Muhammads Miracles: Difference between revisions

This article analyzes the Islamic belief that [[Muhammad]] was able to perform [[Islam and Miracles|miracles]].

While some suggest Muhammad's only miracle was the [[revelation]] of the [[Qur'an]], the so-called "[[Moon Split Miracle|Moon splitting miracle]]" and "Night Journey" and other lesser-known miracles are widely held to be orthodox Islamic beliefs, and find reference in the Qur'an and heavy endorsement in the hadith literature. Some of these miracles alleged to occur in Muhammad's life also appear to adaptations of miracle stories from [[People of the Book|earlier faiths]].

 

The hadith record that Muhammad denied being able to perform miracles, and an analysis of the Qur'an clearly shows that he had maintained this denial when confronted by critics. And thus, according to imam Bukhari's criteria, the narrations which claim miracles on Muhammad's behalf should be discarded.

 

It appears more clearly then why Muhammad emphasized the Qur'an as his miracle, for he, it seems, did not think himself in possession of other miracles. Moreover, while miracles may serve as proof for those who witness them, they must come to mean little to others. Moreover, one may add, it is indeed quite difficult to maintain the Qur'an is miraculous, given its [[Textual History of the Qur'an|textual history]] and [[Contradictions in the Quran|claims of dubious reliability]], but this is only of secondary relevance to this article, which looks at what the Islamic scriptures say about the prophet's ability to do miracles whatsoever.

When dealing with [[sahih]] [[hadith]] narrations, in the Islamic context, the burden of proof is always on the person who claims a certain narration is not authentic to provide the [[Daleel|evidence]] for ''why'' they consider it to be not authentic.

Imam Bukhari came up with three criteria which he used to determine whether or not a narration was sahih or not. His third criteria is regarding ''mat'n'' (text), i.e. the text/content of a narration must not be in contradiction with the Qur'an. The only exception to this rule is the narrations regarded by scholars to be ''Qudsi'' (narrations which contain non-Qur'anic words from Allah).

When challenged by skeptics, the hadith record that Muhammad denied being able to perform any miracles. He admitted that although other prophets before him were given the power of performing miracles, his only miracle was the Qur'an:   

Reaffirming the previous hadith, in the following verse Muhammad is acknowledging that other prophets before him came with miracles or clear signs but still people rejected them, highlighting the futility of miracles as the proof of his revelation:

The unbelievers asked Muhammad to perform a miracle so that they too could believe. All they received in response was,    

According to the Qur'an, people doubted Muhammad due to seeing nothing extraordinary or miraculous in him:

Muhammad was accused of being a "possessed by demons" - a suspicion Muhammad, at one point shared - and other times of being a "mad man". One wonders if such accusations would be made against someone conducting miracles.

 

 

 

{{Quote|{{Quran|25|8}}|Or (why is not) treasure thrown down unto him, or why hath he not a paradise from whence to eat? And the evil-doers say: Ye are but following a man bewitched.}}

 

Miracles continued to be requested:

The Quraishites continued asking for a sign or a miracle to believe, however Muhammad repeated that he was only a warner:

 

 

 

 

The following verses seems to suggest that miracles are an insufficient grounds for prophet-hood, since magicians can achieve what resembles miracles:

{{Quote|{{Quran|2|3}}|Their hearts toying as with trifles. The wrong-doers conceal their private counsels, (saying), "Is this (one) more than a man like yourselves? Will ye go to witchcraft with your eyes open?"}}

Many modern academics view the moon splitting verse in the Qur'an simply as a natural astronomical phenomena that may have occurred during the time of Mohammed; which he believed was a sign the hour was imminent, a common belief in antiquity that appears in Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian writings in the centuries preceding Islam (and during early Islam),<ref>For examples of this in Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrianism literature in the centuries preceding Islam, see Shoemaker, Stephen J. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv16t6jmh. ''The Apocalypse of Empire: Imperial Eschatology in Late Antiquity and Early Islam.''] University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018. ''Chapters 1 - 4''

For Muslim's similar beliefs in early Islam, see ''Chapters 5 and 6''.</ref> which later commentators and biographers writing hagiographic material exaggerated to be a miraculous literal splitting. Uri Rubin and Rudi Paret for example suggest it was a partial lunar eclipse,<ref>''Muhammad’s message in Mecca: warnings, signs, and miracles [The case of the splitting of the moon (Q 54:1-2)].'' Uri Rubin in Jonathan E. Brockopp, ed., The Cambridge Companion to Muhammad (Cambridge, 2010), 39-60. Noting Rudi Paret's opinion in footnote 9 pp. 44.