Preface

Technically the word 'miracle' donates a metaphysical phenomenon performed by a prophet of God to establish the truth his prophetic knowledge.

Besides the prophets of God many other people of mankind have also demonstrated feats of metaphysical nature. Many such events that have been recorded in the history are evident upon this fact. Holy and good-natured people perform, such metaphysical demonstration to warn, notify and guide their fellow beings.

Qalander Baba Auliya writes in his remarkable book “Loh-o-Oalum”.

Conductive Influence is of three types.

i)         Miracle

ii)        Wonder working and

iii)       Sorcery

Sorcery is that form of knowledge that surges in a person for certain reasons due to the influence of evils spirits of Limbo or the demon jinns. A sorcerer cannot be a cognizer of God. And, this is actual difference between sorcery and prophetic knowledge that the sorcery remains limited to viewing the Unseen whereas the prophetic knowledge takes a person beyond mere viewing of the Unseen and enables him to have a proper cognition of the Lord.

When a metaphysical activity takes place by a prophet of God under prophetic knowledge, it is termed as miracle. After termination of prophethood, the followers of a prophet exercising the prophetic knowledge demonstrate a supernatural phenomenon it is called 'wonder-working'. The followers of prophet of God who inherit the prophetic knowledge are called Auliya.

Effects of Miracle and the Wonder-working are permanent and lasting, that means, the influence lasts till it is not removed by the exercising person whereas the effects of sorcery are not permanent and change automatically when the atmosphere changes, it means that the effects of sorcery nullify when the atmosphere under goes a change. Anything that is made to happen under the influence of sorcery is technically known as magic.

The holy Quran terms miracles performed by the prophets of God as the Signs of God.

"And Then We saved him and the companions of the Ark. And We made the Ark a Sign of all people."           (S: 29, V: 15)

"This she-camel of God is a Sign unto you."  (5: 7. V: 73)

When the Holy Prophet (PBUH) announced his prophethood the infidels of Makka demanded him to demonstrate some miracle. The holy Quran reports this demand of the infidels in these words. “They say, 'Why does he (Mohammad) not bring us a Sign from his Lord?" (S: .20, V: 133)

“Yet they say, ‘why are not Signs sent down to him from his Lord?’''.          (S: 29, V: 50)

“Let him then bring us a Sign like the ones that were sent to prophets of old”.

Rejecters of the teachings of the prophet pronounced the Clear Sign exhibited by the Prophet of God as spell, magic or sorcery. Replying to the demand of infidels about metaphysical demonstration Quran says:

“And when they see a Sign they turn away from it and say this is but transient magic."(S: 54, V: 2)

"Say, The Signs are indeed with God and I am indeed a clear Warner." (S: 29. V: 50)

History testifies that the prophets of God performed miracles as the final argument only. But the unlucky people could not agree to believe even after witnessing the miracles.

“We delivered Moses and all who were with him. But we drowned the others. Verily in this is a Sign  but most of them do not believe."  (S: 26, V: 66-68)

When the people of Salih denounced even the miracle of witnessing a living she-camel coming out of the rock, the law of natures got hold of them.

"The companions of the Rocky Tract also rejected the apostles. We sent them Our Sign but they persisted in turning away from them. Out of the mountains did they hew their edifices feeling themselves secure. But, the almighty blast seized them of a morning. And, of no avail to them was all that they did with such art and care.”           

Only a few were there lo believe Christ after witnessing the miracles performed by him. Infidels of Makka could not guidance from the miracles performed by the Holy Prophet (PBUH). When the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was ordered to enlighten Madina, the darkness befell upon the infidels and the I Holy Prophet (PBUH)  and those who believed him entered Makka as conquerors.

People with insight and vision does not require any metaphysical demonstration to believe in the prophets. The very person of the prophet by itself is a Sign of Miracle for them. Khadija (RA), Abu Bakkar Siddique (RA). Omar Farooque (RA), Usman (RA), Ali (RA) and other famous companions or the prophet started believing the Holy Prophet (PBUH) without having seen any miracle exhibited by him.

Every Prophet was granted miracles according to the taste, temperament, level of understanding and the thinking approach of the people of his time. Era of Moses was that of sorcery and magic. He was provided with the miracles of Shining Hand and the Staff.

Magicians of the court of Pharaoh threw their ropes and stakes that transformed into snakes. Moses was commanded:

“Cast down thy staff which swallowed their illusion”.

And, when Moses prayed for water for his people he was told:

"Strike thy staff on the rock and twelve springs gushed there from."    

(S: 2, V: 60)

In the times of Christ, knowledge of healing was at its peak. God granted the miracle of curing the born-blinds, lepers and giving life to the dead.

“And behold, thou makest out of clay as it were a figure of bird by My leave and thou breathest into it, and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind and the lepers by My leave. And, behold! Thou bringest forth the dead by My leave”.  (S: 5, V: 113)

In the era of Salih the art of sculpturing was its pinnacle. Infidels according to their mental capabilities demanded an impossible thing of carving a living she-camel from a rock. He pointed towards a rock. The rock split and a living she-camel appeared there from and gave birth to a child. People of Salih were thus warned.

“It is the she-camel of God and is a Sign for you”

About the proclamation of prophethood by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) the holy Quran clearly announces:

“O mankind! Verily there have come to you a convincing proof from your Lord”. (S: 4, V: 174)

Every part of the life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is a clear Sign of God for those who have wisdom and contemplate.

The difference between Right and Wrong was made clear after the proclamation of the prophet-hood of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Those who had come to demolish the holy Ka'aba were turned into regurgitated fodder. Arabia that was under the spell of drought started receiving the rains and greenery permeated all over. The fire burning in the temple of Fire-worshippers turned off. Earth quack caused fourteen watchtowers to fall. The lake of Sarah, situated between Hamadan and Qum that was six miles, wide and six miles long dried up. Water started running the dry streams of Samawah Valley, which is situated in between Kuffa and Syria.

Miracles and the metaphysical happenings are beyond the reach of human comprehension. I, in this part of the book, have attempted to describe the metaphysical and supernatural events ascribed to with the life of the Holy Prpphet (PBUH) as given in the history, in the light of the spiritual science.

Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi

Markazi Muraqba Hall,

Surjani Town,

Karachi

11th January 1997