Characteristics
Summary of the miracles given to the Prophet ﷺ together with their special characteristics
The aim of this chapter has been to present some of the Prophet’s ﷺ miracles and the signs of his Prophethood, many of which have not been included, but what has been mentioned is sufficient. The chains or narrators have been shortened as they would in themselves require the compilation of many volumes that are only of value to the scholars of hadith.
The miracles of the Prophet ﷺ are more evident than those of other Prophets in two ways. First, he was given miracles that are too numerous to count, and none of his fellow Prophets were given a miracle that our Prophet ﷺ did not bring one that was similar or more excellent.
As for their being numerous, one must recall that all the parts of the Qur’an are miracles, even sentences of a few words, or short chapters such as “Al Kawthar” chapter 108 are miracles in their own right. This is substantiated by the verses that read, “So let them bring a single discourse like it, if they are truthful.”[1] or “…bring forth a single Surah equal to it;…”[2]
There are approximately seventy-seven thousand words in the Holy Qur’an, and the Qur’an is divided into more than seven thousand parts with each part being a miracle in itself. Surfaces of its miraculous nature is its eloquence and elite composition; therefore each part contains a double miracle.
Another facet of its miraculous nature is that it gives knowledge of the Unseen, and in just one chapter alone one is able to find many descriptions, and each description is a miracle, therefore the number of miracles is increased yet again. The magnitude of the number of miracles contained in the Qur’an cannot be determined, it is so great in itself.
The Prophetic quotations contain details of miracles as well as the miraculous aspects of the life of the Prophet ﷺ. Secondly, is the undisputable clarity and broad spectrum of the miracles given to the Prophet ﷺ. Previous Messengers were given miracles relative to their time and in a science which their people excelled. For example, during the time of Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, sorcery had reached its climax, and so Moses was given miracles to present to Pharaoh and others that resembled their own skills but clearly surpassed and were far superior than those of the magicians and sorcerers of his time. What he brought shattered the normal patterns of sorcery and the sorcerers were unable to compete and surrendered. The recognised that the signs Moses brought were clearly miracles, supernaturally sent by Allah.
The same applies to Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, the people of his time excelled in medicine, when someone was pronounced incurable he remained as such, there was no hope. So when Jesus brought them by the permission of Allah cures beyond the bounds of their medicine, such as the raising of the dead, curing the blind and healing the leper without the use of medicine, it was a sign for his people that what he brought was indeed from Allah. The same circumstances apply to the miracles of all the other Prophets, peace be upon them. In each case these miracles were a sign to people that the person who stood before them and to whom had been given miraculous skills was a prophet sent to them by Allah and they should follow him.
Allah sent the Prophet ﷺ at a time when the Arabic language had reached its apex, and at a time in which they were proud of their historical transmission, predications and omens. As we mentioned before, the sending down of the Qur’an excelled all forms of the Arabic language and therefore impossible to imitate. It contains a unique composition and style the like of which was previously unheard and which even the most eloquent were unaware. Then, there is its contents, the disclosure of hidden secrets, events, inner thoughts and their like, all of which were proven true, so that even the most hostile critic could not raise a voice.
As for the predictions and omens of soothsayers and their like, the Prophet ﷺ made them void. Even before the jinn and satans had been prevented from eavesdropping in the heavens by meteors and guards, only one prediction out of ten could be claimed to be anyway near factual.
The Prophet ﷺ brought news of earlier generations and stories of previous Prophets. He told them of nations that had vanished and of events beyond the knowledge of even those who devoted themselves to the study of such knowledge.
The Qur’an is a miracle, watched over by Allah, that will remain with mankind until the Day of Resurrection and provides clear proof for each generation. There has never been an era that has passed without its truthfulness being made manifest to them. Through its reading belief is fortified and the proof is clear. It cannot be said that hearing is the same as seeing with one’s own eyes. Whereas witnessing increases certainty. The soul’s trust is elevated from the knowledge of certainty to the vision of certainty.
The miracles of previous Prophets have long since faded away, they existed only during the lifetime of their Prophet, but the greatest miracle of our Prophet ﷺ will never cease. Its signs are continually renewed and will never disappear. Sayyyidina Abu Hurayrah tells us that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Each Prophet was given of a kind that other nations believed. I have been given the Revelation which Allah has sent to me, and it is my hope that on the Day of Resurrection I will be the one with the most followers.”
As for the miracles of previous prophets, those who stubbornly opposed them tried to find ways to make people doubtful of their miraculous nature, but they cannot do the same with the Qur’an. The Qur’an consists of words devoid of trickery, magic or illusion and it is this that people find clearer than all other miracles.
Imam Abul Ma’ali and other scholars are of the opinion that the Qur’an is a more conclusive form of breaking normal boundaries than all the other miracles given to previous prophets. Of miracles such as the staff of Moses he said that those who saw such a matter immediately thought it had been taught to Moses by a master magician with superior knowledge of that art. This thought remained with many of its witnesses until a thorough investigation disproved their conjecture.
Imam Abul Ma’ali continues and refers to the challenge to bring something similar to the Qur’an and reminds us that despite the hundreds of years that have passed no one has done so, all have been unsuccessful because Allah has prevented them from its doing.
Despite the ignorance of the Arabs, before Islam, they were more apt to acknowledge their Creator and sought nearness to Allah through their idols. There were those who believed in the Oneness of Allah before the advent of Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, and followed their instinct and purity of heart. When the Prophet ﷺ brought the Book of Allah to them, they were able to comprehend its wisdom, and its miraculous nature was immediately instilled in them because of their predisposition. They accepted and believed him and each day they increase in belief, they abandoned all worldly affairs to be in the company of the Prophet ﷺ and migrated to follow him.
[1] Surah No:52. Verse No: 34
[2] Surah No:2. Verse No:23