The Miracles of Healing Patients

The Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to be afflicted with illnesses and diseases during the expeditions. Some of them would go to him so that he might invoke Allah for their sake, and Allah would honor him by immediately healing the person for whom he invoked Allah before the audience. The authentic Sunnah mentioned many of these miracles. Following are some of them:

1.     The recovery of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) of his ophthalmia at Khaibar Expedition:

Sahl Ibn Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that he heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the Day of Khaibar saying: “I will give the banner (i.e. the command) to a person at whose hands Allah will grant victory." So, the Companions spent the night wondering who would be given the banner, and every one of them wished to be given the flag. But the Prophet asked: “Where is 'Ali?” Someone informed him that he was suffering from eye-trouble. So, he ordered them to bring ‘Ali to him. Then the Prophet spat in his eyes and he was cured immediately as if he had never any eye-trouble. 'Ali said: “We will fight with them (i.e. infidels) till they become like us (i.e. Muslims).” The Prophet said: “Be patient till you face them and invite them to Islam and inform them of what Allah has enjoined upon them. By Allah! If a single person embraces Islam at your hands (i.e., through you), that will be better for you than red camels."[121]

2.     The healing of Salamah Ibn al-Akwa’’s leg:

Yazid Ibn Abi ‘Ubaid said: “I saw the trace of a wound in Salama's leg. I said to him: ‘O Abu Muslim! What is this wound?’ He said: ‘This was inflicted on me on the day of Khaibar and the people said: 'Salama has been wounded.' Then I went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he puffed his saliva into it (i.e. the wound) thrice, and I have never had any pain in it till this hour.”[122]

3.The healing of the leg of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Atiq:

Al-Bara’ Ibn ‘Azib narrated that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) sent some men from the Ansar to ((kill) Abu Rafi, the Jew, and appointed 'Abdullah bin ‘Atiq as their leader. Abu Rafi used to hurt Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) and help his enemies against him. He lived in his castle in the land of Hijaz. (The narrator then mentioned the story of killing him adding): “(Abdullah Ibn ‘Atiq then said); ‘I realized that I had killed him. I then opened the doors one by one till I reached his staircase, and thinking that I had reached the ground, I stepped and fell down and got my leg broken in a moonlit night. I tied my leg with a turban and set out till I sat at the gate, and said: 'I will not go out tonight till I know whether I have killed him.' So, when (early in the morning) the cock crowed, the announcer of the casualty stood on the wall saying: 'I announce the death of Abu Rafi, the merchant of Hijaz.’ Thereupon I went to my companions and said: 'Let us save ourselves, for Allah has killed Abu Rafi,' So I went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and described the whole story to him. He said: ‘Stretch out your (broken) leg.’ I stretched it out and he rubbed it and it became alright as if I had never had any ailment in it."[123]

4.The effect of the Prophet’s blessing on passing his hand on the head of Hanzalah Ibn Hidhyam:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) passed his hand on the head of Hanzalah Ibn Hidhyam and said: “May Allah bless you, (or may you be blessed)!” Thereafter if a person with a swelling face or an animal with a swelling udder was brought to Handalah, he would spit on his own hands and then place his hand on his head at the site that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) had passed his hand on, and pass his hand on the position of the swelling and the swelling would disappear.[124]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught the Companions and the Muslims coming after them certain supplications to invoke Allah with and thereby secure continuous cure. This is valid even today, particularly when the conditions of permissible supplication are observed.[125] This involves Allah’s confirmation of the truthfulness of His Messenger through His responding to the invocations of his truthful followers.

The Miracles that occurred at Hunain Expedition:

The Muslims felt proud of their large number at Hunain Expedition but that did not benefit them when the enemy attacked them all of a sudden. They were defeated and were in great distress and discomfort. None kept firmly to his position except the Prophet (peace be upon him) and a few of his Companions. Salamah Ibn al-Akwa’ said: “While fleeing I passed by Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him), who was riding on his white mule. He said: ‘The son of al-Akwa' finds himself to be utterly perplexed.’ When the Companions gathered round him from all sides, he got down from his mule (in another narration it is reported that he invoked Allah then and asked Him for victory, saying: ‘O Allah, grant (us) Your Victory!)’[126], picked up a handful of dust from the ground, threw it into their (enemy) faces, saying: ‘May these faces be disfigured!’ There was no one among the enemy whose eyes were not filled with the dust from this handful. So they turned back fleeing, and Allah the Exalted and Glorious defeated them, and Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) distributed their booty among the Muslims.”[127] In another narration it is said that he picked up a few gravels and threw them into their faces, and then said: “They will be defeated, by the Lord of Muhammad!” By Allah, no sooner had he thrown his gravels at them than I saw them feeble and defeated.”[128]   

The Qur’an recorded this in the Saying of Allah (SWT): “Truly Allah has given you victory on many battlefields, and on the Day of Hunain (battle) when you rejoiced at your great number but it availed you naught and the earth, vast as it is, was straitened for you, then you turned back in flight. Then Allah did send down His Sakinah (calmness, tranquility, reassurance) on the Messenger and on the believers, and sent down forces (angels) which you saw not, and punished the disbelievers. Such is the recompense of disbelievers.” (IX: 25-26)

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