Prophethood and the Miracles of the Messengers

All praise is due to Allāh. May Allāh raise the rank of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ and protect his nation from that which he feared for them.

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What is Prophethood

Prophethood is intellectually possible, not impossible. Allāh the Exalted sent the Prophets as a mercy to His slaves, because the intellect alone does not have what frees people from their need for the Prophets. The mind does not independently know the things that save one in the Hereafter. In sending the Prophets there is a necessary welfare for the slave. Prophethood is the embassy between Allāh and His slaves.

The word Nabiyy is derived either from nabāʾ, meaning news, because Prophethood includes informing from Allāh, or from nabwah, meaning highness.

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The Difference Between Prophets and Messengers

The Prophet and the Messenger both share in the reception of revelation. Allāh revealed a law to both of them to work according to and to convey to the people. The Messenger comes with the abrogation of the law of the Messenger before him, or he comes with a new law. The Prophet who is not a Messenger follows the law of the Messenger before him and conveys it.

For this reason the scholars said: every Messenger is a Prophet, but not every Prophet is a Messenger.

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What is Necessary for the Prophets and What is Impossible for Them

Truthfulness is necessary for the Prophets, and lying is impossible for them. Intelligence is necessary for them, and dullness and stupidity are impossible for them. Trustworthiness is necessary for them, and treachery is impossible for them.

The Prophets are clear of blasphemy, major sins, and demeaning small sins. Protection from despicability, foolishness, and cowardice is necessary for them. They are clear of everything that repels people from accepting the call from them. Likewise it is impossible that they would be attributed with any repulsive sickness.

Whoever attributes to them lying, treachery, despicability, foolishness, cowardice, or the likes of that has blasphemed.

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The Miracle

The way to know the Prophets is the miracle. A miracle is a supernatural matter that happens in compliance with the claim of the one who claims Prophethood, and is clear of being discredited by something similar.

Any matter that is strange but does not oppose nature is not a miracle. Likewise whatever does oppose nature but is not accompanied with the claim of Prophethood is not called a miracle. That is called a karāmah, and it belongs to the Waliyys who follow the Prophets. Whatever is possibly opposed by its likes is not a miracle, like magic, for magic is opposed by magic of its likes.

When a miracle occurs for one who claims Prophethood and cannot be opposed by its likes, it is as if Allāh said: “My slave is truthful in everything that he conveyed from Me.” Had he been a liar in his claim, Allāh would not have made this miracle appear for him. Since Allāh does not deem liars truthful and it is impossible that Allāh would be a liar, the miracle is proof of the truthfulness of the Prophet in everything he informed about.

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Miracles of the Prophets Before Muḥammad ﷺ

Among the miracles that took place for those who came before Muḥammad ﷺ:

The great fire had no effect on Ibrāhīm. It did not burn him or his clothing.

The staff of Mūsā transformed into a real serpent, then returned to its original state. The magicians that Pharaoh prepared to oppose Mūsā confessed, accepted in their hearts, and believed in Allāh and disbelieved in Pharaoh.

ʿĪsā revived the dead. This is something that cannot be opposed with its likes. The Jews, who were cursed for belying ʿĪsā, were unable to oppose what he did with its likes despite their efforts. He also cured the one born blind, and no one from his time was able to oppose that with its likes despite the proficiency in medicine at that era.

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Some of the Miracles of the Prophet ﷺ

The Moaning Tree Stump

The Prophet ﷺ used to lean against a stump of a palm tree when he gave the speech in his Masjid, before the pulpit was made for him. When the pulpit was made and he ascended it, the tree stump moaned to the extent that everyone in the Masjid heard it. He came down and embraced it until it was silent.

The Speaking of Animals

Imām Aḥmad and Al-Bayhaqiyy narrated from Yaʿlā Ibn Murrah al-Thaqafiyy with an authentic chain of narration that he said:

We were walking with the Prophet ﷺ when a camel that was made to carry loads passed by. When the camel saw the Prophet ﷺ it made a strange noise and lowered its neck. The Prophet ﷺ stopped at it and said: “Where is the owner of this camel?” The owner came and the Prophet ﷺ said: “This camel has complained about excessive work and too little fodder, so treat it well.”

The Springing of Water from His Fingers

Al-Bukhārī and Muslim narrated from Anas Ibn Mālik that he said:

I saw the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ when ʿAṣr came in and he sought the water for wuḍūʾ but did not find it. Then the Messenger ﷺ was approached with water for wuḍūʾ. He put his hand in that container and ordered the people to make wuḍūʾ, and I saw the water springing from between his fingers, and the people made wuḍūʾ until the last one of them.

The narrator was asked: “How many of you were there?” He said: “Three hundred.”

Al-Bukhārī and Muslim also narrated from Jābir:

The people were thirsty on the day of Al-Ḥudaybiyah. The Prophet ﷺ put his hands in the bucket and the water started to pour forth from between his fingers like springs. We began to drink and to make wuḍūʾ.

The narrator was asked: “How many of you were there?” He said: “Had there been one hundred thousand of us it would have been enough. We were fifteen hundred.”

What is precise is that the water was springing from the flesh between the Prophet’s fingers itself. Al-Nawawiyy stated this explicitly in his explanation of Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim.

The Replacement of Qatādah’s Eye

Al-Bayhaqiyy narrated in his book Dalāʾil al-Nubuwwah from the route of Qatādah Ibn Nuʿmān that his eye was hit on the day of Badr and his eyeball dangled on his cheekbone. They wanted to cut it, so they asked the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ. He said: “No.” He called him and buried his eye back into the socket with his palm. After that Qatādah did not know which one of his eyes had been hit.

The Food Saying Subḥānallāh

Al-Bukhārī narrated from Ibn Masʿūd that he said:

We used to eat food with the Prophet ﷺ and we would hear the food saying Subḥānallāh.

Al-Isrāʾ and Al-Miʿrāj

Among his miracles are Al-Isrāʾ and Al-Miʿrāj. Al-Isrāʾ, the Night Journey, is confirmed by the explicit documentation of the Qurʾān and the authentic ḥadīth. It is obligatory to believe that Allāh made him take a night journey from Makkah to Al-Masjid al-Aqṣā. As for the Ascension into the sky, it was confirmed by the explicit aḥādīth.

Allāh the Exalted said:

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَ‌ىٰ بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا

Glory be to Allāh, Who made His slave take a night journey at night from Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to Al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, which We have blessed its surroundings, so that We would show him of Our amazing signs. [Sūrat al-Isrāʾ, 1]

Muslim narrated from Anas Ibn Mālik that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:

أُتِيتُ بالبُراقِ وهوَ دابَّةٌ أبيَضُ طَويلٌ فَوقَ الحمارِ ودُونَ البَغْلِ يضَعُ حافِرَهُ عندَ مُنتَهَى طرْفِهِ، فركِبْتُهُ حتّى أتيتُ بيتَ المقْدِسِ فَربَطتُهُ بالحلقَةِ التي يَربِطُ بها الأنبياءُ، ثم دخَلْتُ المسجِدَ فَصلَّيتُ فيه ركْعتينِ، ثُمَّ خَرجْتُ فجاءَني جبريلُ عليه السلام بإناءٍ من خَمرٍ وإنَاءٍ منْ لَبَنٍ فاختَرتُ اللّبَنَ، فقالَ جبريلُ عليه السلامُ: اختَرْتَ الفِطْرَةَ، ثمّ عَرَجَ بنَا إلى السَّماءِ

I was approached with Al-Burāq, a white long animal, taller than a donkey and shorter than a mule. He puts his hoof wherever his sight falls. So I rode it until I reached Jerusalem, and I tied him to the ring by which the Prophets tie their animals. Then I entered the Masjid and prayed two rakʿahs in it. Then I went out and Jibrīl came to me with a container of wine and a container of milk, so I chose the milk. Then Jibrīl said: You have adhered to the religion. Then we went up into the sky. [Muslim]

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The Messenger Seeing His Lord on the Night of Al-Miʿrāj

As for the Prophet ﷺ seeing his Lord on the night of Al-Miʿrāj, Al-Ṭabarāniyy narrated in Al-Muʿjam al-Awsaṭ with a strong chain, as said by Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar, from the route of Ibn ʿAbbās:

“Muḥammad ﷺ saw his Lord twice.”

What is meant is that he saw Him with his heart, as proven by the ḥadīth of Muslim from the route of Ibn ʿAbbās about the saying of Allāh the Exalted:

مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَى

The heart did not lie about what it saw. [Sūrat al-Najm, 11]

Ibn ʿAbbās said:

“He saw his Lord with his heart twice.”

It is not confirmed that the Prophet ﷺ said he saw Allāh with the eyes in his head, nor is this confirmed from any of the Companions, their followers, or the followers of their followers.

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How the Miracle is Known with Certainty

The knowledge of the occurrence of miracles takes place by observation for those who witnessed them, and by way of tawātur for whoever did not witness them. This is like our knowledge of far-off lands and confirmed historical events that took place among the kings and nations before us. Information narrated by tawātur replaces witnessing.

It is therefore a necessity of the mind to accept in the heart the one who came with the miracle, just as it is religiously necessary.

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This article is part of IKF’s Ilm al-Aqīdah series, drawn from the works of the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah.