FAQ in the category of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Abu Jahl is not the paternal uncle of the Prophet (pbuh). Abu Lahab is his paternal uncle.

Abu Jahl was the most ferocious enemy of the Prophet (pbuh) in the first period of Islam and one of the notables of Quraysh.

His real name was Amr b. Hisham al-Mughira; at first, he was known as Abu'l-Hakam, but the Muslims called him "Abu Jahl" (the father of ignorance). He belonged to Sons of Mahzum clan of the tribe of Quraysh in Makkah. He had a great prestige among Makkans. 

Abu Jahl, who was about the same age as the Prophet (pbuh), opposed Islam beginning from the first days, acted in a hostile manner against the Prophet and especially weak Muslims, and harassed and tortured them. Ammar b. Yasir's mother, Sumayya, who was one of the first two martyrs of Islam, was killed by Abu Jahl brutally.

Abu Jahl, who always had a leading role in the activities against Islam throughout his life, observed and followed the application of the boycott against Muslims very carefully and opposed lifting the boycott. He made an offer to kill the Prophet by a group of attackers formed by choosing one member from each clan in a negotiation made in Dar an-Nadwa a little while before the migration of the Prophet (pbuh) to Madinah.    

Abu Jahl, who showed his hostility against Islam on any occasion even after the Muslims left their houses, wealth and land for the sake of their religion and migrated to Madinah, caused the Battle of Badr to occur. Abu Jahl left Makkah with a big army in order to prevent a caravan belonging to Quraysh led by Abu Sufyan; he learned on the way that the caravan was safe and headed for Makkah but he continued marching in order to fight the Muslims just because of his enmity against Islam. When he arrived at Badr, he rejected the offer of the Prophet (pbuh) to make peace; he also opposed the view of some notables in his army who wanted to prevent fighting; he accused them of cowardice and started the war.

However, during the fights, Abu Jahl, was wounded heavily by two Muslims of Madinah and fell down; his head was cut off by Abdullah b. Mas'ud, the famous Companion. His head was taken to the Prophet and his dead body was thrown into the well where the dead bodies of the polytheists were thrown into at Badr.

Thus, Abu Jahl, who was regarded as "the Pharaoh of this ummah", paid a heavy price for his ferocious, unjust and inhuman enmity against the people who said, "My Lord is Allah", Islam and the creed of oneness.

It is stated that Hz. Prophet (pbuh) had ten paternal uncles. They were eleven brothers including the Prophet's father. Their names were, Harith, Zubayr, Abu Talib, Abu Lahab, Qusam, Dirar, Muqawwim, Hajl, Hz. Hamza and Hz. Abbas.

The Elderly Relatives of the Prophet

Qusay bin Kilab, one of the grandfathers of the Prophet (pbuh), took the entrusted objects of the Kaaba from the tribe of Khuzaa; he managed the Kaaba well and made his tribe a prestigious one and gathered them around the Kaaba. Therefore, his tribe was given the name Quraysh (gather, unite).

Hashim, the father of Hz. Prophet's grandfather, is the first person who started trade expeditions from Makkah to Yemen in winter and to Damascus in summer. He even made a contract with the Byzantine Empire and enabled the Qurayshi merchants to be exempted from trade taxes in Byzantium.

Abdulmuttalib, the grandfather of the Messenger of Allah, was tall and blond. He had a nice beard.

The name of Hz. Prophet's father's mother was Fatima; the name of his mother's mother was Barra.

The Prophet had no maternal uncles.

The writer called Ibn Habib wrote a remarkable book called “Ummuhatun-Nabi” showing the grandmothers of the Messenger of Allah up to twenty generations.

The Prophet (pbuh) had six paternal aunts. They were: Bayda, Barra, Atika, Safiyya, Arwa, Umayma. Atika, Safiyya and Arwa were believers.

Hz. Prophet (pbuh) had two maternal aunts called Farida and Fahita. They died before he became a prophet.

Ummi means remaining in the state of a person who was born from his mother, who has not learned anything, and who cannot read and write. The adjective form of the word "Umm" means belonging to "umm". In Arabic, umm means mother, and the origin of something. (Firuzabadi, al-Qamusuul-Muhit, Beirut 1987, 1891)

Along with its lexical meanings, it has some metaphorical meanings. In the Quran, it is used in the sense of mother, the source, the place to return to and the one who breastfeeds. (Abdurrahman Ibnul-Jawzi, Nuzhatul A'yunin-Nawazir fi Ilmil-Wujuh wan-Nazair Beirut, 1985,141-142)

In the Quran, the word “ummi” is used for those who cannot “read and write”. That is its real meaning.

“And there are among them illiterates, who know not the Book, but (see therein their own) desires, and they do nothing but conjecture.” (al-Baqara, 2/78)

This meaning is clear in the verse above.

In the following verse, the word “ummi” is used for the Prophet (pbuh) too:

“Those who follow the messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures),- in the law and the Gospel;- for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil …"

“Say: ‘O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: it is He That giveth both life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, who believeth in Allah and His words: follow him that (so) ye may be guided.’” (al-A'raf, 7/157-158)

“And thou wast not (able) to recite a Book before this (Book came), nor art thou (able) to transcribe it with thy right hand: In that case, indeed, would the talkers of vanities have doubted.” (al-Ankabut, 29/48)

It is emphasized in the verse above that the Prophet (pbuh) could not read and write and it is indicated that the attribute “ummi” used for him has the same meaning.

The Prophet (pbuh) has two kinds of miracles. One of them is the miracles seen in him in person and the other is the miracles he showed in the universe. The examples related to the second part are his splitting the moon into two, water gushing forth from his fingers like a tap and feeding a lot of people from a little food. The most impressive miracle related to the first part is his being ummi (illiterate), not being able to read and write. (at-Tafsirul-Kabir, 15:29.)

The Prophet (pbuh) did not take lessons from any scholars, did not read any books, did not learn anything in a scholarly session and did not write even a word. Despite being illiterate, the Prophet (pbuh) knew about all sciences; there was nothing he did not know. His Lord taught him everything.

After the Prophet (pbuh) started to teach and explain Islam to people, nobody said, “I taught him this or that.”

The word “ummi” is used in three senses in tafsir books:

1. “Umm” is a word meaning mother.  The word “Ummi” is a noun derived from it. Thus, ummi means a person who remained in the same state as he was born from his mother, who could not read and write, and whose nature does not change by learning something new. 

2. The Arab nation was called “ummi”. The Arab nation has been known as a nation that could not write and calculate. The Prophet (pbuh) expresses this facts as follows   in a hadith:

“We are a nation that does not make calculations based on the movements of the stars and that does not write.” (Muslim, Siyam: 15.)

3. “Umm” also means Ummul-Qura; it means “Makkan”. When all of the three senses are considered, it is understood that the Prophet did not read and write. Besides, the Quran clearly states that the Prophet was ummi (illiterate). The phrase “ummi Prophet” is used in three verses. (al-A'raf, 7/157, 1588; al-Jumua, 62/2.)

The Prophet (pbuh) could not read a book or a writing when he looked at it but he read the Quran very well by heart. Jibril taught him how to read the Quran. The following is stated in verse 6 of the chapter of al-A’la regarding the issue:

“By degrees shall We teach thee to declare (the Message), so thou shalt not forget.”

Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır states the following regarding the issue:

"In all of those three senses, ummi means a person who did not try to learn to read and write. When the word ummi (illiterate) is used for ordinary people, it is a negative attribute that expresses lack of knowledge but when it is used for a prophet, it indicates the loftiness of nature since an illiterate person knows more than literate people and since he is equipped with divine knowledge though he has not studied. Being illiterate for a prophet whose scholarly loftiness and perfection outdoes literate people is an extraordinary characteristic that eliminates all kinds of doubts and that proves that he was sent directly by Allah; that is, it is a miracle on its own. Therefore, describing him as "messenger, illiterate prophet" is a clearer example of rhetoric than describing him as "the prophet whose prophethood is clear and who has miracles." (see Elmalılı Hamdi YAZIR, Hak Dinî Kur'an Dili, Istanbul, 1979, IV/2297; Qurtubi, al-Jami' li Ahkamil-Quran; Beirut, 1965, VII/298-299)

It is accepted by all scholars that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did not know how to read and write. As a matter of fact, this issue is stated clearly in the following verse:

"And thou wast not (able) to recite a Book before this (Book came), nor art thou (able) to transcribe it with thy right hand: In that case, indeed, would the talkers of vanities have doubted." (al-Ankabut, 29/48)

It is known that the Prophet (pbuh) belonged to a community where illiteracy was widespread. It is a historical fact that he was an illiterate person who did not study and who could not read and write. However, there is a lot of information, scientific principles, results, references or signs related to many branches of science in the Quran. If we consider the information about only about Judaism and Christianity and their holy books, they constitute a great amount. Even very knowledgeable scholars cannot deal with those issues, express their opinions related to debatable issues, criticize and reach a conclusion. 

In that case, a reference is necessary for this information in the Quran. It is definite that the Prophet Muhammad, (pbuh) who conveyed the message of the Quran, spent forty years of his life among the fellow citizens of his city, that he did not go to school or taught by a teacher and that he could not read and write. For, the Quran informed its antagonists about this verse but none of its enemies opposed and said that he could read and write. Then, it is certain that the Quran was sent down by Allah, who knows everything.

There are many wisdoms behind the Prophet’s becoming “illiterate”. One of them is as follows: If the Prophet had been able to read and write, Qurayshis would have said, “He read the previous books and learned his knowledge from the. He wrote the Quran based on the previous knowledge.” This issue is expressed as follows: by the verse that is has also been mentioned above: 

“And thou wast not (able) to recite a Book before this (Book came), nor art thou (able) to transcribe it with thy right hand: In that case, indeed, would the talkers of vanities have doubted.” (al-Ankabut, 29/48.)

However, the Prophet (pbuh) wrote such a thing that

“as Mawlana Jami says, ‘That literate person who did not write anything wrote an alif with the pen of his finger on the page of the sky and transformed one forty into two fifties.’”

As it is known, the standing of the moon in the form of full moon resembles the round part of the Arabic letter “mim” and when it is divided into two, each part is likened to “nun” without a dot. In abjad calculation, “mim” represents forty and “nun” represents fifty. Mawlana Jami expresses this nice reality like that.

How should we understand the phrase “ummi (illiterate) prophet”?

The word ummi means “the one who has not had worldly education”. His ummah has understood this fineness very well; when they utter salawat, especially after tarawih prayers, they mention his name with this attribute: "an-nabiyyul-ummiyyu".

That illiterate prophet did not have any evil thoughts. He was away from all of the worldly desires, tricks and traps. Allah prepared him as a spotless, dustless and bright mirror and educated him. Revelation became manifest on this pure mirror of illiteracy.

“As though with a fleet spirit reflecting divine revelation he traversed time and space and entered the depths of the past, then proclaimed [what was there] as though he had witnessed it.”(İşârat-ül icaz)

The Lord of the realms did not allow the Prophet (pbuh) to be taught by anyone. He prevented it with divine determination. His reading was postponed until the order to “read” came. The illiterate prophet received that order and taught the Quran to the realm of humanity. He read the book of the universe with the name of his Lord. He told people about the wisdoms, fine meanings and purposes in it. He told them the nature, truth and duty of man.

While he was reading the hereafter and the Preserved Tablet with the grace of his Lord, the polytheists were busy with worshipping the idols they themselves made. They could not read the universe or the idols they made. If they had been able to read, they would not have attributed themselves to those stones. Their literate ones were the most stubborn and ignorant ones among them.

If we did not understand Islam’s order to “read” well and did not benefit from it, we would have to declare all believers who do not go to school rebels, which is not possible. The Quran tells us that the illiterate Prophet, who read the universe and the Quran perfectly in the name of Allah, did not speak based on his own desire; Allah guarantees us about it. The Prophet, all of whose words were based on divine will, did not read (learn) anything from anybody. 

The Prophet (pbuh) was ummi (illiterate); he could not read and write. How should we understand Jibril’s saying "read" to the Prophet (pbuh) on Mount Nur?

Whenever and wherever reading books, knowledge, etc. are mentioned the following statement is definitely uttered: “Our religion gives great importance to reading. As a matter of fact, the first order of the Quran is ‘read’.”

It is true. The first order of the Quran is read. However, we almost always ignore reading what comes after the first order.

What is meant by the order “read” given to the illiterate Prophet (pbuh) and to all of us through his messengership? Is it reading and writing? Did the Prophet start to learn to read and write after he was given that order? If not, what is the lesson he took from the order “read”? Does this order mean” just read; it does not matter what and how you read”?

It is necessary to read what comes after the verse starting with “iqra” in order to find the answer to those questions.

“Iqra’ bismi rabbikalladhi khalaq.” That is, “Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created.”

The Quran does not tell us to read randomly. What is meant is not reading a printed book. What is meant is to read ”in the name of the Lord who created” whether one reads a book or the book of the universe, every sentence and letter of whose is full of endless wisdoms and meanings..

The Prophet (pbuh) to whom this order was given read the verse in that sense and tried to read everything “in the name of his Lord” after that. It was such a reading that as the German poet Rilke put it, “even the angels admired”. He was an illiterate prophet; he could not read and write but he read the book of the universe, the book of nature and the Quran in the best way.

The wives of the Prophet were as follows:

Hazrat Khadija; Hazrat Sawda bint Zam’a; Hazrat Aisha; Hazrat Hafsa bint Umar; Hazrat Zaynab bint Huzayma; Hazrat Zaynab bint Jahsh; Hazrat Umm Salama; Hazrat Umm Habiba (Ramla bint Abi Sufyan); Hazrat Juwayriya bint Harith; Hazrat Safiyya bint Huyayy; Hazrat Mariyatu’l-Qibtiyya (Umm Ibrahim); Maymuna bint Harith.

A definite and silencing answer given by Badiuzzaman Said Nursi to the deviant people of today who are like the hypocrites of the past and who think that the marriages of the Prophet were based on his desire and lust is as follows in brief:

Marriage has two main aims: One of them is the continuation of the generation; the second one is satisfying sexual desires legitimately. Continuation of the generation is the primary goal of marriage. Satisfying sexual desires is a small gift given by the Creator in order to ensure the continuation of the generation. It is just like the flavor added to the meal for the continuation of the personal life.  

When the marriages of the Prophet are studied both from the point of view of history and human nature, the following situation is seen:

It is unanimously agreed both by his friends and enemies that he lived as a single person until he was 25, the most enthusiastic period of the youth, that he did not have any intercourse with any woman and that he remained chaste. Besides, his tribe called him “Muhammad al-Amin” a person who is trustable in all aspects. 

As a matter of fact, the community in which he lived regarded relationships with more than one woman as normal. He could have married many virgins before he was 25 and after he got married. However, he did not do so; he married a widow, who was 40 years old and 15 years older than him. This marriage lasted 25 years until his wife died. That is, he was married to one woman only until he was fifty years old.

Another evidence that his marriages were not based on sexual desires lies in the answer he gave to polytheists when they made an offer to him.

The polytheists went to Abu Talib, the Prophet’s uncle, and said to him, “If your nephew wants to be our chief, we will appoint him as our chief; or, we will give him our most beautiful girls and women, if he gives up his cause."

When his uncle conveyed him their message, the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"O my uncle, by Allah, if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left in return for my giving up this cause, I would not give it up."

That answer shows what he was trying to do, and it is enough to prove that things like women, leadership that people deemed valuable were worthless in his sight.

His second marriage after the death of Khadija was with Hazrat Sawda, another old widow.

After living with Hazrat Sawda for three years, he lived with only one woman until he was 54 years old. It is interesting that he married more than one woman only in the last ten years of his life. To claim that he married several women in order to satisfy his sexual desires despite knowing these facts can only be possible by denying human nature and historical facts. And such an approach cannot be a just and logical one. It can only be defamation.

We see that in the marriages that took place in the last years of his life, the two main aims, continuation of the generation and satisfying sexual desires, are not present. His generation continued through Hazrat Khadija. He did not have children out of his other marriages; he only had one son, Ibrahim, from Mariya of Egypt but he died when he was one and a half years old. 

As it is seen from the historical facts, the continuation of the generation, which is one of the main aims of marriage, is present only in his marriage with Khadija, not in his other marriages. The secondary aim of marriage is left; that is, satisfying sexual desires. We saw that this aim was not present in the marriages of the Prophet both from the point of view of his nature and the historical facts because a person’s sexual desires are passionate and active the most between the ages of 15 and 45.

If the Prophet had married many beautiful women in that period and then had left them and married other beautiful women, the claims about satisfying his sexual desires could have been true to some extent. However, he did not do so; on the contrary, he married widows with children like Umm Salama in the last ten years of his life (53-63). For instance, Sawda was a widow at the age of 53; Zaynab bint Huzayma was a widow at the age of 50; Umm Salama was a widow at the age of 65 with four children; Umm Habiba was a widow at the age of 55 and Maymuna was a widow with 2 children.

Another historical fact is this: he did not think of divorcing any of them; only those that died left him.

It cannot be denied that it is a natural law and fact that after the period of youth there exists a decrease in sexual desires.

When we analyze the marriages of the Prophet, we see that exemplary situation.

To sum up, sexual aims can be sought in the marriages between the ages of 15 and 45. However, our Prophet never married virgins or young women in that period. On the contrary, he married Hazrat Khadija, who was a widow at the age of 40. And his marriage with Khadija lasted until she died.

Since his marriages with more than one woman took place after the age of 53, it is necessary to look for other aims in those marriages as a necessity of rational thought. It is the necessity of not only the reason and mind but also human nature and a just evaluation to do so.

The School of Pure Wives (Azwaj at-Tahirat)

The period of Madinah was a period when Islamic judgments and decrees were sent down intensively and were taught to the ummah by the Prophet. Male Companions could see the Prophet in Masjid an-Nabawi and ask him about their questions and problems. They learnt from him what, why and how to do. However, it was not so easy for women. They also had questions to ask. Therefore, the women asked the Prophet to allocate one day of the week to them in his house. The Messenger of Allah accepted their offer. Thus, the women started to go to the house of the Prophet and ask their questions about the religion and received answers.

During such a meeting, an interesting event took place. At a moment, the women started to talk among themselves loudly. They were chatting. Meanwhile, Hazrat Umar, who was passing by, was disturbed by the women talking loudly in the presence of the Messenger of Allah and knocked on the door. When he opened the door, the women saw him and stopped talking at once. Hazrat Umar was disturbed when he saw the situation. He could not help warning them and said,

"Ladies! You are scared of me, but you are not scared of talking loudly in the presence of the Messenger of Allah!”Thereupon, the women said sincerely,

“Oh Umar! You are harsh and strict, but the Prophet is not"

Hazrat Umar, who had sacrificed all of his property for the sake of the Messenger of Allah, was not pleased that he was not like the Prophet. The Messenger of Allah noticed it and said,

"Oh Umar! If you walked on a wide street and if the devil saw you coming, he would change his way” to console him. The home of the Prophet was a kind of school for women. Especially the wives of the Prophet were regular students and in a sense teachers of this school. Prof Raşit Küçük, of Marmara University, Faculty of Theology, explains the issue as follows:

"The judgments and decrees of Islam involve both men and women. However, there are some judgments and decrees that involve only men or women. Hazrat Prophet did not have any difficulty in teaching the judgments and decrees that involved both men and women or only men because men were the same gender as him. He had to address women regarding teaching and practicing the issues that involved women and answering the questions of women. The wives of the Prophet, who were at different ages and who had different abilities, acted like teachers for the believing women. That process of teaching continued and even increased after the death of the Prophet." (1993, İzmir, Ebedî Risalet Sempozyumu Tebliği)

As a matter of fact, Allah’s Messenger’s school, which was near Masjid an-Nabawi, consisted of two parts. One of them was the School of Ashab as-Suffa, which consisted of male Companions, and the other was the School of Pure Wives, which consisted of women.

In fact, the rooms of the Pure Wives was like a school and the wives of the Prophet were both like students and teachers of that school because they learned the judgments and decrees of Islam directly from the Messenger of Allah and taught them to the ummah. That duty continued after the death of the Prophet as it was mentioned above. One of the most regular and best students of the School of Ashab as-Suffa was Abu Hurayra, who devoted his life to the preservation of the hadiths of the Prophet and who received the prayer of the Prophet for the strengthening of his memory in order to carry out this duty better; on the other hand, the best student of the School of Pure Wives was Hazrat Aisha, who had superior abilities like intelligence, memory and understanding and who was the unique wife of the Prophet. As a matter of fact, the first one of the "Mukthirun" (people who narrated the most hadiths) was Abu Hurayra, who was the best student of the School of Ashab as-Suffa who narrated 5374 hadiths; Hazrat Aisha, who was the best student of the School of Pure wives was the fourth of the Mukthirun; she narrated 2210 hadiths.

Yes, Islam has brought judgments and decrees involving all levels of life with various levels of importance as the last and perfect religion. The determination, teaching and application of those judgments and decrees was the primary and most important duty of the Era of Bliss because the style and form that Allah would consent to, that is the religion itself, was being determined in every moment and level of life.

When we look at the resources to understand this truth, we see a magnificent treasure of judgments, decrees and secrets conveyed by these mothers of believers, these “Pure Wives”. And the duty of presenting this treasure to the ummah becomes manifest as the unerring purpose of those marriages.

We can say that if we excluded those women and especially Hazrat Aisha, who had a special place among them, about half of the decrees and judgments of the religion of Islam would disappear!

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Will you give information about the viwes of the prophet (PBUH) and his polygamy?

The Prophet (pbuh) was engaged in trade before his marriage; he continued being engaged with trade with the wealth of Hz. Khadija after his marriage. (see Salih Suruç, Peygamberimizin Hayatı, Mekke devri, p, 143)

The Prophet (pbuh) worked as a shepherd when he was a child and was engaged in trade when he was young. After he became a prophet, he practiced the religion sent by Allah and informed people about it. He spent his remaining life doing this mission. 

The Prophet was in charge of a religion and an ummah. Therefore, he carried out a duty that encompassed all aspects of life. He was the commander-in-chief in wars, the administrator of the ummah of Muhammad, a judge in settling the problems and a teacher in arranging the worldly and otherworldly affairs; thus, he lived as a leader and served his people like that.

Therefore, he received a certain amount from the booty and continued his life without needing any money from others. However, he lived like a poor person even if he could have lived as a rich person due to trade and booty.

It is determined by verses that a certain amount of the income of the booty be given to the Prophet (pbuh) and his family. For, zakah could not be given to him and his family. However, he was hungry most of the time and he sometimes wrapped a stone around his abdomen due to hunger. He always distributed the presents that were sent to him to the poor. A person who reads his life will see numerous examples of it.

While trying to spread Islam to the whole world, the Prophet (pbuh) obtained many boons like conquests and victories. However, when he entered a city after the conquest, he never acted conceitedly; he proceeded humbly. He would enter the city in a plain manner without any ceremony.

When he conquered Khaybar, the biggest castle and settlement place of the Jews, he entered the city on a donkey with a halter made of thin rope although he had conquered the most fertile land of Arabia at that time and had booty that filled the Treasury.

When the Prophet (pbuh) entered Makkah after its conquest, he never acted conceitedly though he was a victorious commander. He bent his head down to Allah so much on his camel that his beard almost touched the saddle of his camel out of humbleness. He prayed as follows on his camel:

"O Allah! Life is only life in the hereafter."

While he was going to Farewell Hajj, he had a piece of velvet worth of four dirhams on his back and there was a torn mattress instead of a saddle on his camel. Even in that situation, he prayed as follows, feeling worried that he would be hypocritical:

"O Allah! Make my state away from hypocrisy and show off."

In fact, he was not poor. He defeated big armies, conquered a lot of places and obtained a lot of booties. He even sacrificed one hundred camels in this hajj. 

The Prophet (pbuh) was very humble when he was with his family and at home. Besides, he led a very plain life. He sometimes helped his wives with the housework. He mended his own clothes and shoes; he took care of his own work. He would sweep the house, tie and feed his camel and milk the sheep; he would do his own shopping and carry his things himself. He would sit and eat with his servant and knead dough with him.

Some of the examples showing the examples of humbleness of the last Messenger of Allah:

The Prophet (pbuh) showed all kinds of humbleness and its ideal form in his life. He led the most accepted way of modesty and humbleness that nobody could lead and reach. Although he is the most superior of all creatures and the one with the highest rank and degree, and he is praised by his Lord many times in the Quran, he never used the privilege of being a prophet and never tried to show himself to be superior to other people.    

He showed this high ethical attitude to both his family members and his Companions as well as the people who were not Muslims yet. Thus, he caused many people to find the right path.

When Allah Almighty left him free to be a prophet that is a king or a prophet that is a slave, he chose to be "a prophet that is a slave". Thereupon, Hz. Israfil said to the Prophet "Doubtlessly, Allah gave you that property too since you acted humbly. You are the master of the people on the Day of Judgment. You will be the first person to come out of the grave when the earth is split and the first person to intercede." After that, the Prophet (pbuh) did not eat food by lying down. He said,

"I will eat in the same way as a slave eats. I will sit in the same way as a slave sits."

Once, the Messenger of Allah went toward the Companions by leaning on his staff. When the Companions saw that he arrived, they stood up at once. The Prophet (pbuh) did not like this attitude and warned them as follows:

"Do not stand up for me to show respect like the people of other nations stand up. For, I am a slave that eats like a slave and that sits like a slave."

The Prophet (pbuh) did not usually like those who wanted to kiss his hand and who showed him too much respect.

Once, Abu Hurayra was with him while he was shopping. Abu Hurayra narrates:

“Once, the Prophet (pbuh) paid more money for the clothes than they were worth to the salesman. The man wanted to kiss the Prophet’s hand. The Prophet moved his hand away and warned him as follows:

‘The other nations do this to their kings. I am not a king. I am a person like you.’"

Abu Hurayra continued: "Then, he took the clothes. I wanted to carry them. He said to me,

‘A person should carry his own things. However, if he cannot carry, his Muslim brother will help him.’"

The Prophet (pbuh) did his own work himself. He did not want other people to serve him.

Amir bin Rabia narrates:

"I was going to the mosque with the Prophet. His shoelaces got untied on the way. I bent down and wanted to tie them. However, he moved his foot back and said to me,

"This act means to have somebody else do your work. I do not like my work to be done by others."

Abdullah bin Abbas narrates another exemplary act of the Prophet (pbuh) regarding the issue as follows:

"The Prophet did not allow anybody else to prepare water for him or to give his sadaqah to a poor person. He prepared water for wudu himself and when he wanted to give sadaqah to a poor person, he would give it with his own hands."

According to what Abdullah bin Jubayr narrates, once, the Prophet was walking with his Companions. The weather was very hot; therefore, one of the Companions wanted to make a shade over the head of the Prophet with his garment. When the Prophet saw it, he took the garment down and said, "Give it up. I am only a human being."

The Prophet (pbuh) did not find it appropriate when people hesitated and shivered when they saw him thinking that he was a king; he would soothe and comfort them.

Once, somebody started to shiver when he entered into the presence of the Prophet due to the majesty of the prophethood. When the Prophet saw him, he said, "Come to your senses. I am not a king. I am the son of a Qurayshi woman who ate dried salty bread."

In fact, a person who saw the Prophet (pbuh) for the first time would get excited. However, when he saw the compassion of the Prophet and his smile, he would feel relieved; and as he talked, the fear in him would be transformed into love.

The Prophet treated everybody equally no matter what their social status was, whether rich or poor, a widow or a maid; he never despised a person because of his lifestyle, because he was poor or a servant. He met their needs like the others and never acted conceitedly. 

Adiyy bin Hatim, who became a Muslim after seeing the ultimate humbleness of the Prophet (pbuh), narrates his first impressions about the Prophet as follows:  

"When I saw that there were his relatives, women and children with the Prophet (pbuh), I realized that he did not have the sultanate of the Persian King or the Byzantine Emperor.

While the Messenger of Allah was walking with me on the way to his home, he met a weak and old woman. There was also a small child with her. The woman waited and stopped him. He stopped. They said,

‘We want something from you.'The Messenger of Allah talked to them about their needs for a long time. He went with them, met their needs and returned.

I said to myself, 'By Allah! He is not a king.' Then, he took me to his house. He took a mattress full of date palm fibers and passed it to me. He said,

‘Sit on it.’ I said,

"No, please you sit on it.' He said,

‘No, you sit on it.’ Then, I sat on it and he sat on the ground."

The Prophet (pbuh) took care of everybody. He never looked down on anybody. He met the needs of the people that most people did not look at and did not pay attention to. For, his aim was to show people useful ways.  

In Madinah, there was a woman who spoke recklessly, cursed and damned people and criticized them. Once, while the Prophet (pbuh) was sitting on the pavement and eating boiled meat, that woman passed by.

The woman said, "Look at this man. He is sitting on the ground like a slave and eating like a slave."

The Prophet said, "Is there a slave more enslaved than me?"

The woman said, "He is eating but he does not give me any."

The Prophet said, "Come and eat."

The woman said, "I will not eat unless you give me with your own hands."

Thereupon, the Prophet gave her a morsel but this time the woman said,

"I will not eat unless you give me the morsel in your mouth."

The Prophet took the morsel out of his mouth and gave it to the woman. The woman put it in her mouth at once. After eating that morsel, the woman became a modest and shy woman. She did not say any bad words to anybody after that. She became one of the chaste and good women of Madinah. 

Adiyy bin Hatim is the son of Hatim at-Tai, who is famous for his generosity. He was taken to the presence of the Prophet (pbuh) when some of his army was enslaved by the army of Islam and he was defeated. The Prophet made him sit on the mattress while he himself sat on the ground. Besides, when he was with the commander of the enemy army, though he was defeated, he listened to the request of an old woman and met her needs.

He talked to the people of low ranks for Allah and he talked to his friends and enemies, in short, everybody, without needing any show off or ceremony. Thus, he actually changed the customs and habits that people had been accustomed to and replaced them with the correct and more appropriate ones.

A group that Arabs despised and looked down on was slaves. They never sat, walk or ate with them. The Prophet (pbuh) himself eliminated this bad habit.

According to what the Companions narrated, when the slaves invited him to eat even barley bread, he accepted their invitation and ate their food. For, being slaves did not mean that they had to be overlooked and despised.

When the Prophet (pbuh) was with his Companions, he never regarded himself different from them. He acted together with them; he would not choose a separate place for himself; he would join the work to be done and help them.

Once, Hz. Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet, offered him to sit at a separate place by saying that he was sitting squeezed among the Companions and that the people who passed by disturbed him:

"O Messenger of Allah! Let us build a bower under which you can sit in the shade."

The Prophet did not regard such a privilege appropriate and rejected it by saying,

"I will show patience to my Companions stepping on my shoes and pulling my cardigan until I die."

During an expedition, the Prophet (pbuh) asked his Companions to slaughter a sheep and cook it. One of the Companions said,

"O Messenger of Allah! I will slaughter it."

Another one said,

"O Messenger of Allah! I will cook it."

Another one said,

"I will skin it."Thus, they shared the tasks.

The Prophet said,

"I will collect wood."

The Companions did not want to accept it, They said,

"O Messenger of Allah! There are enough people to do it. You do not have to work."

Thereupon, the Prophet showed his unique humbleness and said,

"I know that there are enough people to do it but I do not want to be in a privileged position. For, Allah does not want His slave to be in a privileged position among his Companions."

Before the Battle of Khandaq, all of the Companions worked while the trenches were being dug; they were doing their best to finish digging as soon as possible. The Prophet (pbuh), who was the best example, took a pickaxe and worked, without heeding himself different. He had a stone wrapped around his abdomen due to hunger. 

The Prophet worked in the construction of Masjid Quba and Masjid an-Nababwi in Madinah like a worker; he carried bricks with the Companions.

Hz. Aisha, Hz. Hasan and Abu Said al-Khudri narrates the family life of the Prophet (pbuh) as follows:

"The Prophet did not remain behind locked doors or curtains; he did not want people to bring food to him in plates. He sat on the ground and ate there."

His rank elevated as he acted humbly.

He said, "Allah will elevate a person who acts humbly." He lived in accordance with this principle and set a model to people.

Hz. Husayn asked his father, Hz. Ali, about how the Messenger of Allah acted outside. Hz. Ali described him as follows:

"The Prophet did not speak if there was not something important. He always had good relations with people around him. He did not make them feel scared.

He respected and honored the respected ones of every nation. He also chose a leader for them. He warned people about Allah's punishment; he never lacked in courtesy toward others. He was concerned for them.

He asked about his Companions when they were absent and made himself aware about them. When he met people, he asked them,'How is it going?' He praised good things and supported them. He reacted against bad things and refuted them.

All of the acts of the Prophet were consistent. He had no inconsistent attitudes. He was always alert so that his Companions would not neglect their affairs or feel fed up.

For everything, he had a special arrangement and solution. The best people in the eye of the Prophet were those who did favors to others. The ones with the highest status in the eye of the Prophet were those who shared the problems of the people and helped them."

Hz. Husayn asked his father, Hz. Ali, about how the Prophet was in meetings and talks. Hz. Ali described him as follows:

"The Prophet sat down and stood up with the dhikr of Allah. When he went to a place where people sat, he would not sit in the best place; he sat wherever he found a place, and also instructed the people around him to do so.

The Prophet gave the following order regarding the issue:

'When one of you goes to a place where people are sitting, he should sit at the place that is shown to him; otherwise, he should sit at an appropriate place.'

The Prophet asked the people around him how they were and complimented them. He treated people so sincerely that everybody would think that they were the most valuable people in the eye of the Prophet.

When a person came and sat by the Prophet too long or came to him for some purpose, the Prophet would wait patiently until that person left. Whenever one asked him for something, he would kindly fulfill that request, or he would give a soft answer. He never rejected anyone.

His generosity, soft language and high ethics spread so much among people that he was like a father to them.

Everybody was equal before him like his children as far as rights were concerned.

The meetings of the Prophet were a place where ethical values like knowledge, modesty, trust and patience were taught. Voices were not raised therein, nor was anyone degraded or disgraced. If anyone committed a fault, it was not made known publicly.

All were regarded as equal in his presence. The virtue of one over the other was according to the taqwa. Everybody was humble. The old ones were respected and the young ones were loved.

The needy were given privilege in his meetings. Strangers and travelers were cared for."

When the Prophet (pbuh) was in the cave of Hira, where he retired into seclusion on the 27^th night of the month of Ramadan (Sunday-Monday), he saw a luminous figure in the horizon just before dawn. He heard that this luminous being, which he had never met before, called him.

The Prophet narrates the incident as follows:

"The angel ordered me to read. I told him that I did not know how to read. He caught me and pressed me hard and said, ‘Read!’  I said, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me again and said, ‘Read!’ again. I said again, 'I do not know how to read.' He caught me and pressed me hard again and said,

Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created-Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,- He Who taught (the use of) the pen,- Taught man that which he knew not..'" (see Bukhari, Bad'ul-Wahy, 3; Muslim, Iman, 252)

We should first state that the Prophet (pbuh) encountered something like that for the first time. A strange person appeared in the darkness of the night and told him to “read”. It is quite natural for the Prophet– who could not read and write – to say “I do not know how to read.”

In Arabic, the order “iqra=read" can be understood in two ways by the addressee:

The first one is to read a written text.

The second one is to read by heart. Since there is no written text in the first revelation, the order “read” orders the addressee to memorize the verses to be read to him.

"Verily this is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds: With it came down the spirit of Faith and Truth-To thy heart and mind, that thou mayest admonish. In the perspicuous Arabic tongue." (ash-Shuara, 26/192-195)

As it is stated in the verses above, the Quran was sent down to the heart of the Prophet and he knew it by heart.

In addition, the order “read” here is an implication that the Prophet (pbuh) should record the verses to be sent down to him in writing and a spiritual order to fulfill it. Therefore, the Prophet dictated every verse he received to his scribes as soon as he received them. In addition, he memorized them and made his friends memorize them.

Those verses consist of the first revelation sent to the Prophet (pbuh) and order him and all Muslims to read and encourage them to write the verses and to be knowledgeable. That the first revelation started with the order "read" and that this order was repeated twice show how important reading and knowledge are in the religion and life of man.

It is significant that the Quran describes the different and superior place of man among living beings with his ability to learn. (see also al-Baqara, 2/31) The topic of the reading ordered to the Prophet (pbuh) is not mentioned in the verse because he is demanded to obtain knowledge about the revelation sent down to him and the verses (signs) in the cosmic universe, that is, to know everything that is necessary to study, meditate on and take lessons, and to understand their real nature.  

Doubtlessly, to know the Creator forms the basis of science and religion. Therefore, the Prophet (pbuh) was ordered by the command "Read in the name of thy Lord, Who created" to start reading or any other activity in (with) the name of the Lord, the Creator, not with any other beings, and to ask help from Him. 

The verse can be translated as "Read with the name of thy Lord, Who created." Thus, reading (or any other activity) is ordered to be done in the name of Allah, for Allah and with the name of Allah.

In addition, Allah’s attribute of creation is emphasized with the statement "Read in the name of thy Lord, Who created" in the verse. For, it is Allah who created the ability to read in man and the things he reads, studies and tries to understand and comprehend.

Man uses the possibilities and abilities Allah gave him in the process of obtaining information and knowledge, and he does scientific study and research under the conditions He created and on the beings He created.

Therefore, it is sheer ingratitude not to thank Allah, not to know Him and to do so in the name of science while studying the realm of beings with the abilities He created by ignoring those graces of Allah.

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Was the Prophet Muhammad ummi? What does "ummi prophet" mean? How did he read if he were illiterate?

The angel of revelation, Jibril, appeared to the Prophet in the form of a good-looking man by emitting lights and in a dazzling brightness. He addressed the Prophet with a sweet but sonorous voice:

"Read!"
The Messenger of Allah was astonished and frightened. His heart shivered. He said,
"I do not know how to read."
Jibril caught him forcefully and pressed him hard; then, he released the Prophet and said,
" Read!"
The Messenger of Allah answered,
"I do not know how to read."
Jibril caught him again and pressed him hard; then, he released the Prophet and said,
" Read!"
This time, the Prophet said,
"I do not know how to read. What shall I read?"
Thereupon, the angel read the first verses of the chapter of al-Alaq, which he took from Allah to bring to the Messenger of Allah:

"Proclaim! (or Read!) In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created― Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful― He Who taught (the use of) the Pen―." (see Bukhari, Badul-Wahy, 3; Muslim, Iman, 252)

The Messenger of Allah, who was extremely excited and scared, repeated the verses that were sent down in the language he spoke word by word. The verses that were sent down settled in the tongue and heart of the Messenger of Allah. Jibril, whose duty ended for that time, disappeared suddenly.

Read in the name of your Lord! That is, read by starting with His lofty name, "Allah". Start reading. As it is mentioned above, when this order was sent down, the angel came to Hz. Muhammad, who was in the cave Hira, squeezed him very hard and said only "read". Hz. Muhammad did not know how to read; so, he said, "I do not know how to read"; that is, I cannot read; what shall I read? Thereupon, the angel said, "read" again by squeezing him hard. He said again, "I do not know how to read."

That is, the first two orders to "read" were not verses of the Quran; they were offers to make him ready to read like spelling. The Quran started with the order "Read in the name of your Lord" after the third squeezing. Then, this first order made the Prophet read in a creative manner though he could not read when it was sent down; it started to state what is read with its didactic style and it showed that his first duty was to make Allah, who created like that and who educated, known and to start reading with His name. In the beginning, it means as follows:

"You did not read up to this time.

"And thou wast not (able) to recite a Book before this (Book came)." (al-Ankabut, 29/48)

You did not know the quality of the book and what principles of belief consisted of:

"Thou knewest not (before) what was Revelation, and what was Faith." (ash-Shura, 42/52)

However, your Lord, who is the owner of the deed called creation, who created the universe and created you and brought you up and who owns you and all of your works made you read with His power and started to send the Quran, a book to be read. Read with the name of your Lord as you are taught."

"When thou dost read the Qur'an, seek Allah's protection from Satan the Rejected one." (an-Nahl, 16/98)

As it is mentioned in this verse, the reality of reading the Quran is to utter words in a nice and proper manner by combining the words; it means to read whether by heart or by looking, whether silently or aloud.

It is not a requirement for a book to be written to be a book; writing is not a requirement for reading.

It is a figurative use to call looking with eyes (silent reading) and reciting as reading. The perfect form of reading is reciting. As it is stated in the hadith of the Prophet, the reason why reading by looking at the Quran is rewarding and virtuous is that it helps understanding and memorizing. The reading (qira’ah) of the Messenger of Allah is reading the Quran, which was sent down to him by Allah, by heart perfectly without needing the written form; it also includes reading it by himself, in prayer or proclaiming it to others and making others read and dictating.  

Thus, with this order, the illiterate Prophet who had not read a book and written anything before started to be given a book to be read as a miracle and he was given the power to read without writing and the power to dictate. He was ordered to start it with the name of Allah. He was told that the wisdom behind it was divine necessity especially with the phrase "your Lord".

"How can such a miracle of qira’ah (reading) take place without reading any books and without learning to write with a pen?" In order to eliminate a doubt like this, the quality of creation, the beginning of creation and the decree of divinity are reminded before reading and writing as follows: Read in the name of your Lord, Who created; creation is His quality or He created you and everything.

Hz. Anas narrates: Hz. Prophet (pbuh) said,

"None of you will be regarded to have believed till he loves me more than his father, his children and everybody else." (In a narration by Nasai, the following is stated: "... more beloved than his wealth and family...") [Bukhari, Iman 8; Muslim, Iman 70, (44); Nasai, Iman 19, (8,114, 115)]

The statement "O Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be sacrificed for you!" belongs to the Companions. When Islam first started to spread, some Companions were alienated by their mothers and fathers; they were even tortured by them. Then, migration to Madinah took place. In the wars between the Muslims and Makkan polytheists, some sons confronted their fathers. 

The years when Islam first emerged were years when the Companions made self-sacrifices in the highest level. They expressed their loyalty to Allah and His Messenger with the statement, "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you!"

Two of the hadiths regarding the issue are as follows:

Anas narrates: “I have never touched (seen) any silk and brocade as soft as the softness of the palm of the Prophet. I have never smelt any fragrance or sweat nicer than the fragrance or sweat of the Prophet (pbuh).” (1)

Anas also narrates the following: Once, the Prophet (pbuh) came to our house and slept; he was in sweat. My mother brought a bottle and was trying to fill the bottle with his sweat. Then, he woke up and asked, ‘O Umm Sulaym! What are you doing?’ She said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! This your sweat; I will mix it with our perfume; your sweat is the best smell.’” (2)

To sum up, the following is stated in hadith books: “The skin and sweat of the Prophet smelled like musk and ambergris; when he shook hands with a person, that person felt his smell all day; when he caressed a child’s head, it was possible to distinguish that child among other children.” (3)

Acting upon those narrations, the scholars deduced that the smell of the Prophet originated not from the perfume he used but from the natural, nice fragrance of his sweat. That Umm Sulaym, who was the foster aunt of the Prophet, put the sweat of the Prophet (pbuh) in her perfume and the statement of Ishaq b. Rahawayh, who was the teacher of Bukhari, that “It is not the smell of the perfume that the Prophet wears but his own smell” (4) explain the narration that the Prophet smelled nice.  

Qastallani holds the same view and states the following about the Prophet’s smelling nice: “It is an attribute of the Prophet to smell nice without wearing perfume.” (5)

Nawawi includes the following view while interpreting the hadiths stating that the sweat of the Prophet (pbuh) smelled nicer than musk and that it was used to produce perfume:

“The smell of the Prophet is mentioned in those hadiths. It is a grace of Allah to the Prophet.”

According to scholars, this beautiful smell exists on the Prophet even if he does not wear perfume; it is an attribute of him. However, he always wore perfume because he received revelation when he met angels and held meetings with Muslims.” (6)

This understanding about the Prophet is common among previous scholars; it is also a widely accepted and common view today. (7)

The general picture that emerges from those narrations and the views of Islamic scholars is that the nice smell of the Prophet's sweat originated from his own body and that his sweat and body always smelled nice even if he wore no external perfume because it was just one of the blessings that Allah bestowed on him.

Footnotes:
1) Bukhari, Manaqib, 20; Muslim, Fadail, 81-82.
2) Muslim, Fadail, 83.
3) see Bukhari, Isti’dhan, 41; Muslim, Fadail, 83-85; at-Tirmidhi, Birr, 69; an-Nasai, Zinat,118; ad-Darimi, Muqaddima, 10; Ahmad, Musnad, III, 222, 227, 265, 267; Qadi Iyad, Abul-Fadl al-Yahsubi, ash-Shifa bi Ta’rifi Huquqil-Mustafa, Darul-Fikr, Beirut 1409/1988, pp. 48-51; Suyuti, al-Khasais, I, 114-116; Darimi, Muqaddima 10; Ibn Abu Shayba, al-Musannaf, VII, 427; Ibn Hibban, al-Ihsan fi taqribi Sahihi Ibn Hibban (published by Shuayb al-Arnaut), I-XVIII, Beirut 1412/1991, XIV, 211; Bayhaqi, Abu Bakr Ahmad b. Husayn, Dalailun-nubuwwa wa ma‘rifatu ahwali sahibish-sharia (published by Abdulmu‘ti Qal‘aji), I-VII, Beirut 1405/1985, I, 254-255.
4) Qadi Iyad, Shifa, 1/63.
5) Qastallani, Mawahib, II, 310; an-Nabhani, Yusuf b. Ismail, al-Anwarul-Muhammadiya Minal-Mawahibul-Ladunniya, Darul-Bashair, Damascus, 1414/1994, p. 240.
6) Nawawi, Muhyiddin, Sahihu Muslim bi Sharhin-Nawawi, Daru Ihyait-Turathil-Arabi, Beirut nd. XV, 85
7) see Yardım, Ali, Peygamberimiz’in Şemâili, İstanbul 1997, p. 280; Bayraktar, İbrâhim, Hz. Peygamber’in Şemâili, İstanbul 1990, pp. 56-57.

THE INCIDENT OF IFK

Ifk means to tell lies, to slander, to cast aspersions on the honor of an honorable person.

The incident of Ifk is the name of the incident of slander made up by munafiqs about Hz. Aisha, the wife of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and the mother of believers (al-Ahzab, 33/6) in the history of Islam. The incident is narrated with its details in main resources like Bukhari and Muslim. Hz. Aisha herself narrates the incident in detail with its occurrence and causes.

The real lowdown of the incident is the movement of adverse propaganda and defamation by the munafiqs in order to break down the Islamic community that attained a safe land in Madinah and that developed day by day by targeting the privacy of the Prophet of Islam. They thought they could attain their desire to eliminate Islam very quickly if they could drive a wedge between the Messenger of Allah and his close friends. In the expedition of jihad against Sons of Mustaliq, the munafiqs tried to set Hz. Abu Bakr against the Messenger of Allah and to defame the Messenger of Allah by making use of a normal incident that happened to Hz. Aisha.

The munafiqs took part with a lot of people in the expedition of jihad against Sons of Mustaliq, who had stopped near Muraysi Well in Najd, in the fifth year of the Migration in the month of Shaban because they knew that it would not be a severe one.   

Before starting the expedition, the Messenger of Allah drew lots among his wives as he always did before starting an expedition and Hz. Aisha's name was drawn; thus, Hz. Aisha joined the expedition. (Bukhari, Shahadah, 15)

During this expedition, the munafiqs tried to set Makkan Muhajirs against Ansar of Madinah. Therefore, they used the bigotry of region and tribe. Once, they brought the two groups to the verge of drawing their swords but the Messenger of Allah prevented them easily. Meanwhile, Abdullah b. Ubayy said:

"If we return to Madinah, surely the more honorable (element) will expel there from the meaner." (al-Munafiqun, 63/8) Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) summoned Ansar and told them about it. Ansar became very sorry. Thus, Abdullah b. b. Ubayy gained the hatred of everybody. Besides, his son held the stirrup of his father's animal and said,

"I will not release you until you confess that you are mean and the Messenger of Allah is honorable." Thus, he made his father confess it. (Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqatul-Kubra, II, 65).

While returning from the expedition, the army stopped to spend the night somewhere. Hz. Aisha went away to answer the call of nature. When she returned, she noticed that her necklace made of Yemen beads had broken off and fallen. This necklace had been given to Hz. Aisha by Umm Ruman, her mother, as a wedding present. (Waqidi, Maghazi, II, 428). The other resources write that she borrowed the necklace from her sister, Asma.

Hz. Aisha went away in order to look for her necklace in the place where the army used in order to answer the call of nature. When she returned, she saw that the army including her guards who thought she was on chair on the camel had left. She waited there thinking that they would return and look for her.  Meanwhile she fell asleep there. 

Safwan b. Muattal, who always stayed behind the army to check if there was anything left behind, saw her and made her get on his camel without speaking. Then, he caught up with the army by leading his camel fast. (Ibn Hisham, as-Sirah, II, 298)

When the army stopped for the second time, it was understood that Hz. Aisha was not on her camel; when it was seen that she was coming on the camel of a young soldier, the munafiqs used it as an opportunity to start a rumor. Abdullah b. Ubayy supported this rumor secretly. The Muslims understood that it was a slander. For instance, Hz. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari said to his wife,

"O Umm Ayyub! Would you accept it if something like that is said about you?" She said,

"God forbid! A noble and honorable person will never do something like that." (Ibn Hisham, ibid, p. 302)

Unfortunately, along with munafiqs, three Muslims believed in this rumor. They were Hassan bin Thabit, who wanted to take revenge from Safwan, Hamna, the sister of Zaynab bint Jahsh, who was one of the wives of the Messenger of Allah and Mistah bin Uthatha, who was financially helped by Hz. Abu Bakr.  

Hz. Aisha fell ill when she returned from the expedition and went to her father's house so that her mother would take care of her. She was unaware of anything. Neither her parents nor the Messenger of Allah told her about the incident. She could not understand why the Messenger of Allah treated her coldly. Once, when Mistah's mother told her about the incident, she became very sad and wept for days. (Muslim, Tawba, 56) Meanwhile, the Messenger of Allah asked her some questions about the incident. Hz. Aisha said she referred her state to Allah.

When Safwan heard about the rumor, he got very angry, drew his sword and attacked Hassan in order to kill him. He wounded Hassan. When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was informed about it, he ordered Safwan to be arrested. In fact, Safwan was an impotent person who was not interested in women. He himself stated it clearly. (Ibn Hisham ibid, p. 306, Muslim, Tawba, 57)

The Messenger of Allah consulted some of the Companions about the issue. Hz. Uthman, Usama b. Zayd, Zaynab bint Jahsh and Umm Ayman witnessed that Hz. Aisha was chaste. Hz. Umar reminded him that Hz. Aisha's marriage was decreed by Allah and that Allah would marry an unchaste woman off to him. However, Hz. Ali spoke unfavorably and said there were a lot of women to marry the Messenger of Allah. He also offered that Hz. Aisha's maid be questioned. He even slapped her so that she would tell the truth. Barira, her maid, said she knew only good things about Hz. Aisha. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah ascended the pulpit in the mosque and informed his Companions about the situation and asked their help. Sa'd b. Muaz from Ansar said,

"O Messenger of Allah! I will help you. If the slanderer is from the tribe of Aws, I will kill him. If he is from our Khazraj brothers, you will order us and we will do what is necessary."

However, Sa'd b. Ubada of Khazraj opposed it. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) settled the argument between them.  

When the Messenger of Allah left in a sorrowful manner and went to see Hz. Aisha, who was in her father Abu Bakr's house, Allah informed him about her chastity with the following verses:

"Those who brought forward the lie are a body among yourselves: think it not to be an evil to you: on the contrary it is good for you: to every man among them (will come the punishment) of the sin that he earned and to him who took on himself the lead among them will be a Penalty grievous. Why did not Believers, men and women when ye heard of the affair― put the best construction on it in their own minds and say "This (charge) is an obvious lie"?

Why did they not bring four witnesses, to prove it? When they have not brought the witnesses such men in the sight of Allah, (stand forth) themselves as liars!  Were it not for the grace and mercy of Allah on you, in this world and the Hereafter, a grievous penalty would have seized you in that ye rushed glibly into this affair. Behold ye received it on your tongues and said out of your mouths things of which ye had no knowledge; and ye thought it to be a light matter, while it was most serious in the sight of Allah.

And why did ye not when ye heard it say? "It is not right of us to speak of this: Glory to Thee (our Lord)! This is a most serious slander!" (an-Nur, 24/11-16)

When the verses above were sent down, all of the believers, primarily the Messenger of Allah became very happy. However, those who slandered had to be punished too. Thereupon, God Almighty sent down the following two verses:

"And those who launch a charge against chaste women, and produce not four witnesses (to support their allegation)― flog them with eighty stripes: and reject their evidence ever after: for such men are wicked transgressors Unless they repent thereafter and mend (their conduct): for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (an-Nur, 24/4-5).

Three separate decrees were given for those who slandered that somebody committed fornication in the verses:

1. The slanderer will be flogged eighty stripes,
2. His witnessing will not be accepted forever,
3. He will be described as fasiq since he disobeyed Allah.

If a person who slanders regrets and repents, the quality of fisq is removed. (M. Ali as-Sabuni, Kur'an-ı Kerîm'in Ahkâm Tefsîri, II, 107)

When these verses were sent down, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had Hassan, Hamna and Mistah flogged eighty stripes each as a penalty for slandering that she committed fornication. This penalty was not applied to Abdullah b. Ubayy. [Muhammad Rida, Muhammad (s.a.s), Egypt 1357/1938, p. 303].

Hz. Abu Bakr stopped helping Mistah because he slandered his daughter. After the penalty for slandering was applied, God Almighty sent down the following verse:

"Let not those among you who are endued with grace and amplitude of means resolve by oath against helping their kinsmen those in want, and those who have left their homes in Allah's cause: let them forgive and overlook: do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful." (an-Nur, 24/22)

Thereupon, Hz. Abu Bakr said,

"By Allah, I definitely want Allah to forgive me. By Allah, I will never cease to help Mistah."Then, he started to help Mistah financially again. (Bukhari, Maghazi, 34; Tafsirul-Qur'an, 6; Muslim, Tawba, 56)

Slander is the method of two-faced munafiqs who act differently than what they think. It is necessary to avoid slandering, to support those who are slandered and to refute the oppressors and slanderers.

İsmail KAYA

"Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious." (an-Nahl,125)

Our Prophet guided the believers with knowledge and wisdom and based that guidance on evidence by acting upon that verse and similar verses.

He never showed anger or violence while conveying the message of Islam. He welcomed people in an atmosphere of sincerity and gave them advice with compassion and mercy. He always preferred sweet talk and soft words when he told people about the truth and reality. He eliminated the doubts and hesitations that occurred in people’s minds with great patience and understanding. He always showed respect to the people he talked to and spoke to them clearly with eloquence. Even when the questions were irrelevant, he smiled and took them seriously.

One of the most important reasons why his preaching and advice were influential was that he forgave the mistakes of the people and pardoned them. He even pardoned the people who martyred his beloved uncle and many other relatives and companions after the conquest of Makkah. As a matter of fact, he had all the power then. He could have punished them as he wished.

He influenced the spirits of the people around him with such high characteristics; he aroused and developed their talents and abilities that were in the form of core. He made each one a star in the sky of humanity. He removed the fog of ignorance that veiled that century. He changed the form of the world. He realized high characteristics like justice, love and solidarity among people. He introduced curative remedies for the diseases that threatened personal and social life and cured the world of humanity by the permission of Allah.

The way of tabligh is the way of “weakness, poverty, compassion and contemplation”. That cause is the cause of saving belief. It is the cause of protecting people from the terrifying mischiefs of the end of time and directing them towards lofty aims. It is the cause of saving humanity from the effects of the soul, devil and the unbelievably corrupt sociological atmosphere and making man attain the pleasure of being a slave. If a person can attain that high ideal as a divine grace, the first thing he should do is to confess his weakness and poverty to accomplish that difficult task and rely on the power and mercy of his Lord.

Weakness and poverty are two apparent characteristics of the slave and the most important properties of man. As a matter of fact, when we recite the chapter al-Fatiha, we take refuge in our Lord, the Lord of the Worlds, and ask help from Him for our works whether they are related to this world or the hereafter by saying,

“Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek”.

Thus, the soldiers of the service of belief and the Quran work hard in order to make the guidance flourish in the hearts of people but they know that they cannot accomplish that great outcome with their strength and power so they take refuge in Allah with weakness and poverty.

The third step is to feel sorry for disobedient sinners and rush to help them with the sensitivity of a doctor and compassion of a mother. And the fourth step is to fulfill that duty with wisdom.

The great ideal put forward by our national poet, the late, Mehmet Akif in the following couplet:

“We should take inspiration directly from the Quran, we should make the century pronounce Islam.”

has been realized fully in the Risale-i Nur Collection. In the market of this century, which is full of ‘why’s, only a collection that could address both the mind and the heart, that could have its cause loved and could prove it could have been accepted by a lot of people and it was.

The first one of those determinations teaches us that the biggest condition to convey the message of Islam to both our own citizens and to the whole world of humanity is to have the high ethics of the Quran. The other one determines that it is necessary to develop economically in order to convey the truths of belief and the Quran to the needy.

We should try to cure those two wounds by accepting them. If we ignore them and rely on temporary and uncertain formulas, we will go on crawling and we will be responsible for blocking and preventing Islam from reaching the needy hearts.

Every Muslim is responsible for fulfilling the duty incumbent on him.The rank of a person in a society lays some responsibilities on him. Every Muslim becomes responsible in accordance with his rank. We can see the issue under the light of the following hadith:

“When you see something bad, correct it with your hand; if you cannot, correct it with your tongue; if you cannot, hate it in your heart.” (Muslim, Belief 78; Abu Dawud, Salat, 232)

Not everybody can interpret that hadith in every situation on his own. For instance, if we see something bad on the way and try to correct it and harm somebody while doing it and if that person files a lawsuit against us, we will be punished. Then, how should we understand the meaning of the hadith?

To correct with the hand, is the duty of the authorities, that is, the state and the security forces; to correct with the tongue is the duty of the scholars; to hate it in the heart is the duty of the others.

Therefore, at first, a Muslim should practice Islam properly. Then, if there is no danger of harming Islam, he should tell people about Islam with sweet talk. He should leave the rest to Allah.

A person who wants to grow trees gives importance to the following: The seeds should be improved; the field should be appropriate for sowing; the season should be appropriate for sowing and the person to sow should be an expert. Therefore, if inappropriate seeds are sown into a hard and inadequate field in an inadequate season by a person who is not good at sowing will cause everything to come to nothing. After fulfilling his duty, a gardener who has those properties will not try to go into the field in order to make the flowers and roses to blossom and to turn it into a tree. He does his duty and leaves the result to Allah.

Similarly, it is necessary to practice the true Islam properly and to convey the message of Islam. To tell people the thoughts and ideas that are not in compliance with Islam as Islam will harm both Islam and the people who propagate it as Islam.

The needy hearts into which the seeds of Islam and belief to be thrown should be ready for it. Sometimes, it may become harmful to tell people who are not ready yet about Islam.

In addition, the season of the tabligh is also important. The states like the environment, the psychological mood and the expectations of the person are important. Every seed that is not sown in its season may be lost.

On the other hand, the person who conveys the message of Islam should have the skills and properties to know how to convey it and how to transmit it to the minds and hearts with an appropriate style. He should be qualified like a specialist doctor.

After fulfilling his duty, a Muslim who has those properties leaves the guidance to Allah. He does not interfere with the duty of Allah.

Although the holy books except the Quran were sometimes distorted by men, there is a big similarity between the names and characteristics of our Prophet (pbuh) in various versions of those books.  

The Quran informs us that Allah Almighty sent apostles and prophets from time to time and sent down laws, commands or books to them. Based on that statement, the Quran mentions the pages of Hazrat Ibrahim (Abraham), the Torah sent to Hazrat Musa (Moses), the Psalms sent to Hazrat Dawud (David) and the Gospel sent to Hazrat Eesa (Jesus).  The term “zuhurul-awwalin” (the books of the previous people) may have referred to some books of Zoroastrians or Brahmans.

The signs in the ancient holy texts of Iran:

The religion of Iran is the oldest religion of the world after the religion of Hindu. Their holy texts were available in two sources called dasatir and zend-avesta. In Dasatir No 14, some principles belonging to the religion of Islam were mentioned and the following sentences heralding the advent of our Prophet (pbuh) exist:

“When the level of ethics of the Iranians lower, a light will emerge in Arabia.His followers will exalt his throne, religion and everything. There was a building (it indicates the Kaaba) that had been constructed and there were a lot of idols to be eliminated in it. People will turn towards it and worship. His followers will conquer the cities of Iran, Taus and Balh and many wise people of Iran will join his followers.”

As it is clearly understood from the sentences above, the sun of Islam that will rise after centuries and its Prophet are described very clearly. It is written that the Prophet (pbuh) having the titles of “praised a lot”, “Ahmad (praised)” and “mercy to the worlds” will eliminate the idols.

In Part 129 of Yasht 3, one of the parts of that book which still exists today, the same truths are expressed again and the person to eliminate the idols is mentioned as “mercy for everybody and the worlds”. As it is known, one of the names of our Prophet is “mercy to the worlds”.

The signs in the holy Hindu texts:

In Hindu holy texts like Paru 8, Khand 8, Adhya 8 ve Shalok 5-8, our Prophet (pbuh) is mentioned as follows:

“A spiritual educator who is a mellacha (someone who speaks a foreign language or a member of a foreign country) will come with his friends; his name will be Muhammad. After his advent, the rajah will bathe in the rivers of Punjab and Ganges. He tells him: O you! The source of pride of human beings, the inhabitant of the Arab land. You brought together a great force to kill the devil.” (Prof. Dr. Muhammed Hamidullah, Kuran-ı Kerim Tefsiri)

It is very remarkable that the name of our Prophet (pbuh) is mentioned exactly in the statement above. The phrase “the source of pride of human beings” means the same as the name of our Prophet, “the source of pride of the world”.

Buddha (Gautama Buddha) mentions a person who will honor the world after his death. That affectionate and kind-hearted person whose name is “matteya” in the Pali language, “maitreya” in Sanskrit and “armidia” in Burmese will call people to the right path.  In that news that Buddha gave a long time ago, those names mean “mercy”. As it is known, in the 107th verse of al-Anbiya, the following is stated:

“And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds.”

In one of those texts, the following is stated:

“Buddha said, “I am not the first Buddha (guide) that came to the world and I will not be the last. Another person will come to the world some time later. He is a holy and enlightened person with an extraordinary administrative ability. He will teach you the same eternal truths that I have taught you.” Ananda asked: “How will he be known?” Buddha answered: “He will be known as maitreya (mercy).”

In Pali and Sanskrit texts, the name of the exalted person that will come in the future is given as Maho, Maha and Metta. The first two names mean “exalted enlightener” and the last one means “kind, helpful”. Both of them are the attributes of our Prophet. Besides, it will be seen clearly that the names of Mohamet and Mahamet that are mentioned in some other holy texts are formed from the words maha and metta.

We will go on with the Torah, the Gospel and the Psalms now. The most detailed research regarding the issue belongs to Husayn Jisri. The  Syrian scholar, whose parents are Shiite, found 114 signs about our Prophet (pbuh) from those holy books and published them in his book called, Risala al-Hamidiyya, which was also translated into Turkish.

Even in the Torah, which is the most distorted text among the previous holy texts, the following signs regarding our Prophet (pbuh) exist:

“He saw two riders, one on a donkey, and the other on a camel. He listened carefully.” (Ishaya xxı, 7)

Here, the first one of the two riders that the Prophet Ishaya was informed about was Hazrat Eesa (Jesus) because he went to Jerusalem on a donkey. It is clear that what is meant by the person on the camel is our Prophet (pbuh).Our Prophet was on a camel when he entered Madinah.  

By the way, we should state that the words faraklit or paraklit (paracletus) have been maintained in the translations of the Gospel but in the latest translation they have been changed to “muazzi” (comforter) in Arabic translations.  

In the pages of Hazrat Shuayb (Jethro) the name of our Prophet is mentioned as mushaffah, which exactly means “Muhammad”.The equivalent of the word munhamannain the Torah is Muhammad too (as it is known, Muhammad meansa person who has been praised repeatedly). In addition, the name of our Prophet is mostly used as “Ahyad”in the Torah and Ahmadin the Gospel.

We end the issue with a hadith:

“My name is Muhammad in the Quran, Ahmad in the Gospel and Ahyad in the Torah.”

(see Muhammad in World Scriptures, A. H. Vidyarthi; Translated into Turkish by Kemal Karataş, İnsan Publications; İstanbul, 1997)

The Prophet (pbuh) was also a human being. He also felt sorry and happy due to the incidents that happened. As a matter of fact, when his son Hz. Ibrahim died, he cried next to his grave.

The Incident of Ifk is an ugly slander against Hz. Aisha. It cannot be thought that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was not affected by it.

It is clear that the Prophet did not apply any pressure on Hz. Aisha. As a matter of fact, Hz. Aisha heard the incident from others after a while.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) knew that his wife, Hz. Aisha, was free from such an accusation. However, the spread of such a treacherous and sly planned slander distressed him a lot. This caused him to change his attitude toward Hz. Aisha willy nilly. As a matter of fact, he expressed it clearly in the sermon he delivered in the mosque:

"O Muslims! Who will help me against a person who distressed me with the slander against my wife? In fact, I only know good things about my wife. The slanderers mentioned the name of a person about him I only know good things." (Sirah, III/312; Muslim, VIII/115i Tirmidhi, V/332)

Please click on the link given below;

Will you please give information about the incident of Ifk?

Imam Suyuti said the following on the issue in summary:

“It is a nice bid’ah (innovation) for people to get together for the birthday of the Prophet (pbuh) and to read the Quran, to cite epic poems about his birth and to organize feasts for this reason; because there is a great revering, respect and happiness for his honored birth in this kind of gatherings. And it makes one earn one lots of thawabs.” (see: Suyuti, al-Hawi li’l fatawi, 1/272-shamila).

The word "Mawlid" includes the meaning “birth”. Qandil means "light which is lit in specific days." When these two words are juxtaposed to form “Mawlid Qandil”, what comes to mind is "lampions that are lit on the minarets of mosques at the night of the Prophet’s birthday." Muslims celebrate the night which corresponds to the twelfth night of the month of Rabiu’l-awwal with religious ceremonies and pay attention to do it in a different peace and joy. With this aim, people fill the mosques which are ornamented with lampions…

Muslims contemplate this night both for themselves and for their children. When they contemplate it for themselves, they remember prayers, helping the people in the neighborhood and other sorts of charities, and a different feeling of help evokes in them. And on behalf of their children, they become very careful. They resort to options which will enable them to remember this night as a good memory in their minds. For this reason, they buy things that their children will like and make nice conversations/speeches which they will enjoy, so they assure that this night will remain as a sweet memory in their minds.

The first Mawlid ceremony in the Islamic world was organized by Fatimids who ruled Egypt between the years of 910-1171. Those ceremonies were organized in the palace and only statesmen could attend them. Fatimids used to organize mawlid ceremonies also for the birthdays of Hazrat Ali and Fatima.

The first mawlid ceremony in Sunni muslims was organized by Malik Muzafferuddin Gökbörü, who was the brother-in-law of Salahaddin Ayyubi and the chief of Arbil, in Hijri year of 604. Those ceremonies which were organized with long-term preparations were attended by all people. Muzaffaruddin invited Islamic jurisprudents, Sufis, preachers and other scholars from the neighboring regions to Arbil and the ceremonies were gorgeous.

Later, mawlid ceremonies started to be organized in Makkah with some changes. Following Makkah and Madinah, mawlid ceremonies started to be organized everywhere in the Islamic geography with differences and it has continued up to now.

Mawlid was made official for the first time by Murat III in Ottomans in the year of 1588. Ceremonies were organized in the palace in accordance with protocol rules, and previously in Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) Mosque and later in Sultan Ahmed Mosque and both statesmen and ordinary people attended those ceremonies.

In those ceremonies, muazzins read some Quran first, and following it, preachers preached. Later, a mawlidhan (one who reads epic poems about the Prophet’s birth in ceremonies) came to the lectern and after reading a part from the poem, he came down and received his gift, and then went back to lectern and continued reading. Then the mawlid ceremony ended within the framework of precise rules. (Asim Koksal, Islam Tarihi)

What is the status of Mawlid in our religion?

Being an Islamic tradition invented about 3-4 years after the birth of the Prophet (pbuh), Mawlid is amongst the good innovations. Ibn Hajar, who is an eminent scholar of hadith and Islamic law, narrates the following hadith about the lawfulness of mawlid ceremony:

According to the narration of Ibn Abbas, when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) migrated to Madinah, he saw that the Jews fasted on the day of Ashura. When he asked them the reason why they fasted, Jews replied:

“This is a great day. Allah saved the people of Moses on this day. He drowned Pharaoh and his people in the sea. And Moses fasted as a thanksgiving for it. For this reason, we fast today.”

Upon this, our Prophet said: “We are closer and more beloved to Moses than you”. From that day on, he fasted and also advised people to fast that day.” (Muslim, Siyam, 127).

Ibni Hajar says the following on the issue:

“As it is comprehended from that hadith, it is very appropriate to give thanks to Allah, on this day, at the night of mawlid. However, it is necessary to pay attention to introduce mawlid ceremony on the right time, that is, the birthday of the Prophet.” (al-Hawi fi’l Fatawa , 1/190).

There are mawlids (epic poems about the Prophet) in various languages that are recited in order to commemorate the birth of the Prophet and to send compliments to him, in Islamic countries today. Poems such as “Banad Suad, Burdah and Hamziyya” in Arabic language are mawlids. And in Turkish, there are mawlids more than twenty. However, the most preferred and most cited one of them is the book of mawlid named “Vasilatu’n Najat” written by late Suleyman Çelebi in 1409. Mawlid ceremonies, which were organized only on the birthday of the Prophet in earlier times, were repeated later in all holy nights, they have especially become more widespread in our country day by day and started to be read for several reasons such as death, disease and many more. Although some scholars opposed to mawlid, considering it an innovation, Badiuzzaman adjusted the matter to our day, as we have stated above, as follows:

“The recitation of the Prophet’s ‘Mawlid’ and its section about his Ascension is a most beneficial and fine custom and admirable Islamic practice. It is a pleasant, shining, and agreeable means of fellowship in Islamic social life; gratifying and pleasurable instruction in the truths of belief; and an effective and stimulating way of demonstrating and encouraging the lights of belief and love of God and love for the Prophet.” (Nursi, The Letters, p. 281-285).

- How should we spend holy nights?

There are some important means of deserving forgiveness and intercession, earning thawabs, advancing in religion, being safe from troubles and problems and gaining Allah’s content, which can be –and necessary to be- applied in holy nights. It will be useful to remember some of them in short and with the list below in general:

1. One should read the Quran and listen to the ones who read. There should be Quran-citing invitations held in appropriate places. The feelings of love, respect and loyalty for the words of Allah, i.e. the Quran should be renewed and strengthened.

2. One should send compliments (salawat) to the Prophet and renew his/her awareness of being one of his followers, and hope for his intercession.

3. One should perform qada and nafilah (supererogatory) prayers. If there are prayers exclusive to that night, they can be performed as well. Holy nights should be spent with prayers and with consciousness of kindness in prayers, in accordance with their essence.

4. One should meditate; “Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going to? What does Allah expect from me?” are the main issues which one should contemplate, besides other important matters.

5. One should make an account and revision of her/his past and outline the plan and program of the present and the future.

6. One should repent her/his sins sincerely and should regret and turn to the Lord, considering that night as the last chance.

7. One should perform invocations (dhikr) and supplications to Allah.

8. Believers should make amends with and forgive each other, and assure their content with others.

9. Resentful and offended people should be reconciled; people should be pleased, and sorrowful faces should be given a smile.

10. One should pray for the good of himself and for other Muslim brothers and sisters mentioning their names.

11. One should ask the news of those who have got rights over himself and the necessities of moral quality of fidelity and gratefulness should be fulfilled.

12. One should visit the poor, orphans, the sick and the elderly people and please them with love, compassion, respect, gifts and charity.

13. Verses, hadiths about that night and comments of them should be read from the books about them individually or in groups.

14. Religious meetings, panels and conversations should be organized, ;advices of preachers should be listened; poems should be recited and a different feeling should be evoked in hearts with religious songs and hymns.

15. Prayers of maghrib, isha’a and fajr should be performed in groups in mosques, at holy nights.

16. Tombs of the Companions, scholars and saints should be visited and they should be pleased, and supplications should be made to Allah in the spiritual atmosphere of their tombs.

17. One should visit their dead relatives’, friends’ and ancestors’ graves, which is a requirement of faith brotherhood.

18. One should wish their elderly people, masters, parents, friends and other acquaintances blessed holy nights, by visiting them in person or by phoning, faxing and e-mailing to them.

19. If possible, one should fast the day before the holy nights.

There is not an exclusive way of praying for holy nights. Holy nights can be spent with prayers (salat), reading the Quran, supplications and other kinds of worship… Some special prayers performed at holy nights are not present in sunnah; and they are not based on a notable narration either. Nevertheless, it does not mean that “it is makrooh to perform prayers at those nights”. There are many narrations encouraging tahajjud and nafilah prayers. Of course, it is more virtuous to perform them at holy nights.” (Canan, Kutub-u Sitte, 3/289).

Moreover, it is unobjectionable to perform prayers which are said to be exclusive to holy nights additionally; it makes one earn thawabs.

The Messenger of Allah had seven children: three of them were boys and four of them were girls. Their names are as follows in the order of birth: Qasim, Zaynab, Ruqayya, Umm Kulthum, Fatima, Abdullah, Ibrahim. Six of them were born of Hz. Khadijah and the last one was born of Hz. Mariya, the Egyptian.

Ibn Ishaq says that the Prophet had two more children called Tahir and Tayyib but it is stated that they are the attributes of Abdullah.

1) Qasim:

Qasim was the first child of the Messenger of Allah. Therefore, his nickname became Abul-Qasim (Qasim's father). The Prophet liked it when they called him Abul-Qasim. The Companions also called him like that. According to Ibn Sa'd, Qasim lived for two years. He died in Makkah. The first child of the Messenger of Allah that died was Qasim.

2) Zaynab:

She was the oldest daughter of the Prophet. She was born after Qasim. When Zaynab was born, the Messenger of Allah was thirty years old. Zaynab, who was born in Makkah, died in the eight year of the Migration in Madinah. When she died, she was about thirty years old. 

Zaynab married her aunt's son Abul-As first. He did not become a Muslim at first. When he was enslaved by the Muslims during the Battle of Badr, he promised that he would send Zaynab to Madinah after he was freed. The Messenger of Allah sent Zayd bin Haritha with Abul-As to fetch Zaynab to Madinah. Zayd took Zaynab back to Madinah. Zaynab returned to Madinah but her husband, Abul-As, stayed in Makkah.   

During a sariyya, Abul-As was enslaved by the Muslims again. However, he was freed thanks to the protection of Hz. Zaynab. When Abul-As was freed from slavery for the second time. He went to Makkah. He returned the things entrusted to him to their owners and became a Muslim. Then, he migrated to Madinah. He married Hz. Zaynab again in Madinah.

Abul-As treated Hz. Zaynab very well. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah appreciated him. Zaynab did not live long after marrying her husband again. When she died, her dead body was washed by Hz. Umm Aym and Hz. Sawda. Her janazah prayer was led by the Messenger of Allah. Abul-As placed her in the grave.

3) Ruqayya:

She was the second daughter of the Messenger of Allah. When she was born, Hz. Prophet was thirty-three years old. Before her father became a prophet, Ruqayya was engaged to Utba, Abu Lahab's son. When the Messenger of Allah started to call people to Islam, Abu Lahab called his son, Utba, and said to him,

"My son! If you do not leave Muhammad's daughter, I will leave you." Utba left Ruqayya due to his father's request. After that, Ruqayya married Hz. Uthman. Hz. Usman and his wife Ruqayya took part in the first group that migrated to Abyssinia. Afterwards, Hz. Uthman returned to Makkah from Abyssinia. Before the Battle of Badr, Ruqayya became very ill; therefore, Hz. Uthman could not take part in the Battle of Badr. He was regarded as one of the excused people since his wife was ill.

Hz. Ruqayya died on the same day as Zayd bin Haritha brought the good news that the Muslims won the battle. The Messenger of Allah could not take part in her daughter's funeral due to the Battle of Badr.

4) Umm Kulthum:

She was born before the advent of Islam. Her mother was Hz. Khadijah. Umm Kulthum was engaged to Utayba, Abu Lahab's second son, before Islam. When Islam came, Abu Lahab did not become a Muslim and became a fierce enemy of Islam. When the chapter of al-Masadd was sent down about him, he told his son to leave Umm Kulthum. He obeyed his father and left Umm Kulthum. 

She married Hz. Uthman one year after the death of Hz. Ruqayya, in the third year of the Migration.

According to what Bukhari narrates, when Hafsa was widowed, Hz. Umar went to Hz.Uthman and asked him to marry Hafsa, his daughter. Hz. Uthman hesitated. Meanwhile, the Messenger of Allah said to Hz. Umar,

"I will find you a better man than Uthman and I will find Uthman a better man than you. Marry your daughter off to me and I will marry my daughter off to Uthman." 

Umm Kulthum, who married Hz. Uthman, lived with him for six years. She died in the ninth year of the Migration. Her janazah prayer was led by the Messenger of Allah. She was buried by Hz. Ali, Hz. Fadl and Hz. Usama.

Hz. Uthman was given the nickname "Zinnurayn" (the owner of two lights) since he married two daughters of the Messenger of Allah: Ruqayye and Umm Kulthum.

5) Fatima:

She was the youngest but most beloved daughter of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). She was born in Makkah when the first revelation came. She married Hz. Ali in Madinah in the second year of the Migration. When they got married, Hz. Fatima was fifteen and Hz. Ali was twenty-four years old. The Messenger of Allah prepared a bed linen, two grinders and a water-skin for his daughter Fatima. Hz. Fatima used the grinders and the water-skin throughout her life.

The Messenger of Allah wanted Hz. Ali and Hz. Fatima to get on well. Once, Ali treated Fatima harshly; thereupon, Fatima went to the Messenger of Allah and complained about Ali. After Fatima, Ali arrived and complained about her. However, the Messenger of Allah reconciled them.

Once, Hz. Ali wanted to have another wife; when the Messenger of Allah was informed about it, he said in a sermon,

"My daughter is my part, what makes her uneasy makes me uneasy."

Thereupon, Hz. Ali gave up the idea of marrying another woman. He did not marry anybody else when Hz. Fatima was alive.

Hz. Fatima died in the eleventh year of the Migration, six months after his father's death. She was twenty-five years old when the Messenger of Allah passed away. 

The Messenger of Allah loved his daughter, Fatima, very much. When he was ill, he called her. He whispered something to her ear. Hz. Fatima cried. He whispered to her again; this time Fatima smiled. Hz. Aisha asked what happened. Hz. Aisha said,

"First, the Messenger of Allah said that he would die and I cried. Then, he said that the first person to rejoin him after his death would be me and I smiled." 

Hz. Fatima continued the generation of the Messenger of Allah. Fatima had five children: Hasan, Husayn, Muhsin, Umm Kulthum, Zaynab. Muhsin died when he was very young.

6) Abdullah:

He was born eleven years before the Migration in Makkah. He lived for three months and died. "Tahir and Tayyib" were Abdullah's other names.

7) Ibrahim:

He was the youngest child and son of the Messenger of Allah. He was born in the eighth year of the Migration in Madinah. According to Ibn Ishaq, all of Hz. Muhammad's children except Ibrahim were born before his prophethood. Ibrahim was born of Mariya, the Egyptian, and according to the narration of Hz. Aisha, he died when he was seventeen or eighteen months old.

The Messenger of Allah became very pleased when Ibrahim was born; he gave a feat seven days after Ibrahim was born and doled out money to the poor. He named his child Ibrahim. For, all of his sons born of Hz. Khadija had died when they were very young. He did not have any children from his other wives.  

Salma, who was Abu Rafi's wife, fostered newborn Ibrahim as his wet-nurse. Bukhari states that Umm Sayf breastfed Ibrahim. The Messenger of Allah visited the wet-nurse frequently to see, caress and kiss Ibrahim.  

Ibrahim died in Umm Sayf's house. When Hz. Prophet heard that his son was ill, he went to see him with Abdurrahman bin Awf. When he saw that he was in agony, he could not help crying. Abdurrahman said:

"O Messenger of Allah! What are you doing?" The Messenger of Allah said,

"My feelings of compassion overwhelmed."

The Messenger of Allah led his son's janazah prayer.  Fadl bin Abbas, Usama bin Zayd and Uthman Maz'un placed him in the grave. He was buried in the cemetery of Baqi.

When Ibrahim died, the sun was eclipsed. People said that the sun had also joined the mourning. The Messenger of Allah said,

"The sun and the moon are signs of Allah. They are not eclipsed because of the death of an ephemeral person."

Thus, he drove people away from such wrong beliefs.

Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) brought the religion of Islam, which is the last heavenly religion, whose decree will be valid until the Day of Judgment and whose call addresses the whole humanity; there will be no religion and shari'ah after it; therefore, he is the last prophet. No messengers and prophets will come after him. As it is known, everything has a beginning and an end in this realm. The institution of prophethood started with Hz. Adam and ended with Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), the Seal of the Prophets.  

God Almighty gave Hz. Muhammad, who is the perfect prophet, the perfect heavenly book and perfected the institution of prophethood with the Seal of the Prophets. No prophets will come until the Day of Judgment.   

It is stated in the chapter of al-Ahzab that Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) is the Seal of the Prophets as follows: 

“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things.“

With the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), humanity reached the utmost point in terms of religion. Humanity must not wait for any other prophets and must follow the light of Muhammad. Allah knows everything very well. He knows and hears everything. Therefore, he orders these decrees. (Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, Hak Dini Kur'an Dili Tefsiri)

In this mischievous end of time, when people are destroyed spiritually due to disobedience to Allah, some strange people who do not know what or whom they serve criticize putting the blessed name of the Messenger of Allah next to the name of Allah as if they have settled all kind of problems. They even go beyond the limits and say it is shirk (associating partners with Allah).

Since oneness (tawhid) is mentioned, let us put the phrase “la ilaha illa” before Allah and “Rasulullah” after Muhammad, we will see kalima at-tawhid. It is not at all reasonable for those who mention tawhid to oppose something that remind kalima at-tawhid.

Another issue is as follows: When we look at the skies and the earth, we say “Rabbus samawati wal ard (the Lord of the skies and the earth)”. If you put a picture of the sky and the earth on the wall of your house facing the qiblah in order to remember this lofty meaning, will you be regarded to have worshipped the sky and the earth when you perform prayers? Since this is not true, should we not think similarly about the signs on which the name of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), the four caliphs, and some distinguished Companions are written and which are hung on the walls of mosques?

Instead of keeping your mind busy with insignificant dreams, will it not be more beneficial for you to utter salawat when you see the name of the Prophet? Will it not be better if you remember the Companions and the distinguished ones among them, who formed the first ranks of Islam and who have a great share in our belief and pray for them and if you feel enthusiasm to follow them? When you start to perform a prayer, the places to look at are certain. What is written on the walls should not attract your attention.

Author

Alaaddin Başar (Prof.Dr.)

The following hadith is included in Imam Munawi's book called "Faydul-Qadir" from Ibn Abbas:

"Love Arabs due to three properties: I am an Arab. The Quran was sent down in Arabic. The language of the people of Paradise is Arabic."1

"With it came down the Spirit of Faith and Truth―To thy heart and mind, that thou mayest admonish―In the perspicuous Arabic tongue."2

"We sent not a messenger except (to teach) in the language of his (own) people, in order to make (things) clear to them."3

The verses above state that the Prophet (pbuh) conveyed the message to Arabs, his own nation, in their own language.

The hadith and verses show that the Prophet (pbuh) is an Arab.

Footnotes:

1. Faydul-Qadir, I/178, Hadith no: 225.
2. ash-Shuara, 26/193-195.
3. Ibrahim, 14/4.

(see Mehmed Paksu, Meseleler ve Çözümleri - 1)

When the name of the Prophet (pbuh) is mentioned a lot, it is not necessary to utter salawat every time he is mentioned; it is enough to utter once at the beginning.

When the name of the Prophet (pbuh) is mentioned in a dua, salawat is usually uttered after it. Therefore, it is not necessary to utter salawat while listening to a dua or saying a dua.

for more information, please click on the link given below;

Will you give information about the importance of saying salawat for the Prophet? Why are hands wiped over the face after saying salawat when the name of the Prophet is mentioned?

Prophets underwent the biggest troubles and misfortunes in the universe. However, they showed the greatest patience toward these troubles and misfortunes. All believers know what happened to Hz. Nuh, Hz. Lut, Hz. Musa, Hz. Isa, Hz. Yahya and Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) to a certain extent. However, these troubles and misfortunes could not prevent them from conveying their message and informing people; on the contrary, they continued to inform people about Allah and His command by acting patiently and perseveringly.    

The general aim and duty of prophets is stated as follows in the Quran:

"(It is the practice of those) who preach the Messages of Allah, and fear Him, and fear none but Allah: and enough is Allah to call (men) to account." (al-Ahzab, 33/39)

After undertaking this lofty duty, the Messenger of Allah spent his life conveying people the religion of Allah. He went from house to house looking for receptive people to whom he could convey the message.

The attitude of the polytheists was in the form of indifferenceand boycott first. After that, it continued with derision and mocking. In the last phase, they resorted to all kinds of torture. They placed thorns on the way he would walk; they put an animal tripe on his head while he was performing a prayer; they insulted him in various ways. However, the Messenger of Allah did not quail or give up. For, this was his purpose of creation. He visited everybody, including his ferocious enemies, to convey the message. He informed them about the religion of Islam. He visited the enemies of the religion and belief like Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab so many times and informed them about God and the truth. He went to fairs and visited the tents there so as to be a means of guidance for a person; he was rejected so many times but he insisted on visiting them.

When Makkah gave him no more hope, he went to Taif.Taif is a place of recreation. The people of Taif, who were spoiled by comfort and relaxation, turned out to be more ferocious. A mob of people threw stones at the Messenger of Allah, whose face even the angels avoided staring, and expelled him from Taif. Zayd b. Haritha, whom the Messenger of Allah had adopted as his son, was together with him and tried to protect the Messenger of Allah by using his body as a shield. However, some stones hit the Messenger of Allah and his body was in blood.

When, they got rid of this intolerant atmosphere and took refuge under a tree, Hz. Jibril appeared. He said he could make the mountain around Taif fall on those people if the Messenger of Allah allowed. He said "no” to this offer though he was hurt a lot. He said "no" to the misfortune that would hit them in case some of them would believe in the future.

Then, he opened his hands and prayed to his Lord as follows:

"O Allah, unto You I complain of my frailty, lack of resources and significance before those people. O Most Merciful of the merciful, You are the Lord of the oppressed and are my Lord. To whom do You abandon me? To that stranger who looks askance and grimaces at me? Or to that enemy to whom You have given mastery over me? If Your indignation is not directed at me, I have no worry. But Your grace is much greater for me to wish for. I seek refuge in the light of Your Countenance, which illumines all darkness and by which the affairs of this life and the Hereafter have been rightly ordered, lest Your wrath alight upon me, or Your indignation descend upon me. I expect Your forgiveness until You are pleased. There is no resource or power but in You."

While he was praying like that, somebody approached them silently and gave the Messenger of Allah and Zayd a bunch of grapes on a plate. He said, "Please help yourselves!" When the Messenger of Allah reached his hand to the plate, he said, "Bismillah" (in the name of Allah). This was something unexpected for Addas, the slave who gave them the grapes. He asked in surprise, "Who are you?" The Messenger of Allah answered, "I am the last Prophet and the last Messenger." Addas leaned on him and started to kiss him. He found unexpectedly the person for whom he had been looking for years; he believed immediately. (Ibn Hisham, Sirah, 2:60-63; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, 3:166).

Western authors write as follows: "Muhammad (pbuh) was a prophet in Makkah but he became a king after he went to Madinah." However, the reality is as follows: The Prophet kept away from worldly boons and remained hungry after he dominated all Arabs; he did not act like a king though he had all kinds of opportunities; he did not have any worldly possessions. The following narration exists in the chapter of Jihad in Sahihi Bukhari:

When Hz. Prophet was about to die, his armor was mortgaged to a Jew for three units of barley. When he died, the clothes he was wearing were patched. He lived at such a time and had so many opportunities that normal states could not have them. All Arabia, from Syria to Adan, was conquered. The market of Madinah was full of gold and silver.  

One of the duties of the Prophet (pbuh) was to eliminate monasticism (abandoning all of the worldly boons and the worldly affairs, by devoting oneself to Allah only. Allah stated the following in the Quran

"…But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves..." (al-Hadid, 57/27)

and criticized the Christians. Therefore, the Prophet ate nice food and put on nice clothes from time to time. However, his real spiritual structure was to keep away from the ornaments of the world. The Messenger of Allah always stated the following:

"Man does not need anything except the following three things: A house where he can live, clothes he can wear, and bread and water he can eat and drink."

Hz. Aisha said, "The Prophet had no extra clothes." He had only one garment; he had no spare clothes to wear for a change.

Once, Abdullah b. Umar was repairing the wall of his house. The Prophet was passing by and saw him. The Prophet asked him, "What are you doing?" Abdullah b. Umar said,"I am repairing the wall." Hz. Prophet said, "How did you find so much time?"

The Prophet was usually hungry at home. He and his family often went to bed hungry. "Hz. Prophet spent several nights on end hungry. He and his family members could not find dinner to eat." (Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 38)

There were some times when no fire was lit in his house for two months. When Hz. Aisha mentioned it, Urwa b. Zubayr asked,"What did you eat?" Hz. Aisha said, "We had water and dates. Our neighbors sometimes sent us goat milk and we drank it." (Bukhari, Riqaq, 16, 17)

Hz. Prophet never had bread made of pure wheat flour. He never saw pure flour.  When Sahi b. Sa'd mentioned it, he was asked, "Were there no sifters when Hz. Prophet lived? He said, "No." He was asked, "How did they sift flour then?" He said,"They blew with their mouths and made the bran fly away. They, they kneaded the remaining flour." (see Tirmidhi, Shamail)

Hz. Aisha said,

"Hz Prophet never ate two meals fully on end from the time he migrated to Madinah until he died." (see Tirmidhi, Shamail)

Hadith scholars and siyar experts who narrate the battles of Fadak, Khaybar and the others write that the Prophet received his yearly expenses from the incomes from them. The apparent meanings of these narrations and the Prophet’s living in poverty may seem to be contradictory but both of them are correct. The Messenger of Allah took the amount that would be enough for his sustenance and distributed the remaining amount to the poor and needy. He even gave the things he kept for himself to the poor later. It is often mentioned in hadiths that the Prophet suffered hunger and that he had no wealth. We want to mention some of them as examples:

Once, somebody came to the Prophet (pbuh) and said, "I am very hungry." Hz. Prophet sent somebody to one of his wives to tell her "to send some food." When the person returned, he said there was nothing other than water at home. The Prophet sent somebody to another one of his wives. He received the same answer from her. To sum up, the news that there was nothing other than water came from eight-nine houses. (Muslim, 2/198)

Anas narrates:

"When I went into the presence of the Prophet (pbuh) once, I saw that he had wrapped a band tight around his abdomen. When I asked the reason, one of the people sitting there said, ‘Due to hunger.’" (Muslim, 2/193)

Abu Talha narrates:

"Once, I saw the Prophet lying on the ground in the mosque, turning to the right and left due to hunger."

Once, the Companions came to the Prophet (pbuh) and complained about their hunger; they opened their abdomens and showed the stones they wrapped with their bands. Thereupon, Hz. Prophet showed them that he had two stones, not one, on his abdomen.

He often got a hoarse voice due to hunger; the Companions would understand his hunger when they heard his voice. Once, Abu Talha went home and said to his wife, "Is there anything to eat at home? I saw that the Messenger of Allah had a hoarse voice just now." (Muslim, 2/191)

Once, he left home at noon when he was very hungry. He met Abu Bakr and Umar on the way. They were also very tired and hungry. The Messenger of Allah went to the house of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari with them. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari always kept some milk for the Prophet (pbuh). When the Prophet delayed, he gave the milk to his children. When his wife heard that the Prophet was coming, she came out of the house and said,

"O Messenger of Allah! Welcome!" The Messenger of Allah asked where Abu Ayyub was. His date grove was near and when he heard the Prophet’s voice, he ran toward the house. He said,

"Welcome!" Then, he said, "This is not the usual time for the visit of the Messenger of Allah." Thereupon, the Prophet (pbuh) told him about the reason why they had come. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari went to the date grove and brought them a bunch of grapes. Then, he said,

"I will prepare some meat for you."He slaughtered a goat; he boiled half of and grilled the other half. He put the food before the Prophet (pbuh). The Messenger of Allah said,

"Put some meat on a piece of bread and take it to Fatima. She has not eaten anything for days." Then, he ate the food with his Companions. When he saw a few courses of food, he shed tears and said:

These are the things mentioned in the verse: "Then shall ye be Questioned that Day about the joy (ye indulged in)"(at-Takathur, 102/ 8). (at-Targhib wat-Tarhib, 2/175)

When Hz. Prophet went to his wives in the morning, he often asked, "Is there anything to eat today" If they said, "no", he would say, "Then, I will fast today." (Musnad, 2/49; see Mevlânâ Şiblî Numânî, Son Peygamber Hz. Muhammed, İz Publications: 621-629)

It is the order of our religion to love Allah more than everything. The way to love Allah is to love the Prophet (pbuh), who lives in the way that Allah loves, and to follow his way.

As a matter of fact, the following is stated in the Quran:

"O Messenger! Say, ‘If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’" (Aal-i Imran, 3/31)

To love Allah is the highest target of human nature. Thus, it is the highest purpose that Islam leads people to realize. The verse contains the following definite comparison:

“If you love Allah, follow the Beloved One of Allah. If you do not follow him, it means you do not love Allah.”

The opposite of this is as follows:

“I love Allah but I do not obey His order. I do not love the ones He loves. I do not love those who love Him and show His way and those whom He chose and sent.” This means, “I do not love anything except myself; I do not want to walk on the way of oneness.”

Allah, who created this universe in such a nice way with the manifestations of His power, perfection and beauty, and who grants so many boons to His slaves, definitely expects gratitude from them. He chooses a distinguished one among people and makes him a guide and a perfect model for them. Thus, he wants the beauties in them to be reflected on other people too.

No matter how much we love the Prophet (pbuh), it is not enough when we love him on behalf of Allah. For, we love him because he is Allah's prophet and he is a unique person in this manner. No bounds should be set since he is loved on behalf of Allah.

Intercession is true and the whole ummah will want to attain the intercession of the Prophet (pbuh). Intercession is not only for being saved from Hell. A person also needs intercession for his rank to be elevated in Paradise.

The statement "A person can be saved without the intercession of the Prophet (pbuh)" is a harsh statement. For, all of the creatures Allah created were created for his sake, and the ummah of the Prophet (pbuh) received a lot of boons for his sake. His intercession is a great boon for us.

The name Muhammad means praised many times, praised repeatedly and having nice characteristics.

Muhammad is one of the names of the Prophet (pbuh). This name was given to him by his grandfather Abdulmuttalib so that Allah and His slaves would praise him. It is mentioned in four places in the Quran.

This name was not used by any ancestors of the Prophet. However, some people used that name in that period.

The Miracles of the Prophet Mentioned in the Quran

This work was prepared to cure the hearts that were wounded by the thought that “the Prophet (pbuh) did not have any miracles and that he did not show any miracles”. It will be a full remedy for them with the permission of Allah. Those who claim that the Prophet (pbuh) had no miracle deny hadiths and say, “There is no miracle in the Quran.” Therefore, we will use only the Quran as a reference in this work. Besides, the Quran is enough for all problems and is a remedy for all illnesses.

We will deal with the issue under three headings:

1. The reason why miracles are given and the need for miracles.
    
2. The sunnah (laws/practices) of Allah related to giving miracles and His attitude toward other prophets.  
    
3. The issue whether the miracles of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) exists in the Quran or not.

We start this work with the wish that it will be a remedy for the wounded hearts. Help and success are from Allah.

1- THE REASON WHY MIRACLES ARE GIVEN AND THE NEED FOR MIRACLES

One of the reasons why a prophet is given miracles is to enable that prophet to prove his prophethood to people. Let us analyze that reason with the following verses of the Quran:

Moses said: “O Pharaoh! I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds,- One for whom it is right to say nothing but truth about Allah. Now have I come unto you (people), from your Lord, with a clear (Sign): So let the Children of Israel depart along with me.” (Pharaoh) said: “If indeed thou hast come with a Sign, show it forth,- if thou tellest the truth.” (al-Araf 104-106)

As it is seen, Hz. Musa (Moses) states that he is a messenger but Pharaoh wants a miracle from him. Allah gave Hz. Musa the miracle of his staff turning to a snake and the miracle of white hand. This is one of the reasons why prophets are given miracles: To prove to the nation and the notables of the nation that he is a prophet of Allah.

Let us have a look at another verse now:

Salih said to them: “But fear Allah and obey me; And follow not the bidding of those who are extravagant,- Who make mischief in the land, and mend not (their ways).” They said: “Thou art only one of those bewitched! “Thou art no more than a mortal like us: then bring us a Sign, if thou tellest the truth!” (ash-Shuara 150-154)

As it is seen, the nation of Salih wants a miracle from the Prophet Salih. Thereupon, Allah gave a she-camel as a miracle. The need for a miracle originates from this: Every nation definitely wanted their prophets to show miracles; thereupon, Allah gave His prophets miracles. Miracles mean Allah’s approving of the statement of His promise and saying, “That is my prophet; Look! I change my usual practice for him. Then, believe in him.”

Let us have a look at another verse now:

Behold! the disciples, said: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Can thy Lord send down to us a table set (with viands) from heaven?” Said Jesus: “Fear Allah, if ye have faith.” They said: “We only wish to eat thereof and satisfy our hearts, and to know that thou hast indeed told us the truth; and that we ourselves may be witnesses to the miracle.” (al-Maida 112-113)

The same thing is mentioned in the verses above. The disciples of Hz. Isa (Jesus) want him to bring down a table from the sky as a miracle. The reason for this request is to satisfy their hearts and to see closely that Hz. Isa is a prophet.

The nation of Hz. Musa, the tribe of Hz. Salih and the disciples of Hz. Isa wanted miracles from their prophets just like other nations and tribes wanted miracles from their prophets; they laid miracles as a condition to believe. The need for miracles originates from this fact. Can a person believe in anybody who says, “I am a prophet”? Will he not ask a sign or a miracle from him? Would you have believed in a person who said, “I am a prophet of Allah” without asking a miracle if you had lived in those ages?   

Another reason why miracles are given to prophets is to prevent people from producing evidence against Allah Almighty on the Day of Resurrection:

God Almighty sent prophets to people so that people would not say, “O Lord! You did not send us Your prophets and messengers; if you had sent them and made Yourself known, we would have believed in You” on the Day of Resurrection when he asks them, “Why did you not believe in Me?” This meaning exists in several verses in the Quran. For instance, the following is stated in verse 165 of the chapter of an-Nisa: “Messengers who gave good news as well as warning, that mankind, after (the coming) of the messengers, should have no plea against Allah.” The following is stated in verse 19 of the chapter of al- Maida: “O People of the Book! Now hath come unto you, making (things) clear unto you, Our Messenger, after the break in (the series of) our messengers, lest ye should say: ‘There came unto us no bringer of glad tidings and no warner (from evil)’: But now hath come unto you a bringer of glad tidings and a warner (from evil).”  

There are several more verses having the same meaning. Thus, one of the reasons why prophets were sent is to prevent people from alleging the following excuse: “No prophet came to us; if a prophet had come to us, we would have believed.”

Now, we ask related to the need for miracles: If no miracles had been given to prophets, would there be any wisdom behind sending prophets so that no excuse would be put forward in the hereafter? That is, if someone said, “O Lord! If You had sent a prophet, I would have known You and believed in You.” Allah Almighty would say in response, “I sent you a prophet and introduced Myself.” Then, if that person said, “O Lord! I wanted to believe in him; I even asked him to bring a miracle, but since he could not bring a miracle, I could not decide whether he was telling the truth or lying. Then, I thought with my inadequate mind: If he was a prophet, Allah would give him some miracles. He is not a prophet since he could not bring a miracle. O Lord! How could I have understood without a miracle if he was telling the truth or lying?”

Miracles had to be given and were given to the prophets so that people would not to have that excuse. Otherwise, this second wisdom behind sending the prophet would be lost and people would bring evidence against Allah on the Day of Reckoning. Allah Almighty sent prophets so that people would not bring evidence against him, that is, they would not say, “We did not know; we would have believed if a prophet had come.” Similarly, He gave miracles to prophets so that people would not say, “O Lord! How could we know that he was a prophet? He showed no miracles?”

Let us conclude this part: We explained the reason why miracles were sent and the need for miracles with two items:

1- People’s asking for miracles to believe and saying, “If you are a prophet of Allah, bring a miracle”.

2- The necessity of giving miracles to prophets so that people could not produce excuses to Allah Almighty on the Day of Reckoning.

Now let us consider these two reasons related to our Prophet: Now we ask the person who says, “Our Prophet did not bring miracles” the following questions:

1- When the Prophet (pbuh) said to people, “I am the prophet of Allah; believe in me”, did they not ask for a miracle? We see through the verses of the Quran that all ummahs asked for miracles from their prophets. Why did the people of that century not ask for miracles from their prophet though all ummahs asked for miracles?

2- How did they judge that the Prophet told the truth or lied – God forbid – since there were no miracles?

3- Why did God Almighty leave the Prophet (pbuh) alone by not giving him miracles and not strengthen him through miracles though He gave miracles to other prophets and strengthened them against their tribes and approved of them with miracles?

4- What would Allah say if Abu Jahl, Abu Lahab and other unbelievers said, “O Lord! Your slave Muhammad said that he was a prophet, but he did not bring us any miracles. You had approved of the prophethood of Your prophets by giving them miracles. We thought that if Muhammad had been a prophet, You would have given him a miracle. How were we supposed to judge whether he was telling the truth or lying without a miracle sent by You?” on the Day of Reckoning?

5- Why did God Almighty pity, have mercy on the ummahs of other prophets by giving miracles to their prophets to make it easy for them to believe but not treat the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the same way? Did He not pity and have mercy on them? Why did He not give the Prophet miracles that would make it easier for his ummah to believe?

6- We understand from the verses of the Quran that it is one of the laws of Allah to give miracles to the prophets and to approve of their prophethood with those miracles and that miracles were given to all prophets. Why did Allah Almighty not give the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) what He gave the other prophets? Is our Prophet inferior to them? What is the reason why Allah changed His law?

7- Is it possible for a nation to believe in someone who only says “I am a prophet of Allah” without showing miracles? If it is not possible, and it is not possible, does it not mean that something that was not possible was asked from the people of that century since the Prophet (pbuh) was not given miracles? How can it comply with Allah's mercy and justice?

8- How can we judge whether a human being who does not show miracles is a prophet of Allah or not?

We can ask many questions like the ones above but there is no need to lengthen the issue.

2- THE LAW OF ALLAH ALMIGHTY RELATED TO GIVING MIRACLES AND HIS ATTITUDE TOWARD OTHER PROPHETS

When the verses of the Quran are studied, it will be seen that Allah gave miracles to all prophets. We will prove it by quoting some verses:

The miracles given to Hz. Isa are mentioned as follows:

“And Allah will appoint him a messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): “´I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah´s leave: And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by Allah´s leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses…” (Aal-i Imran 49)

One of the miracles given to Hz. Ibrahim (Abraham), the fire’s not burning him, is mentioned as follows:

“(Abraham) said, “Do ye then worship, besides Allah, things that can neither be of any good to you nor do you harm? “Fie upon you, and upon the things that ye worship besides Allah! Have ye no sense?”.. They said, “Burn him and protect your gods, If ye do (anything at all)!” We said, ‘O Fire! be thou cool, and (a means of) safety for Abraham!’” (al-Anbiya 66-69)

The miracle of camel, given to Hz. Salih, is mentioned as follows:

Salih said: “O my people! This she-camel of Allah is a symbol to you: leave her to feed on Allah´s (free) earth, and inflict no harm on her, or a swift penalty will seize you dedi ki.” (Hud 64)

The miracle of being able to speak to animals, given to Hz. Sulayman (Solomon) is mentioned as follows:

And Solomon was David´s heir. He said: “O ye people! We have been taught the speech of birds, and on us has been bestowed (a little) of all things: this is indeed Grace manifest (from Allah.)” (an-Naml 16)

The miracles given to Hz. Musa, his staff turning to a snake and white hand are mentioned as follows:

(Pharaoh) said: “If indeed thou hast come with a Sign, show it forth,- if thou tellest the truth.” Then (Moses) threw his rod, and behold! it was a serpent, plain (for all to see)! And he drew out his hand, and behold! It was white to all beholders. (al-Araf 106-108)

There are many similar verses in the Quran about the miracles given to prophets. A separate book can be written about the issue. We think the examples above are enough for our purpose and ask the unfortunate person who says, “Hz. Muhammad has no miracles” the following questions:

1- You have heard through the Quranic verses mentioned above that Allah Almighty gave miracles to His prophets. Why did Allah treat the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) differently and not give him any miracles though he gave miracles to all of His other prophets?

2- You listened to two reasons why miracles were given to prophets in the first part. Did those two reasons disappear in the century when the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) lived? Did the Prophet (pbuh) not need to show any miracles? Did his nation not ask for a miracle? If they did not – actually they did -, what was the reason why they were not shown miracles and why the Prophet was left helpless in the face of the obstinacy of his nation?  

3- What would Allah Almighty say if the Jews living in the century when the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) lived said to Allah, “O Lord! You gave miracles to Your slave Moses. Thanks to those miracles, we realized that he was a prophet and we believed in him. Thanks to those miracles, we distinguished between genuine prophets and the impostors who claimed to be prophets. However, you did not give any miracles to Your slave Muhammad. How were we supposed to know that he was a prophet? Why did not you give a miracle to Muhammad and did not make it easy for us to believe though you gave Moses a miracle?” on the Day of Reckoning?

4- What would Allah Almighty say if Christians produced the same excuse as the Jews from a different viewpoint and say, “O Lord! We believed in your slave Jesus. You confirmed his prophethood with miracles and we believed in him. After that, many impostors who claimed to be prophets appeared. However, we did not believe in them because we knew Your following law: You distinguish between your prophets and the impostors who claim to be prophets through miracles. This miracle is a sign Your prophet. However, You did not put that sign on Your slave Muhammad. He did not show us any miracles. How were we supposed to believe in him?”

5- The Companions believed in our Prophet (pbuh) in such a way that they sacrificed not only their wealth but also their children, spouses, fathers and lives for him. Is it possible for such a belief to occur without seeing a miracle of the Prophet? Can such a firm belief occur based on only the statement, “I am a prophet”? Although we were born in a Muslim society, we live in a Muslim society and there are about one and a half billion Muslims in the world today, we sometimes have doubts and cannot make our belief perfect. How did the Companions change suddenly and sacrifice their lives by following the Prophet? Did the Companions attain this faith without seeing a miracle? Did they not ever ask for a miracle from the Prophet? If they wanted a miracle, how did they persevere in their belief though the Prophet could not show them any miracles?

6- You cannot dissuade people even from their habits. For example, even if you tell a smoker how harmful smoking is, you cannot make him quit smoking easily. How did our Prophet (pbuh) change their customs, which had settled deeply in their spirits, even their religion? Without showing any miracles?

We can ask more questions. However, we regard the questions above sufficient.

What we have done in this part is to show that it is a regular practice of Allah to give miracles to His prophets to support them. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was not deprived of this support; he was given greater miracles than the ones given to other prophets.

3- THE MIRACLES OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) MENTIONED IN THE QURAN

QURANIC VERSE 1

“It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah: when thou threwest (a handful of dust), it was not thy act, but Allah´s: in order that He might test the Believers by a gracious trial from Himself: for Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things).” (al-Anfal 17)

Ibn Abbas, Urwa Ibn Zubayr, Imam Mujahid, Imam Qatada, Imam Suddi, Ikrima and all other tafsir scholars state the following unanimously about the phrase “when thou threwest (a handful of dust), it was not thy act, but Allah´s” mentioned in the verse above: It was sent down about the Prophet’s throwing dust at the face of the polytheists at the Battle of Badr:

The Battle of Badr is narrated in detail in the chapter of al-Anfal. The verse we mention is included in the part where the Battle of Badr is narrated. On the Day of Badr, the Muslims had few soldiers and weapons. The unbelievers had three times as many soldiers as the Muslims and they were fully armed and armored. In one part of the battle, the Muslims were about to be defeated; meanwhile, the Prophet (pbuh) opened his hands and prayed to Allah as follows: “O Lord! If you allow this group to be defeated, nobody will worship You on earth again.”

Upon this prayer, Jibril said to the Prophet (pbuh), “Pick a handful of dust and throw it at their faces. The Prophet picked a handful of dust and threw it at their faces saying, “May their faces fade!” All of the polytheists were affected by the handful of dust thrown by the Prophet (pbuh); it entered their nostrils and mouths. While the polytheists were trying to clean their eyes from the dust, the Companions attacked them and killed some of them. After the battle, God Almighty sent down the verse above and reminded the believers of His blessing to them.

We address those who say, “There is no miracle of the Prophet (pbuh) in the Quran” as follows:  

• How can you say, “There is no miracle of the Prophet in the Quran” though all tafsir scholars agree unanimously that the phrase “when thou threwest (a handful of dust), it was not thy act, but Allah´s” mentioned in the verse above was sent down on the Day of Badr upon the incident we narrated?
   
• Is it not a miracle according to you that the Prophet threw a handful of dust at the polytheists and it entered their eyes, ears and mouths? Since you do not regard it as a miracle, do you think that something like that happens a lot? If you think that it is not a miracle but something ordinary, pick a handful of dust and throw it at a crowded group. Check and see the eyes of how many people the dust will enter.
   
• Or, do you interpret the verse “when thou threwest (a handful of dust), it was not thy act, but Allah´s” differently? Do you make up another reason for the revelation of the verse in question though all tafsir scholars of the Companions and Tabiun agreed unanimously on the reason for the revelation of that verse and though some of them witnessed the incident at the Battle of Badr themselves?
   
• Or, can your minds not accept miracles? Then, open your eyes and have a look at this realm! Every deed in the universe is a miracle and it is not possible for man to imitate them. Is a fly not a miracle? Is a butterfly not a miracle? Are raindrops falling from the clouds not a miracle? Are the ships sailing in the sea not a miracle? How can you deny that Allah created miracles with the hands of the Prophet (pbuh) after seeing millions of miracles like that at any moment? Do not forget that miracles are deeds of Allah, not prophets. Is Allah too weak – God forbid – to create miracles with the hands of the prophet? Do you think so?
   
• So many tafsir scholars unanimously agreed on the reason why the verse in question was sent down and on this miracle of the Prophet; and some of witnessed that incident themselves; are you aware that when you deny this miracle, you call them liars? That is what you do means. If the Prophet did not have miracles as you claim, it means all the Companions and hadith scholars who reported miracles from him were liars and slanderers. Do you not feel guilty when you call them liars and slanderers? How will you look at their faces when you encounter them on the Day of Reckoning? How will you put up with the penalty of this slander? Do you not ever think about it?

QURANIC VERSE 2

“Glory to (Allah) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,- in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things).” (al-Isra 1)

As all tafsir scholars agree unanimously, the verse above tells us about the Incident of Isra, which is the beginning of Miraj (Ascension), that is, the journey of the Prophet (pbuh) from Masjid Al Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa. We refer the details of the journey to tafsir books explaining the verse and to the Miraj sections of hadith books; we regard it enough to quote only one hadith from Imam Tirmidhi:

Imam Tirmidhi narrates: Ishaq Ibn Ibrahim reported the following from Shaddad Ibn Aws: “O Messenger of Allah! How did your night journey take place?” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: I performed the night prayer a bit late in Makkah with my Companions. Meanwhile, Jibril brought me a white animal. It was bigger than a donkey and smaller than a mule. He said to me, “Mount” It was difficult for me to mount it. Thereupon, Jibril grabbed me by my ear and placed me on it. The animal moved; it made us fly. It would step its foot on the place where its eye reached. Finally, it took us to a place with palm trees; Jibril put me down. He said, “Perform a prayer.” I performed a prayer. Then, we got on it. He asked, “Do you know where you prayed?” I said, “Allah knows best.” He said. “You prayed in Yathrib, the land of beauty.” said. The animal virtually made us fly. It would step its foot on the place where its eye reached. Then we reached somewhere. Jibril said, “Dismount.” Then, he said, “Perform a prayer.” I performed a prayer. Then, we got on the animal. He asked, “Do you know where you prayed?” I said, “Allah knows best.” He said. “You prayed in Madyan, near the tree of Moses.” Then the animal virtually made us fly. It would step its foot on the place where its eye reached. Finally, we arrived somewhere. Pavilions appeared before us. Jibril said, “Dismount.” Then, he said, “Perform a prayer.” I performed a prayer. Then, we got on the animal. He asked, “Do you know where you prayed?” I said, “Allah knows best.” He said. “You prayed in “Bayt al-Lahm, where Jesus Christ, Son of Mary, was.” said. Then, the animal took us. We entered a city through its gate on Yemeni side. He came to the front of the mosque and tied the animal there. We entered the mosque through the gate where the sun and the moon inclined. I prayed in that mosque as much as Allah wished. Then, the animal took us again. Finally, we entered a valley where there was a city. Meanwhile, we came across the Qurayshi caravan in such and such a place. They had lost one of their camels. Such and such a person had collected it. I greeted them. Some of them said: This is the voice of Muhammad. Then I came to my Companions in Makkah before the morning. Abubakr came to me and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Where were you last night? I looked for you everywhere you would be.” Hz. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Do you know that I was taken to Bayt al-Maqdis last night?” Hz. Abubakr said: “O Messenger of Allah! It takes a month to get there. Tell me about it.” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: It looked as if a way was opened for me; I was looking at Bayt al- Maqdis. I told him about whatever he asked me. Hz. Abubakr said: I witness that you are the Messenger of Allah. The polytheists said: Look at Ibn Abu Kabsha. He claims that he went to Bayt al-Maqdis last night. Shaddad Ibn Aws said: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “I will let you know as proof that I came across your caravan in such an such a place. They had lost one of their camels. Such and such a person had collected them; and the place they were is at a distance of such and such kilometers; they will arrive here on such and such a date. There is a black camel in front of the caravan, with a black veil on it. There are also two black sacks. On that day, the people started to wait for their arrival. Finally, the caravan returned toward midday. In front of them was the camel described by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Imam Bayhaqi narrated this hadith through two ways from Imam Tirmidhi. At the end of the hadith, he said, “The chain of narrators of this hadith is sound. This incident is narrated in pieces in other hadiths.”

The Incident of Isra (Night Journey) is narrated in several other hadiths in addition to the hadith we have quoted above. Scholars agree unanimously that the Incident of Isra took place. We want to report some of the evidences that the Incident of Isra took place materially with the body in case some people argue that the Incident of Isra took place in a dream. We do not regard it impossible for a person who says, “There is no miracle of the Prophet in the Quran” to say “the Incident of Isra took place in a dream”. Therefore, we will list some of the evidences that the Incident of Isra took place materially with the body below:

1- The first verse of the chapter of al-Isra, in which the incident of Isra is narrated, starts with the word “Subhan”, meaning “glorified”. The word “Subhan” is a word used in the Quran during great incidents and in the events that show the greatness of Allah; it is always used like that in the Quran. If the incident of Isra had taken place in a dream, it would have been groundless to start the verse with the word “Subhan” because showing such things to someone in his dream does not show the greatness and majesty of Allah properly. Therefore, the verse would not have started with the word “Subhan”. Since the verse starts with the word “Subhan”, the greatness and majesty of Allah appear in the incident of Isra. The incident in which greatness and majesty appear can be in question only if this journey is made with the body. Greatness and majesty seem properly in making a human being travel with his body and make the listener say “Subhanallah”.

2- If the incident of Isra had not taken place bodily but in a dream, the polytheists would not have made fun of the Prophet and would not have laughed at him. The mocking and denial of the polytheists prove that this incident is unprecedented and it is something that the minds and hearts cannot accept. An unprecedented thing can only be in the form of a travel with the body and the spirit.

3- The word “abd (slave)” is used in the verse in which the incident of Isra is described. The word “abd” consists of the spirit and the body; it expresses the spirit and the body as a whole in all the places it is mentioned in the Quran. Therefore, what is meant by the word “abd” in the verse that describes the incident of Isra is the body and the spirit as a whole. This shows that the incident of Isra took place with the body and the spirit as a whole.

4- It is narrated in hadiths that the Prophet mount Buraq during the incident of Isra. The spirit does not need a mount and one does not mount an animal for a travel in a dream. Buraq can only be a mount only for the body. It proves that this journey was made with the body.

5- The phrase “made His servant go” is used in the verse in which the incident of Isra is described. The phrase “made him go” proves that Miraj (Ascension) took place bodily because the phrase “made him go” is not used to show someone a place in a dream or spiritually.

6- The statement “(His) sight never swerved, nor did it go wrong” is included in the chapter of an-Najm, where the incident of Miraj is described, while the incident of Miraj is being narrated. The eye is an organ of the body, not the spirit. It proves that Miraj took place with the body, not with the spirit. If Miraj had been a journey of the spirit in a dream, the term “eye”, which is an organ of the body, would not have been used.

7- All sound hadiths state that the incident of Isra took place with the body.

At this point, we will answer a so-called evidence put forward by those who claim that the incident of Isra took place in a dream:

Claim: The following is stated in verse 60 of the chapter of al-Isra: “We granted the vision which We showed thee (on the Night of Isra) …” The word vision is used in the verse. It shows that Miraj took place in a dream.

Answer: If dream were meant with the term “vision (ru’ya)” in the verse in the sense of dream in sleep, what would the expression “but as a trial for men…” coming immediately after it mean? There must be an incident that the mind will not be able to perceive and something unprecedented to for the incident to be a test and trial for men. Only in that case can a trial be in question.  Thus, in order to be able to test, the incident of Isra and Miraj had to be with the body so that they would be trial for people. If the Prophet (pbuh) had narrated that he saw this journey in his dream, neither the polytheists would have denied him nor some Muslims would have exited the religion of Islam. That the polytheists denied him and made fun of him, and that some Muslims exited the religion of Islam prove that this incident was not something that took place in a dream. Therefore, the term “vision” in the verse does not mean dream seen in sleep. Then, let us learn what the term “vision” in the verse means from Ibn Abbas, one of the greatest tafsir scholars of the Companions. Ibn Abbas states the following for the term “vision” used in the verse: In Arabic, the word “ru’ya” is synonymous with “ru’yah” and the word “qurba” is synonymous with “qurbah”. In the verse, “ru’yah (watching)” is meant with the word “ru’ya”. It is not a dream in sleep but what was shown to the Prophet to watch on that night.

After this analysis, we address those who say “There is no miracle of the Prophet in the Quran” as follows:

• The first verse of the chapter of al-Isra tells us that the Prophet (pbuh) was taken from Masjid al-Haram one night to Masjid al-Aqsa. All hadiths approve of this news. Tafsir scholars agree unanimously that this incident took place. You have heard some of the proofs that this incident took place with the body. Is the incident of Isra, which the verse in question and hadiths report and on which scholars agree unanimously, not a miracle?
   
• If you do not regard making a journey that takes a month only in one hour as a miracle, what would you call this incident?
   
• Since you do not call it a miracle, are there a lot of examples of covering a distance of one month only in an hour in life?
   
• Have you ever made such a journey? That is, have you woken up at night, been to a place one month away and returned your home the same night? Everybody should be able to make this journey so as not to call it a miracle. I wonder how many times you have made such a journey or how many people you have seen making it.
   
• Or, do you deny the incident of Isra?
   
• If you deny the incident of Isra, how would do you explain the first verse of the chapter of al-Isra and the relevant verses of the chapter of an-Najm?
   
• Do you deny all the hadiths related to the issue? What evidence do you base your denial and what methods of rejection and acceptance do you use? Or do you deny it without showing any evidence and by only saying “I deny it”? All tafsir scholars of the ummah agree unanimously on the occurrence of this incident and they proved that this incident took place with the body. Are you aware that you oppose this great community, that is consensus, with your denial?
   
• Are you more knowledgeable than Ibn Abbas, Abu Hanifa, Ibn Hanbal, and other scholars? Are you so superior to them that you see things that they cannot see and you correctly understand the verses that they misunderstood?

QURANIC VERSE 3

“The Hour (of Judgment) is nigh, and the moon is cleft asunder.” (al-Qamar 1)

The verbs above states that the moon was cleft asunder. As it is stated in sound and mutawatir hadiths, this splitting occurred as a miracle during the Era of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). It is unanimously agreed by scholars that the moon was split during the Era of the Prophet (pbuh). That is one of the bright miracles of the Prophet (pbuh). Let us have a look at some of the hadiths regarding the issue:

Imam Bukhari states the following: According to Yahya Ibn Bukayr's narration from Ibn Abbas, he said, ‘The moon was split during the Era of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).

Ibn Jarir states the following: According to Yahya Ibn Musanna's narration from Ibn Abbas, he stated the following about the verses “The Hour (of Judgment) is nigh, and the moon is cleft asunder. But if they see a Sign, they turn away, and say, ‘This is (but) transient magic.’” (al-Qamar 1-2): It took place in the past, before the Migration. The moon was split and they saw it in two pieces.  

Abdullah Ibn Umar states the following: “This incident occurred during the Era of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). The moon was split into two. One part was in front of the mountain and the other part was behind the mountain. The Prophet (pbuh) said, “O Allah! Bear witness.” Muslim and Tirmidhi narrated this hadith from Shu'ba, from A'mash, from Imam Mujahid through various chains. Imam Muslim attributes Imam Mujahid’s narration to Ibn Masud through Abu Ma'mar.

Abdullah Ibn Masud states the following: During the Era of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), the moon was split into two and they looked at the moon. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, ‘Bear witness.’ Bukhari and Muslim reported this version of the hadith through Sufyan Ibn Uyayna. Bukhari and Muslim reported the hadith from Ibn Masud through A'mash.

Abdullah Ibn Masud states the following in another narration: During the Era of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), the moon was split into two and Qurayshis said, “That is the magic of Ibn Abu Kabsha. Wait for the news to be brought by the people outside and coming from expeditions. Muhammad can definitely not cast a spell on everybody.” Those who came from the expedition described the same thing.

Imam Bayhaqi states the following: According to what Hafiz Abu Abdullah reported to us from Abdullah Ibn Masud, he said: The moon was cleft asunder and divided into two. Qurayshi unbelievers of Makkah said: That is the magic of Ibn Abu Kabsha. Wait for the news to be brought by the people outside and coming from expeditions. If they also saw what you saw, Muhammad told the truth. If they did not see what you saw, it is definitely magic. They asked the people coming from expeditions; those who came from various directions said, “We saw it.” Ibn Jarir reported the hadith through Mughira. It includes the following addition: Thereupon, Allah sent down the verse “The Hour (of Judgment) is nigh, and the moon is cleft asunder.”

Ibn Masud also states the following: During the Era of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), the moon was split and I saw the mountain through the gap between the two pieces of the moon.  

There are many more narrations about the miracle of the moon’s being split. We do not regard it necessary to write all of them; we refer those who want to study all of them to the interpretation of the verse in question and the relevant chapters of hadiths books.

The following question can come to mind here: The following is stated at the beginning of the verse: “The Hour (of Judgment) is nigh.” However, more than 1.400 years passed and Doomsday has not struck yet. The verse indicates that the moon will be split at a time close to Doomsday.    

We can answer it as follows: Doomsday is the death of the universe, not man. Therefore, it is necessary to view the issue in terms of the age of the universe. For instance, man lives about 70-80 years but some butterflies live only for a few days. When we say to a butterfly, “A man’s death is nigh”, the butterfly will think that he will die in one or two hours comparing it to its life. For, 1 or two hours is the end of life for a lifespan of 1-2 days. When we say “A man’s death is nigh”, we mean 3-5 years were left from his lifespan. Or, we can understand that he has at least 6 more months to live.  

Or, let us compare it among humans. It is state clearly in a verse that Hz. Nuh lived 1.050 years. If we say, “Toward the end of his life, Hz. Nuh…”, how many years do we mean? If his lifespan is 1.050 years, we mean 50-60 years, which is the lifespan of man living in this century.

Therefore, it is necessary to understand the phrase “The Hour (of Judgment) is nigh” by comparing it to the age of the universe. 2.000-3.000 years of the realm created millions of years ago can be the last seconds, not even the last minutes of the lifespan of the universe. There are verses and hadiths that confirm this meaning. Let us have a look at some of them:

The following is stated in verse 1 of the chapter of an-Nahl: “(Inevitable) cometh (to pass) the Command of Allah: seek ye not then to hasten it.” The following is stated in verse 1 of the chapter of al-Anbiya: “Closer and closer to mankind comes their Reckoning: yet they heed not and they turn away.” It is stated in the verses above that the Day of Judgment has approached.

According to a hadith reported from Anas Ibn Malik, once the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) addressed his Companions toward the evening when the sun was about to set and when only a small part of it was visible: I swear by Allah in whose hand of power my soul is that the remaining age of the world compared to the past is only the part of today that remained compared to the whole day. We could see only a small portion of the sun.   

The following is stated in a hadith reported from Ibn Umar: We were sitting together with the Prophet after the afternoon prayer when the sun was over Quayqian Mountains. He said: Your lifespans compared to those that lived in the past are like the part of today that remained compared to the whole day.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states the following in a hadith reported from Sahl Ibn Sa'd: I was sent as a prophet when the Day of Judgment was like this. When he spoke, he showed his index finger and middle finger.  

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) states the following in a hadith reported from Wahb as-Suwai: I was sent as a prophet when the Day of Judgment was like this. One of them almost passed the other.

All of the hadiths we quoted inform us that the Day of Judgment is near. For, as we have stated above, 2.000-3.000 years is like seconds compared to the age of the universe. Therefore, we should understand the verse “The Hour (of Judgment) is nigh, and the moon is cleft asunder” like that.

Some philosophers who want to dim the Prophet Muhammed’s (pbuh) bright miracle of the splitting of the moon and the people who follow them blindly state the following as a pretext of their denial: “If that miracle had taken place, it would have been seen from all over the world, would have been observed clearly and history would have reported such a magnificent incident.”

Badiuzzaman Said Nursi explains and proves the issue with irrefutable evidences in his magnificent work called Sözler (Words) in the chapter 31^st Word. We state the following based on what we learned from that book:

It is important that the deniers of that time who were the greatest enemies of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the religion he brought did not deny the miracle of the splitting of the moon and that they accepted that it took place. Those ferocious enemies of belief and Islam who did not hesitate to torture and boycott the believers and to resort to all kinds of oppression and treachery declared war against the Muslims but they could not deny this miracle. If that incident had not taken place, they would have used it to refute the cause of the Prophet as if they had found a big opportunity. Since they could not deny and refute the miracle of the splitting of the moon, we need to believe that this miracle took place as if we had seen it with our own eyes.   

What kind of a method did the deniers of that time who witnessed a great miracle like the splitting of the moon use so as not to lose their followers? The method of tricks and lies. They claimed that this miracle was magic, tried to show it as something simple and to make people forget it by saying, “The magic of Abu Talib’s orphan affected the heavens.”

This miracle was reported by the congregation of the Companions, for whom it was impossible to agree on a lie and whose honesty and justice were confirmed by the whole world. They did not hesitate even for a second to sacrifice their wealth, homeland and beloved ones for the sake of the religion of Allah; therefore, it was not possible for them to believe in that lie or to keep silent. Since it is not possible for the Companions, who are a distinguished congregation in the form of the stars of the Prophet Muhammad, who is the sun of the sky of humanity, to agree on a lie, it is nonsensical to doubt the occurrence of a miracle reported by them.

Miracles are given to prophets to prove that they are messengers of Allah. They aim to make man think as follows: “Since an extraordinary incident man cannot do is shown through a man, this man cannot be an ordinary person; there is a power that controls the moon, the sun and the whole universe behind him. Otherwise, they do not aim to remove man’s will and to compel him to believe. It is not difficult for Allah, who controls billions of planets and trillions of stars, to write “La ilaha illallah” in the sky with stars or to keep the moon in two parts for days to make everybody see it but it is contrary to the mystery of testing. In that case, people with coal-like spirits like Abu Jahl would have to believe and they would remain at the same level as people with diamond-like spirits like Abu Bakr, which means the mystery of testing to have been lost.

In that case, we cannot oppose the wisdom behind testing just because some people want. It was necessary for the miracle of the splitting of the moon to be shown to some addressees of the Prophet to a certain extent and it was done so.   

It was due to this mystery that, being both instantaneous, and at nighttime, and at a time of sleep, and time differences, mist, and cloud and other obstacles concealing it, it was not shown to the whole world.

Besides, it is not appropriate in terms of wisdom to declare this incident, which is an evidence for the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), to the people who did not hear his cause of prophethood. If it had been shown, it would have been compulsory to accept the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) like accepting the existence of the sun and everybody would have had to believe; it would not have been acceptable belief since it would not have been based on the will of the mind, and the mystery of testing would have been broken. If the moon had been kept suspended in the sky in the form of two parts, it would have lost its miraculous aspect as if it had been a celestial incident like the eclipse of the sun and the eclipse of the moon; in that case, it would have lost its property of being an evidence for the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh). The miracle of the splitting of the moon was not shown to the whole world due to those reasons.   

Besides, in England and Spain, which were then enveloped in mists of ignorance, it was just after sunset, in America it was daytime, and in China and Japan it was morning; there would have been other obstacles in other places. For instance, the moon hand not risen in some countries and the sun had not set; it was early in the morning in some countries and the beginning of evening in others.  

To sum up, there is no drawback to the occurrence of the miracle of the splitting of the moon; we want to list the evidences proving that this miracle took place in items:  

1. The unanimous agreement of the Companions of the Prophet, who were all men of justice as their lives witness it, on the occurrence of this miracle.

2. All tafsir scholars who had enough knowledge, potential and authority to interpret the Quran declared that this miracle was mentioned when they interpreted the verse “the moon is cleft asunder” and they eliminated all doubts.

3. The fact that all hadith scholars whose honesty are not doubted at all stated that this miracle took place based on sound chains of authorities and lines of transmission.

4. That all the saints and the veracious people who received inspiration and uncovered the mysteries of the creation witnessed that the miracle of the splitting of the moon took place.

5. The confirmation of great imams of theology and the learned scholars of each other regarding the issue.

6. The fact that the ummah of Muhammad, for whom it is impossible to agree unanimously on something wrong, accepted the occurrence of this miracle shows that the miracle of the splitting of the moon is as definite as the existence of the sun

After those analyses, we address those who say, “There is no miracle of the Prophet in the Quran” as follows:  

• All the Companions agreed unanimously on the splitting of the moon and some of them said, "We saw it." Are you not aware that you slander that great community by saying, "There is no miracle of the Prophet in the Quran"? Does it not scare you at all to slander the Companions of the Messenger of Allah?
   
• All tafsir scholars state unanimously in the interpretation of the verse "the moon is cleft asunder" (al-Qamar 1) that the moon was split; based on what knowledge and force do you oppose their statements?
   
• All hadith scholars report the hadiths about the splitting of the moon through various chain of narrators and narrations and agree unanimously that they are sound; based on what knowledge do you challenge them?
   
• All scholars of Kalam agree unanimously on the miracle of the splitting of the moon; based on what knowledge do you oppose their decree?
   
• The whole ummah of Muhammad knows and accepts the miracle of the splitting of the moon; based on what knowledge do you try to eliminate and destroy this consideration of the ummah of Muhammad?

Yes, the Moon was split and that is a miracle of the Prophet (pbuh). We show those who say, "There is no miracle of the Prophet in the Quran" the first verse of the chapter of al-Qamar and ask them to repent and return from this wrong thought.

QURANIC VERSE 4

Help through angels in wars

Angels were sent to the Prophet (pbuh) during wars and he was helped through them. Verses 124 and 125 of the chapter of Aal-i Imran and verse 9 of the chapter of al-Anfal give information about the angels sent during the Battle of Badr. It is stated that a total of 500 angels, first 1.000, then 2.000 and after that 2.000 angels were sent during the Battle of Badr. Verse 26 of the chapter of at-Tawba mentions the angels sent during the Battle of Hunayn. It is stated in verse 40 of the chapter of at-Tawba that the Prophet (pbuh) and Hz. Abubakr were “supported by an invisible army” in the cave. It is stated in tafsir books that this invisible army consisted of angels. The angels sent during the Battle of Khandaq are indicated by verse 9 of the chapter of al-Ahzab: “But We sent against them forces that ye saw not.”

It is definite that there were angels in the army of the Prophet (pbuh) as it is stated in the verses above and that those angels were seen by the Companions as a miracle of the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh).

According to what is mentioned in the tafsirs of Qurtubi and Hazin, Abu Usayd Malik Ibn Rabia (He is the last person from the warriors of Badr that died) states the following: If I were at Badr with you now and if my eyes could see, I would definitely show you the valley from which angels emerged.

Sahl Ibn Hunayf states the following: By Allah, I saw that one of us was about to hit a polytheist on the head with his sword but I saw the head of the polytheist fall off his body before his sword touched him at the Battle of Badr.

There are many more narrations similar to the one we have quoted above; the Companions saw the angels that came down on that day and what they did.

After this information, we address those who say, “There is no miracle of the Prophet in the Quran” as follows:

• Is it not a miracle that angels were sent to the Prophet (pbuh) and that they fought together with him at the Battle of Badr, Hunayn and other battles?
   
• What can it be called other than a miracle that the angels joined the army and helped him?
   
• If you do not regard the angels’ being sent and their fighting together with the Prophet (pbuh) as a miracle, you mean it is something ordinary and there are a lot of examples of it. If something is not a miracle, it is something ordinary. How many commanders and kings having angels in their armies have you heard so far? If the angels’ being sent to the Prophet (pbuh) is not a miracle, it is necessary for that incident to be seen any time and related to any person. Mention similar incidents so that we will know about them.
   
• If you regard the angels’ being sent as “Allah’s help”, we say, “We do not deny that it is Allah’s help; it is both Allah’s help and a miracle of the Prophet (pbuh). For, miracle means, God Almighty’s changing His regular practice for His prophet and treating him in an extraordinary way. The regular practice of God Almighty related to wars is that human beings fight against other human beings; angels do not take part in them. God Almighty changed this regular practice for His beloved prophet and sent the angels to hep him as a miracle. He increased the belief of the Companions by showing the angels to them.

To sum up, the angels’ being sent and their fighting together with the Prophet (pbuh) is a miracle of the Prophet. We show verses 124 and 125 of the chapter of Aal-i Imran, verse 9 of the chapter of al-Anfal, verses 26 and 40 of the chapter of at-Tawba and verse 9 of the chapter of al-Ahzab to those who say, “There is no miracle of the Prophet in the Quran”; we ask them to repent and to give up this wrong thought.  

QURANIC VERSE 5

“And Allah will defend thee from men (who mean mischief)” (al-Maida 67)

The Prophet (pbuh) had migrated to Madinah before the verse above was sent down. The Jews said to the Prophet, “O Muhammad! There are a lot of us and we have weapons. If you do not give up your cause and religion, we will kill you.”

Thereupon, some people from Ansar and Muhajir started to keep guard and protect the Prophet (pbuh). They stayed in the same place as him at night and went everywhere with him lest the Jews should assassinate him. When the verse above was sent down, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to the people keeping guard and protecting him,

“O people! You can go where you are to go; do not wait near me anymore. Allah will definitely defend me from people.”

After this promise of Allah, the Prophet (pbuh) started to wander alone at night in the valleys of Madinah and desolate places despite having a lot of enemies. Those who planned to assassinate him never became successful. Let us quote some hadiths regarding the issue:

Hz. Aisha narrates: Until this verse was sent down, some guards used to wait and protect the Prophet (pbuh). Then, the Prophet addressed them as follows: O people! You can go! Allah Almighty will protect me.  

Rabi Ibn Anas narrates from Ibn Marduyah: He reported to us from Sulayman Ibn Ahmad... Ismat Ibn Malik: We used to keep guard and protect the Prophet (pbuh) at night. Finally, Allah Almighty sent down the verse “And Allah will defend thee from men (who mean mischief)” and we stopped keeping guard.

Abu Said al-Khudri narrates: Hz. Abbas, one of the paternal uncles of the Prophet (pbuh), also kept guard. When the verse in question was sent down, he stopped keeping guard.

While interpreting this verse, tafsir scholars mention many incidents showing that Allah protected him as examples. Some of them are as follows:   

Abu Jafer Ibn Jarir Tabari narrates: When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stopped somewhere to rest, his Companions would find a tree with a shade and the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would take a nap under it. Once, a Bedouin came while he was sleeping and took out his sword. He said, “Who will save you from me now?” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Allah will save me from you.” Meanwhile, the hands of the Bedouin shivered and the sword fell down. He hit the tree and his head was wounded.

Ibn Abu Hatim narrates: During a fight against Sons of Anmar, the guard of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) climbed a date palm tree. When he was sitting on the wall of a well, Ghawrath Ibn Harith said to his friends, “I will kill Muhammad.” His friends said, “How will you kill him?” He said, “I will say to him, ‘Will you give me your sword?’ When he gives it to me, I will kill him.” He went over to the Prophet (pbuh) and said, “O Muhammad! Give me your sword!” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) gave his sword to him. The hands of Ghawrath shivered and the sword fell down. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Allah prevented you from doing what you planned.”

Abu Hurayra narrates: When we travelled with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in an expedition, we would let him rest under a tree with a shade. He would rest there. Once, he sat under a tree and hung his sword on the tree. Somebody came and said, “O Muhammad! Who will save you from me now?” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Allah will save me from you. Release the sword.” The man released the sword.

There are many incidents like that. We will not quote the others. We refer those who want to find out about them to siyar books (biographies of the Prophet).

After this information, we address those who say, “There is no miracle of the Prophet in the Quran” as follows:

• God Almighty promised that He would defend His prophet and did so. Is it not a miracle for the Prophet (pbuh) to act freely without taking any precautions despite having so many enemies and his enemies not being able to harm him?
   
• Suppose that you have a lot of enemies and these enemies are fearless. They will try any method to kill you and take any risk. Would you be able to wander fearlessly in that case? Or would anyone be able to wander in that case? Suppose that you did. Would it be possible for you not to be harmed by your enemies? Could there be any example of it in the world?
   
• If we did not call it a miracle that the enemies of the Prophet failed to harm him - despite their strength and multitude -, what would we call it? Is there an example of it in the world? Definitely not. Is something that has no example in the world not a miracle?
   
• If you say, "But Allah protected him", we will say, “Allah is the creator of all miracles. We do not claim that the Prophet created miracles. That something is created by Allah does not prevent it from being a miracle. Besides, Allah creates all miracles. However, those miracles were created exclusively for our Prophet. Allah changed His regular practice for the sake of the Prophet.
   
• The custom of Allah is that a person takes precautions against his enemies; if he does not do so, he will be harmed. However, as it is stated in the verse in question, Allah Almighty changed this regular practice for His beloved Prophet. Allah prohibited him from taking precautions and did not allow his enemies to harm him. That is the miracle itself.

To sum up, Allah Almighty provided the Prophet with unseen protection and defended him from his enemies as a miracle. Thanks to this divine protection, his enemies could not approach and harm him. This unseen protection and divine defense are a miracle; there is no example of it in the world; it is not something ordinary. It is not possible for any sane person to deny the miraculousness of this divine protection.

QURANIC VERSE 6

When the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his consorts, and she then divulged it (to another), and Allah made it known to him, he confirmed part thereof and repudiated a part. Then when he told her thereof, she said, “Who told thee this? “He said, “He told me Who knows and is well-acquainted (with all things).” (at-Tahrim 3)

 As it is mentioned in Tabari tafsir, according to Abdullah Ibn Abbas, Imam Qatada, Zayd Ibn Aslam, Abdurrahman Ibn Zayd, Imam Shabi and Imam Dahhak, what is meant by “one of the wives of the Prophet” in the verse is Hz. Hafsa, Hz. Umar’s daughter. What he told her in confidence was that He made his female slave haram for him and vowed about it; he said to Hafsa, “Do not tell anybody about it.” However, Hz. Hafsa revealed this secret and told Hz. Aisha about it. Thereupon, Allah Almighty told Muhammad (pbuh) that Hafsa told this secret to somebody else. When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told Hz. Hafsa about it, she said, “Who told you about it? I told about it only to Hz. Aisha and there was nobody else with us. Since she cannot have been told you about it, who informed you about it?” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Allah, who knows and is well-acquainted with all things told me about it.”

Having explained the reason why the verse in question was sent down, we address those who say, “There is no miracle of the Prophet in the Quran” as follows:

• The conversation between Hz. Hafsa and Hz. Aisha is unknown according to the Prophet (pbuh). That is, the Prophet (pbuh) was not with them. Is it not a miracle for the Prophet (pbuh) to inform them of this conversation, which was unknown for him?
   
• Let us clarify the issue a bit more: Two people were talking secretly. It was not possible for anybody else to know what these two people were talking about. Is it not called a miracle if a third person knew and informed them about what they were talking?
   
• Let us define the word miracle again: Miracle is something beyond man’s power. Is it not beyond man’s power to know the secret conversation between two people? Why do you avoid calling it a miracle? The details of how many secret conversations have you known so far? Or how many such people have you known? Is this incident, which is not known by anybody, not a miracle?
   
• Or do you say, ‘But Allah informed him about it; therefore, it is not a miracle’? It is Allah who creates all miracles. That Allah creates something or informs somebody about it does not prevent that thing from being a miracle. What matters is this: Is this incident beyond or within man’s power? If it is within man’s power and if there are many examples of it, it is not a miracle. If it is not within man’s power and man cannot imitate it, it is a miracle. It is beyond man’s power to know the content of a conversation between two people and to inform them about it. Therefore, it is a miracle.

Oh those who say, “There is no miracle of the Prophet in the Quran”! Have you not read the chapter of at-Tahrim at all? Have you not seen the verse that includes the unknown news about which the Prophet informed his wives? Or do you think that miracle is something like flying in the air, walking in the sea and climbing up to the sky with a ladder only? If you think so, first learn the definition of miracle and then come and repent of this wrong idea.

QURANIC VERSE 7

(But) say the Unbelievers: “This is indeed an evident sorcerer!” (Yunus 2)

The verse above states that the unbelievers called the Prophet (pbuh) a “sorcerer”. Let us analyze the word “sorcerer/magician”, used by the unbelievers for the Prophet (pbuh):

• Who is called a sorcerer? For instance, a person who recites poems is not called a sorcerer. A person who writes books is not called a sorcerer either. Let us learn from Quranic verses who is called a sorcerer:
   
• (Pharaoh) said to the Chiefs around him “This is indeed a sorcerer well-versed” (ash-Shuara 34)… Of old We sent Moses, with Our Signs and an authority manifest, To Pharaoh, Haman, and Qarun; but they called (him) ‘a sorcerer telling lies.’ (al-Mumin 23, 24)… We understand from those verses that Pharaoh and the people around him said the same thing and called Hz. Musa a “sorcerer”. The reason why they called him a sorcerer was that he turned his staff to a snake. Since they did not regard it as a miracle, they found an excuse and called him a sorcerer.
   
• We have understood from this analysis so far that in order to call a person a sorcerer (magician), it is necessary for that person to perform some magic and those who see it not to be able to explain it through intellect and reasoning. There are two ways: To believe by calling it a miracle or to deny the truth by calling it magic. The third way, that is, explaining it with the principles of intellect and reasoning, is not possible.
   
• Now we will reach the conclusion: As it is stated in verse 2 of the chapter of Yunus, the polytheists called the Prophet (pbuh) a sorcerer. What could be the reason why they called the Prophet (pbuh) a sorcerer? Our answer is as follows: The Prophet (pbuh) showed them miracles like the miracles Hz. Musa showed Pharaoh. They could not accept those miracles and could not explain them. They called the miracles magic and the Prophet (pbuh) a magician due to their despair.
   
• How could those who claim that the Prophet did not show miracles explain the fact that the unbelievers called the Prophet (pbuh) a magician? Since they called the Prophet (pbuh) a magician, he must have done something. A person is not called a magician if he has not done anything. Have you ever called a person a magician? Or, have you ever called what somebody did magic? You have not because you have not seen anything necessitating it. On what occasion did the unbelievers use the word “sorcerer”? Think fairly: Would have they called the Prophet (pbuh) a sorcerer if he had not shown miracles?

Even if we leave aside all of the evidences and the analyses we have made so far and think fairly about only the unbelievers’ calling the Prophet (pbuh) a “sorcerer”, we will accept that they called him a “sorcerer” due to the miracles they saw just like what Pharaoh and his men said due to the miracles of Hz. Musa.

There cannot be any other reason why they called the Prophet a “sorcerer”. For, they called the Prophet (pbuh) a “poet” since he recited the Quran. They also called him a soothsayer since he gave news about the future and what he said turned out to be true. Allah Almighty rejected the claim that the Prophet (pbuh) was a poet and a soothsayer with the following verses: “It is not the word of a poet: little it is ye believe! Nor is it the word of a soothsayer: little admonition it is ye receive.!” (al-Haqqa 41-42). Since they called him a poet due to reading the Quran and a soothsayer due to giving news about the future, why do you think they called him a sorcerer?  

The only reason why they called him a sorcerer could be their astonishment and surprise in the face of the miracles they saw.   

A person who reads this work can ask the following question:  May Allah be pleased with you! Until I read this work, I believed that the Prophet (pbuh) did not show any miracles. I was also deceived by that wrong thought. However, the verses you have shown prove very clearly that the Prophet (pbuh) showed miracles. Nevertheless, there is still a question in my mind. If you answer this question, you will save me from that wrong thought completely. My question is as follows: The following is stated in verse 37 of the chapter of al-Anam: “They say: ‘Why is not a sign sent down to him from his Lord?’” That verse is repeated in several places in the Quran. Do those verses not show that the Prophet (pbuh) did not bring miracles. If he had brought miracles, they would not have said, “Why is not a sign sent down to him from his Lord?”

We will answer it as follows: That is a very good question. They deceive people by showing such verses. Those who do not know the real meaning of the verses and the other verses of the Quran can easily be deceived by them. We will explain the meaning of that verse now:

The miracles that the polytheists wanted were miracles that would spoil the mystery of testing. The mystery of testing necessitates a door being opened to a certain extent for the mind but not opened so wide as to remove the will. If it were opened so wide as to remove the will, testing would be meaningless.   

The miracles they demanded were the ones that would spoil the mystery of testing. For instance, they wanted the Prophet to turn Safa Hill to gold. They said they would believe the Prophet if he turned Safa Hill to gold. Their groundless requests are mentioned as follows: in the Quran:

Remember how they said: “O Allah if this is indeed the Truth from Thee, rain down on us a shower of stones from the sky, or send us a grievous penalty.” (al-Anfal 32)

As it is seen in the verse above, they wanted a shower of stones from the sky and grievous penalty as a miracle.

They (the unbelievers) say: “We shall not believe in thee, until thou cause a spring to gush forth for us from the earth, “Or (until) thou have a garden of date trees and vines, and cause rivers to gush forth in their midst, carrying abundant water; “Or thou cause the sky to fall in pieces, as thou sayest (will happen), against us; or thou bring Allah and the angels before (us) face to face: “Or thou have a house adorned with gold, or thou mount a ladder right into the skies…” (al-Isra 90-93)

As it is seen in the verses above, the miracles they wanted were things that would spoil the mystery of testing like seeing Allah seeing angels, the sky’s falling in pieces and mounting a ladder into the skies; they wanted them only because of their obstinacy.  

And they say: “What sort of a messenger is this, who eats food, and walks through the streets? Why has not an angel been sent down to him to give admonition with him? “Or (Why) has not a treasure been bestowed on him, or why has he (not) a garden for enjoyment?”… (al-Furqan 7-8)

As it is seen, they want a prophet that does not eat and does not walk through the streets as they do. They want an angel to walk with him and a treasure to be bestowed on him.

The statement “Why is not a sign sent down to him from his Lord?” is uttered by them related to demanding miracles like the ones described above. As a matter of fact, it is stated in the following verse of the Quran and similar ones that they would not believe even if they saw those miracles:

“Even if We did send unto them angels, and the dead did speak unto them, and We gathered together all things before their very eyes, they are not the ones to believe, unless it is in Allah´s plan. But most of them ignore (the truth).” (al-Anam 111)

We complete our work related to the miracles of the Prophet (pbuh) in the Quran and we do not deem it necessary to show more evidence.

We would like to address two groups of people now. We want to address those who accept that wrong thought as follows:

Is it possible to trust in the other statements of those who deviate related to such a clear issue as the Prophet’s (pbuh) showing miracles? Can you believe in the statement of a person who cannot see the sun in the sky when he says, “I have seen” about something? Let alone believing, is it worth listening to such people?

This religion has been practiced for 14 centuries. We should know that if a person says, “I have found something new” and if what he has found is contrary to the consensus of scholars, it means he has made it up, lied and has been deceived by Satan. It is necessary to escape from that person like escaping from a snake. If we do not escape, our regret in the hereafter will be too great to imagine.  

Now we address the second group, the people who own those wrong thoughts and deceive the children of the ummah of Muhammad:

• You deny the miracles of the Prophet (pbuh) and accuse the wisdom of Allah Almighty. (We proved at the beginning of this verse that divine wisdom necessitated miracles.) How dare you accuse Allah’s wisdom?
   
• You slander the Quran by saying, “There is no miracle in the Quran.” Do you not fear when you slander the Quran?
   
• You slander the Prophet (pbuh) by saying, “The Prophet had no miracles.” How will you look at the face of the Prophet (pbuh) on the Day of Resurrection?
   
• The Companions reported the miracles of the Prophet (pbuh) and they said, “We saw them.” When you deny, you say to them, “No, you did not see them. You are lying. You are liars.” Does it mean to serve the religion to accuse the Companions of lying? They will sue you on the Day of Resurrection. Does it not frighten you?
   
• Tabiun and the hadith scholars of the century after them reported the news of the Companions saying, “We saw them” with sound chain of narrators. How dare you accuse that luminous chain of lying? Is it not enough as a sin for a person?
   
• You always say, “It does not exist in the Quran…” Does everything have to be in the Quran? Answer our questions: How many rak’ahs does the noon prayer consist of? What supplication should I say in the first sitting? How much of my wealth should I give as zakah? How many shawts (circuits) does tawaf (circumambulation) consist of? We can ask thousands of questions like those ones. You cannot find their answers in the Quran. Their answers are in hadiths. When you deny hadiths, those questions will be unanswered. Thus, the Quran is not the only source of Islam. Hadiths are the second biggest source of Islam. What do you think you can reach by denying hadiths? Know that what you will reach is irreligion. Come and repent while you are still sane and before death catches you. You cannot go to Paradise by spoiling the creed of this nation.

May Allah Almighty make this work atonement for our sins! May He not deviate us from the creed of Ahl as-Sunnah! May He save us from those who will spoil our creed! May He make us live as believers, die as believers and resurrect us as believers! Amin!

 ”It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah’s permission, what Allah wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise.” (ash-Shura, 42/51)

In the verse above, three of the forms of divine revelation are emphasized; and indirect and direct forms of revelation are pointed out.

- The way of revelation that came to the Prophet (pbuh) had different forms:

True dream: According to what Hz. Aisha states, the first revelation came to the Prophet in the form of a dream. Hz. Aisha said, “The dreams that the Prophet saw turned out to be true like the bright gleam of dawn.” (Bukhari, Badul-Wahy)

The revelation that Jibril brought without being seen. The angel sometimes put the revelation in the Prophet’s heart when he was awake without being seen.

“Ruhul-Quds blew the following into my heart: ‘No soul will die before consuming his sustenance.’ Therefore, fear Allah and seek your sustenance through legitimate ways.“ (Ajluni, Kashful-Khafa, I/231)

The hadith above indicates that type of revelation.

Jibril’s bringing revelation by being disguised as a human being. (Bukhari, Badul-Wahy, 2)

The famous Jibril hadith, which mentions belief, Islam and ihsan, shows an example of that kind of revelation. (Bukhari, Iman, 57)

Siyar books state that Jibril generally came disguised as Dihya, one of the Companions. (see Keskioğlu, Osman, Kur’a’n-ı Kerim Bilgileri, 30)

The angel’s addressing with a voice similar to the sound of a bell: According to what Hz. Aisha reported, Hz. Prophet (pbuh) said,

“I am sometimes addressed by a sound like the sound of a bell. That is the hardest type of revelation for me.” [Bukhari, Badul-Wahy, 2; For types of revelation, see also Ibn Qayyim al- Jawzi, Za’dul-Maad, (Translated by Şükrü Özen), I/24-25; Niyazi Beki, Kur’an’ın yüksek ve parlak bir tefsiri Risale-i Nur, 51-54]

 ”Move not thy tongue concerning the (Qur’an) to make haste therewith. It is for Us to collect it and to promulgate it: But when We have promulgated it, follow thou its recital (as promulgated).” (al-Qiyamah, 75/16-18)

The reason for the revelation of the verse above is as follows: According to what Abdullah b. Abbas narrates, the Prophet repeated the revelation that the angel sent down to his heart, fearing that he would forget it; in the meantime, he moved his tongue (though all parts of his body were calm during revelation). His haste is emphasized in the verse above and it is pointed out that he needs to be calm, that he will not forget the revelation, and that Allah, the owner of the revelation, will fix it in his memory. (see Razi, the interpretation of the verse in question)

- The revelation of the Quran is not inspiration. However, it was also placed into the heart of the Prophet in the form of meaning and words by Jibril.

“Verily this is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds: With it came down the spirit of Faith and Truth-To thy heart and mind, that thou mayest admonish. In the perspicuous Arabic tongue.” (ash-Shuara, 26/192-195)

That fact is underlined in the verses above.

- The word “Wahy” is the infinitive form of the verb (W-H-Y) and it lexically means to speak secretly, to order, to imply, to hurry, to call out, to whisper, to write (a letter) and inspiration. (see al-Jawhari, as-Sihah; Ibn Manzur, Lisanul-Arab, “WHY” item)

- That is to say, the fact that no one other than the prophet can hear the divine revelation even if others are present when the revelation is sent down is a requirement of the meaning of “secrecy” contained in the concept of Revelation.

Therefore, it is normal for the Companions not to hear the revelations and it is a requirement of the meaning of revelation.

Besides, when revelation was sent down to the Prophet (pbuh), he did not hear the voice of the angel. As it is mentioned above, “He was sometimes addressed by a sound like the sound of a bell. That was the hardest type of revelation.”

The Chapter of al-Ahzab, verse, 53:

"O ye who believe! Enter not the Prophet's houses,- until leave is given you,- for a meal, (and then) not (so early as) to wait for its preparation: but when ye are invited, enter; and when ye have taken your meal, disperse, without seeking familiar talk. Such (behavior) annoys the Prophet: he is ashamed to dismiss you, but Allah is not ashamed (to tell you) the truth. And when ye ask (his ladies) for anything ye want, ask them from before a screen: that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for theirs. Nor is it right for you that ye should annoy Allah’s Messenger, or that ye should marry his widows after him at any time. Truly such a thing is in Allah’s sight an enormity."

«... It is never halal for you to hurt the Messenger of Allah and marry his wives after him. It is a major sin in the sight of Allah for you to do such a thing.»

Just as our Prophet (pbuh) is the closest friend of all believers so too are his wives the mothers of all believers. Each of them is an exemplary woman educated and brought up in the school of the Prophet. Every aspect of their lives can shed light on other women. Therefore, it was strictly forbidden for a believer to marry the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) after his death, and it was considered one of the major sins.

Those who hide something in their hearts about the issue are also warned and they are asked to think more decently and be more respectful.

(bk. Celal Yıldırım, İlmin Işığında Asrın Kur’an Tefsiri, Anadolu Yayınları: 9/4887.)