Are the Miracle of the Sun and the Apparition of Maryam (Mary) at Zeitoun prophecies?

The Details of the Question

How should we deal with “prophecies” or “miracles” from other religions?
Events like the miracle of the sun in Fatima in 1917 and the apparitions of Mary in Zeitoun occurred. There are many eyewitnesses and they are accepted as evidence for Christianity. I do not understand it. There should not be any more miracles or signs for other religions. How should we deal with these kinds of “prophecies” or “miracles”? I want to understand this issue more deeply. I hope you can help me.

The Answer

Dear Brother / Sister,

The true measure of religion is the Quran and sound Sunnah.

According to Islam, the primary criteria for determining whether something is right or wrong are the Quran and sound Sunnah.

No matter how impressive an incident may be, even if many people claim to have witnessed it, if it contradicts the Quran and sound Sunnah it is not accepted as evidence.

Is an extraordinary incident regarded as proof of truth?

Miracles are attributed to prophets and karamahs to saints; istidraj refers to extraordinary incidents seen in the individuals who have strayed from the true path.

Therefore, not every extraordinary incident proves the truth of the real religion.

Some claims of “miracles” seen in other religions may be due to misinterpretations, psychological/social influences, or a type istidraj that occurs as a test.

Collective witnessing is not always conclusive evidence.

Throughout history, there have been incidents that were misunderstood even though many people witnessed them.

Therefore, the expression “Many people saw it” does not necessarily mean it is absolutely true. People can be mistaken, influenced, or misinterpret things.

The secret of Allah’s test

The world is a place of testing. If everything were proven through obvious miracles, belief would become compulsory, and the purpose of the test would be lost.

Therefore, Allah may sometimes allow incidents that could affect people of different religions, but they are not definitive proofs that alter the true religion.

How should those incidents in Christianity be interpreted?

For example, claims such as the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima and the Apparition of the Maryam (Mary) in Zeitoun are, from an Islamic perspective, not considered definitive miracles but rather as incidents open to interpretation

What is the claim about the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima?

In 1917, thousands of people in Fatima claimed that the sun was rotating, moving, changing color, and approaching the earth.

An optical illusion (retinal effect) may have occurred. Looking at the sun for a long time can cause temporary visual disturbances in the eyes.

Atmospheric effects may have occurred. Clouds, fog, and light refraction can make the sun appear different.

It could have been a collective expectation (psychological effect). People might have interpreted the same incident similarly because they expected a miracle.

Interestingly, not everyone in the area that day witnessed the incident, which indicates that the incident did not physically occur.

What is the claim regarding the Apparition of Mary at Zeitoun?

Allegedly, a luminous figure (claimed to be the Virgin Mary) repeatedly appeared above a church in Cairo, and numerous people witnessed this apparition.

The opinions put forward regarding this incident can be summarized as follows:

The possibilities include light reflection/projection, electrical light effects, false misperception from a distance (pareidolia), and the human mind transforming ambiguous shapes into meaningful figures.

Those incidents were not observed in the same way by everyone; natural explanations are possible.

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