Reality of Miracles in Islam

First sermon:
Beyond a shadow of doubt, Allah, All-Mighty, created the universe, with its heavens and earth, and also all of the worlds, the human world being a part thereof, according to infinitely accurate Divine Systems and Laws, most remarkable of which is the “Cause and Effect” law, which, in turn, determines that things are correlated with one another in existence by the principle of causation, i.e. one thing is the cause while another is the effect thereof. The amazing thing that completes such Miraculous Divine System is that the human mind is based on the same principle of causation, as above-mentioned. In other words, the human mind can not comprehend the occurrence of an incident, whatever it might be, except on the basis of the “Cause and Effect” principle. Moreover, due to His Divine Mercy upon us, Allah, Most Gracious, made such law of causation in both the System of the universe and in our mind the way that leads us gently and smoothly to know Allah, All-Mighty, Creator and Originator of all things. It has been rightly said, “Footsteps denote walking, and water denotes a stream. So how come that the heaven, with its constellations, and the earth, with its valleys and mountains, do not denote the existence of the All-Wise, the All-Knowing.?!”
Also, due to Allah’s Divine Mercy upon us, the principle of causation gives the universe a kind of stability and paves the way for man to discover cosmic laws and qualities of things and to deal easily with them. Were effects not correlated to causes by the principle of causation, the whole universe would be a mere chaos, and man would get lost and would never be able to make use of his mind. But whosoever believes that causes alone bring forth effects, and therefore, relies only on causes, is a polytheist who associates with Allah other gods. That is why Allah, Most Gracious, bestows His Favor upon those who fell easy prey to covert polytheism and teaches them by making ineffective the causes on which they rely in achieving their purposes; and when such a thing happens, man is greatly surprised by unexpected effects. And whosoever neglects causes and claims to rely on Allah for producing the desirable effects is a disobedient person because he is careless about Allah’s Systems and Laws that govern the whole universe and because he wrongly hopes that Allah will stop such Systems and Laws for his sake.
A true believer, however, is someone who takes into consideration all causes but does not believe that they bring about the desired effects or rely on them. In other words he takes causes as if they were everything but relies on Allah as if such causes were nothing. He believes that whatever Allah wills shall inevitably be, and whatever He does not will shall never be and that causes alone never bring about any effects unless by Allah’s Will and Leave. This can be called “Positive Monotheism”, which is not known to disbelievers and also a great many believers. To this effect, Allah, Most Gracious, says,
“And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners unto Him.”

[XII; 106]

In interpretation of the above Verse some interpreters said: Such is “Covert Polytheism”.
The principle of causation, however, is sometimes breached; but how and when? The answer is: When a Messenger of Allah comes to convey Allah’s Message to people, he will certainly be demanded to bring forth clear evidence of his being the Messenger of Allah and that the Scripture that he comes with is definitely from Allah. Here come miracles to prove truthfulness of Allah’s Prophets and Messengers (PBUT) and validity of their religion.
Miracles can be defined as acts or events that do not follow the known laws and systems of nature; and they can be done only by Allah, Creator of all worlds, simply because it is He Who made such Laws and Systems. But He gives such miracles to His Prophets and Messengers as evidence of their truthfulness and the Divine nature of their Message. And although miracles are unusual, they are mentally accepted.
It is not the same, however, when the mind determines that something is impossible and when it fails to understand it. This is because being ignorant of something does not necessitate that it does not exist. People of the holy Prophet Abraham, (PBUH), who were idolaters, brought Abraham after he had demolished their idols and cast him into a great fire that they had already kindled to burn him before their gods so that their revenge over Abraham would be blessed by their gods. They had brought a lot of wood and kindled a great fire, all for glorification of their gods other than Abraham’s God, Allah, Glory to Him. But the question is: Why did Allah, All-Mighty, allow them to seize Abraham and bring him to be burned before their gods although he (PBUH) was His beloved Messenger?! It was possible that Allah, the Almighty, kept Abraham hidden from them so that they could never reach him, and he would be rescued from being burned. But if such a thing had happened, they would have said, “If we had seized Abraham, we would have burned him before our gods.”, and the fake power of their false gods would have remained dominant over their minds as being able to do good to those who worship them or harm to those who refuse to do so. In fact, it was both necessary and reasonable that Abraham be caught and brought before their gods so that they may witness with their own eyes, when the Divine Miracle comes to rescue Abraham, complete disability and helplessness of their false gods in the face of Allah’s Irresistible Divine Power. Also, the fire that they had kindled could have been put out by an earthly cause such as heavy rain or strong wind, but in that case they would have said: “Our gods are able to burn Abraham, but it is the rain. Had it not rained, our gods would have burned him.” But what happened? In fact, the thing that happened was that due to Allah’s Infinite Divine Wisdom, Abraham did not hide from them, but rather he was seized; the fire was not put out but rather made more ablaze; and Abraham was brought and cast into the fire. But, in the end, and despite everything, Allah’s Irresistible Power came to render all causes invalid and to take away from fire the ability to burn:
“We said: ‘O fire! Be you coolness and safety for Abraham!”

[XXI; 69]

But what would have happened if Allah, Glory to Him, said: “O fire! Be coolness!” and not “Be coolness and safety!”?! Abraham, (PBUH), would have been killed by the cold! And what would have happened if Allah, Most Gracious, said: “O fire! Be coolness and safety!” but not “for Abraham (alone)”? The ability to burn would have been taken away from fire till the Day of Resurrection!
* * *

Now, after the above ideological introduction, we move on to talk about Al-Isra’ Wal Mi’raj (The Night Journey and Ascension) of the Holy Prophet, Muhammad, (PBUH).
In reference to the Holy Prophet’s Night Journey from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to the Furthest Mosque in Jerusalem, Allah, Most Gracious, says,
“Glorified is He (Allah) Who had His slave (Muhammad) taken for a journey by night from Al-Masjid Al-Haram (The Sacred Mosque in Mecca) to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa (The Furthest Mosque in Jerusalem), the vicinity thereof We have blessed, in order to show him (some) of Our Signs. Verily, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”

[XVII; 1]

In reference to the Holy Prophet’s Ascension into the heavens, Allah, Most Merciful, says,
“By the star when it falls down (or vanishes)! Your companion (Muhammad) has neither gone astray nor erred; nor does he speak out of (his own) desire. It is only a Revelation revealed. He has been taught (this Quran) by one mighty in power (Gabriel), one free from any defect in body and mind. Then he rose and became stable while he was in the highest part of the horizon. Then he approached and came closer, and was at a distance of two bows’ length or (even) nearer. So He (Allah) revealed to His slave whatever He revealed. The (Prophet’s) heart lied not in what he (Muhammad) saw. Will you then dispute with him (Muhammad) about what he saw. And indeed he (Muhammad) saw him (Gabriel) another time.”

[LIII; 1-13]

As for the reason for the Night Journey, Allah, All-Wise, summed it up by His Divine Words
“in order to show him (some) of Our Signs”

and as for the reason for the Ascension, it is summed up by Allah’s Divine Words
“Indeed, he (Muhammad) did see of the Greatest Signs of his Lord.”

The word “Glorified” denotes that the Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascension are not subject to earthly laws or dimensions of place and time. They both belong to Allah’s Infinite Divine Power, which does not follow any of the laws or systems of nature. In other words, they are Divine Miracles that can not be subject to human judgment or measurement.
Allah’s Words
“in order to show him”

and not
“in order to show them”

denote that such miracle was singled out only for the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, (PBUH), from among all mankind, as a kind of honor. In other words, Allah, All-Mighty, wanted to show His Messenger, Muhammad, (PBUH), some of the Signs of His Infinite Divine Power and Miraculous Creativity. He also desired to show him His Majestic Kingdom and the final Return of all creatures to Him, so that his holy heart may be comforted, his insight enlightened, and his Faith firmly established, and so that the world of the Unseen may be something seen and perceivable to him after it had been mere mental conception based on Divine Revelation. This is because there is a big difference between definitive knowledge based on informative certainty, true knowledge based on eye-witnessing, and definitive true knowledge based on all senses.
Allah’s Words
“His slave”

mean that man, no matter how many miracles he is granted, and no matter how much honor he receives from his Lord, he can be nothing but a mere slave of His Lord, Creator of the heavens and earth.
As for Allah’s Words
“Verily, He is All-Seeing, All-Hearing”

they will be dealt with later on in this article.
In fact, the Holy Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascension was a kind of elimination of former distress, strengthening of his noble heart, reassurance of the prosperous future of the Call for Islam, and recompense for earthly roughness by friendly heavenly reception, for roughness of the world of people by honor of the Upper World in heavens. Undoubtedly, the Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascension were a unique honor to him, because after the severe trial of At-Ta’if, Allah, Most Gracious, made him know that he is the first and foremost of all the children of Adam and that he is the first and foremost of all Prophets and Messengers. He, All-Mighty, made him see his Lord’s Kingdom of the heavens and earth and the final Return of all creatures on the Day of Resurrection. Such unique Journey and Ascension came after the so-called ‘Am Al-Huzn (Year of Grief), in which the Prophet’s venerable wife, Khadeejah, the truthful believing woman who helped him at times of hardship and consoled him at times of distress with both her self and wealth. It was the year in which did die his uncle Abu Talib, who showed a great deal of nobility as a guardian and a lot of heroism as a defender; and indeed, Quraish was able to do much more harm and injury to the holy Prophet, (PBUH), in that year more than any other time. In that same year, the holy Prophet, (PBUH), went out to At-Ta’if seeking to call its people to Islam and getting help and support from them. But they gave him an unfriendly welcome, rejected arrogantly his call, spoke badly to him and even allured their children and fools against him. No doubt, the holy Prophet, (PBUH), bore much more hardship and distress in that year than any human being could ever bear unless he be a Prophet.
The Night Journey and Ascension of the holy Prophet, (PBUH), were, undoubtedly, a great honor to him after his amazing success in a most difficult trial at At-Ta’if.
The great many hardships and difficulties that the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), met in his call for Islam, and particularly at At-Ta’if, were part of his mission of communicating Allah’s Message of Islam to all mankind. Just as he came to convey true Faith concerning the universe and its Maker, Allah, All-Mighty, life and its reality, man and his mission in life, rules of religious as well as transactional obligations, and good noble manners, he also came to teach Muslims, through actual practice, that they must be up to what Allah, All-High, has enjoined on them of endurance and perseverance, in accordance with Allah’s Words,
“O you who believe! Endure and be more patient (than your enemy). And guard your territory by stationing army units permanently at the places from where the enemy can attack you. And fear Allah so that you may be successful.”

[III; 200]

Just as the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), taught people by his words, he taught them by his deeds. Just as he said to people,
“Pray just as you see me pray; and take from me your rituals.”

he (PBUH) taught them by his behavior to be as patient as he was. It might be wrongly thought that the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), was defeated at At-Ta’if and was, therefore, so hopeless and desperate that he turned to Allah with prayer, supplication and complaint. In fact, he was neither helpless nor hopeless, but rather he faced all trials and hardships with unmatched patience and perseverance for the sake of his Lord, Allah, All-Mighty, Most Gracious, because he could have taken his revenge over those who did harm to him and particularly over those who incited their children and fools against him. Nay, when Gabriel was sent to his help, saying,
“O Muhammad! Verily, Allah, All-Mighty, All-High, has heard your people’s evil words and deeds to you; and He has sent to you the Angel of Mountains so that you may bid him whatever you desire against them.”,

and when the Angel of Mountains addressed him,
“O Muhammad! The whole matter is up to you! If you desire, I shall press upon them the two mountains (of At-Ta’if) together!”

All the holy Prophet, (PBUH), said was:
“O Allah! Rightly guide my people, for they do not know (i.e. they are ignorant)! I hope Allah will bring forth from their loins (children) who worship Allah, Alone, and associate none to Him.”

As can be easily noticed from the above Hadith, the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), did not dissociate himself from his people or claim that he did belong to them. On the contrary, when he prayed to his Lord for help, he invoked,
“O Allah! Rightly guide my people!”

He also tried to put forward excuses for them saying,
“for they do not know (i.e. they are ignorant)!”

Even more, he (PBUH) hoped that their offspring would be devoted monotheist worshippers. Such was one of the great many trials that the holy Prophet, (PBUH), passed successfully, and was, therefore, deservedly described by his Lord, Most Gracious, as being of a great noble character.
In fact, there is no contradiction between showing patience towards hardships and praying to Allah, Most Compassionate, in invocation or complaint. This is because complaining to Allah, the Most Gracious, is a kind of worship. To this effect, the Quranic Verse goes,
“I only complain of my grief and sorrow to Allah; and I know from Allah that which you know not.”

[XII; 86]

Humble supplication and standing in submission at the Lord’s Door makes man wear the cloak of servitude to Him. And through his holy life, the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), practically taught us both things: patience and supplication. In other words, through his unmatched perseverance in the face of hardships and distresses, he (PBUH) teaches us that Muslims in general and preachers in particular have to endure and be patient; and similarly, by his prayer and humble supplication to his Lord, the Almighty, he (PBUH) teaches us that meek complaint and truthful supplication are the token of man’s true faith and sincere servitude to the Lord, Most Gracious. This is most eloquently symbolized by the holy Prophet’s invocation to the Lord at At-Ta’if:
“O Allah! To You do I complain of my weak power and helplessness, and contempt (that I receive) from people. O Most Merciful! You are the Lord of the weak; and You are my Lord. To whom do You entrust me: To an alien who despises me or to an enemy whom You have given power over me?! However, if You are not angry with me, I do not care; but Your releasing me (from this hardship) seems better to me. I take refuge with the Light of Your Face, Which enlightens the dark and sets right affairs of the present world and the Hereafter, from Your Being angry or wrathful with me. And I shall remain standing (in humble veneration and submission) at Your Door until You are Pleased with me; and there is neither might nor power except with You.”

Man is naturally pre-disposed to feel both sweetness of bliss and pain of torture and to be inclined to seek the former and avoid the latter. But when he gets used to bear all kinds of harm and torture while he is carrying out Allah’s Commands in pursuit of His Good Pleasure and Generous Recompense, this does not mean that he loses his feeling of pain of harm or sweetness of bliss. If man, however, prefers to suffer harm, no matter how painful or sorrowful it might be, to bliss, regardless of its pleasures and enjoyments, for the sake of his Lord and in order to carry out his mission in life, then he deserves a never-ending Bliss in his Lord’s Paradise, where he finds things that no human eye has ever seen, no human ear has ever heard of, and no human mind has ever imagined. And were the holy Prophet, (PBUH) non-human, he wouldn’t be the best of all mankind.
Contemplation on the holy Prophet’s life with his people shows clearly that he received from his people and bore patiently harm that no other human being could ever bear. Nevertheless, together with each kind of harm, and at each stage of the Prophet’s Call for Islam, a Divine Answer to such kind of harm came in order to provide him with comfort, consolation, honor and help, and in order not to allow feelings of impatience, despair and hopelessness to sneak into his holy heart. And the Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascension are in fact one of such Divine Answers of honor in recompense for the unbearable harm and trial which unveiled the Prophet’s unmatched care to rightly guide his people, the incomparable patience that he displayed towards the harm he received from them, and the most noble and merciful attitude towards them when the Angel of Mountains offered to press together the two mountains of At-Ta’if on them, which symbolized the Divine Answer to the Prophet’s invocation at At-Ta’if. And maybe Allah’s Words at the end of the Quranic Verse that speaks about the Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascension:
“Verily, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing”

mean that Allah, All-Mighty, Most Gracious, Who sees everything and hears everything, heard Muhammad’s invocation at At-Ta’if and knew his great care to rightly guide his people, who not only rejected his call but also exaggerated in their ill-treatment to him. Such fact applies, in one way or another, to every true believer everywhere and at all times. To this effect, Allah, Most Merciful, says,
“Verily, along with every hardship is relief; verily, with every hardship is relief.”

This is a Divine Law, for opening one’s breast, removing one’s burdens and raising high one’s fame after hardship and distress is one of Allah’s Divine Laws with His slaves. He, Most Gracious, emphasizes that ease and relief must inevitably come after grief and distress. That is why Omar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
Turn away from all your worries,

And leave things up to Divine Decree.

And hope for good to come soon,

To make you forget all past troubles.

And maybe an unpleasant thing

Brings therewith joyful ends.

And maybe things get narrowed,

But then there follows wide space.

Allah does whatever He desires,

So be you not disobedient.

And Allah has always bestowed his Favors upon you,

So count things according to what has been.

Another lesson that can be learned from the Messenger of Allah, (PBUH), when he was at At-Ta’if. When he (PBUH) was asked by Zaid bin Harithah,
“O Messenger of Allah! How will you go back to Mecca after you have been forced to leave it?”, he (PBUH) replied, “O Zaid! Allah will inevitably bring ease and relief after that which you see (now). And Allah will inevitably grant victory to His Religion and help to His Prophet.”

In fact, all that which the holy Prophet, (PBUH), was met with at At-Ta’if of rejection, belying, mockery, and injury, together with what he had previously suffered in Mecca of disbelief, rejection, denial, persecution, intimidation, and exile, most grievous and painful as that had been, could not in the least weaken his Faith in Allah and confidence in Him, nor could that enfeeble his determination, because he was definitely certain that Allah will never forsake His Religion or let down His Messenger or true believers, no matter how fierce or great the attack of enemies might be. To this effect, Allah, All-Mighty, says,
“Say, ‘The Truth has come, and Falsehood has vanished. Surely, Falsehood is ever bound to vanish.”

[XVII; 81]

It is absolutely wrong to believe that Allah, Glory to Him, does not help His Messengers or provide them with victory, that He, Most Gracious, does not support His soldiers or grant them victory over their enemies, that He, All-High, does not help His Religion or Book, or that He, Most Merciful, grants domination to polytheism over Monotheism and to Falsehood over the Truth, in such a way that Monotheism and Truth vanish for ever, simply because that would clash with Allah’s Divine Perfection, Majesty, and His Beautiful Names and Attributes, and simply because His Infinite Divine Might and Wisdom necessitate that His Messengers and true Friends must never suffer disgrace or humiliation and that lasting victory or domination must never be given to His enemies. Those who think that such a thing could ever happen do not know Allah or His Beautiful Names or Attributes.
* * *

As for the reality of miracles from the Islamic Perspective, it is meaningless to speak about miracles, which are acts or events that do not follow the known laws of nature, if the whole religion, which is based on belief in Allah as the One and Only Perfect God, who knows everything, is Powerful over everything, does whatever He desires, is rejected or suspected. This is because people should be first addressed concerning basics of religion while believing Muslims are addressed concerning branches of religion, one of which is the speech about miracles.
Moreover, the whole universe, with all its heavenly objects, galaxies, stars, planets, comets, distances between heavenly objects, velocity of their motion, their sizes, their movements and orbits, gravitational forces between them, the earth with its mountains and valleys, planes and deserts, seas and lakes, rivers and springs, animals and plants, fishes and birds, minerals and resources, human beings with their minds and emotions, organs and parts of bodies, natural dispositions and tempers, marriage and offspring, life and death, are all miracles, and what great miracles! In other words, the whole universe, in its normal state and without any abnormal incidents or deviations from its laws, is a marvelous Divine Miracle in itself! To this effect, Allah, All-Mighty, says,
“Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and day, there are indeed Signs for men of understanding who remember Allah while (they are) standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and contemplate the creation of the heavens and the earth (saying): ‘Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose! Glory to You! Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.”

[III; 190,191]

Our human body in itself is a most amazing miracle and the closest and most obvious of all to us. For example, in the human head there are three hundred thousand hairs; and each hair has a separate root, vein, artery, muscle, nerve, fat-gland, and color-gland. Is not that a miracle?!
In the human retina there are ten layers, in the last of which there are 140 million light-receptors; and from the eye to the brain there goes a visionary nerve that has 500,000 nerve fibers, which can distinguish between 800,000 shades of one color. Is not that a miracle?!
In the human ear there is a network of 30,000 auditory cells to transmit most delicate sound waves to the brain, which has special apparatus for measuring time-difference of the sound received by both ears, which is sometimes less than a 1\1600 of a second, and which enables man to find out direction of the sound-source. Is not that a miracle?!
On the surface of the human tongue there are 9,000 gustative teats to distinguish the different kinds of tastes. Is not that a miracle?!
Each sound man utters requires 17 muscles in order to be articulated; so how many movements of the tongue muscles does a sermon of an hour need?! Is not that a miracle?!
In man there is a pump, the heart, which works without a moment’s cessation to pump eight cubic meters of blood every day and, on average, as much blood as would fill a skyscraper in man’s lifetime. Is not that a miracle?!
In the human brain, there are a billion cells and a hundred billion supporting cells whose work is not known yet. And in fact, the brain is the most complicated organ of human body; nevertheless, it is unable to understand its own self. Is not that a miracle?!
The human stomach has more than a billion cells that produce several liters of hydrochloric acid per day for digesting food; but it is still unknown how the stomach does not digest itself. Is not that a miracle?!
In the human intestine there are 3600 intestinal fluffs in each square centimeter for food absorption; and such fluffs are renewed every 48 hours. Is not that a miracle?!
Underneath the human skin there are about 16 million sweat-glands for controlling heat of the body. Is not that a miracle?!
In the human liver there are 300 billion cells that can be totally renewed within a period of four months; and the different jobs of the liver are so numerous and vital that man can not live without a liver for more than three hours. Is not that a miracle?!
In the human kidneys there are two million purification units whose total length is one hundred kilometers, through which blood flows many times a day. Is not that a miracle?!
In the human nose there are 20 million smell nerve-ends, each of which ends in seven fluffs surrounded by a mucous liquid which reacts chemically with the smell to form a geometrical shape that is sent to the brain and displayed in the smell-memory file which contains 10, 000 smell items; and when the shape sent from the nose conforms to one of the items, man distinguishes the kind of smell. All this takes place in less than a second. Is not the sense of smell a miracle?!
* * *

But due to his deep involvement in his own mundane affairs, his heedlessness of his own Maker, and the long-termed familiarity with the things around him, man fails to notice any of the Divine miracles around him or greatness of his Lord’s Creativity; and he wrongly thinks that miracles are only such events as do not follow the familiar laws of nature. He even goes further as to make the things familiar to him a standard whereby he measures his belief or disbelief in other things. Such an act on the part of man is mere ignorance, because contemplation shows clearly that the Maker, Most Gracious, Who created the great Divine Miracle of the whole universe, is by no means unable to add another miracle thereto, change or alter some of His Divine Laws according to which He originated the whole universe. Some western scientists said: The Power that created the universe is not unable to omit something from or add something to it. And if the universe did not exist, and one of those who deny miracles were informed that a universe will be brought into existence, he would soon claim that such a thing would be impossible, and his denial would be far more greater than denying some miracles.