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Living Shari`ah Editing Desk
Name
Begum Shofiq
-
Profession
Question
salaam;
why Prophet allowed the killing of Kab ibn Ashraf ? Why did not he ask Allah to change his mind & the Muslims did not have to kill any poet ? At least , he did not kill any Muslim . Non-Muslims criticise so much about this killing & ask why God did not do any miracle through the last Prophet instead of killing a poet ?
Answer
Hello Begum Shofiq,
Thank you for your question.
In fact, Allah the Almighty could have made all humans believers, if He so willed; not just Kaab ibn Ashraf. But as humans are free autonomous beings, they are allowed to willingly accept Divine Guidance or reject it. Since there are always miscreants in society who pose a threat to peace, it is necessary on the part of law makers to devise punishments as deterrents. And the Law Maker of all law makers is Allah the Almighty Who created all humans; and He has given us not only Guidance but also the basics of a penal code to be implemented in a societal framework to deal with miscreants.
Kab ibn Ashraf was a member of the Banu Nadir tribe, who had plotted to murder the Prophet. He had the habit of ridiculing women through his obscene verses. He had also written scurrilously about the Prophet and Islam. And we should remember that the Arabs of the Hijaz region in those days were greatly influenced by poetry. The libelous verses of Ka`b ibn Ashraf inciting hatred and violence against Islam and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) were more hurtful than actual killing of any Muslim: His crime was worse than murder; it was sedition and treason in the emerging Muslim society. Also remember the atmosphere then was not one of peace, but of war. So the Prophet took a decision necessary for the security of Muslims; because, no society, be it ancient or modern, would tolerate sedition and treason, though there could be differences about the punishment due to the culprits.
You have asked: why the Prophet did not do any miracle. You should understand that the Prophet’s duty is not miracle-working. It is God who does the miracles by the hand of the prophets. You suggest that a miracle to avoid punishing a criminal would have silenced many critics of Islam. This need not be true. Because, you know Jesus performed many miracles before the Jews of his day; and it is the same people, according to the Gospels, who demanded that he be crucified! “He came unto his own and his own received him not” “His followers forsook him and fled” – This is what we read about what happened to Jesus in spite of all his miracles. Therefore, a miracle in the context mentioned above is not likely to have the kind of result you expect.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Maha
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Profession
Question
How far are miracles important in the Prophet's life?
Answer
Hello Maha,
Thank you for your question.
The truthfulness of a prophet’s Message depends on its validity as to how far it can answer the eternal questions that haunt man. For instance, from the very beginning of humankind on the face of earth, man has been asking: Where am I coming from? Where am I going? What is the meaning of life? What is death? Is there a life after death? Etc. IF a prophet under Divine Inspiration can answer these questions, that is the miracle of all miracles. Prophet Muhammad, as well as Moses and Jesus (peace be on them all) were able to answer these questions, with the help of the Revelation they received from Allah the Almighty.
And then there are other miracles: For instance, the miracle of how Moses split the Red Sea to help the Children of Israel to escape from Pharaoh and his soldiers. This miracle was a divine help Moses as prophet received and so it was a validation of his mission as prophet too. But in that specific context, it was crucial for the Israelites to remain alive and free. In the same way, Prophet Muhammad gave food to his followers in the battle of Ahzab, when there was not enough food for them. This was crucial for them in that critical moment, but it also served as a validation for the mission of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
And Allah knows best.
Name
Kamali
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Profession
Question
Why does Isra have a special meaning to Muslims?
Answer
Hello Kamali,
Thank you for your question.
The time of Al-Israa' was a time when the Prophet was in a very exacting stage of his life: His beloved wife Khadija, a source of comfort and support for him, was dead; his uncle Abu Talib, his guardian and mainstay in Makkah against his enemies was no more. And in Taif his efforts to get people to join him in Islam ended up in fiasco..
It was in this context that Allah the Almighty helped the Prophet to rise to great heights with Al-Israa' and Al-Mi`raj. This was on the 27th day of the month of Rajab; and it marked the zenith of his spiritual progress. This night in the life of the Prophet and the history of Islam is a great night in human history too.
For Muslims, Al-Israa' and Al-Mi`raj served as a test of their faith; namely faith in the ghayb (the Unseen World). And Al-Israa' marked the significance of Jerusalem (Al-Bait-al Muqaddas) the first qiblah of Muslims. And Al-Mi`raj gave us the five times' prayer, one of the greatest gifts of Allah the All Merciful to His servants to earn His good pleasure.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Jumen
-
Profession
Question
How many miracles the Prophet had?
Answer
Hello Jumen,
Thank you for your question.
The first and foremost miracle of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) is the Holy Qur'an itself. With it he was able to challenge all the wisdom and poetical skills of the world in general and the Arabs in particular. It is the miracle that has distinguished the message of Islam from the other divine messages. The Qur'an which is a storehouse of vast knowledge of the Unseen World baffles even the most modern and scientifically minded of humans in all ages.
In addition, Almighty Allah granted the Prophet many great physical miracles too. The purpose of these miracles was mainly to support, console, and assure him and his followers.
Examples of these miracles are: the Night Journey and the Ascension to the Heavens; Allah's sending of angels to support the believers at the Battle of Badr; His causing the rain to fall in order to purify the believers and to satisfy their thirst etc.
Another miracle was how Allah the Almighty protected the Prophet and his Companion Abu Bakr, when they were in Thawr Cave, against the disbelievers who were then pursuing them; and so on.
Allah knows best.
Name
Fadel
-
Profession
Question
What can we learn from today's occasion (israa and miraj)?
Answer
Hello Fadel,
Thank you for your question.
Today, we can once again learn or re-learn the Spiritual Glory and Greatness that is Islam. Al-Israa' and Al-Mi`raj remind us that we need not be upset by the changing fortunes faced by our people as long as we are believers. We who have been led and taught by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who in turn was able to undertake Al-Israa' and Al-Mi`raj - we have no reason to feel disheartened and dispirited even by the most trying of circumstances. We have to cling with our life to the Holy Qur'an and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
May Allah guide, help and protect the believers in this world and the world to come!
Name
New Muslim
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Profession
Question
How was the reaction of Muslims when they heard the news of the Prophet's night journey?
Answer
Hello New Muslim,
Thank you for your question.
For the early Muslims the Prophet's Night Journey was a sort of direct intervention of the ghayb (the Unseen) in their midst at short notice, as it were. Being human they took some time to digest what was being told them: Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), on the other hand, believed the news of the Prophet's Night Journey the moment he heard it; that is why he was called As-Siddiq.
There are Muslims who argue that the Night Journey was not a physical journey, but a spiritual experience.
Allah knows best.
Name
Roshan
- Bangladesh
Profession
Question
Hello scholar,
did Prophet Muhammad do miracles like Jesus? If so, what miracle?
Answer
Hello Roshan,
Thank you for your question.
In fact, Prophet Muhammad too has performed many miracles. But his greatest miracle is the Holy Qur'an, which no man could have composed; least of all an unlettered Arab of the desert. And miracles can at best serve as supporting evidences for the Prophethood of Moses, Jesus or Muhammad.
You may know that even after Jesus performed wondrous miracles like curing the blind and the leper, there were not many people who followed him at that time. Even his own chosen disciples “forsook him and fled” as the Gospel says. And Jesus himself has said: “ For there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shall show great signs and wonders in so much that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”. (Mat. 24:24)
This means: If a person can perform a ‘miracle’ it does not necessarily mean that he is engaged in a truthful mission. There is, you know in India, one Sai Baba who does miracles, claiming to be an incarnation of God. Does that mean that he is God? The BBC in one of its programs had exposed him to be a fraud. So, the ability to perform miracle in itself does not mean anything.
The Night Journey the Prophet undertook, the rains that resulted from his prayers to slake the thirst of his followers in the battlefield; Allah’s protection for him as well as his companion in the Cave of Thawr and the supply of sufficient food for his followers when there was not enough of it at Ahzab and Tabuk are a few of the miracles of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
And Allah knows best.
Name
Muaz
-
Profession
Question
How Abu Bakr received this news of muhammad's going to Jerusalem and coming back and his bed was still warm?
Answer
Hello Muaz,
Thank you for your question.
The Arabs of those days were mostly incapable of understanding the full significance and meaning of Al-Israa' and Al-Mi`raj. Therefore, as soon as the Prophet told them about his Night Journey, they could think only of the physical possibility of normal travel. They could never visualize a wondrous journey of the kind the Prophet was describing. Even good followers of the Prophet were confused. They were asking: 'Could the Prophet achieve such a journey in one night, i.e. a journey that would take normally a month?' Those who were troubled by doubt went to Abu Bakr and related to him about the Prophet's claim. Abu Bakr answered, "Surely you are telling me lies." They said, "There is Muhammad in the mosque telling the people of his trip." Then Abu Bakr answered, "By God, if Muhammad himself has said so, then it is true. He tells us that the word of God comes to him directly from heaven to earth in an hour of night or day and we believe him. Isn't this a greater miracle than what you are doubting today?" Abu Bakr came to the Prophet and listened to him describing Jerusalem and its mosque. When he finished, Abu Bakr said, "You said the truth, O Prophet of God." From that day on the Prophet called Abu Bakr al Siddiq (he who affirms the truth).
And Allah knows best.
Name
Mohsin Khan
- United States
Profession
Scientist
Question
Dear Scholar in Islam,
Salam,
I have a question which was raised by a critic of Islam (Ali Sina) who says that the Quran does not talk about any miracle done by the prophet because whenever the unbelievers asked the prophet to do any miracle he always said that he was just a human and does not have any divine powers and therefore he will not do any miracle to prove his prophethood.But on the other hand the hadiths have recorded many miracles done by the prophet. The most notable among them was the splitting of the moon. So the critic of Islam concludes that there is a clear cut contradiction between the Quran and the hadith.
I would be very glad to know your view regarding the above contradiction raised by the Islamic critic.
Thanks in advance
Answer
Hello Mohsin Khan,
Thank you for your question.
First, as I have said in an answer above, the validity of the Message of a Prophet, be it Moses, Jesus or Muhammad, does NOT depend on the miracles he is reported to have performed before his contemporaries.
In the case of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) we see the Glorious Qur'an, which is an eternal miracle in view of all the generations since its revelation.
As for the people's demand to show a miracle before them, the Prophet was asked by Allah the Almighty to tell them- that he was only human, as said in the Glorious Qur'an. This is because, Allah (as it is Allah Who does the miracle) will not be dictated to by the people in the first place; secondly Allah knows that even if miracles were performed in answer to their demands, they were not going to follow the Prophet. The example is provided by the Gospels themselves.
When people gathered to hear Jesus preaching in the synagogue and the news spread that he was performing miracles, his own people gathered there to watch. But when they saw Jesus they knew him to be the son of Joseph the Carpenter and so they went away without showing any patience to listen to him, i.e. in spite of all the miracles. And we read in the gospels: "He came unto his own, and his own received him not" etc.
And besides read this too:
"Jesus said: “ For there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew great signs and wonders in so much that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”. (Mat. 24:24) This means that miracles are not a test of prophethood.
The point is: The Glorious Qur'an, like Jesus in the Gospels, does not attach much importance to the performance of miracles, but rather to the eternal validity of the Divine Message given by the prophet. But remember he did many miracles.
Hence, there is no real contradiction between the Qur'an and the Prophetic traditions; because the performance of miracles in the contexts claimed by the people was for a specific purpose; and this was denied. And remember Jesus saying that it was an adulterous generation who demands miracles and he refused to give a miracle according to the Gospel. But the performance of miracles like Moses splitting the Red Sea was necessary to help the Israelites themselves to escape from the Pharaoh.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Question
-
Answer
Editor
Finally, we would like to thank Dr. Shahul Hameed for speaking to Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We apologize for not being able to accommodate all the questions within the time allocated to this session. We request our readers to join us in the upcoming sessions.
