Jump to content

Miracles of Muhammad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Miracles of Muhammad are miraculous claims attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. A number of terms are used in Islam to refer to the claims of events happening that are not explicable by natural or scientific laws, subjects where people sometimes invoke the supernatural.[1]

In the Quran the term āyah; Arabic: آية; pl. آيات, lit. "sign") refers to signs in the context of miracles of God's creation and of the prophets and messengers (such as Ibrahim/Abraham and Isa/Jesus).[2] In later Islamic sources miracles of the prophets were referred to by Muʿjiza (مُعْجِزَة),[2] literally meaning "that by means of which [the Prophet] confounds, overwhelms, his opponents"; while of saints are referred to as karamat (charismata)[3] included in the books of Manaqib.

Muhammad points out the splitting of the Moon. Anonymous 16th-century watercolor from a falnama, a Persian book of prophecy. Muhammad is the veiled figure on the right.

The Sīrah had almost no miracles (dalāʾil al-nubuwwa) in the first records, although there were hundreds of additions made in later periods.[4] A range of miraculous incidents related to Muhammad have been reported in post-Quranic texts such as the Hadith and the Sīrah.[5][6][7] Some of them relied on ambiguous Quranic verses that were then developed into elaborate narratives. Notably, the Quranic verses 53:1-2, which is said to have originally forecasted a forthcoming event linked to the Day of Judgment based on a sighting of a lunar eclipse, were ultimately transformed into a historical miracle, the splitting of the moon.[8][9] This tradition has inspired many Muslim poets.[10] The Qur'an does not overtly describe Muhammad performing miracles, according to historian Denis Gril, and the supreme miracle of Muhammad is finally identified with the Qur'an itself.[1] At least one scholar (Sunni Modernist scholar Muhammad Asad) states that Muhammad performed no miracles other than to bring the Quran to humanity,[11] and other scholars, such as Cyril Glasse and Marcia Hermansen, downplay the miracles of Muhammad, stating "they play no role in Islamic theology",[12] or "play less of an evidentiary role than in some other religions".[2]

Believing in the existence and miracles of Awliya is presented as a "condition" for orthodox Islam by many prominent Sunni creed writers such as Al-Tahawi and Nasafi[13][14] and is accepted in traditional Sunnis and Shi'ism. Traditional Islam may severely punish the denial of miracles because of consensus of Sunni scholars, rejecting a single letter of the Quran or a hadith which is mutawatir causes one to become a apostate. According to them believing in the miracles of Muhammad in the Quran and in hadith were transmitted by mutawatir way and believing to them was obligatory.[15][16][17][18] This understanding, along with expressions of respect and visits to the graves of saints, are seen as unacceptable heresy by puritanical and revivalist Islamic movements such as Salafism, Wahhabism and Islamic Modernism.[19]

Qur'an

[edit]

Several Quranic verses highlight instances where Muhammad's contemporaries challenged him to validate his prophetic claims by demanding that he demonstrate phenomena that defied the ordinary course of nature, such as causing a fountain to gush from the ground, creating a lush garden with flowing rivers, manifesting a golden house, or delivering a readable book from heaven.[Quran 1][Quran 2][20][21]

However, Muhammad refused to fulfill any of those challenges on the basis of Quranic revelations, reasoning that prophets could not produce a sign without God's authorization.[Quran 3][Quran 4][Quran 5][20] He argued that the regularities of nature already served as sufficient proof of God's majesty[Quran 6][21] and contended that miracles were pointless because they had not prevented past civilizations from rejecting their own prophets.[Quran 7][20][22] He maintained that he served solely as a warner[Quran 8] and underscored that the Quran alone was adequate for his opponents.[Quran 9][20][21]

Arabic: انشق القمر, romanized: "Inshaqqā al-Qamar" was a possible idiom, Surah Al-Qamar 54:1–2 also mentioned in Imru' al-Qais poems.[23] Its use in the Quran is also within the poetic expressions of the Quran. In this respect, it is possible to explain context for the expression "sihr" (it is magic) that the Meccans gave in response to the expressions in the narrations, with the mysterious connection and phonetic closeness established between the poets and magicians in the understanding of that period.[24]

Glory be to the One Who took His servant by night from Masjid al-Haram to the Masjid al-Aqsa whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.

— Surah Al-Isra 17:1

When the clear meaning of the verse is examined, it is understood that the two places, Masjid al-Haram and Masjid al-Aqsa, are at a distance that can be covered by a night walk, and with the meanings they have gained over time, Muhammad traveled between two places thousands of kilometers apart in one night, and from there, passing through various steps, he ascended to the sky, to the presence of God. Other questions about the sura are whether this verse mentions Muhammad and the construction dates of the places mentioned in the verse. (See: Isra' and Mi'raj)

Dome of the Rock, built during the reign of Abdul Malik. Anachronistically associated[a] with the Isra and Miraj marking the place where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven.[26] See also:Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Tradition

[edit]
Main articles: Islamic view of miracles, Sīrah, and Manaqib

The Quran describes Muhammad as ummi (Q7:157),[27] which is traditionally interpreted as "unlettered,"[28][29] and the ability of such a person to produce the Quran is taken as miraculous[29] and as a sign of the genuineness of his prophethood. I'jaz al-Quran – literally the inimitability of the Quran – refers to the Quranic claim that no one can hope to imitate its (the Quran's) perfection,[2] this quality being considered the primary miracle of the Quran and proof of Muhammad's prophethood. In recent decades, the term I'jaz has also come to refer to the belief that the Quran contains "scientific miracles", i.e. prophecies of scientific discoveries.[30]

List of claimed miracles in tradition

[edit]

Contrary to those of biblical prophets, claims of miracles attributed to Muhammad are not consistently incorporated into a cohesive life narrative. Some collections simply list these miracles, primarily aiming to showcase that Muhammad performed miracles similar to earlier prophets, particularly Jesus, rather than delving into doctrinal aspects or interpreting specific life events. One example is a book by the 12th-century Islamic scholar al-Ghazali titled Ihya' 'ulum ad-din (The Revival of the Science of Religion) which provides the following list of Muhammad's miracles:[31]

  • Quran – The revelation of the Quran is considered by Muslims to be Muhammad's greatest miracle[32][33][34] and a miracle for all times, unlike the miracles of other prophets, which were confined to being witnessed in their own lifetimes.[35]
  • Scientific miracles: The theory of the scientific miracle of the Quran claims that the Quran has a miracle in expressing some scientific material (some modern scientific discoveries that were unknown at the time of writing the Quran). The history of writing in connection with the science and religion of Islam dates back to the works of Ibn Sina, Fakhr al-Razi, and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, but has increased significantly in recent times. Authors in this field include Naeem Al-Mohassi, Maurice Bucaille, Rafiei Mohammadi, Mostarhameh, Makarem Shirazi and Rezaei Isfahani. These interpretations state that some verses of the Quran reflect prophetic statements about the nature and structure of the universe, physics, fetal biological growth, biological evolution, geology, mountain structure, and other phenomena that have been later confirmed by scientific research. This group of Quran-commentators present this as a proof of the divinity of the Quran.[36][37][38]
  • Splitting of the Moon; While standing on the Mount Abu Qubays, Muhammad splits the moon into two parts.[Hadith 1]
  • Isra and Mi'raj (Night Journey); occurring in 621, in which Muhammad leads the prayers to previous prophets in Al-Aqsa.[Hadith 2]
1543 illustration of the Mi'raj from an edition of the Khamsa of Nizami Ganjavi created for Shah Tahmasp I[39]
  • Radd al-Shams: According to tradition, Muhammad asked God to return the sun to its position before the sunset, so that Ali could have enough time to say his Asr prayer.[40]
  • When Abu Jahl was going to trample Muhammad's neck or smear his face with dust as he was engaged in prayer, Abu Jahl came near him but turned upon his heels and tried to repulse something with his hands. It was said to him: "What is the matter with you?" He said: "There is between me and him. A ditch of fire and terror and wings." Thereupon Muhammad said: "If he were to come near me the angels would have torn him to pieces."[Hadith 3]
  • According to Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari, Muhammad's success and victory against his enemies was one of his miracles. Muhammad Himself claimed multiple miraculous deeds during his battles, including angels fighting for him, the wind being on his side, him blinding his opponents with dust, summoning slumber and Allah purifying the Muslims With rain [41] Similarly, many modern Muslim historians believe Muhammad's greatest miracles were his worldly accomplishments, in a short time span, in various fields (such as the religious, social, proselytising, political, military and literary spheres) and "the transformation of the Arabs from marauding bands of nomads into world conquerors."[42][43]
  • The events which occurred during his Hijrah (migration from Mecca to Medina):
    • The blindness of the Qurashite warriors who assembled at his door to assassinate him. He sprinkled a handful of dust at the assassins and summoned two barriers inbetween them as he recited the 9th verse of Surah Ya Sin and went away invisibly without being seen by them.[44]
This article is part of
a series about
Muhammad
Life
Career
Miracles
Views and Perspectives
Succession
Praise
Related
  • something similar occurred after the revelation of Surah Al-Masad when Abu Lahab's wife got offended and wanted to confront him

He could cure the blind by only spitting or blowing on the patient.[Hadith 4][Hadith 5][Hadith 6]

  • The day Muhammad came to Medina, everything there became illuminated, and the day he died, everything in Medina became dark.[Hadith 7][Hadith 8][Hadith 9]
  • Prophecies made by him. This includes:
  • On several occasions he provided food and water supernaturally.[46]
  • He quenched the thirst of thousands of his soldiers during the Battle of Tabouk and enabled them to use water for ablution after causing water to pour forth.[19][46]
  • He caused two trees to move at his command.[46]
  • He caused a well to swell with water after he rinsed his mouth with some water and then threw it out into the well. This was during the event of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, enabling his followers with him to drink and use the water for ablution.[Hadith 20]
  • He threw a handful of dust at some of the enemy during the Battle of Hunain, causing them to be blinded.[Quran 10][19]
  • He caused Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud to convert to Islam after he made a barren ewe, which produced no milk, to produce milk.[45]
  • He used his saliva to cure Ali's sick eye, during the Battle of Khaybar, and it became healthy.[Hadith 21][47]
While Ali was fighting in Khaybar accompanied by angels.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "When the Quraish disbelieved me (concerning my night journey), I stood up in Al- Hijr (the unroofed portion of the Ka`ba) and Allah displayed Bait-ul-Maqdis before me, and I started to inform them (Quraish) about its signs while looking at it."[25]

References

[edit]

Quran Primary Sources

[edit]
  1. ^ Q 17:90–3
  2. ^ see also Q 74:52
  3. ^ Q 13:38
  4. ^ Q 14:11
  5. ^ Q 40:78
  6. ^ Q 10:5-6
  7. ^ Q 17:59
  8. ^ Q 29:50
  9. ^ Q 29:51
  10. ^ [[Al-Anfal|]] 8:17

Hadith Primary Sources

[edit]
  1. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 5, Book 58, Hadith 208
  2. ^ Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 328
  3. ^ Sahih Muslim, Book 39, Hadith 6718
  4. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 5, Book 59, Hadith 517
  5. ^ Sunan Abi Dawud, Book 28, Hadith 3885
  6. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 52, Hadith 192
  7. ^ Ash-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah 393
  8. ^ Tirmidhi, Vol. 1, Book 46, Hadith 3618
  9. ^ Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 1, Book 6, Hadith 1631
  10. ^ Bukhari, Vol. 5, Book 58, Hadith 248
  11. ^ Sahih Muslim, Book 23, Hadith 4984
  12. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 56, Hadith 812
  13. ^ Sahih Muslim, Book 42, Hadith 7150
  14. ^ Sahih Mulsim, Book 31, Hadith 5909
  15. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 52, Hadith 67
  16. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 3, Book 49, Hadith 867
  17. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 52, Hadith 147
  18. ^ 9731 مصنف عبد الرزاق
  19. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 56, Hadith 819
  20. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 56, Hadith 777
  21. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 52, Hadith 253
  22. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 56, Hadith 779
  23. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 8, Book 73, Hadith 115
  24. ^ Sahih Muslim, Book 31, Hadith 6063
  25. ^ Sahih Muslim, Book 30, Hadith 5654
  26. ^ Tirmidhi, Vol. 1, Book 46, Hadith 3626
  27. ^ Sunan Abi Dawud, Book 14, Hadith 2543
  28. ^ Riyad as-Salihin 1002
  29. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 56, Hadith 785
  30. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 1, Book 4, Hadith 189
  31. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 7, Book 70, Hadith 575
  32. ^ Sahih Muslim, Book 30, Hadith 5793
  33. ^ Ash-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah 19
  34. ^ Sahih Muslim, Book 30, Hadith 5789
  35. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 5, Book 57, Hadith 24
  36. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 5, Book 57, Hadith 35
  37. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 5, Book 57, Hadith 50
  38. ^ Tirmidhi, Vol. 1, Book 46, Hadith 3697
  39. ^ Sunan Abid Dawud, Book 41, Hadith 4634
  40. ^ Sahih Muslim, Book 31, Hadith 5942
  41. ^ Sahih Muslim, Book 31, Hadith 5943
  42. ^ Tirmidhi, Vol. 1, Book 46, Hadith 3696
  43. ^ Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 1, Book 1, Hadith 134
  44. ^ Tirmidhi, Vol. 1, Book 46, Hadith 3699
  45. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 1, Book 4, Hadith 215
  46. ^ Sunan an-Nasa'i, Vol. 3, Book 21, Hadith 2071
  47. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 5, Book 59, Hadith 314
  48. ^ Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 2, Book 23, Hadith 453
  49. ^ Sahih Muslim, Book 40, Hadith 6869

Other Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference EoQ was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Hermansen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Annemarie Schimmel" And Muhammad is his Messenger: The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic Piety Online Archive Publication date 2017-12-13 Uploaded by Ejaz Archives p. 78
  4. ^ Özdemir, Mehmet, (2007). Siyer Yazıcılığı Üzerine, Milel ve Nihal, 4 (3), 129-162
  5. ^ Buhl & Welch 1993, p. 375.
  6. ^ Peters 2010, p. 204.
  7. ^ Wensinck 1993, p. 295.
  8. ^ Brockopp 2010, p. 39–40, 44.
  9. ^ Peters 2010, p. 205.
  10. ^ "Muhammad", Encyclopedia of Islam Online
  11. ^ Muhammad Asad, Message of the Qur'an [Dar Al-Andalus Limited 3 Library Ramp, Gibraltar rpt. 1993] p. 427, fn. 71
  12. ^ Glasse, Cyril (2001). "Miracles". The New Encyclopedia of Islam. Altamira. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-7591-0189-0.
  13. ^ Jonathan A. C. Brown, "Faithful Dissenters: Sunni Skepticism about the Miracles of Saints", Journal of Sufi Studies 1 (2012), p. 123
  14. ^ Christopher Taylor, In the Vicinity of the Righteous (Leiden: Brill, 1999), pp. 5–6
  15. ^ "Establishing Matters of Aqidah With Hadith Ahad". SeekersGuidance. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  16. ^ Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, Yusuf. Al-Tamhîd limâ fîl-Muwatta' min al-Ma'ânî wal-Asânîd. pp. Volume 1, page 142, and Volume 4, page 266. ISBN 9789777710473.
  17. ^ al-Ghazali, Abu Hamid. Faysal al-tafriqah bayna al-Islam wa-al-zandaqah (in Arabic). 'Īsá al-Bābī al-Ḥalabī. p. 144. OCLC 977737394.
  18. ^ "Denying the Mutawaatir Hadeeth - Islamweb - Fatwas". www.islamweb.net. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g Heinrichs, Wolfhart; Bosworth, Clifford Edmund; van Donzel, Emeri Johannes; Bianquis, Thierry, eds. (2012). "Encyclopedia of Islam". Encyclopaedia of Islam. ISBN 978-90-04-16121-4. Cite error: The named reference "ReferenceA" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  20. ^ a b c d Brockopp 2010, p. 45.
  21. ^ a b c Phipps 2016, p. 40.
  22. ^ McAuliffe 2003, p. 397.
  23. ^ "Well, Did Muhammad Not Copy Some Verses of the Qur'an from Imru'l Qais?".
  24. ^ Charles Dudley Warner; John William Cunliffe; Ashley Horace Thorndike; Harry Morgan Ayres; Helen Rex Keller; Gerhard Richard Lomer, eds. (1917). The Warner Library. Vol. 30. Warner Library Co. pp. 9–14.
  25. ^ https://sunnah.com/search?q=4710
  26. ^ Bloom, Jonathan M.; Blair, Sheila (2009). The Grove encyclopedia of Islamic art and architecture. Oxford University Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-19-530991-1. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  27. ^ Q7:157, islamawakened.com
  28. ^ Reason and Inspiration in Islam: Essays in Honour of Hermann Landolt. I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd. 2005-09-23. p. 202. ISBN 978-0-85771-622-4.
  29. ^ a b Dashti, 23 Years, 1994: p. 44
  30. ^ Sardar, Ziauddin (21 August 2008). "Weird science". New Statesman. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  31. ^ Woodward 2001, p. 185.
  32. ^ Ibrāhīm, Zaynab; Aydelott, Sabiha T.; Kassabgy, Nagwa, eds. (1 Jan 2000). Diversity in Language: Contrastive Studies in Arabic and English Theoretical and Applied Linguistics (illustrated ed.). American Univ in Cairo Press. p. 31. ISBN 9789774245787.
  33. ^ David Whitten Smith; Elizabeth Geraldine Burr (21 Aug 2014). Understanding World Religions: A Road Map for Justice and Peace (2 ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 142. ISBN 9781442226449.
  34. ^ Brown, Brian Arthur, ed. (1 Jan 2014). Three Testaments: Torah, Gospel, and Quran (illustrated, reprint ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. p. 403. ISBN 9781442214934.
  35. ^ Edward Sell (5 Nov 2013). The Faith of Islam. Routledge. p. 218. ISBN 9781136391699.
  36. ^ Ahmad Dallal, Quran and science, Encyclopedia of the Qur'an
  37. ^ رضایی اصفهانی، محمد علی. «حركات خورشید و اعجاز علمی قرآن». دریافت‌شده در ۱۸ ژوئن ۲۰۲۰.
  38. ^ Moore, Keith L. (1986-06-25). "A Scientist's Interpretation of References to Embryology in the Qur'an". Journal of the Islamic Medical Association of North America. 18 (1). doi:10.5915/18-1-8693 – via Open Journal Systems 3.3.0.18.
  39. ^ Bowker. World Religions. p. 165.
  40. ^ "Radd al-Shams". Encyclopedia of Islamic World.
  41. ^ Laurence Edward Browne (1933). The Eclipse of Christianity in Asia: From the Time of Muhammad Till the Fourteenth Century. Cambridge University Press Archive. p. 90.
  42. ^ Daniel W. Brown (4 Mar 1999). Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought (reprint, revised ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 65. ISBN 9780521653947.
  43. ^ Patricia Blundell; Trevor Jordan (7 Mar 2012). Exploring Religion and Ethics: Religion and Ethics for Senior Secondary Students. Cambridge University Press. pp. 129–30. ISBN 9780521187169.
  44. ^ al-Mubarakpuri, Safiur-Rahman (2002). The Sealed Nectar (Ar-Raheequl Makhtum). Darussalam. p. 169. ISBN 9781591440710.
  45. ^ a b c d Kenneth L. Woodward (10 Jul 2001). The Book of Miracles: The Meaning of the Miracle Stories in Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam (reprint ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 188. ISBN 9780743200295.
  46. ^ a b c Leaman, Oliver, ed. (2006). The Qur'an: An Encyclopedia (illustrated, reprint, annotated ed.). Taylor & Francis. p. 423. ISBN 9780415326391.
  47. ^ a b Kenneth L. Woodward (2001). The Book of Miracles: The Meaning of the Miracle Stories in Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam (reprint ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 189. ISBN 978-0743200295.
  48. ^ Kenneth L. Woodward (10 Jul 2001). The Book of Miracles: The Meaning of the Miracle Stories in Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam (reprint ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 197–8. ISBN 9780743200295.
  49. ^ al-Suyūṭī, Abū al-Faḍl. Al-Khasais-ul-Kubra. pp. 1/103.
  50. ^ Lālana Śāha City of Mirrors Oxford University Press 2017 ISBN 978-0-190-68022-0 page 524

Bibliography

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Miracles_of_Muhammad&oldid=1317194985"