INTRODUCTION
Praise be to Allah Whom we glorify, Whose help and forgiveness we seek. We seek refuge in Allah from our own evil deeds and bad behavior. He who is guided by Allah will never go astray; he who is misguided by Him will have none to guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of being worshipped except Allah alone with no partner, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.
“O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared and die not except as Muslims.” (III: 102) “O mankind! Reverence your guardian Lord, Who created you from a single person, (Adam), and from him created his wife, and from them both scattered (like seeds) countless men and women. Reverence Allah, through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (that bore you); for Allah ever watches over you.” (IV: 1) “O you who believe! Fear Allah, and (always) say a word directed to the Right; that He may make your conduct whole and sound and forgive you your sins: He that obeys Allah and His Messenger has already attained the highest achievements (He will be admitted to Paradise)” (XXXIII: 70-71)
Now then: - Where were the present populations of the world one hundred years ago? - Where will they, along with us, be one hundred years from now? - Answer: We were in the world of the unseen and we will transfer to the world of the unseen again. We are just travelers moving between the unseen world of the past and the unseen world of the future.
- Who then has created us and brought us into existence? - What are His Attributes? - Why has He created us? - What does He want from us? - What of our deeds pleases Him? - What makes Him angry with us? - Why do we die? - What awaits us after death? - What proves all that?
Allah (SWT), Who created us with order and proportion and ordained laws and decrees for the development of all creatures and guided them, cannot leave us without guidance. He has created this Universe and guided all creatures to what they have been created for. It is He who directs the sun, the moon, night and day, animals and trees and even the tiniest particles and atoms to what they have been created for.
Allah (SWT) willed to guide us; therefore, he created for us the tools of acquiring knowledge while we were in the wombs of our mothers. Allah (SWT) says: “And Allah brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you knew nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks (to Allah).” (XVI: 78)
Without these tools we cannot acquire any knowledge and nobody can give us any of such tools. Allah (SWT) says: “Say (to the disbelievers): ‘Tell me, if Allah took away your hearing and your sight, and sealed up your hearts, who is there—a god other than Allah—who could restore them to you?’ See how variously We explain the Signs, yet they turn aside.” (VI: 46) Allah (SWT)) has created for us the tools of knowledge with which we hear, see and understand just to help us learn. He wants us to hear, so He has created for us the tools of hearing. He wants us to see, so He has created for us the tools of seeing. He wants us to understand what we see and hear, so He has created for us the heart and the mind in order to understand. With these tools we acquire knowledge.
The first thing the Creator wants us to learn is that there is no God but He and to know His Attributes, He be Glorified; and to know that Mohammad is His Messenger, whom He sent to us as a guide, and conveyer of glad tidings and warnings, and to learn the religion He has chosen for us and know our future and the future of mankind, which we are transferring to after death leaving this life behind.
But such pieces of information cannot be appropriately learned except through the knowledge revealed to us by Allah, Who has created us, given us life, will cause us to die, and resurrect us after our death. Therefore, Allah (SWT) sent His Messengers to teach us in a language understandable to us, as Allah (SWT) says: “And We sent not a Messenger except with the tongue of his people, in order that he might make (the Message) clear for them. Then Allah misleads whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He is All-Mighty, All-Wise.” (XIV: 4) Thus no human being will have an excuse, a plea or an argument to reject the Divine Guidance. Allah (SWT) says: “Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the Messengers. And Allah is ever All-Powerful, All Wise.” (IV: 165)
As to those misguided people whose poet say: “I came, not knowing whence, but I came. I saw a path before me and walked, all the same. I will go on walking willingly or unwillingly. How came I? How saw I my way? I know not! But why do I not know? I know not!” we ask them why this confused perplexed poet does not know. He does not know because he neither knows the Messenger of his Lord, nor has he received guidance from him. He has lived in mazes and riddles.
Knowing the Messenger and his truthfulness is the key to knowledge, Guidance and Success in both this life and the Hereafter. But our belief in the Messenger (peace be upon him) cannot be realized except through knowing the evidence of his truthfulness and the proofs of his Message.
As to the unbelievers, they would not give up their disbelief unless they received the signs that would prove the truthfulness of the Messenger (peace be upon him). Allah (SWT) says: “Those who disbelief, among the People of the Scripture and among the polytheists, were not going to depart (from their ways) until there should come to them clear Evidence, a Messenger from Allah, rehearsing scriptures kept pure and holy, wherein are books right and straight.” (XCVIII: 1-3) Allah (SWT) made the Signs and Miracles Divine Testimonies to support His Messengers with, so that people might not disbelieve them. Allah (SWT) says: “Indeed We have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs.” (LVII: 25) A Messenger would challenge his own people to perform the like of the miracles that he had achieved and that human beings could not do, whereupon they would surrender to the Signs and Miracles of the Messenger and learn that he was a Messenger from their Creator. It is such Signs and Miracles that Allah supported His Messengers with that changed Pharaoh’s sorcerers, who, before their confrontation with Moses (peace be upon him), had said to Pharaoh: “‘Will there surely be a reward for us if we are the winners?’ He said: ‘Yes, and you shall then verily be of those brought near (to myself).’” (XXVI: 41-42) Pharaoh promised them to meet their demand and added that he would include them in his entourage. When they cast their ropes and rods and performed great magic that scared the audience, Moses cast his rod. “Then Moses threw his rod, and behold, it swallowed up all the falsehoods which they showed!” (XXVI: 45) “And the sorcerers fell down prostrate. Saying: ‘We believe in the Lord of the worlds, the Lord of Moses and Aaron.’” (XXVI: 46-48) The magic turned against the sorcerer and Pharaoh was defeated and he threatened the sorcerers. “Pharaoh said: ‘You have believed in him before I have given you leave. Surely, he is indeed your chief, who has taught you magic! So verily, you shall come to know. Verily, I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you all.’” (XXVI: 49)
The response of Faith that settled in the hearts of the sorcerers after seeing the sign and the miracle was to say: “Never shall we prefer you to what has come to us of the clear Signs and to Him Who created us. So decree whatever you desire to decree, for you can only decree (touching) the life of this world.” (XX: 72)
Having seen the signs and the miracles, they believed in the Messenger and believed him, whereupon the worldly pleasures became nothing in comparison with the Hereafter, and Pharaoh became worthless in the sight of the believing sorcerers, and death became nothing before Faith
The Signs and Miracles of the Messenger (peace be upon him) represent the bridge across which the Companions passed from disbelief and rejection to belief and deep faith, and after they had been among those who were disbelieving and accusing the Messenger of sorcery, divination, poetry and forgery, they began racing to obey his commands and shout, saying: “May my father and mother be sacrificed for your sake, O Allah’s Messenger!” The science of the Signs and Miracles of the Messenger is the science from which every Muslim should take what is enough to prove the truthfulness of the Messenger (peace be upon him). Allah (SWT) says: “Is he then who knows that what has been revealed unto you (O Muhammad) from your Lord is the Truth like him who is blind? But it is only men of understanding that pay heed.” (XIII: 19) Every Muslim has to teach this to his family, relatives, neighbors and all people in general, to bring them out of blindness to guidance. Knowing the Signs and Miracles of the Messenger (peace be upon him) leads to believing him and believing the promises and warnings, which will result in loving Allah and the strong desire to please Him and win His Paradise. Moreover, this will result in fearing Allah and the punishment in the Fire. Thus a strong motivation would urge the faithful to practice acts of obedience and avoid what is prohibited and consequently good would be profuse in the society while evil would recede, and humanity would live happily in a life colored with virtue and free from evil and crime. The Signs and Miracles of the Messenger represent the trustworthy handhold that the faithful cling to in the face of the turbulence of afflictions and misgivings that cannot be resisted by those whose faith is just in imitation of the fathers or in agreement with the society. They (Signs and Miracles) represent immunity to secular trends and cultures inimical to religion that invade people through mass media that enter their houses and rooms. Therefore, it is necessary to disseminate the medicine apt to cure the diseases of suspicions and pits of afflictions. We have found it beneficial to present a useful introduction to some of the Signs and Miracles of the Messenger (peace be upon him), which Allah supported him with and manifested as unquestionable proof to His slaves. Since Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah to all people, Allah has made the Signs and Miracles of his Message permanent and renewable in every age and sufficient for all types of people regardless of differences in their sciences, cultures and understanding. Whoever sought a Sign would find and see it during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and thereafter till the present time and through the future as Allah wills. Qur’an is the Great Everlasting Miracle. It is miraculous in its eloquence and rhetoric: miraculous in its sciences; miraculous in documenting the greatest Miracle of the Message in a very authentic way that has been recognized by both believers and infidels, and miraculous in its news. People can ascertain all its miraculous aspects. The book is divided into five Chapters: The First Chapter presents some of the glad tidings that are still found in the scriptures of Christians, Jews, Hindus and Magus. They have been quoted from their original sources in the original language and from the books that are still sanctified by their followers. These glad tidings are among the testimonies Allah uses against the People of the Scripture in His Saying: “And those who disbelieve say: ‘You are not a Messenger.’ Say: ‘Sufficient for a witness between me and you is Allah and those who have knowledge of the Scripture (such as 'Abdullah bin Salam and other Jews and Christians who embraced Islam).’” (XIII: 43) In the Second Chapter the scientific Miracle in the Qur’an and the Sunnah is dealt with, particularly the Qur’anic Scientific Miracles. This type of miracle is familiar to prominent scholars of our time in the fields of cosmological and medical sciences. This miraculous information comes in fulfillment of the promise of Allah (SWT), Who says: “We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this (the Qur'an) is the Truth. Is it not enough that your Lord does witness all things?” (XLI: 53) The Third Chapter deals with the Qur’anic linguistic Miracle that challenged and still challenges all mankind to produce the like of Qur’an in its eloquence and unique sublime literary style. The Fourth Chapter covers a large number of extraordinary miracles that Allah supported His Messenger with during all the stages of his mission, such as the splitting of the moon, the descent of the angels to fight along with the Muslims, increasing the little amounts of food so that they became enough for the whole Muslim army in many military expeditions, the flowing of water from among his fingers to quench the thirst of the army of the Companions that was thousands in number, in addition to other Miracles that proved that Allah supported His Messenger. The Qur’an registered some of these Miracles, as in Surat al-Anfal, where the Muslims are reminded of the angels, rain and slumber that Allah sent down upon His Messenger to calm the faithful. Allah (SWT) says: “...If you have believed in Allah and in that which We sent down to Our slave on the Day of criterion (between right and wrong), the Day when the two forces met (the battle of Badr) - And Allah is Able to do all things.” (XXV: 41) We also reviewed the Miracles recorded in the Sunnah and showed the features of preservation and documentation that characterize the Sunnah. The Last Chapter is a reminder of What the Messenger (peace be upon him) tells us of everlasting delight for the faithful and never ceasing punishment for infidels. We pray to Allah that He make us and the Muslims benefit by what we have offered. We also appeal to all conscientious Muslims to share with us the dissemination of the truths of Faith and reminding the Muslims of them. As Allah (SWT) says: “And remind (by preaching the Qur’an), for verily reminding benefits the believers.” (LI: 55) and “Say (O Muhammad): ‘This is my way: I invite unto Allah (i.e. to the Oneness of Allah) with sure knowledge, I and whoever follows me….” (XII: 108) So, whoever among the followers of Muhammad (peace be upon him) can participate in this Da’wah to Allah, let him do so, in response to the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Teach on my authority even though a single verse.”[1] A father should teach (the Signs and Miracles of the Prophet) to his children; the son to his family; the teacher to his students; the shaikh to his followers, the commander to his soldiers; and the leader to his subordinates. Muslims in general should teach one another and they should convey the religion to all other nations. If people learn the Signs and Miracles of the Messenger, they will learn that he is the truthful Messenger and they will follow him and take the route of success in both this life and the Hereafter. We appeal to those who are rich to generously spend of their wealth; those who are of good repute to use their repute; those who are knowledgeable to offer their knowledge; and those who can work hard to contribute their effort. We appeal to them to work together to disseminate the truths of Faith, for Allah regards this as the best deed, as Allah (SWT) says: “Do you consider providing the pilgrims with water or the maintenance of the Sacred Mosque equal to the (pious service of) those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and strive with might and main in the Cause of Allah? They are not comparable in the sight of Allah. And Allah does not guide those who do wrong.” (IX: 19) The close of our request is “Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds.” Ramadan 19, 1424 AH 13/11/2003 AD Abdul-Majeed Ibn ‘Aziz al-Zindani The Team of Iman at the University Abdullah ibn Ali Al-Jawda Shakir ibn Nasif Latif Salih ibn Abdul Qawi Al-Sanabani Abdul-Rahman ibn Yahya Al-Ghumayri Abdul-Malik ibn Abdul Razzaq Al-Yousifi Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Kindi Abdl-Latif ibn Ahmad al-Higrah Abdul-Wahid al-Khamisi [1] Al-Bukhari ; Ahmad in his Musnasd, ;al-Tirmidhi from the hadith of Ibn ‘Amr. |