Touch
Miracles and blessings, things that were transformed through his touch
Incident 1
Right from the moment of birth, miracles and blessings abounded on account of the Prophet ﷺ. Amongst which are those experienced by Sayyida Halima, his foster mother. Her breast milk had been insufficient to satisfy her own infant but when she offered her breast to the Prophet ﷺ she felt a flow of milk and thereafter there was sufficient milk for both him and her own child.
On her journey to Makkah, her donkey had become weak and walked very slowly, but as she carried her blessed foster child ﷺ back to her home in the desert, the donkey became the swiftest of her companions’ donkeys.
Vegetation was limited on account of a drought, but Sayyida Halima’s sheep would wonder off and always return well fed and produced an abundant supply of milk. Her traveling companions were so amazed that they asked Sayyida Halima if she had purchased a new donkey and would send their sheep to follow hers to find food, but their sheep always returned to them in the same condition.
Incident 2
The people of Madinah were in a state of unrest and Sayyidina Anas, Malik’s son tells us that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ rode out of the City on a horse belonging to Sayyidina Abu Talha. Sayyidina Abu Talha’s horse was known to be a slow animal, but upon his return the Prophet ﷺ told Sayyidina Abu Talha, ‘We found your horse to be very fast.” After that ride the horse resumed its usual pace.[1]
Incident 3
Sayyidina Jabir, Abdullah’s son had a weak camel. The Prophet ﷺ touched it and it became so lively that Sayyidina Jabir had to use all his power to control it.[2]
He did the same thing with a horse belonging to Sayyidina Ju’ayl al-Ashja’i. he gave it a flick with a whisk that had with him and blessed it. Then Sayyidina Ju’ayl could not hold it back due to its friskiness. Twelve thousand foals from it were sold.[3]
Incident 4
The four legged[4] transport of Sayyidina Saad, Ubada’s son, was slow, however, when the Prophet ﷺ rode it, it returned at such a fast pace that no one could keep up with it.[5]
Incident 5
Sayyidina Khalid, Walid’s son, kept some of the Prophet ﷺ hairs in his turban, and was always victorious when he wore the turban.[6]
Incident 6
Sayyida Asma, Sayyidina Abu Bakr’s daughter tells us that she had a black shirt the Prophet ﷺ had worn and when people were sick they put it in some water, use the water and would recover.[7]
Incident 7
Sayyidina Abul Kasim, Al Maamun’s son, said that they had in their possession a dish that had once belonged to the Prophet ﷺ when someone became ill they would put water on it and the person would use the water and be cured.[8]
Incident 8
As Sayyidina Uthman held the staff of the Prophet ﷺ Jihjah Al Ghifari snatched it from him and tried to break it across his knee. The people cried out telling him not do it, and he was stricken by a disease in his knee which necessitated its amputation, however, its amputation did not save him, and he died within the year.[9]
Incident 9
The Prophet ﷺ poured some of the water left over from his ablution into a well in Quba, and thereafter its water never dried up.[10]
Incident 10
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ blew some of his salvia into Sayyidina Anas’ well and there was no water sweeter than it in Madinah.[11]
Incident 11
One day the Prophet ﷺ passed by some water and inquired about it. He told was that it was called “Balsan” and its water was salty. He renamed the water saying, “It is Nu’man, and its water is good” and it became good.[12]
Incident 12
On another occasion, the Prophet ﷺ brought a vessel of water from Zamzam and blew some of his salvia into it and the water became sweeter than musk.[13]
Incident 13
The grandsons of the Prophet ﷺ, Imam Al Hasan and Imam Al Hussain, may Allah be pleased with them, were young and crying on account of thirst. The Prophet ﷺ gave him his tongue to suck and thereafter they stopped crying.[14]
Incident 14
A skin containing some ghee (clarified butter) was given to the Prophet ﷺ by the mother of Sayyidina Malik Al Ansariyaah. He handed it back to her and told her not to squeeze it. When her sons ran out of ghee they would go to her and ask her for some, and she would go to the skin and find some ghee in it. It continued like this until one day she squeezed the skin.[15]
Incident 15
Sayyidina Salman Al Farsi had converted to Islam but had been sold to Jews in Madinah.
He wanted to buy himself out of his slavery, but they placed a high price upon him. The Jews told him that he would be set free upon the payment of three hundred planted palm-trees that were tied and produced fruit. In addition they demanded that he pay him forty pieces of gold. One day he was blessed to meet the Prophet ﷺ and told him of his circumstances whereupon the Prophet ﷺ planted the trees for him with his own blessed hands, that is all except for one which someone else planted, and all flourished except that tree. Each of the trees except that one produced fruit that same year. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ learned of the tree, he uprooted it, replanted it and it took root and produced fruit. As for the gold, the Prophet ﷺ gave Sayyidina Salman gold equal to the size of a chicken’s egg, but first he put it in his mouth and rolled his tongue around it. Forty pieces of gold were weighed from it for his Jewish masters and their remained the same amount of gold as at the beginning.[16]
Incident 15
Sayyidina Hanash Uqayl’s son, tells us that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to give him a drink of soup. He would drink from it first and Sayyidina Hanash would be the last to drink. Without exception he always found that it satisfied hunger and thirst, and when he was thirsty it was cool for him.[17]
Incident 16
It was a dark rainy night and Sayyidna Qatada, Numan’s son had prayed the evening prayer in the company of the Prophet ﷺ who thereafter gave him a branch of a palm-tree saying, “Take it with you, it will shed light for you an arm’s length before you and an arm’s length behind you. When you enter your house, you will see something dark. Beat it until it leaves because it is satan.” Sayyidina Qatada went home and the branch lit his way. When he entered his home, he found the darkness and beat it until it left.[18]
Incident 17
During the Battle of Badr, Sayyidina Uqasha’s sword broke and the Prophet ﷺ gave him a wooden stick saying, “Strike with it!” The stick was transformed into a long, strong, sharp, gleaming sword and he fought with it and after the battles were over he kept it. The sword was called “Al Awn”, meaning “the help”. He took the sword with him in each battle and was finally martyred fighting the people of Ridda (who after the death of the Prophet ﷺ became a non-believer).[19]
Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Jahash lost his sword in the battle of Uhud and the Prophet ﷺ gave him a palm stick which turned into a sword.[20]
Incident 18
There are many reports of sheep and goats that produced no milk giving an abundance of milk through the blessing of his touch. For example, the sheep of Sayyida Umm Mabad, the one that belonged to Sayyidina Anas, that belonging to Sayyida Halima, the one that belonged to Sayyidina Al Miqdad and the sheep that had never been mated belonging to Sayyidina Abdullah, Masood’s son, and the goat of Sayyidina Mua’wiyah, Thawr’s son.[21]
There was also a time when the Prophet ﷺ provided for his Companions. He filled and tied a skin with water he supplicated over it. When the time for prayer arrived they untied the water skin and found it was full of sweet milk with cream on the top.[22]
Incident 19
There are several reports of people over whom the Prophet ﷺ passed his hands and blessed their heads. Their hair never turned white. One such person was Sayyidina Umayr, Saad’s son, others were Sayyidina As Saib, Yazid’s son, and Sayyidina Madluk.[23]
Incident 20
The Prophet ﷺ passed his hand over the abdomen and back of Sayyidina Utba, Farqad’s son, and the perfume was so fragrant that it surpassed those of the females in his household.[24]
Incident 21
Sayyidina Aidh, Amr’s son was wounded at Battle of Hunain and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wiped the blood from his face and supplicated for him. From that time onwards Aidh had a blaze on his head similar to that of a horse.[25]
The Prophet ﷺ touch the head of Sayyidina Qays, Zaid’s son and supplicated for him. Sayyidina Qays lived to be one hundred, and all of his hair had turned white except where the Prophet ﷺ had touched it and he became known as Al Aghar – the one with the blaze. Sayyidina Amr, Thalab Al Juhani was also blessed in a similar manner.[26]
Incident 22
When the Prophet ﷺ passed his hand over the face of a person there remained a light upon his face. He also stroked the face of Sayyidina Qatada, Milhan’s son and it too shone in a way that when someone looked at his face it was like looking into a mirror.[27]
Incident 23
Sayyidina Hanzala, Hidhaym’s son was also blessed by the touching of his head by the Prophet ﷺ. One day a man came to him with his sheep. His face was swollen, and the udders of his sheep were also swollen. The swollen parts were placed upon the area the Prophet’s hand had touched Sayyidina Hanzala and the swellings disappeared.[28]
Incident 24
Sayyida Zainab, Salma’s daughter was also blessed when the Prophet ﷺ splashed some water on her face. After this her face became so beautiful that it surpassed the beauty of other women.[29]
Incident 25
There are several reports relating to children who were either sick or insane and all were cured by his blessed touch amongst those children were Sayyidina Al Muhallab, Qubala’s son.[30]
Sayyidina Tawus tells us that whenever an insane person was brought to the Prophet ﷺ he would stroke their chest and the insanity would leave them.[31]
Incident 26
A man came to him suffering from a hernia. He instructed that it be sprinkled with water from a spring into which he had blown some saliva. After this had been carried out the man was cured.[32]
At one time Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah came to the Prophet ﷺ and complained of his forgetfulness. The Prophet ﷺ told him to spread out his robe and he scooped his hands into it. Then he told him to draw the robe to him, and this he did. Thereafter he did not forget a thing.[33]
Incident 27
Sayydina Jarir, Abdullah’s son was unstable on a horse, the Prophet ﷺ patted his chest and supplicated for him and thereafter he became the best and most stable of all Arab horsemen.[34]
[1] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P183.
[2] Bukhari. Muslim. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P183.
[3] Al-Bayhaqi. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P183.
[4] We use this out of respect instead of donkey.
[5] Ibn Sa’ad. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P183.
[6] Al-Bayhaqi. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P183.
[7] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P183.
[8] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P183.
[9] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P183.
[10] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P183.
[11] Al-Bayhaqi. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P183.
[12] Abu Nu’aym. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P184.
[13] Ibn Majah. Al-Bayhaqi. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P184.
[14] At-Tabarani. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P184.
[15] Muslim. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P184.
[16] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P184.
[17] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P184.
[18] Ibn Hanbal. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P184.
[19] Al-Bayhaqi. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P184-5.
[20] Al-Bayhaqi. Al-Bayhaqi. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P185.
[21] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P185.
[22] Ibn Sa’ad. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P185.
[23] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P185.
[24] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P185.
[25] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P185.
[26] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P185.
[27] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P185.
[28] Al-Bayhaqi. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P185.
[29] Ibn Abdul Barr. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P185.
[30] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P186.
[31] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P186.
[32] Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P186.
[33] Bukhari. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P186.
[34] Bukhari. Muslim. Ash-Shifa, Part One, Chapter Four, Miracles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam), section 23. P186.