Miracles are extraordinary events that happen, which are contrary to the laws and rules of nature. Thus, humans are not capable of performing miracles by themselves. Instead, miracles happen through Allah’s intervention. Allah is the All-Powerful Being in the universe and has the capability of doing whatever He wishes.
Prophets and Messengers usually performed miracles, with the will of Allah. Allah, while describing Prophet Isa (PBUH)’s miracles in Surah al-Ma’idah, says that Isa (A.S) performed miracles with His permission.
Allah granted miracles to Prophets to impact their people. He designed miracles to be relevant to their times, ensuring they resonated with those they were aimed at, leading to positive outcomes.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) performed many miracles, witnessed by those around him. These miracles are detailed in authentic Hadith and mentioned in the Quran.
The miracle of the splitting of the moon
This miracle took place during the days of the Prophet (PBUH) in Makkah. The inhabitants of the land commanded the Prophet (PBUH) to perform a miracle. It was a sort of challenge for Muhammad (PBUH). Then, Allah split the moon into two halves and then rejoined them. Allah describes this event in Surah al-Qamar. There are also several authentic Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim that mention this event.
For the naysayers, one would imagine that the Makkans would have created an uproar if the miracle hadn’t happened. It would have provided them with ammunition to attack the Prophet (PBUH) with. Instead, Allah narrates in Surah al-Qamar how they turned away from the miracle and said it was simply magic.
The miracle’s overnight (Isra and Miraj)
Deep into the days of Prophethood, but still during the Makkan stage, Allah enabled the Prophet (PBUH) to travel in one night from Masjid al-Haram in Makkah to Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. This was a very long journey that would have ideally taken around a month by caravan. This part of the trip is known as Isra’.
Miraj took place next. This is when the Prophet (PBUH) was raised to the heavens by Allah. There, he ascended from one level to the other, encountering various prophets including Adam, Yahya, Isa, Yusuf, Idris, Haroon, Musa, and Ibrahim (a.s.).
After this, the Prophet (PBUH) ascended to the highest point of the seventh heaven, i.e., Sidrat-ul-Muntaha (Lote-Tree of the Utmost Farthest Boundary). Allah discusses this incident in the 53rd chapter of the Holy Quran, Surah an-Najm.
It was during this journey that Allah prescribed the five daily prayers. Initially, He stipulated 50 prayers a day, but gradually reduced it upon the Prophet (PBUH)’s request (which was initiated by Musa (a.s.).
The Prophet (PBUH) had never been to the al-Aqsa mosque. He said about this journey that when the people of Quraish didn’t believe him, Allah showed him Jerusalem and he described it to the disbelievers, as if he was looking at it.
The weeping tree trunk miracle
It is recorded in a Mutawaatir Hadith that the Prophet (PBUH) used to recline against a tree trunk while giving Khutbahs. Later, a pulpit was built, and he stopped doing that. The companions then heard the trunk crying. The Hadith regarding this incident is in Sahih al-Bukhari.
The flowing water miracles’ of Prophet (PBUH)
Anas (r.a.) said that the Prophet (PBUH) called for water. They provided him with a vessel. People began to perform ablution from it, and up to 50-80 did so. He said that he saw water coming from his fingers. Here as well, there are Mutawaatir Hadith that narrate how the Prophet (PBUH) was able to save the believers when they were in desperate need of water.
Provision of food
The Muslims once went out on an expedition and were experiencing extreme hardships. An authentic Hadith narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim describes the event. The army collected their food items together, and in total, the food was around the size of a goat. But, by Allah’s will, the 1,400-strong army all managed to eat from it until they were fully satisfied.
Miraculous healing
During the Battle of Khyber, the Prophet (PBUH) cured Ali (r.a.) who was suffering from some problem with his eye. He applied saliva to his eyes and invoked Allah to cure him. Sahih al-Bukhari covers this event.
During a military expedition, one of the Prophet (PBUH)’s companions narrated how he broke his leg. The Prophet (PBUH) asked him to stretch out the leg. He then rubbed it and it became all right. (Sahih al-Bukhari)
A Timeless Miracle: The Noble Quran
The Prophet (PBUH) stated that every Prophet was given miracles due to which their people believed them. In contrast, he said he had been granted the Divine Inspiration in the form of the Quran. (Sahih al-Bukhari)
Allah revealed the Quran at a time when the Arabs had great pride in their language. They held competitions to see who could write the most beautiful work in the language. However, the Quran’s style was far above and beyond anything they had ever seen. It was something new to them, and something that they were unfamiliar with.
The Quran has an unusual sentence structure which lends it with a stunning rhythm. This makes it unlike any other literary work in the language. The miracle of the Quran in how its recitation still stirs the hearts of people who don’t understand it.
The words utilized in the Quran are often specific, and substituting them with other similar words will result in the meaning being changed, or the beauty of it being lost. To further emphasize the uniqueness of the Quran, Allah repeatedly challenged the disbelievers to replicate the Quran. They utterly failed in their quest to do so.