Prophet Muhammad's Miracles
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Imam an-Nawawi
[Editor's note: A number of works have been authored concerning this topic or discussing
this topic amongst them are: ibn Taymiyyah, Al-Jawab as-Sahih li man Baddala Din
al-Masih; what was mentioned by ibn Kathir, Tarikh and adh-Dhahabi, Tarikh
al-Islam; ibn Hajr, Fathul-Bari [6/582] Refer also to Khayru-d-Din Wanili, Mu`jazat al-Mustapha [3rd ed., Maktabah
as-Sawadi, Jeddah]. Consult this for the evidences for what is mentioned in this
chapter.] The Messenger of Allah possesses many manifest miracles and signs
demonstrating [his veracity], reaching thousands and they are well known. From amongst them was the Qur'an, the manifest and clear miracle and
brilliant proof, falsehood cannot approach it from before it or behind it. It is
a revelation from One Who is All-Wise and Praiseworthy. It incapacitated the
most eloquent of people in the most eloquent of times to produce a single
chapter that would be comparable to it, even if the whole of creation were to
gather for that purpose. Allah, the Exalted says, "Say: If the whole of mankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce the
like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like of it, even if they
assisted each other." [Al-Israa' (17): 88] It challenged them to this despite their large numbers, their eloquence and
their severe enmity, and it challenges them to this day. As for the other miracles, it is not possible to enumerate them all due to
their huge number and renewing and increasing nature. However, I will mention
some examples: The splitting of the moon, water flowing from between his fingers, increasing
the quantity of food and water, the glorification of the food, the palm tree
yearning for him, stones greeting him, the talking of the poisoned leg [of
roasted sheep], trees walking towards him, two trees that were far apart coming
together and then parting again, the barren [and therefore dry] sheep giving
milk, his returning the eye of Qatidah bin an-Nu`man to its place with his hand
after it had slipped out, his spitting lightly into the eye of Ali when it had
become inflamed and its being cured almost immediately, his wiping the leg of
`Abdullah bin `Atiq whereupon he was immediately cured. His informing of the places of death of the Day of Badr saying, 'this is the
place of such polytheists on the and-such a person.' His informing of his
killing Ubayy bin Khalaf, that a group of his nation would traverse an ocean and
Umm Haram would be amongst them and this occurred. That all that was drawn
together for him of the ends of the earth and displayed to him would be opened
for his nation, that the treasures of the Chosroes would be spent by his nation
in the Way of Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent. That he feared for his nation
that they would be tempted by the wealth and allurement of this world and that
the treasures of the Persians and Romans would be ours and that Suraqah bin
Malik would wear the trousers of Chosroes. He informed us that Hasan bin `Ali would reconcile between two large warring
parties of the Muslims, that Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas would live such that nations
would benefit by him and others would be harmed. That an-Najashi had died on
this particular day while he was in Ethiopia and that al-Aswad al-`Ansi had been
killed on this particular day while he was in Yemen. That the Muslims would fight the Turks who were described as having small
eyes, wide faces and small, chiselled noses and that Yemen, Syria and Iraq would
be conquered by the Muslims. He informed us that the Muslims would comprise three armies, an army in
Syria, and army in Yemen and an army in Iraq. That they would conquer Egypt, a
land whose [unit of land measurement] was the Qirat, that they should deal with
their people well for they have protection [being Copts] and ties of kinship
[through Hajar]. That Awais al-Qarni would come to you from the auxiliaries of
Yemen, he would be afflicted with leprosy and it would be healed except for the
space of a dirham, and he indeed arrived during the rule of `Umar. He informed us that a group of his nation would always be upon the truth and
that mankind would become many in number and that the Ansar would diminish in
number and that the Ansar would not be given their due [with regards
distribution of wealth and leadership]. That mankind would keep on asking
questions until they would say, "Allah created the creation..." [Referring to
the hadeeth, "the people would continue asking until they say, 'this is Allah
Who created everything…but who created Allah?'" (al-Bukhari and Muslim)] He informed us that Ruwayfi` bin Thabit would live a long life, that Ammar
bin Yasir would be killed by the transgressing group, that this nations shall
divide into sects and that they would fight each other. He informed us that a fire would emanate from the land of Hijaz and the likes
of this. All of this occurred exactly as he (sallallahu `alayhe wa sallam) said
it would. He said to Thabit bin Qays, "You will live being praised... and you will die
as a martyr", and he lived being praised and was martyred at al-Yamamah. He said
to `Uthman, "He would be afflicted by a severe trial." [The meaning of severe
trial is his being imprisoned in his house and his being killed by the
transgressors.] He said about a person amongst the Muslims who had just fought a severe fight
that He said to `Ali, az-Zubair and al-Miqdad, "Go to the garden of Khakh for
indeed there is Dha`inah" who has a book with her. [Dha`inah is the woman with
whom Hasib al-Balta`ah (radhiAllahu `anhu) sent a letter to the people of Mecca
in order to inform them of the plans of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu
`alayhe wa sallam) to fight them. It was concerning this that the first verses
of Surah Mumtahinah were revealed. The garden of Khakh is a place falling between Mecca and Madinah. Refer to
Bukhari [no. 3983] and Muslim [no. 2494] and Tafsir ibn Kathir [4/344]] They found her there but she initially denied having the book and then took
it out from within her braids. He said to Abi Hurayrah, when Satan had stolen some dates, "Indeed he shall
return" and he did. He said to his wives, "The most prolific of you in giving
charity will be the quickest of you to join me." and it was so [Zaynab bint
Jahsh (radhi Allahu `anha) was the most prolific of them in giving charity and
was the first to die. Refer to Muslim [no. 2452].] He said to 'Abdullah bin Sallam, "You will remain upon Islam until you
die." He (sallallahu `alayhe wa sallam) supplicated for Anas that his wealth and
sons increase and that he should live a long life and it was so. He lived for
more than one hundred years and not one of the Ansar was richer than he and one
hundred and twenty of his children had already been buried before the arrival of
al-Hajjaj [to Basrah]. This is detailed further in Sahih Bukhari and others.
[Bukhari no. 1982] He supplicated that Islam be strengthened through 'Umar bin al-Khattab or Abu
Jahl, and Allah strengthened it through `Umar (radiyAllahu `anhu). He
supplicated against Suraqah bin Malik and the feet of his horse sank into the
earth and he was thrown off, he called out asking for safe conduct and was
granted it, then he asked the Prophet to make a supplication for him. He supplicated that Allah remove feeling the bitter cold and heat from `Ali
and so never did he feel cold or hot. He supplicated for Hudhayfah, the night
that he sent him to spy on the Confederates, that he not feel the cold and he
did not until he had returned. He supplicated for ibn `Abbas that Allah grant
him understanding of the religion and it was so. He supplicated against `Utbah
bin Abi Lahb... that Allah cause a dog from amongst his dogs to overcome him and
he was killed by a lion at az-Zarqa`. [This is how it is in all of the printed
editions; perhaps the author means `Utaybah bin Abi Lahb for this description
fits him. As for `Utbah, he accepted Islaam in the year of the Conquest of
Mecca.] He supplicated for the descent of rain when they asked him to at the time of
drought. There was not a single cloud in the sky, and then when he had
supplicated, the clouds gathered like mountains and it rained until the next
Friday. It rained so much that they had to come back and ask him to supplicate
and stop the rain, so he supplicated and the rain stopped and they walked out
into the glaring sun. He (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) supplicated for Abu Talhah and his wife,
Umm. Sulaym, that he bless them in the night they had spent together and she
became pregnant and gave birth to `Abdullah. He had nine children and all of
them were scholars. He supplicated for the mother of Aba Hurayrah (radhi Allahu `anhu) that she
be guided and Aba Hurayrah left to find her performing the ritual bath because
she had accepted Islam. He supplicated for Umm Qays bint Muhsin, the sister of
`Ukkasha, that she live a long life and we do not know of another woman who
lived as long as she did. This was reported by an-Nasa'i the chapter concerning
washing the deceased. On the Day of Hunain he threw a handful of dirt at the disbelievers and said,
"May the faces be disfigured", and Allah, the Exalted, vanquished them, filling
their eyes with dirt. He once went out to one hundred of the Quraysh who were
waiting to do something horrible to him and he put dirt on their head and went
on his way without their seeing him.
"He would be from amongst the denizens of the Fire", and later he
committed suicide. Wabisah bin Ma`bad came to him in order to ask him about
righteousness and sin upon which he asked, "Have you come to ask about
righteousness and sin?"