Prayer TimesA miracle is an extraordinary event created by Allah (c.c.) to demonstrate the truthfulness of someone claiming prophethood, and which, by its nature, leaves people unable to produce anything similar. (Qadi Abd al-Jabbar, al-Mughni, 15/199)
Islamic scholars have classified the miracles shown by both Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) and other prophets according to how they are perceived—intellectual, sensory, and informational—and according to their purposes—guidance, assistance, and destruction miracles.
The greatest example of an intellectual miracle is the Qur’an. The Qur’an is a great and eternal miracle that addresses people of intellect in every era, leaving others unable to produce anything like it. This fact is expressed in the Qur’an as follows: “And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad], then produce a surah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful.” (al-Baqara, 2/23) The Prophet (s.a.s.) also stated in a hadith that the Qur’an is his greatest miracle: “Every prophet was given miracles because of which people believed, but what I have been given is the divine revelation which Allah has revealed to me. So I hope that my followers will outnumber those of the other prophets on the Day of Resurrection.” (Bukhari, I‘tisam, 1 [7274]; Muslim, Iman, 239 [152])
Extraordinary events that appeal to the senses are called sensory miracles. Examples include the she-camel of Prophet Salih (a.s.) (Hud 11/64-68), the staff of Prophet Musa (a.s.) turning into a serpent and his hand shining with light (al-A‘raf 7/106-108), and Prophet Isa (a.s.) giving life to clay birds, raising the dead, and healing the blind and lepers (Al Imran, 3/49; al-Ma’ida, 5/110).
Although the main miracle of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) is the Qur’an, he was also given sensory miracles. The event of angels helping the Muslims in the Battle of Badr (Al Imran, 3/122-123; al-Anfal, 8/9-10) is one such sensory miracle mentioned in the Qur’an. Other sensory miracles mentioned in hadiths include the Prophet feeding many people with a small amount of food, increasing a small amount of water, and the palm trunk moaning (Bukhari, Manaqib, 25 [3572, 3578, 3583]).
Informational miracles are those in which prophets give news of the unseen based on divine revelation. Examples include the foretelling of disasters that befell rebellious peoples, Prophet Isa (a.s.) informing people of what they ate and stored in their homes (Al Imran, 3/49), and the Prophet (s.a.s.) predicting the Byzantines’ victory over the Persians (al-Rum, 30/1-4) and the fall of Kisra’s empire (Bukhari, Manaqib, 25 [3619]).
Miracles that occur in front of disbelievers in a way that challenges and incapacitates them are called guidance miracles. These miracles influence people’s beliefs and benefit those free from prejudice. The she-camel of Prophet Salih (Hud 11/64-68), the staff and shining hand of Prophet Musa (al-A‘raf 7/106-108), the healing miracles of Prophet Isa (al-Ma’ida, 5/110), and the Qur’anic miracle of Prophet Muhammad (al-Baqara, 2/23-24) are among these. Many people have become Muslim simply by reading the Qur’an, just as the magicians believed after witnessing Musa’s staff turn into a serpent and swallow their own creations.
Divine assistance that meets the needs of believers is called assistance/victory miracles. Examples include Prophet Musa bringing forth water from a rock for the Israelites by Allah’s command (al-Baqara, 2/60), sending down manna and quails from the sky, providing clouds for shade (al-A‘raf 7/160), the descent of a table spread with food for Prophet Isa (al-Ma’ida 5/112-115), the help of angels in the battles of Badr and Khandaq (Al Imran 3/123-127; al-Ahzab 33/9), and the multiplication of water and food on various occasions (Bukhari, Manaqib, 25).
Miracles that serve to punish communities persisting in denial are called destruction miracles. According to the Qur’an, these miracles often take the form of natural disasters such as violent storms, terrible blasts, floods, and earthquakes (al-Ankabut, 29/40). The destruction of the people of Nuh by flood (al-Ankabut, 29/14), the destruction of the peoples of Thamud, ‘Ad, and Madyan by a terrible blast (Sad, 38/13-15), the overturning of the city of Lut’s people and the raining of stones upon them (Hud, 11/82-83; al-Qamar, 54/34), and the drowning of Pharaoh and his army in the sea (al-Shu‘ara, 26/66) are among these. The destruction of disbelievers who persist in denial despite many proofs and miracles is a law of Allah. Destruction miracles also serve as warnings and lessons for later generations.
Source: T.C. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu
This content was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor.