Splitting of the Moon Ix

The mention of the miracles of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) is found in Surah Al Imran and Surah Al Maidah of the Quran. In these passages, four prominent miracles are described. In Surah Al Imran, it is mentioned that when Allah informed Mary (peace be upon her) about the birth of Jesus, she asked how it could be possible since no man had touched her. Allah replied that it would happen just as He decreed, for when Allah decides a matter, He merely says to it “Be,” and it is. After this, Allah informed Prophet Jesus about his mission and revealed that he would be sent as a messenger to the Children of Israel. In continuation, the mention is made of four miracles of Prophet Jesus: creating a bird from clay, healing the blind and the leper, and resurrecting the dead. It is explicitly stated that all these miracles were manifested by the command of Allah alone . The verses read:¹

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi’s Stance [Derived from an interactive session with Muhammad Hassan Ilyas ]

قَالَتْ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِى وَلَدٌۭ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِى بَشَرٌۭ ۖ قَالَ كَذَٰلِكِ ٱللَّهُ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمْرًۭا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ وَيُعَلِّمُهُ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَٱلتَّوْرَىٰةَ وَٱلْإِنجِيلَ

She said: “Lord! How can I bear a child when no man has even touched me?” He replied: “In this manner, God creates what He wants.” When He decrees a matter, He need only say to it: “Be,” and it is. [Consequently, it will happen thus] and God will instruct him in law and in wisdom i.e. teach him the Torah and the Gospel, and send him forth as a Messenger to the Israelites. [Consequently, this is what happened and he called upon the Israelites saying:] “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: from clay I make for you the likeness of a bird, then I breathe into it; then by God’s directive it actually becomes a bird. And I heal the born-blind and the leper, and by God’s directive raise the dead to life. And I can tell you what you eat and what you stock in your houses. Surely in it is a great sign for you, if you are ones who believe. (Quran 3:47-49)

3. The Miracles of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

The greatest miracle granted to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is indeed the Quran. Allah Almighty bestowed His blessed words upon him as the eloquent spokesperson. Its words, sentences, styles, themes, news, commands, all belong to Allah, the Lord of all worlds. Therefore, it is a unique, unparalleled, perfect, and eternal miracle in its essence, nature, manifestation, and perpetuity.

Undoubtedly, it is extraordinary because in human history, it is the only book whose text contains no contradictions, discrepancies, or changes. Its language and literature are beyond comparison in eloquence, rhetoric, sweetness, and charm. It embodies spiritual perfection, profound insight, and vast vision. It is the statement of the seen and the unseen worlds, hence it is a revelation that is unique to the earth but is aware of both the seen and unseen realms.

Reading it, lost truths of the past are unveiled, and unknown events of the future are revealed. Therefore, every rational person, whether willingly or unwillingly, is compelled to acknowledge it as the quilt of knowledge and spirituality, the treasury of religion and morality, and the collection of law and wisdom. For the guidance, enlightenment, success, and salvation of humanity, there is no better guide available on earth.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, while explaining its miracles, writes:

“The miracle given to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in this regard is the Quran. Those who are familiar with the literary styles of the Arabic language, as well as the tradition of knowledge and literature, when they read it, they can clearly perceive that it cannot be the speech of any human being. Therefore, in more than one instance, he himself challenged his audience that if they truly believe that it is not the word of God but rather something Muhammad is presenting on his own behalf, then they should bring forth a single verse like it, matching its eloquence. If any individual from

وَرَسُولًا إِلَىٰ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ أَنِّى قَدْ جِئْتُكُم بِـَٔايَةٍۢ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ أَنِّىٓ أَخْلُقُ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلطِّينِ كَهَيْـَٔةِ ٱلطَّيْرِ فَأَنفُخُ فِيهِ فَيَكُونُ طَيْرًۢا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَأُبْرِئُ ٱلْأَكْمَهَ وَٱلْأَبْرَصَ وَأُحْىِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَأُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا تَأْكُلُونَ وَمَا تَدَّخِرُونَ فِى بُيُوتِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَةًۭ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

their nation can produce such a work without any knowledge or literary background, then they should have no difficulty in doing so.”

This claim of the Quran was a remarkable claim. It meant that the Quran is such a discourse that creating anything similar to it is impossible for the human mind. It was a claim of the Quran’s extraordinary uniqueness in terms of eloquence, rhetoric, and beautiful expression. It was a claim that someone should bring forth something which, like the Quran, appears to be speaking from God, which clarifies those truths that are the most essential for humanity to understand, and which have never been clarified by any human speech, which guides in matters where no other guidance is readily available. Such a discourse would provide testimony to conscience, be affirmed by knowledge and reason, intoxicate desolate hearts as rain intoxicates barren land, and possess the same majesty and impact that a reader of the Quran feels when familiar with its language, sensing its every word.

History tells us that none of the contemporaries of the Quran were able to muster the courage to confront this challenge. The Almighty says:

[This is what this Book calls to. Accept it] and if you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, then [go and] produce a single sūrah like it. And, [for this purpose,] also call your leaders besides God, if you are truthful [in this claim of yours].

Then if you are not able to do it, and surely you cannot, then fear the Fire whose fuel is those people also who do not believe and those stones of theirs too which they worship. It has been prepared for these very disbelievers. (Quran 2:23-4)

The divine book is still with us even after more than fourteen centuries have passed. During this time, the world has undergone immense transformations. Humanity has crafted and then shattered countless theories and ideologies. There have been significant changes in human perceptions of themselves and the cosmos, and numerous stages of acceptance and rejection have been traversed. The paths taken and the eventual destinations reached by humanity are numerous. However, this book, which contains many things that have remained the subject of scientific inquiry and research in the past two centuries, is the only book in all of world literature that remains as steadfast and firm today as it was fourteen hundred years ago. Just as in the past, when knowledge and reason were compelled to acknowledge their limitations in its presence, they are compelled to do so today as well. Each of its statements still holds its position with full dignity. Despite the world’s astonishing scientific discoveries, there is no room for any modification or alteration within it.

وَإِن كُنتُمْ فِى رَيْبٍۢ مِّمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُوا۟ بِسُورَةٍۢ مِّن مِّثْلِهِۦ وَٱدْعُوا۟ شُهَدَآءَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا۟ وَلَن تَفْعَلُوا۟ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱلنَّارَ ٱلَّتِى وَقُودُهَا ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلْحِجَارَةُ ۖ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَٰفِرِينَ

We have revealed this Qur’ān with the truth and it is revealed with the truth, and [O Prophet!] We have sent you only to give glad tidings [to those who believe] and to warn [those who do not believe]. Quran 17:105) (Meezan 136-138).

“The address in ‘َْت ْق ُت ُل ْو ُھ َْف َل’ (So you did not kill them) is general and directed towards Muslims, while in ‘ََر َم ْی َو َما’ (And you did not throw), it is directly addressing the Prophet (peace be upon him). Because of this, there is a difference between the plural and singular in both. ‘رمی’ (throwing) can refer to shooting arrows, throwing stones, tossing dust and sand, it applies to all. It is narrated that when the armies of disbelievers faced each other, the Prophet (peace be upon him) picked up a handful of

فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَتَلَهُمْ ۚ وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ رَمَىٰ ۚ وَلِيُبْلِىَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْهُ بَلَآءً حَسَنًا ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌۭ

In addition to the magnificent miracle of the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was granted various miracles in accordance with the circumstances, time, and need. It should be clear that the personality of the Messenger of Allah himself is a great miracle. Allah speaks to him directly, the trustworthy angel Gabriel delivers Allah’s messages to him, he communicates with the angels, and Allah’s words are revealed through his tongue. He informs people of unseen matters by receiving news from the heavens, and blessings and favors emanate from his existence.

Perhaps there may come a day when a sign or miracle of Allah does not originate from his surroundings or his being. Such types of signs are mentioned in the Quran and in some books of Hadith and Seerah². For example, two of these miracles are mentioned below.

One of these miracles is the Miracle of the Battle of Badr. When the Prophet (PBUH) threw a handful of dust towards the army of the disbelievers, it turned into a stormy cloud of dust, entering the eyes of the deniers. This miracle is mentioned in the Quran as well as in various narrations with some detailed accounts. Allah Almighty says in Surah al-Anfal:

Believers! Why should you show reluctance when God fights from your side?] So, in reality, you did not slay them [in this battle]; it is, in fact, God Who has slain them, and [O Prophet!] When you threw [dust] on them, it was not you but God Who has thrown it to show various aspects of His majesty to the disbelievers and to grant a goodly favor from Himself to the Muslims. Indeed, God sees and hears all (Quran 8:17).

Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi has titled this context as “Dast-e-Ghaib ke Karnamay” (Miracles of the Unseen Hand), and under this heading, he writes: dust from the ground and threw it towards the disbelievers, saying ‘الوجوہ شاھت’ (May their faces be humiliated). ‘الوجوہ شاھت’ is an Arabic phrase of curse, and throwing dirt on someone has been a method of cursing since ancient times. This is also mentioned in the Torah and can be inferred from Arab traditions.

Maulana Farahi has referred to this in his commentary on Surah Al-Fil. It should be noted here that sometimes negation of an action doesn’t necessarily mean the negation of the action itself but rather negation of the glorious consequences associated with that action, which are manifested in the context of that action. The handful of dust thrown by the Muslims turned into a stormy cloud of dust, cutting through the ranks of the Quraysh’s iron-hearted army like carrots and turnips, or the pinch of dust thrown by the Prophet (peace be upon him) turning into a storm that filled the eyes of all the disbelievers, these were not the deeds of Muslim swords sheathed in chests or the Prophet’s ‘rami’, but rather the miracles of the unseen hand hidden within the Muslims and the Prophet of the world.” (Tadabbur-e-Quran 3/451)

The actual words are: ِاَاۡل ۡر َا ۡد َني. Here they refer to Syria and Palestine which were situated immediately adjacent to Arabia. At the birth of Muhammad (sws), there existed two great empires: the Christian Roman Empire and the Magian Persian

A prime example of the miracles of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the divine revelations predicting events that were to occur, which were announced through your blessed tongue. Some of these are mentioned in the Quran-e-Majeed, while others are transmitted through narrations. Long before the significant and unexpected events of your victory in the conquest of Mecca, the mother of cities, and the entry of people into the fold of Islam, you had already informed about them. Similarly, the prediction of the defeat of the Romans after being overcome by the Persians also transcended mere speculation and conjecture, reaching the realm of hope and possibility. The Quran-e-Majeed articulates this as follows:

The Romans have been defeated in the nearby land but after this defeat of theirs they shall soon be victoriousin the next few years. Whatever happened before this happened at God’s behest also and whatever will happen in future will also happen at God’s behest and the believers will rejoice on that day because of God’s help.God helps whomsoever He pleases and He is Powerful and very Merciful.God’s promise is certain and God does not go back on His promise, but most people know not. (Quran 30:1-6)

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi has described the event in the following words:

فِىٓ أَدْنَى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَهُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ فِى بِضْعِ سِنِينَ ۗ لِلَّهِ ٱلْأَمْرُ مِن قَبْلُ وَمِنۢ بَعْدُ ۚ وَيَوْمَئِذٍۢ يَفْرَحُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِنَصْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ يَنصُرُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ لَا يُخْلِفُ ٱللَّهُ وَعْدَهُۥ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

Empire. Both were persistent adversaries of one another. In 603 AD, the Persians attacked the Romans on the lame pretext of stifling a rebellion. After this, the Romans suffered one defeat after another until in 616 AD a greater part of the Eastern Roman Empire including Jerusalem was subdued by the Persians. This was the sixth or seventh year of Muhammad’s prophethood. This prediction has been made by the Qur’ān somewhere between 617 and 620 AD. Gibbon says that “No prophecy could be more distant from its accomplishment, since the first twelve years of Heraclius announced the approaching dissolution of the empire³.” The Qur’ān has stressed that by the latest this prediction would be fulfilled in the next decade (َِس ِن ۡي ِِب ۡض). Thus, it was fulfilled precisely according to this announcement and in March 628 AD the Roman emperor returned to Constantinople with such splendor that four elephants were pulling his chariot and numerous people stood outside the city with lanterns and branches of olive to welcome back their hero.

It was in such an explicit nature and certain style that this prediction was made as an argument in favor of Muhammad’s prophethood. It is evident from historical narratives that because of their religious proximity with the Christians and the latter’s attitude towards them and with the message of the Qur’ān, in particular in Abyssinia, Muslims naturally held sympathy for them. The Qur’ān has assured them that they should not be aggrieved; their brethren of the People of the Book will soon become dominant. Moreover, this prediction will become a great proof of the prophethood in which they have professed faith. This is because none except God can give such news of the future in such an absolute and certain manner (al-Bayan, 4/43-44).

To be continued…..