiligen-quran\/","url_meta":{"origin":5695,"position":0},"title":"Kommentare der Wissenschaftler \u00fcber die wissenschaftlichen Wunder im Heiligen Quran","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/20\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Es folgen einige Kommentare von Wissenschaftlern[1] \u00fcber die wissenschaftlichen Wunder im Heiligen Quran. All diese Kommentare wurden von der Videoaufnahme Dies ist die Wahrheit \u00fcbernommen. In dieser Videoaufnahme kann man die Wissenschaftler h\u00f6ren und sehen, die sich folgenderma\u00dfen \u00e4u\u00dferten. (Um das RealPlayer-Video f\u00fcr einen Kommentar zu sehen, klicken Sie auf\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "WISSENSCHAFTLICHE WUNDER"","block_context":{"text":"WISSENSCHAFTLICHE WUNDER","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/category\/wissenschaftliche-wunder\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8524,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/die-erhaltung-des-quran\/","url_meta":{"origin":5695,"position":1},"title":"Die Erhaltung des Quran","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/20\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Auswendiglernen Der pr\u00e4chtige Quran, die religi\u00f6se Schrift der Muslime, wurde dem Propheten Muhammad, m\u00f6ge Gott ihn loben, auf arabisch durch den Engel Gabriel offenbart. Die Offenbarung fand St\u00fcck f\u00fcr St\u00fcck \u00fcber einen Zeitraum von 23 Jahren statt, manchmal in kurzen Versen und manchmal in l\u00e4ngeren Abschnitten.[1] Der Quran (\u201clesen\u201d oder\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "\u00dcber den Heiligen Quran"","block_context":{"text":"\u00dcber den Heiligen Quran","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/category\/ueber-den-heiligen-quran\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8590,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/jonathan-abdilla-ex-christ-canada\/","url_meta":{"origin":5695,"position":2},"title":"Jonathan Abdilla, Ex-Christ, Canada","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/20\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Ich f\u00fchle mich geehrt, ein Muslim zu sein\u2026Und so f\u00fchle ich mich aus verschiedenen Gr\u00fcnden. Es gibt viele Normen in der Gesellschaft, in der ich lebe, die genau das Gegenteil dessen sind, wie Muslime es tun. Und als ich zuerst zu dieser Lebensweise kam, wusste ich nicht so genau wie\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "WARUM WURDE ICH MUSLIM"","block_context":{"text":"WARUM WURDE ICH MUSLIM","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/category\/warum-wurde-ich-muslim\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8492,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/prophezeiungen-des-quran-die-sich-an-muhammad-wenden\/","url_meta":{"origin":5695,"position":3},"title":"Prophezeiungen des Quran, die sich an Muhammad wenden","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/20\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Betreten von Mekkas Heiliger Moschee (al-Mas\u011fid al-Haram) Im sechsten Jahr nachdem der Prophet, Gottes Segen und Frieden seien auf ihm, gezwungen war, von Mekka nach Medina auszuwandern, sah er sich selbst Mekka besuchen und die Pilgerfahrt verrichten. Diese Vision erw\u00e4hnt auch der Qur\u00b4an:. \u201cWahrlich, Gott hat Seinem Gesandten das Traumgesicht\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "MUHAMMAD, FRIEDE SEI AUF IHM"","block_context":{"text":"MUHAMMAD, FRIEDE SEI AUF IHM","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/category\/muhammad-friede-sei-auf-ihm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8666,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/der-quran-ueber-berge\/","url_meta":{"origin":5695,"position":4},"title":"Der Quran \u00fcber Berge","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/20\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Ein Buch mit dem Titel Earth[Erde] ist das Basisnachschlagewerk in vielen Universit\u00e4ten der ganzen Welt. Einer seiner Verfasser ist Professor Emeritus Frank Press. Er war Wissenschaftlicher Berater des fr\u00fcheren US-Pr\u00e4sidenten Jimmy Carter und 12 Jahre lang der Pr\u00e4sident der Nationalen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Washington, DC. Sein Buch sagt, dass Berge\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "WISSENSCHAFTLICHE WUNDER"","block_context":{"text":"WISSENSCHAFTLICHE WUNDER","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/category\/wissenschaftliche-wunder\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8663,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/die-sieben-erden\/","url_meta":{"origin":5695,"position":5},"title":"Die sieben Erden","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/20\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Ein einfaches Bild der Erde und der innren Schichten. Windows to the Universe, at (http:\/\/www.windows.ucar.edu) at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). \u00a91995-1999, 2000 The Regents of the University of Michigan; \u00a92000-05 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Die Sunnah des Propheten Muhammad stellt die zweite \u00fcberlieferte Quelle des Islam\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "WISSENSCHAFTLICHE WUNDER"","block_context":{"text":"WISSENSCHAFTLICHE WUNDER","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/de\/category\/wissenschaftliche-wunder\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5695"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5697,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5695\/revisions\/5697"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}