Miracles of Prophet SAW - معجزات الرسول صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم

اعوذ باللہ من الشیطٰن الرجیمبسم اللہ الرحمٰن الرحیمالحمد لله رب العالمين ، أرسل رسوله بالهدى و دين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله و كفي بالله شهيدا ، و أشهد ألا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ؛ له الملك و له الحمد ، يحيى و يميت و هو على كل شئ قدير و إليه المرجع و المصير ..و أشهد أن محمدا عبده و رسوله ، و صفيه من خلقه و حبيبه.رب اشرح لي صدري و يسر لى أمري و احلل عقدة من لساني يفقهوا قولي…

In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful, majestic and all powerful, master of this world and everything that is contained herein. Salutations be upon prophet Mohammad SAW, who was sent as a guide to this mankind.

My Dear Respected Brothers, Sisters and Elders,
Assalam o allaikum Wr. Wb.

Almighty Allah SWT sent approximately 124,000 prophets to this duniya, to guide the people towards the oneness of Allah SWT, to show them the right and correct path. All the prophets of Allah SWT were human beings. They lived among people, they lived among people, they ate and drank like people and many of them married and had wives and children. And, it is a human nature, that when someone makes a claim, they require a proof for that. It is human nature to reject any claim that does not have a proof and any supporting evidence.

When the Prophets of Allah SWT claimed among their people that they are the prophets of Allah SWT and are sent to them with the wahi and revelation directly from the Creator so they can guide the people towards the oneness of Allah SWT, then most people who heard their claim denied them and rejected them. They used to say that how can you be prophet of Allah SWT, when you eat like us, you drink like us, you have family and life like us.

Allah SWT mentions in the Quran:

وَقَالُوا مَالِ هَذَا الرَّسُولِ يَأْكُلُ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشِي فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ …

25:7 ) And they say: “What sort of an apostle is this, who eats food, and walk through the streets?”…

… so he cannot be the prophet of Allah SWT.

Almighty Allah SWT strengthened the claim of these prophets but giving them some miracles. As human beings, the more you produce something that is strange and unique and something that is extra-ordinary, the more people will be attracted to you. The greater the miracle, the more the people get attracted. Allah SWT takes this nature of human being in consideration and strengthens the claim of the prophets by giving them these miracles.

The miracle in itself is not purposeful rather these miracles are not an act of worship and ibaadah in itself. They are a means of getting the people to understand a certain message and Allah SWT has given many of his prophets, the miracles and all the prophets who were given these miracles, that were conducive to their times and their era.

At the time of Sulayman AS, witchcraft and performing supernatural acts were very common. Allah SWT gave Sulayman AS such a miracle that no witch of the time could match up with Sulayman AS. Sulayman AS could fly in the air and he could travel at amazing speeds where he would cover a distance of two months in a day.

وَلِسُلَيْمَانَ الرِّيحَ غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ

34:12) And to Sulayman AS, we made the wind obedient: Its early morning stride was a months journey, and its evening stride was a months journey.

He was able to converse with the Jinnat, and he was able to talk to animals and birds. No witch of the time could match up with Sulayman AS. It became very clear to the people, that Sulayman AS was a gifted and an extra-ordinary person. He must be indeed the prophet of Allah SWT with all these qualities. These qualities would attract the people and it would become the means for them to be guided to the right path, the oneness of Allah SWT.

At the time of Daud AS, development became very common and popular. People wanted to create great structures. Allah SWT gave such a miracle to Daud AS that with his hand he would hold steel and iron and it would melt. And Allah has mentioned that in the Quran:

وَأَلَنَّا لَهُ الْحَدِيدَ

34:10) And we made iron soft for him.

People looked at this, they got close to Daud AS and they understood the message of Allah SWT through the company of Daud AS.

At the time of Saleh AS, the people asked for a miracle. They demanded that if you are the prophet of Allah SWT, then how come you eat like us, how come you drink like us. You are a normal human being, how do we know that you are the prophet. They were near a mountainous place and they wanted a pony to come out of that place.

Saleh AS made dua to Allah SWT and Allah SWT made beautiful strong pony to come out from within the mountain. People looked at that, but you see, people who are honest and their hearts are clean, they really do not need to see all these miracles to believe in the existence of Allah SWT and people who are not honest no matter how much big miracle you show them, they will still not believe, because their hearts are hardened and nothing penetrates it.

When the time of Ibrahim AS came, when Namrood prepared the fire, the blaze and the flames of the fire were as if they were reaching the sky. Through a catapult he threw Ibrahim AS in the fire and as soon as Ibrahim AS landed in the fire, then Allah SWT showed that fire was in the command of Allah SWT. Allah SWT says:

قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ

21:69) We (Allâh) said: "O fire! Be you coolness and safety for Ibrâhim (Abraham)!"

Ibrahim AS sat in the fire as if he was sitting in a garden.

Likewise, at the time of Isa AS, medicine had reached its heights and pinnacles. People were very good at finding cure to different illnesses. But Allah SWT gave Isa AS such miracles, such cure in his hands, that greatest of doctors at the time were perplexed. If a person was born blind, no doctor could cure that, if a person had leprosy, no doctor could cure that but ISA AS was able to touch his hand to a sick person, and cure the person completely.

All these miracles were a way to guide them to convey a message to people that every power lies in the hands of Allah SWT and when people accepted them, it became a means for them to get closer to Allah SWT.

Rasulallah SAW was also given miracles. The miracle that was more conducive to his time was that people were very eloquent in their speech. Arabs of the times regarded non-arabs to be Ajams. Ajam means an animal, somebody who could not talk and because arabs were good in speech, they regarded non-arabs as ajam because they could not talk as eloquent as them.

At the time of Nabi SAW, people used to compete with each other in speech. Inspite of all that, Nabi SAW was unlettered, he did not know how to read, how to write, and the educated people of the time were so eloquent in their speech that not only competed eachother in literature but also in poetry. With all that eloquence in the society, a person who did not know how to read or write, suddenly at the age of 40 he started saying such words from his mouth that even the poets of the time could not completely understand and comprehend.

Nabi SAW used recite the ayaat of the Quran Kareem and the poets of the time were puzzled that where did this person come up with such words. He cannot even read and write and yet he produces something that we with all our skill and qualities cannot come close to even one verse that he is uttering. This was the miracle of Rasulallah SAW. Apart from that, there were many other miracles performed by Rasulallah SAW and the purpose of these miracles.

Allah mentions these miracles in Quran al Kareem, so that the reader of Quran, the listener of Quran is convinced, that these are true prophets of Allah SWT and they become means of strengthening the iman of a person and knowing that the order of everything rests with Allah SWT.

Rasulallah SAW performed many many more miracles. It is mentioned that once a villager came up to Rasulallah SAW and said that how do I know that you are the Prophet of Allah SWT was standing next to a tree so Nabi SAW pointed towards the tree and said that this tree will bear testimony that I am the Prophet of Allah SWT. The villager goes near the tree and says to the tree, that ‘ Do you believe in Mohammad as the nabi of Allah SWT’?

It is mentioned in the book of hadeeth, that tree started speaking from the trunk and the branches and the leaves and the words came out ‘ La ilaha ilallahu Mohammadur Rasulallah’. The villager heard it as well as all those who were witnessing the incident.

In Mishkaat Masaabeeh, it’s mentioned that there was once a Jew who was a shepherd who was grazing sheep. Suddenly a wolf came and took one sheep away. The shepherd ran behind the wolf. The shepherd is able to pull that sheep out of the wolf’s mouth. The wolf goes nearby and looks at the shepherd and says to the shepherd that Allah SWT has ordered me to look for my sustenance and rizq. When I got my rizq and the sustenance in the form of the sheep, then you came and deprived me of it. The shepherd is surprised that an animal is speaking to me, how that can happen. He expressed his surprise to one of his companion that a wolf spoke to me, an animal spoke. His companion said that more surprising than this is that nearby hear in madinah there is a man who claims to be the prophet of Allah SWT and he can tell you things of past and the future. Jew was even more surprised. That jew goes to madinah al munawwarah and he meets Rasuallalh SAW and it became the means for him to become accept islam and become muslim. When Nabi SAW was informed about this incident, he told him that even more surprising thing than a wolf speaking would be near the time of Qayyamah before the final hour comes. In that time when a person would leave his home and when he will return, his shoes and the stick he is carrying will inform him of those things that his wife and children have done in his absence.

It is mentioned in one hadeeth, Rasulallah SAW has stated an incident that took place that the sahabah, they were out on a journey and they were in shortage of water. They needed water for their personal need and wudu and they could not find water. They complained to Nabi SAW for the shortage of water. So Nabi SAW told them to take a container and put little water in it and bring it to me. That container was brought to Nabi SAW and he dipped his finger in the water. The container started to fill with water and sahabah say that they saw water coming out of the mubarak finger of Rasulallah SAW like the water is flowing in a stream and there were approximately 300 people that were there who were able to fulfil their needs.

One sahabi, Ya’la ibn Murrah RA, said that he was traveling with Rasulallah SAW and he saw some strange things. They passed by a camel and some people were loading the back of the camel. The camel gave out a sign. Nabi SAW asked for the owner of the camel. When the owner of the camel came, Nabi SAW said that sell this camel to me. The owner said why do I have to sell it to you, this camel is for you. Nabi SAW said, since you are sincere to me, the thing is that this camel is complaining to me that you are overworking him and he is saying that this is zulm and oppression on him. Ya’lah bin Murrah RA said that this was my first encounter. The second encounter happened when on the same journey Rasulallah SAW was resting at a place. It was even more surprising. He saw with his own eyes that a tree walked from his own place and came beside Nabi SAW and gave shade to Rasuallah SAW while he was resting. When Nabi SAW woke up, he informed Nabi SAW about this. Nabi SAW said that I am aware of it. This tree took permission from Allah SWT to walk over to me and provide me shade. The third incident happened on the same journey, when we happened to passed by a woman who had a child that was possessed by a jinn and the mother complained to Nabi SAW. Rasulallah SAW took the child and he addressed the jinn inside the child that I am the Prophet of Allah SWT and I instruct you to leave the body of the child. On returning from that journey Rasulallah SAW asked that woman, how is the child and she said that Alhamdulillah that jinn has not come back to the child.

Another incident is about Imam Abu Hurairah RA. Imam Abu Hurairah used to invite is mother to Islam at every opportunity that he used to get. Whenever he made daawah to his mother, she would say something foul about Rasulallah SAW. So one day he became frustrated and he came to Rasulallah SAW and asked him , O Prophet of Allah, make dua for my mother. Nabi SAW made dua, Allahumahdi Umma Abi Hurraira. ‘O Allah give hidayah to the mother of Abu Hurrairah’. Abu Hurairah knew that if Rasulallah SAW has made the dua, it will surely be accepted but when, that he didn’t know. He goes home. His mother was in the bath. Before that day, whenever he went home, she would be waiting to condemn him, to swear at him and swear at Rasullalah SAW.After a little while she came from the bath and she said that in your absence I could feel iman settling in my heart and I read the shahadah, Ashahadu An La ilaha ilallah wa ashhadu anna Mohammadur Rasulallah.

During Sulah Hudaibiyya incident:

-Nabi SAW went in a particular place

-Nabi SAW and sahabah go to a certain place

-Abu Talha is among them

-When he returns home he tells his wife that, Nabi SAW is very hungry because I could hardly hear his voice out of weakness

-Wife prepared some food for 2,3 people

-He went and invited Rasuallah SAW for food

-Rasulallah SAW didn’t accept it instead he made announcement that whoever is present here come with me to Abu Talha house to share the food

-When Abu Talha heard, he was very worried that his wife made small food and that when his wife will find out that I brought so many people, she will be angry.

-So before anything else, he walked quickly ahead of others and reached his home and told his wife that he only wanted to invited Rasulallah SAW, but now a lot many people are coming on the invitation of Rasulallah SAW.

-The woman’s iman was so strong, she said, that if Rasulallah SAW did that, then it’s the matter between him and Allah SWT.

-Nabi SAW comes in his house and goes near the fireplace and he reads and blows in the area and he tells the woman that you prepare the food now and bring another woman to help you as well.

-The food just kept on coming out of the pot and sahabah were fed. The food that was sufficient for 2,3 people, 80 people were fed.

These miracles, these incidents are all there in Kitab and Sunnah for us to strengthen our iman. The sahabah who witnessed these miracles increased their iman many folds and for us when we ponder about these things it helps us to make our iman strong. Apart form all these miracles, we know the greatest miracle of Nabi SAW was the Quran Kareem itself. A book that is free of corruption and is kept in its true and pure state for more than 1400 years. A book that is the source of guidance for each and every human being.

May Allah SWT give us the taufeeq to understand the underlying message of all these miracles, that the ultimate power belongs to Allah SWT and the true guidance lies in following the injunctions of Quran and Sunnah of Rasulallah SAW.

Wama Taufiqi Ilallah Billah

Special thanks to Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Delivered at Fredericton Islamic Association, Masjid on March 28, 2008