The Miracles of the Saints are all Miracles of the Prophet ﷺ
A discourse on the perfection of the Prophet ﷺ and the miracles of the saints from the Qur’an commentary of the Egyptian sage and muhaddith Shaykh Muhammad al-Hāfiz al-Tijani
إِنَّاۤ أَعۡطَیۡنَـٰكَ ٱلۡكَوۡثَرَ
"Truly We have given thee ˹O Prophet˺ Abundance (kawthar)." – Qur’an 108:1
The Arabs call anything of great magnitude, either in number, value, or esteem, "kawthar."
Allah has given His Messenger ﷺ from the beginning of time such immense good that there is no end to its vastness, and from him ﷺ it flows to all others: “We did not send you except as a mercy to all the worlds" (21:107). This overflowing goodness encompasses all blessings and virtues in both this world and in the hereafter.
Allah—may He be exalted—granted him ﷺ [alone] the unique rank which encompasses every perfection in the world of possibility. In terms of knowledge, there is none more exalted than he ﷺ, in forbearance none more expansive than he ﷺ, and in generosity none more noble than he ﷺ. The same can be said for all praiseworthy attributes, for combined within him are all of the attributes of perfection that were dispersed in other beings. All degrees of perfection amongst contingent things are but parts of his perfection ﷺ, whom the Bestower of Grace—may He be exalted—has distinguished with that which was never given to anyone else in creation.
The Prophet ﷺ is the greatest example of the human being in the realm of humanity and the greatest example of the soul in the Highest Assembly [of Heaven]. No human being has attained such a rank in the Highest Assembly—in which all of the assembly stands below him—except him ﷺ.
God Most-High has said, "Whoever follows God and the Messenger ﷺ, truly they will be with those whom God has blessed from amongst the prophets, the people of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous—what an honorable company!" (4:69). The highest of those who are given blessings are the prophets (may the greatest peace and blessings be upon all of them and upon our Prophet ﷺ), then the people of truth, then the martyrs, then the righteous. And none of them have been given any bounty or grace except that Allah gave our master Muhammad ﷺ its like or something greater than it.
The scholars have counted the miracles (karāmāt) of the saints that Allah bestows upon them as one of the greater miracles (mu’jizāt) of the Messenger ﷺ. This is because [the saints] attain this grace and bounty by virtue of their faith in him ﷺ and through following him, and the apparent breaks in natural law that occur at their hands are but the overflowing streams of God’s bounty upon him ﷺ. The miracles of his nation are thus all counted as his own miracles.
Al-Hāfiz al-Bayhaqi narrated in his book "The Proofs of Prophethood" from Amr bin Shawār, who said:
"Imam al-Shafi’i (ra) said, 'God has not given any prophet the likes of that which He has given to Muhammad ﷺ.' I said, 'But God gave Jesus (as) the ability to bring the dead back to life.' Imam al-Shafi’i responded, 'And He gave Muhammad ﷺ the miracle of the palm trunk besides which he used to give the Friday sermon until the first minbar (pulpit) was fashioned for him. When it was made for him [and he began giving the sermon upon it], the trunk yearned for him with such intensity that the people could hear the sound of it weeping. This miracle is even greater than that [of Jesus]...’"
Al-Hassan al-Basri said: "If this trunk yearned so much for the Prophet ﷺ, then the people should yearn for him even more so. This miracle is even more mighty and wonderous because it involves the engendering of sentient life and emotions in a place where they are not customary and had—before that—been totally absent. May Allah, the Lord of the worlds, be praised." And this was transmitted by al-Hāfiz Ibn Kathīr in "The Beginning and the End."
Among the miracles of the prophet Noah—peace be upon him—was that he and his companions were saved [from the flood] in the ark, however water bearing people upon its surface without a boat is even more wonderous than if they were to ride in one. al-Hāfiz Ibn Kathīr transmits from Imam Abu’l Mu’āli al-Zamalkāni: "Many of the saints have walked upon the surface of the water. A proof of this is in the story of Alā bin Ziyād al-Hadrami, the companion of the Messenger of God ﷺ."
Munjāb narrated: "We fought alongside Alā al-Hadrami (ra) in the conquest of the island of Dareen (in Bahrain, eastern Arabia) and he made three supplications that were accepted by God. Along the way, we stopped and dismounted, and Alā searched for water but found none. Then he stood and prayed two cycles of prayer and said, 'O Allah, truly we are Your servants, and in Your path we are fighting Your enemies. O Allah, nourish us with rain, so that we may make wudu with it and drink from it, and let no one else (i.e. the enemy) have a share of it.' So we continued on for a while and soon came upon water, at a time when the sky showed no sign of rain. We purified ourselves from it and equipped ourselves with it, and I filled some of my vessels with water and left them in that place, to see whether his supplication would be answered [in the manner he had asked] or not.
We continued on for a while before I said to my companions, 'I forgot my vessels,' and returned to that place. It was as if no water had been there in the first place. Then we went on until we came to the sea which separated us from the island of Dareen. Alā said, 'O Knower of All, O Most-Wise, we are Your servants, and we are fighting Your enemies in Your path. O Allah, make for us a way to them.' Then we entered the sea and the water did not reach even our sattlebags. We rode on the surface of the water, and none of us got wet..." and then he (Mujāb) told the rest of the story.
This miracle is more amazing than a person riding upon a ship, for water carrying a ship is normal. And it is even more wonderous than the parting of the Red Sea for Moses (as), for in that case, the water withdrew such that they could walk upon the dry earth; the miracle was the drawing back of the water. In the case of Alā bin al-Hadrami (ra), the water became like a solid body that they could ride upon as if it were earth. And this is all attributed to the Prophet ﷺ and his blessings. This was mentioned by Imam al-Bukhāri in his "Great History" from a different chain of transmission and by al-Bayhaqi on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra), who was with Alā bin Ziyād al-Hadrami and witnessed the miracle directly.
Al-Bayhaqi also reported that Anas Ibn Mālik (ra) said: "I myself witnessed three things from this Ummah that had they occured among the Children of Israel, all of the nations would not have shared in their virtue." He was asked, "What were these, O Abu Hamzah?" He responded, "We were in the Suffah [of the mosque] with the Messenger of God ﷺ when a woman came as a migrant, accompanied by her son who had just reached maturity. The Prophet sent her to join the women and had her son join us (i.e. the men). Not long had passed before her son was afflicted with the sickness of Medina. He became ill for several days and then passed. The Prophet ﷺ shrouded him and ordered that the body be prepared [for burial]. When we went to wash him, the Prophet ﷺ said, 'O Anas, bring his mother and inform her of what has happened,' and I did so. She came and sat at her son’s feet, and took them in her hands, saying, 'O Allah, I have submitted myself to You with obedience and shunned the idols. Do not try me with this affliction, which I do not have the strength to bear.' By God, she had not finished speaking except that his feet began to move and he cast aside the cloth which was covering his face. He went on to live until after God took the soul of His Prophet ﷺ."
Then Anas continued, "On another occasion, Umar Ibn al-Khattāb (ra) was preparing an army and put them under the leadership of al-Alā al-Hadrami. I was with their expedition when they set out. We found that the people (i.e. the enemy) had been on their guard against us, and had cut us off from any access to water. The heat was intense, and we were in a state of great thirst, as were our mounts. It was the day of Jum'ah (Friday) and the sun had begun to dip towards the western horizon. Alā led us in two cycles of prayer, then raised his hands to the sky, and we did not see anything in the sky (i.e. of rain clouds). By God, he had scarcely returned his hands but that God sent a wind driving with it clouds which emptied themselves until the streams and valleys were filled. So we drank from it and watered our mounts with it, and carried some with us.
Then we came upon our foe and found that they had crossed the gulf and were standing on the far bank of the water. Alā said, 'O Knower, O Mighty, O Gracious, O Generous!' Then he said, 'Go forth, Bismillah! (In the name of God).' We rode straight ahead, and the hooves of our steeds weren’t even made wet by the water. Shortly thereafter we met the enemy in battle and slayed, captured, or subdued them. Then we came again to the gulf and he made the same invocation that he had made before, and we crossed the water once more without it wetting the hooves of our mounts." Then he (Anas) mentioned the death of Alā, and how they buried him in a land whose earth would not accept the bodies of the dead. So they redug the grave to move his body elsewhere, but when they opened the grave they did not find his body; rather, inside was a shining light. They put the dirt back in the grave and moved on.
In the raising of the woman's son through her supplication, there is a karāma (saintly miracle) for her and a mu'jiza (prophetic miracle) for the Messenger of God ﷺ, just as God raised the dead for the Messiah [Jesus], peace be upon him.
Also in the "Proofs of Prophethood" by Imam al-Bayhaqi, there is the story of how Abu Ubayda al-Thaqafi, who was the commander of the army in the days of Umar Ibn al-Khattāb (ra), came to the Tigris river when it was full, and the Persians were on the opposite bank. He recited the words of Allah, "No soul can die except through Allah’s will at an appointed time" (3:145), then he invoked the name of God and plunged with his horse into the water, and the army followed suit behind him. When the Persians saw them doing this, they began crying, "Madmen! Madmen!" and turned on their heels, fleeing, whereupon the Muslim army slayed them and claimed abundant booty.
Abū Dawūd narrated that Abu Muslim al-Khawlāni came to the Tigris River, and its torrent carried with it pieces of wood (i.e., it had a strong current). He stood beside it, thanked God and praised Him, then invoked the crossing of the Children of Israel in the Red Sea. He then spurred on his mount [and charged forward]; the water drew back and the people followed him until they crossed it. Then he said, “Have any of you lost any of your belongings? If so, pray to Allah that He returns it to you.”
As for the fire which was made cool for Abraham — the Friend of God — peace be upon him, the great Hadith scholar Abu’l Qāsim Ibn Asākir reported in the biography of Abu Muslim Abdullah bin Ayoub in his book "The History of Damascus" on the authority of Abd al-Wahāb bin Muhammad from Ismaīl bin 'Iyāsh al-Hatīmī :
Sharhabīl bin Muslim al-Khawlānī narrated to me, "al-Aswad bin Qays bin Dhi’l-Himar al-Ansī had claimed prophethood in Yemen, and he called for Abu Muslim al-Khawlāni to be brought before him. When he came, he asked him, 'Do you bear witness that I am a messenger of God?' Abu Muslim responded, 'I don’t hear you.' Al-Aswad then said, 'Do you bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God?' He responded, 'Yes.' He reiterated this line of questioning several times, then ordered that a great fire be kindled and cast Abu Muslim into it, but it did not harm him. It was said to al-Aswad, 'Send him away, lest he corrupt you and those who follow you.' So he ordered [that he be released].
Abu Muslim then departed from Yemen and arrived in Medina shortly after the passing of the Prophet ﷺ and the succession of Abu Bakr (ra). He tied his camel beside the door of the mosque, entered, and went to pray besides one of the pillars. Umar Ibn al-Khattāb (ra) saw him, and came to him, saying 'Where are you from?' He responded, 'I am from the people of Yemen.' Umar said, 'What news of the man whom the false prophet burnt in the fire?' He said, 'That was Abdullah Ibn Ayoub.' Umar said, 'I ask you by Allah, are you he?' Abu Muslim responded, 'By Allah, yes.' Umar embraced him and sat him down between himself and Abu Bakr al-Sidīq (ra) who said, 'Praise God that He has allowed me to live to see in the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ one who experienced that which happened to Abraham, the Friend of the Most-Merciful.’"
It is established concerning the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that Allah took him as both His intimate friend (khalīl) as well as His beloved (habīb).
As for the outpouring of water [from the stone] which was given to Moses, peace be upon him, what is even more wonderous than this is the flowing of water from between the fingers of the Prophet ﷺ. And as for the splitting of the sea, even greater than this is the splitting of the moon for him ﷺ, as has been proven definitively in authentic reports, as well as his journey by night from the sanctified mosque [in Mecca] to Masjid al-Aqsa [in Jerusalem]. And even more majestic than this journey is the Messenger's ﷺ ascent through the heavens and traversing through the spheres of the celestial bodies—which are more intense than any fire—and his ascent beyond the seven heavens and experiencing, while alive, the Highest Assembly [of Heaven].
As for the softening of iron for our master David, peace be upon him, God gave our Prophet ﷺ something even greater than this when the dried stick became verdant and sprouted leaves in his hand, and when he ﷺ touched the old female sheep of Umm Ma'bad and its udder became swollen with milk.
Ibn Sa'ad narrated concerning Ukāsha bin al-Mihsan (ra) that his sword broke on the day of the Battle of Badr, and the Messenger of God ﷺ gave him a tree branch which became a sword of iron—sharp, strong, and pure—in his hand. Similarly, Abd al-Razāq narrated that Abdullah bin Jahsh (ra) came to the Prophet ﷺ on the day of the Battle of Uhud, and his sword had been lost. The Prophet ﷺ gave him a stripped palm frond and it became a sword in Abdullah's hand.
The Messenger of God ﷺ also returned the eye of Qatāda (ra) to its socket after it had been torn out and lay hanging upon his cheek.
The Prophet ﷺ spoke to the birds and camels and stones, as has been established in the authentic reports [of Bukhāri and others]. Just as Allah subjected the jinn to the command of our master Solomon, peace be upon him, the angels themselves were amongst the troops of the Messenger of God ﷺ [in the battle of Badr].
That which Allah granted His Messenger ﷺ [of miracles] is more than can be described or enumerated.
[Translated from Shaykh al-Hāfiz’s commentary Surat al-Kawthar (Qur’an 108), originally published in his magazine Tarīq al-Haqq]
(All translations — including any possible errors — are my own. Any good or benefit found in this piece is from God alone)
