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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

INTRODUCTION

The following is a review of the chapter : 'Some of the Important

Miracles of the Holy Prophet' , from the Book 'Muhammad the Final

Messenger' by Majid Ali Khan.;

Allah subhanahuwata'ala says in the Quran,

“And, indeed We have sent Messengers before you (O

Muhammad); of some of them We have related to you their

story and of some We have not related to you their story, and

it was not given to any Messenger that he should bring a sign

except by the Leave of Allah. So, when comes the

Commandment of Allah, the matter will be decided with truth,

and the followers of falsehood will then be lost. (Qur'ân

40:78)

We can understand from this verse,that prophets were given signs

by Allah out of his mercy, so that the people might be certain and

reaffirmed in their belief.

Muhammed(saw), the seal of the prophets,the messenger

for humanity till the last day, was given a variety of such miracles,

which included simple miracles like curing the sick to great and

significant ones like splitting the moon, the mir'aj and of

coarse,the eternal miracle of the Quran.

This article deals with a few of these miracles, and is divided into

two sections; the miracles mentioned in the Quran, and the

miracles mentioned in the hadith.In this review, we will critically

look upon this artice, keeping our minds open to any hidden

meaning or significance behind these miracles, and also observe

how the author presents them.

We must keep in mind however that, each of these miracles,

except the miracle of the Holy Quran, were signs shown the

people around the prophet at that time in particular contexts; we

must believe in these miracles, but they should not be the basis of

our belief in Allah and his prophets, but rather we must ponder

over the signs of Allah that are all around us and thus find the

truth which Allah has made clear from falsehood.

Miracles mentioned in Quran

Isra’ Mi’raj

The author of the article had discretely informed us about the miracles that

happened to Prophet Muhammad on which authenticities both comes from the Quran and

Hadith. The hadith had pointed out most of the miracles of the prophet in detail as which

they were present to heard his stories where else , in the Quran miracles of the prophet

were finally authenticated by divinity of Allah’s words ( Qalamu llah ) which seals the

stories in the heart of all ummah that reads the Quran.

One of the most astounding , astonishing and meaningful miracles of Prophet

Muhammad has got to be the miracle of Isra’ Mi’raj. The incident marks the journey of

the prophet as the representative of mankind onto learning the meaning of all things,

subsequently laying the many purposes of mankind on this earth. Prophet Muhammad’s

trip is seen as an Encyclopedic venture of mankind and Allah’s many nature of rulings.

The story tells of Prophet Muhammad being visited by the archangel Gabriel

when he was sleeping in Hijr mosque. He then went through a spiritual purification

process in which Gabriel slit open his chest and cleaned the prophet’s heart with Zam

Zam water. Later, he was introduced to an unearthly animal with similar resemblance of a

mule with elaborate wings. On this animal, Prophet Muhammad took off with the

company of Gabriel to the Mosque of Jerusalem then was the Qiblah at the time.

Allah brought Prophet Muhammad to Masjid al-Aqsa from which most of the

prophets hail. There he found all of the prophets gathered there, and they prayed in

congregation behind him. He then encountered with Gabriel giving him a cup of milk or

wine to choose from which the prophet chose the milk signifying the better of the first

than the latter.

Then there was the second part of the journey, arguably signifying the Mi’raj of

the journey. Mi’raj takes the prophet through the seven heavenly levels until finally

reaching Allah’s Almighty throne ( Al – Arsh ). Within the journey, Prophet Muhammad

encountered with his fellow seniors of the prophets. He started off seeing prophet Adam

whom was introduced as father or mankind. Following that, prophet Muhammad also met

up with prophet Isa, Yusuf, Yahya, Idris, Ibrahim, Musa, Harun among many of the most

profound prophets of Allah. Here, Prophet Muhammad were able to attain the personal

characteristics of the other prophets in detail.

The Prophet saw the Throne (^Arsh), which is the ceiling of Paradise. The Throne

is the largest creation of Allah in size; Allah did not create anything bigger in size than it.

The seven heavens and the earth in comparison to the Kursiyy, are like a ring thrown in a

desert, and the Kursiyy in comparison to the Throne, is like a ring thrown in a desert. The

seven heavens and the earth in comparison to the Throne are like a seed of mustard

compared to the ocean. Allah created the Throne as a sign of His Power and He did not

create the Throne to sit on it.

At first, Allah obligated fifty prayers. When Prophet Muhammad encountered

Musa, Musa told him to make supplication (du^a') to his Lord to ease the obligation of

fifty (50) prayers, because his nation could not handle that. Musa said, "I have experience

with the people of Israel, and I know your nation cannot bear that." So the Prophet asked

his Lord to lessen these prayers for his people. Five prayers were eliminated. Once again,

Musa told the Prophet to ask Allah to lessen the number of prayers. Allah did. Nine times

the Prophet made supplication to Allah to lessen these prayers--until these prayers were

lessened to five Obligatory Prayers. So Prophet Musa was a great benefit to us. Had we

been obligated to pray fifty prayers a day, this would have been a difficult matter for us.  

After all these matters took place with the Prophet, he returned to the city of

Makkah. Some scholars said the Prophet's journey took about one-third of the night, i.e.,

his journey from Makkah to Jerusalem, then to the heavens and what is above them, and

then back to Makkah The next day the Prophet told the people what happened to him the

previous night. The blasphemers belied the Prophet and mocked him in disbelief.

Allah is glorifying Himself saying, “ Subhana alladhi asra'” which means “Glory

to Me, the One who brought the Prophet on the Night Journey calling him to My Divine

Presence.” This is beyond the comprehension of the human mind. Allah is not just

reminding us about this event, rather, He is glorifying Himself on account of it. That is

because the Night Journey, moving almost instantaneously from Makka to Masjid al-

Aqsa and the Ascension, traversing in an incredibly short span of time the worldly

domain of this universe and beyond, transcend the laws of physics governing movement.

There is no way for any scientist's mind to comprehend how the Prophet (s) moved across

the globe and was then carried to Allah's Divine Presence. Such a journey is beyond the

scope of imagination. Therefore Allah (swt) glorifies Himself saying, "Yes it happened!

Glory to Me Who can do this! I am beyond these laws and systems. I am the Creator of

all systems."

And now to discuss the significance of the miracle of isra’ mi’raj, and to

understand the very meaning of it. Isra’ and mi’raj signifies 2 events that happened

through the Journey of the prophet. The first being isra’ commemorates Prophets visit to

Baitul Aqsa in Jerusalem from Hijr. He embarked on an unearthly animal on which the

prophet encountered . The contrast between these 'stations' is further demonstrated by the

famous stone at each of these holy sites. In Masjid al-Haraam the Black Stone is a stone

governed by physical constraints, held up in an encasement, having fallen from heaven

and been darkened by the sins of humanity. At Masjid al-Aqsa the holy stone marking

where the Prophet (as) ascended to the heavens is miraculously suspended in the air,

disregarding the physical law of gravity, seeking to leave the earthly pull of gravity to

soar towards the Divine Presence. As he was in Jerusalem, he was greeted by all of the

prophets before him and he led a congregational prayer. This marks the prophet’s

leadership in heading all the prophets sent down by Allah. Prophet Muhammad being the

leader and one who completes the work and mission from Allah.

The author however, did not explain about the prophet’s encounter with

metaphorical incidents such as the meeting with and old lady who represents the aging

world. It is believed he did so to as to tell it’s significance is minor compared to what

awaits the Prophet on the journey to the heavens.

Following the congregational prayer, Prophet was brought into a decision to

choose from a cup of milk and wine after which he chose the milk. Doing so marks why

Islam prohibits alcohol and Gabriel congrats the Prophet for making a wise choice.

Allah then moved him from Masjid al-Aqsa by means of the Miraj, lifting him up

to His Divine Presence. Why did Allah use the words, ‘ laylan - by night'? Why didn't He

say, ‘ naharan - by day'? ‘ Laylan' here illustrates the darkness of this world which

becomes illumined only by the bright moon of the Prophet (s) to illuminate every

darkness.

The message of Prophet Muhammad (s) completed and perfected both the

physical discipline and jurisprudence ( shariah ) of Musa and the spirituality (rawhaniyya

) of ‘Isa. The shariah of Musa relates to the worldly life and the spirituality of ‘Isa relates

to the heavenly life. By passing from the worldly life, represented by the Night Journey,

to heavenly life, represented by the Ascension, the Prophet (s) was carried on these two

wings. No prophet was carried on both except our master Muhammad (s).

Through all the levels, Prophet Muhammad met up with several other prophets.

These events give us a vague resemblance of how the other prophets may appear and

behave and showed the culturally different appearances and attitudes.

In short, the miracle of Isra’ Mi’raj and through its many events had formed the

basis of our Islamic teachings. This is such so on how Prophet Muhammad explains the

concept of reward and punishment that he had come about from difrent experiences .

Then there was also a sense of finality and authenticity of Islam when all the other

prophets had approved and followed the lead of Prophet Muhammad.

Spliting of the Moon

The Moon had split into two distinct parts in front of their very eyes. The two

parts had separated and receded so much apart from each other that to the on-lookers (in

Makkah) one part had appeared on one side of the mountain and the other on the other

side of it. Then, in an instant the two had rejoined. This was a manifest proof of the truth

that the system of the universe was neither eternal nor immortal, it could be disrupted.

This incident indicated that huge stars and planets could split asunder,

disintegrate, collide with each other, and everything that had been described in the Qur'an

on the Resurrection could happen. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be

upon him) invited the people's attention to this event only with this object in view and

asked them to mark it and be a witness to it. But the disbelievers described it as a magical

illusion and persisted in their denial. They were reproached in Surah Al-Qamar (The

Moon) for their stubbornness.

This miracle was also witnessed if not just by the people of Arabia but by a

famous king in India. This great distance of observation provide a firm evidence that the

incident really did take place upon Allah’s will to testify the true religion brought by

Prophet Muhammad. In addition to that, the author mentioned that there was already a

prophecy to the people in India of that the coming of the final prophet. This shows a then

global involvement in testifying the truth of Prophet Muhammad through the witness of

splitting of the Moon. Allah had chosen the moon as subject to Allah’s will if compared

to other miracles performed by the other Prophets to show the magnitude of Islam is not

only a message to the people of Arabia but to the whole world who would witness it.

Other miracles were also recorded in Quran subsequently being part of Quran’s

miracle of predicting the future. This one story in particularly tells of the conspiracy of

the Quraish to murder Prophet Muhammad. The auther gave a brief lists of the miracles

mentioned in the Quran, some involving the prophet Muhammad some not. Even so,

prophet Muhammad having to posses this continuous miracle , the Quran was able to

utilize it for his safety and benefit for the ummah even until this day.

The Holy Quran as a miracle.

A section of the article explains why the Holy Quran itself constitutes a

great miracle of the prophet (saw). Now, some might ask,how is the

Quran a miracle of the prophet(saw) when it was revealed by Allah,and

Muhammad (saw) was only a messenger who brought it to

humankind ?In fact, the article starts with the most appropriate verse

from the Quran, where the Quran itself addresses itself as a great

miracle of the prophet(saw).

“And thou( i.e. the Holy Prophet) was not (able) to recite a Book before

this

(Book came ), nor art thou (able) to transcribe it with thy right hand

and in that case, indeed,would the talkers of vanities have doubted.

Nay here are the signs self evident in the hearts of those endowed with

knowledge, and none but the unjust reject our signs. Yet they say: Why

are not signs sent down to him from his Lord?” Say:”The signs are

indeed with Allah, and I am indeed a clear warner.”(29:48-50)

Then, the author moves on to explain this verse. This verse calls on

man to reflect with the simplest of common sense and applies a logic

any layman can understand. It asks the simple question:”How can a

man who lived among yourselves, who was illiterate,all of a sudden,

produce a book like the Holy Quran? What is the speciality of the Holy

Quran? The next part deals with this question.

The author explains,”a Book containing the truths of life,having no rival

to it any language,ancient or modern, for the beauty,force,and

sweetness of its diction,for clearness ,depth ,and profoundness of its

similies,metaphors and other figures of speech,for the immediate

penetrating and lasting effect of its admonitions,for its richness of

ideas,for its unimpeachable style,its unparalleled grace,and a

comprehensive sweep of its subjects,and for the enlightenment and

complete code of life it provides for those who wish to tread the right

path.”

This wonderful statement summarising the Miracle of the 'Holy Quran'

does not need further elaboration, but rather, if one wants a better

understanding,then, he must himself read the Holy Quran, and see for

himself.However the author still moves on to further explain and prove

the indisputable nature of this Miracle. Here again, the author uses the

verses from the Quran itself to prove this Miracle. And the Quran

uniquely provides the proof for itself!

He turns to the standing 'Challenge of the Quran' directed at all

men and jinn to try to produce something similar to it,which is a great

proof for the divine source of the Quran.

“Say: 'If the whole of mankind and jinns were combined together to

produce a like of this Quran, they could not produce the like thereof,

even if they backed up each other with help and support'” (17:88)

“Or do they say ,'He has forged it? 'Bring then a Surah like unto it, and

call (to your aid) anyone you can,besides Allah if you are true in your

claim'” (10:38)

These are a few of the verses he mentions, proclaiming a challenge to

all mankind and jinn to produce even a chapter like it. The author does

not further elaborate about the success of this challenge and the

failure of man to imitate it. This is left for the reader to ponder, and in

fact it is very easy for him to understand if he ponders about it. If he

reflects on the actions of the people of the Quraish, and the people of

Mecca amongst whom the Quran was revealed, he notices that the

hippo crates amongst them fought agaist the message of the Quran

with their wealth and lives. He must understand, that if these people

were able to fight against the Quran orally,they would never have

chosen the sword,which was harder. It was their inability to meet this

challenge that made them choose the sword.

The author then turns to the next great miracle of the

Quran,which is its authenticity or unchangability. He quotes the verse:

“Surely We have revealed the Reminder and will surely be its

guardian.” (15:9)

and similar verse where Allah promises to protect it from any change

or distortion.

Here again,the author does not elaborate further. It is left to the reader

to understand that history testifies to the authenticity of the Quran and

to the fact that not even a word of it has undergone the slightest

change over 1400 years. This indeed is in itself a great miracle.

Criticism and recommendations for “The Holy Quran as a

Miracle”

The article treats the 'Miracle of the Quran' just as section amongst

other miracles of the prophet.Whereas, the Quran is undoubtedly the

greatest miracle of prophet Muhammed(saw). I say this because the

message of Muhammed(saw) unlike other messengers is eternal and

meant for the whole of humankind till the last day and not just to the

people to whom he was sent.

Now,the Holy Quran is the only Miracle that is applicable to us and it is

the 'greatest proof' for people like us,who live centuries after the

prophet because we did not get to witness the other miracles. We can

hold the Miracle of the Quran in our own hands and see for ourselves.

I feel,that this topic must be dealt with more carefully, in a way that its

significance is really conveyed to the reader. I would like to use a verse

from the holy Quran to reaffirm my point.

“ They ask: ‘Why has no sign been given him by his Lord?’

Say: ‘Signs are in the hands of God. My mission is only to give

plain warning.’ Is it not enough for them that We have revealed

to you the Book which is recited to them? Surely in this there

is a blessing and an admonition to true believers.”

(Qur’an, 29:50-51)

Further, the author does not talk about the scientific miracles of the

Quran, which is of great r elevance in today's age. As a whole,the

article expains the miracle very well, with the most appropriate verses

from the Quran. However, I think this topic deserves a more detailed

explanation, with additions from the hadith, which could be more easily

understood and appreciated by the common reader.However, the

effort made deserves our applause and appreciation.

Miracles Mentioned in the Hadith

In the second part of this chapter, the author discusses ‘Some of the Miracles

Mentioned in the Books of Ahadith’. Whilst one is greatly associated to the Qur’an of

being the greatest miracle, Hadiths must not be left out due to the reason that it adds

much certainty on the ability of the Prophet’s miracles, in order to move one’s

immobility towards Islam. In a paradoxical retrospect, there is much admiration for the

author who pointed out that there have been indeed those who strayed away from Islam,

instead of closer, due to the significance and sighting of the Prophet’s miracle. Yet, this

does not in any way disapprove of his miracles, but uncovers a different light of the

world, where not everyone or everything is proven to be black and white. Where humans

are concerned, there is always a play in probability and an answer of “it depends”, that

therefore does not guarantee everyone to the Straight Path.

Indeed, there are many hadiths that aim at uncovering the miracles, but this chapter looks

to focus on the ten mentioned which include:

1. The Opening of the Chest

2. Joining of the Broken Bone Immediately

3. Gushing out Springs of Water from His Fingers

4. Exposition of the Enchantment done upon the Holy Prophet

5. Prophecy about the Death of Rifa‘a bin Darir, one of the Leading Hypocrites

6. Greetings (“Salam”) by Trees and Stones

7. Movement (i.e. walk) of Trees by His Order

8. Information by Roasted Flesh of Goat about the Poison

9. Crying and Weeping by a Dead Stem of Date Tree due to its Love for Him

10. Little Food Enough for Thousands of Persons

In this review, we look not to explain in detail of the miracles mentioned, but rather push

to uncover any hidden gemstones that one might find in this cave of knowledge. Due to

the over-used and tired-out title, readers might venture off into a different realm where

the un-heard of less-heard stories can be told. Whilst this talk of miracles can be deemed

of as repetition and constant playing of a broken record, it is not to be deceived by our

human senses or pride. For students such as ourselves, such a book can use a pardoning

due to lack of images and direct excitement, but when time, honest patience and energy is

taken in consideration, one can truly look into the eyes of the Prophet’s miracles and only

pray that one could have been a part of his time, tribe and even place.

Hadiths differ from the Qur’an, not only for what it signifies, but also by whom signifies

it. The prophet Muhammad’s relations and close companions articulately spoke of him,

wrote about him, and tried to copy him in his beautiful ways and manners through life. So

although one is obviously not able to conjure up a re-make of his miracles, one is still

able to re-play the image of the occurrence, as if one were there, experiencing the very

moment happening. We might have not been there next to the Prophet, but our senses are

very well excited in the past’s spur of the moment. Indeed, history does not repeat itself,

but indefinite patterns of it do, and such can be regarded in this context as our memories

and emotions.

In true words, when one’s eyes fall upon the pages of this chapter, one not only receives

information through the senses, but they are digested through our systems, minds and

hearts. In one sense, we are sadly a nation that is falling apart, but in another, we have

been given the gift of literacy which enables us to absorb words from the Hadiths that

signify great miracles of the prophet Muhammad, and this holds headstrong to this very

day, for the young and old, believers and non-believers, to take heed as he wishes to open

his heart to.

One and all can relate to this section of the chapter. If one were an environmentalist, then

the story of the weeping date tree would shake one’s soul, and would cause even one to

weep in pure delight, out of the now-proven scientific discovery that plants do feel after

all! And, if one were to ever feel hunger stricken onto his or her family, or one self, or

even to witness such pain, then the Hadith of the Prophet being able to feed thousands of

people with such measly amount of food, would cause one to jump in thankfulness and

joy.

The stories of the miracles of the Prophet, explained through and pairing in with the

manner of the Hadith, can innately touch one’s soul due to the great humanistic effect it

has. One can only imagine what the Prophet’s Sahabahs went through with great believe

and thanks to Allah for this show of greatness. For one who holds onto the rope of Allah

is grateful for these stories, because they are not myths, and they are definitely not dead

or dying to the world. –They live on in our minds, in our imaginations, but most

importantly, they flourish and dance courageously in the wind like a vast field of golden

sands, just like the prophet Muhammad and his companions did during the dawn of

Islam.

Conclusion

‘Some of the Important Miracles of the Holy Prophet’ indeed signifies an impact that can

be judged through the eyes of every Muslim. It is honest, interpretative and non-biased.

An overall outlook on the chapter of the book can be that because it does not touch on

personal ideas or ideals of the writer, it tinges on the neutrality of how and why the article

is written.

The author’s manner of writing is meant to educate, rather than inspire, but references

cited from the Qur’an and Hadith do very well in the aspect of stirring or arousing much

love and admiration for the prophet Muhammad and the great message of Islam he

brought to mankind. In addition to that, the author makes it a note to first cite the Qur’an,

then the Hadith, and through out this chapter, it maintains this very flow, which coincides

purely to our Islamic understanding for Muslims, and also caters to non-Muslims who

wish or seek to study and dissect true-life events and stories of the miracles of our

beloved prophet Muhammad.

The chapter’s prose, or writing style is direct and ultimately honest. It contains good and

clear structure, in first addressing the very word of “Mu’jizat” –its root and literal

meaning, and naturally, the division of different categories of supernatural acts, which

include Al-Mu’jizah, Al-Karamat, Ma’unah, and Istidraj. The essence of this chapter is a

definite built on our two Islamic sources, but the author does not cease to cite volume of

works, and so on, on this very topic.

What is to be greatly admired thoroughly of this piece of work, is not merely on the

author’s ability to scratch a word into a sentence and then into chapter, but is of the

stories and parables through the Prophet’s words and actions, that the author has

intricately chosen through much thought and obvious study. The Prophet is indeed the

best teacher and sets a great milestone for us to follow, but from this, we need authors

such as the author of this book to compile, pen, and fundamentally understand the very

core of great works (the Qur’an, Hadith and other sources itself) that are built on great

words (by Allah, the Prophet, his companions, and other scholars).

As a last say, it is with great honour that we are able to review and critique this single

chapter from the book, Muhammad the Final Messenger, and we aim at not simply trying

to fathom the jewels of physical miracles, but seek to recognize the value of the perfect

literacy and wonders of the Qur’an itself, the greatest amongst all miracles. In admiration,

it would be only natural to end this review with a quote from the book by A.M.R.

Muhajir in his book “Muhammad As Depicted In The Holy Quran” (pages 177-178), who

testifies that the Qur’an is a “Book containing the truths of life, having no rival to it in

any language, ancient or modern, for the beauty, force, and sweetness of its diction, for

clearness, depth, and profoundness of its similes, metaphors and other figures of speed,

for the immediate penetrating and lasting effect of its admonitions, for its richness of

ideas, for its unimpeachable style, its unparalleled grace, and a comprehensive sweep of

its subjects, and for the enlightment and complete code of life it provides for those who

wish to tread the right path.”