Will you please give information about the miracles of the Prophet mentioned in the Quran?

- Some people claim that the Prophet (pbuh) had no miracle deny hadiths and say, “There is no miracle in the Quran.” Can you refute their claims by giving examples from the Quran? Will you please give information about the miracles of the Prophet mentioned in the Quran?

Dear Brother / Sister,

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!

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