In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
The Holy Qur’an, Baqarah 2:164-165 says: “Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, in the alternation of the night and the day, in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind, in the rain which God sends down from the skies and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead, in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth, in the change of the winds and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth, (here) indeed are signs for a people that are wise. Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides God as equal (with God); they love them as they should love God. But those of faith are overflowing in their love for God. If only the unrighteous could see, behold they would see the penalty, that to God belongs all power and God will strongly enforce the penalty”.
However, the Prophets of God that came to warn us serve as guidance and relive the Signs of God that come with unparalleled miracles that are happening with good results which cannot be explained by the laws of nature. All the 124,000 Prophets and Messengers sent at different times in history by Allah since the creation of the world or when Prophet Adam touched on earth came with clear Signs of Allah. All the 26 Prophets whose history are related in the last scripture, Holy Qur’an (Qur’an 2:106), came with miracles. The Holy Qur’an, Baqarah 2:106 attests: “None of Our revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten but We substitute something better or similar, knowest thou not that God hath power over all things?”
A Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) explains further: “It is narrated from Abu Dharr that one day, he asked the Messenger of Allah (S): ‘How many prophets are there in all?’ He replied: ‘One hundred and twenty-four thousand’. He then asked: ‘How many of them were messenger-prophets?’ He replied: ‘Three hundred and thirteen from the above group’. He asked: ‘Who was the first of them?’ He replied: ‘Adam’. He asked: ‘Was he a messenger or prophet’? He replied: ‘Yes, Almighty Allah created him with His own hands and blew His spirit into him’. At that moment, the Holy Prophet (S) said: ‘O Abu Dharr, there were four from the Syriac prophets: Adam, Sheeth, and Ukhnuh, who is also called Idris and who was the first to write and Nuh. Four of them were Arabs: Hud, Salih, Shuaib and your prophet, Muhammad. The first prophet among Bani Israel was Musa and the last of them was Isa and they were in all six hundred prophets’. Abu Dharr asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah (S), how many heavenly scriptures descended?’ He replied: ‘One hundred and four, of which Almighty Allah revealed to Sheeth fifty scrolls, thirty on Idris and twenty on Ibrahim. He also revealed Taurat, Injeel, Zabur and Qur’an. Five great divine prophets brought new sets of laws (Shariah) and they are known as UlulAzm prophets. They were Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammad (S). Ismail Jofi narrated from Imam Muhammad Baqir (as) that he said: ‘The UlulAzm prophets are five in number: Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammad (S). We do not have detailed information about the names of all the prophets. In books of history also, only some of their names are mentioned. In the Holy Qur’an, twenty-six of them are mentioned by name. They are Adam, Nuh, Idris, Hud, Salih, Ibrahim, Lut, Ismail, Al-Yasa, Zulkifl, Ilyas, Ayyub, Yunus, Ishaq, Yaqub, Yusuf, Shuaib, Musa, Harun, Dawood, Sulaiman, Zakariya, Yahya, Ismail (the keeper of his word), Isa and Muhammad (S)’ (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim).
All the Prophets and Messengers of Allah preached the oneness and worship of Almighty God to their respective nations. The Holy Qur’an, An-Nahl 16:36 confirms: “For We assuredly sent amongst every people an apostle (with the Command). Serve God and eschew evil. Of the people were some whom God guided, and some on whom error became inevitably (established). So, travel through the earth and see what was the end of those who denied (the truth)”.
It is only Prophet Muhammed (SAW) that was sent to mankind as the last messenger, to redeem us from the darkness of polytheism into the light of monotheism. That makes the prophet of God the true man with true miracles. The Holy Qur’an, Al-A’raf 7:158, says: “Say: “O men! I am sent unto you all as the apostle of God to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no god but He. It is He that giveth both life and death. So, believe in God and His apostle the unlettered Prophet who believed in God and His words. Follow him that (so) ye may be guided.”
Though there are men of talents and positions, to whom great opportunities of spiritual insight came, they perversely pass them by as human mortals. Satan seizes the opportunity and catches them up. Instead of rising higher in the spiritual world, their selfish and worldly desires and ambitions pull them down, and they are lost. Hence, only prophets came truly with miracles to convince people about the existence of God, as the only deity worthy of worship. Men of God or preachers can easily digress as ordinary human beings, to satisfy themselves.
The Holy Qur’an, Al-A’raf 7:175-177, says: “Relate to them the story of the man to whom We sent our signs but he passed them by. So, Satan followed him up and he went astray. If it had been Our will, We would have elevated him with our signs but he inclined to the earth and followed his own vain desires. His similitude is that of a dog. If you attack him, he lolls out his tongue or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls out his tongue. That is the similitude of those who reject our signs. So, relate the story perchance they may reflect. Evil, as an example, are people who reject Our signs and wrong their own souls”.
However, the greatest miracles for all ages were those performed by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW). If a doctor heals the sick through medical exploits, it cannot be said to be a miracle but normal law of nature. If a teacher liberates an illiterate to become lettered, it is in conformity with the rule of education. If a lawyer wins a civil case against an incumbent government, it is in line with the rule of law.
But where it happens for prophet Musa (AS) to change his rod into a serpent and hand becoming white as snow (Q.7:106-108), it becomes a miracle from God to convince the Egyptians about the message of the oneness and worship of Almighty Allah. After all, their gods and goddesses took the forms of snakes to impress their foes with terror, while the whitish hand was to counter any suggestions of evil.
The Holy Qur’an, Al-A’raf 7:103-126, affirms: “Then after them, We sent Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his chiefs but they wrongfully rejected them. So, see what was the end of those who made mischief. Moses said: ‘O Pharaoh! I am an apostle from the Lord of the worlds. One for whom it is right to say nothing but truth about God. Now have I come unto you (people) from your Lord with a clear (sign). So, let the children of Israel depart along with me’. (Pharaoh) said: ‘If indeed thou hast come with a sign show it forth if thou tellest the truth’. Then (Moses) threw his rod and behold! It was a serpent plain (for all to see)! And he drew out his hand and behold! It was white to all beholders! Said the Chiefs of the people of Pharaoh: ‘This is indeed a sorcerer well-versed. His plan is to get you out of your land then what is it ye counsel?’ They said: ‘Keep him and his brother in suspense (for a while) and send to the cities men to collect and bring up to thee all (our) sorcerers well-versed’. So, there came the sorcerers to Pharaoh. They said, ‘Of course we shall have a (suitable) reward if we win!’ He said, ‘Yea (and more) for ye shall in that case be (raised to posts) nearest (to my person)’. They said, ‘O Moses! Wilt thou throw (first) or shall we have the (first) throw?’ Said Moses, ‘Throw ye (first)’. So, when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people and struck terror into them for they showed a great (feat of) magic. We put it into Moses’s mind by inspiration: ‘throw (now) thy rod’ and behold! It swallows up straightway all the falsehoods which they fake! Thus, truth was confirmed and all that they did was made of no effect. So, the (great ones) were vanquished there and then and were made to look small. But the sorcerers fell down prostrate in adoration, saying, ‘We believe in the Lord of the worlds, the Lord of Moses and Aaron’. Said Pharaoh, ‘Believe ye in him before I give you permission? Surely this is a trick which ye have planned in the city to drive out its people but soon shall ye know (the consequences). Be sure I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides and I will cause you all to die on the cross’. They said, ‘for us we are but sent back unto our Lord. But thou dost wreak thy vengeance on us simply because we believed in the signs of our Lord when they reached us! Our Lord! Pour out on us patience and constancy and take our souls unto thee as Muslims (who bow to thy will).”
May Almighty Allah strengthen our faith in His indivisibility without demanding for the futilities of miracles. Ameen.
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