Miracles

Extraordinary signs given to the Prophet ﷺ, preserved through authentic hadith

The Case From Miracles

Every prophet sent by Allah was supported with miracles, because miracles are a sign only Allah can provide. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was supported with many. Each one below is drawn from authentic hadith collections, cited with its source and grading. No folk tales. Just what is preserved through reliable chains of transmission.

“The Hour has come near, and the moon has split.”

Surah Al-Qamar 54:1

“Glorified is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs.”

Surah Al-Isrāʾ 17:1

“Say: Glory be to my Lord! Am I anything but a human, a messenger?”

Surah Al-Isrāʾ 17:93

What Counts as a Miracle in Islam

Before looking at the specific miracles, it helps to understand what the word means.

A sign from Allah, not from the messenger

In Islamic theology, a miracle (muʿjizah) is an extraordinary act that only Allah has the power to perform. The Prophet ﷺ did not claim power on his own. He repeatedly reminded people: 'I am only a human being like you' (Al-Kahf 18:110). Every miracle is Allah showing His support for His messenger, not the messenger bending reality.

Outside normal causes, by Allah's permission

A miracle is something that, by every natural measure, should not happen. The moon does not split. Water does not flow from fingers. A tree trunk does not cry. These events happened in the presence of witnesses, by Allah's permission, as signs to confirm the Prophet's ﷺ message.

Witnessed and transmitted

For Islamic scholars, a miracle only has evidentiary weight if it is well-attested: multiple credible witnesses, preserved through reliable chains of transmission (isnād), and recorded in authenticated hadith collections. Fabricated miracles are not miracles in Islam.

For the Open-Minded Skeptic

Miracles are harder to evaluate than prophecies because the events were not usually recorded outside of Islamic sources. Here is the honest case.

The honest acknowledgment

Most miracles on this page were witnessed in 7th-century Arabia, a place not well-covered by outside historians at the time. Unlike the fall of Constantinople or the Battle of Nineveh, we do not have Byzantine or Persian chronicles confirming the moon splitting or water from the Prophet's ﷺ fingers. So how should a skeptic evaluate these accounts?

Consideration 1

These reports come from multiple independent chains

The splitting of the moon is narrated by Ibn Masʿūd, Anas, Ibn ʿAbbās, and Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim رضي الله عنهم, four Companions who did not coordinate. The palm tree crying is narrated by over ten Companions through dozens of chains, reaching the level called tawātur (mass transmission) in hadith science. Mass transmission of an invented story is considered impossible unless the witnesses collectively conspired, which requires evidence of its own.

Consideration 2

Hostile witnesses did not deny the events

The Quraysh of Makkah were bitter enemies of the Prophet ﷺ. They had every reason to publicly deny the moon splitting ever happened. Instead, the Qur'an records their response: “They say: this is magic continuing” (Al-Qamar 54:2). They changed the interpretation, not the event. If the event had not happened, the trivial refutation would have been to deny it. They did not.

Consideration 3

The hadith collections were compiled under criticism

Imam al-Bukhārī and Imam Muslim did not collect stories uncritically. They developed a whole science of narrator criticism (ʿilm ar-rijāl) that evaluated the life, memory, and reliability of every person in every chain. They rejected thousands of narrations that others accepted. Academic non-Muslim scholars of hadith, like Jonathan Brown (Georgetown), acknowledge the rigor of this system, even without accepting its theological conclusions.

Consideration 4

The Prophet's ﷺ character can be evaluated separately

Even non-Muslim historians, from Michael Hart to Karen Armstrong, acknowledge Muhammad ﷺ as an exceptional historical figure of honesty, discipline, and consistency. If we accept he was neither a liar nor mentally ill (both supported by the total absence of lying or instability in the extensive records of his life), then his own firsthand claim to have experienced these miracles becomes a serious data point on its own. This is the argument sometimes called the “prophet, not liar, not lunatic” framework.

What remains to explain

Given the mass transmission, the silence of hostile witnesses, the rigor of the hadith sciences, and the Prophet's ﷺ own character: a skeptic is left with four options:

  • 1.Thousands of Companions fabricated the same stories. This requires a conspiracy with no evidence.
  • 2.Mass hallucination over decades, across different locations and Companions. This is not how hallucinations work.
  • 3.The Prophet ﷺ was lying and thousands of honest people confirmed the lies. This contradicts his character as recorded by allies and opponents.
  • 4.The events actually happened, and they happened through something beyond human capability. This is the Islamic claim.

The miracles do not force anyone to believe. They raise a question that deserves a real answer, not a dismissive one.

1

Sūrah Al-Qamar 54:1-2

The Splitting of the Moon

ٱقْتَرَبَتِ ٱلسَّاعَةُ وَٱنشَقَّ ٱلْقَمَرُ ﴿١﴾ وَإِن يَرَوْا۟ ءَايَةً يُعْرِضُوا۟ وَيَقُولُوا۟ سِحْرٌ مُّسْتَمِرٌّ ﴿٢﴾

“The Hour has come near, and the moon has split. But when they see a sign, they turn away and say: 'This is magic, continuing.'”

What happened

In the Makkan period, before the Hijrah, the polytheists of Quraysh demanded a miracle as a sign of prophethood. The Prophet ﷺ pointed to the moon, and by Allah's permission, it split into two visible pieces. Those present saw the two halves with Mount Ḥirāʾ between them. The Quraysh, rather than accepting the sign, accused the Prophet ﷺ of magic.

Companion testimony

Multiple Companions reported this event. Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه said: 'The people of Makkah asked the Prophet ﷺ for a sign, so he showed them the splitting of the moon, split into two, until they saw Ḥirāʾ between them.' (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3637). ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه said he saw the moon split while they were with the Prophet ﷺ at Minā: one half was behind the mountain and one in front of it. (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3636).

Scholarly commentary

Both the Qur'anic text and multiple authenticated hadith confirm this event happened historically. Ibn Kathīr devotes extensive space in his tafsīr to this miracle, quoting multiple chains of narration. Classical scholars note that the event could not have been mass hallucination: the Qur'an was revealed referencing it publicly, and the Quraysh, though hostile, did not deny it occurred; they attributed it to magic instead.

Supporting sources

  • •Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3636, 3637, 3638 (narrations from Ibn Masʿūd and Anas رضي الله عنهما)
  • •Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2800, 2801, 2802 (agreed-upon, muttafaq ʿalayh)
  • •Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr on Sūrah Al-Qamar
  • •Tafsīr aṭ-Ṭabarī on Sūrah Al-Qamar
  • •Narrated by at least four Companions: Ibn Masʿūd, Anas, Ibn ʿAbbās, and Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim رضي الله عنهم
2

Sūrah Al-Isrāʾ 17:1 and An-Najm 53:13-18

The Night Journey and Ascension (Isrāʾ and Miʿrāj)

سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ ﴿١﴾

“Glorified is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (in Makkah) to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā (in Jerusalem), whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.”

What happened

Approximately one year before the Hijrah, the Prophet ﷺ was taken in one night from Makkah to Jerusalem (the Isrāʾ, or Night Journey) on a mount called al-Burāq, led by the angel Jibrīl. From Jerusalem, he ascended through the seven heavens (the Miʿrāj, or Ascension), meeting the previous prophets at each level, and finally reaching a station beyond any creation has ever reached, where Allah spoke to him directly and commanded the five daily prayers.

Companion testimony

The detailed narrative is preserved in multiple long hadith. Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه reported from Mālik ibn Ṣaʿṣaʿah رضي الله عنه the Prophet's ﷺ own description of the journey, meeting ʿĪsā (Jesus), Mūsā (Moses), Ibrāhīm (Abraham), Yaḥyā (John), ʿĪsā, Hārūn (Aaron), and Idrīs at different heavens. (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 3887, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 164). When the Prophet ﷺ described the architectural details of Jerusalem to Quraysh the next morning, they were verified by those who knew the city.

Scholarly commentary

Classical scholars consensus this event happened with both body and soul, not as a dream, based on the weight of hadith evidence. Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه earned the title aṣ-Ṣiddīq (the Truthful) at this point, because when Quraysh mocked the story, he said: 'If he said it, then it is true.' The Prophet ﷺ describing Jerusalem's details accurately, without having traveled there before, was itself a confirming sign.

Supporting sources

  • •Sūrah Al-Isrāʾ 17:1 (the Isrāʾ)
  • •Sūrah An-Najm 53:13-18 (the Miʿrāj, the Lote Tree of the Farthest Boundary)
  • •Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 349, 3887, 3207, 7517 (multiple detailed narrations)
  • •Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 162, 163, 164 (the most complete accounts)
  • •Classical seerah: Ibn Hishām's Sīrah, narrative of the Night Journey
  • •Ibn Kathīr's Al-Bidāyah wan-Nihāyah, section on the Isrāʾ and Miʿrāj

The greatest miracle is the Qur'an itself.

The physical miracles on this page ended with the Companions who saw them. The Qur'an is an ongoing miracle: its linguistic inimitability, its perfect preservation, its fulfilled prophecies, all present and testable today.

See all evidences

What These Miracles Tell Us

Reading the evidence fairly.

Miracles are a test of honesty, not of imagination

These events were witnessed by thousands of Companions. They were preserved through the most rigorous authentication process any tradition has developed. The question for the honest seeker is not 'could this happen?' but 'did these reports reliably reach us?' The chains of narration say yes.

The Prophet ﷺ never used miracles to enrich himself

He never turned stones to gold. He died owning almost nothing. His food miracles fed his Companions, his water miracles served his army, his healing served the sick. Every miracle was for others, never for himself.

The miracles match his character

A liar using false miracles would do so for power, wealth, or status. He had none of these things until very late in his life, and even then remained with the lifestyle of the poor. His miracles, like his teachings, were consistent with who he was before and during prophethood.

Where Students of This Topic Go Wrong

Important cautions. Overreach weakens the case.

Inventing new 'miracles' without hadith evidence

Some popular books and speakers recount miracles not found in the authenticated collections. Stick to what is recorded in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, and the other major collections with sound chains. Weak miracle narrations have been collected too, but they do not carry the same weight.

Focusing on miracles while missing the message

The Prophet ﷺ himself often directed attention away from physical miracles and toward the Qur'an. When Quraysh demanded more miracles, the Qur'an responded: 'Is it not enough for them that We revealed to you the Book that is recited to them?' (Al-ʿAnkabūt 29:51). The greatest miracle is the Book itself.

Conflating miracle with magic or trick

A miracle (muʿjizah) in Islam is an act only Allah can do, shown through a prophet. Magic (siḥr) is the human manipulation of unseen forces, which is condemned. The moon splitting is not the same category as a street magician's illusion, and the Qur'an explicitly rejects the comparison.

Verify before citing

Every miracle on this page lists its source (Bukhārī, Muslim, Tirmidhī, etc.) and grading. Before sharing these with others, look them up yourself on sunnah.com or in the printed collections. The case is strong precisely because it rests on verifiable, authenticated transmission.

Common Questions

Why is the Qur'an considered the greatest miracle?+

The physical miracles of the Prophet ﷺ were witnessed by the Companions of his time and preserved through their reports. The Qur'an is an ongoing, present-tense miracle that anyone today can verify: its linguistic inimitability, its preservation across 14 centuries, its prophetic fulfillments, and its internal consistency. Every other prophet's physical miracles ended with them; the Qur'an's miracle continues.

Did anyone deny these miracles happened?+

Quraysh denied they were from Allah, but they did not generally deny the events occurred. They called them 'magic' (Al-Qamar 54:2 documents their response to the moon splitting). The Qur'an addressed their reaction rather than their denial of the event itself. Denying an event witnessed by so many would have been easy to refute; denying the source was their only angle.

How can we be sure these hadith are authentic?+

Each hadith cited on this page was recorded through multiple independent chains of narrators, each evaluated by hadith scholars for integrity, memory, and reliability. Bukhārī and Muslim have the most stringent acceptance criteria. A hadith graded ṣaḥīḥ (authentic) in these works has passed this review. Verify any citation yourself on sunnah.com or in the original collections.

Why don't we see miracles today?+

Miracles (muʿjizāt) in the technical sense accompany prophets to confirm their message. There are no more prophets after Muhammad ﷺ, so that specific category of miracle ended with him. However, the Qur'an as a miracle continues, and Allah continues to answer the duʿāʾ of believers in remarkable ways. That is not the same as a prophetic miracle, but it is the continuing mercy of Allah.

What about miracles of other prophets?+

The Qur'an describes the miracles of previous prophets including Mūsā (staff turning to a serpent, parting the sea), ʿĪsā (healing the blind and lepers, giving life to the dead by Allah's permission), Ibrāhīm (surviving the fire), Sulaymān (commanding the wind and understanding animals), and others. These are affirmed as historical truths in Islamic belief. The Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ miracles are the capstone of this prophetic tradition.

Where can I study more about the Prophet's miracles?+

Classical: al-Bayhaqī's Dalāʾil an-Nubuwwah (Signs of Prophethood) is the most comprehensive compilation. Ibn Kathīr's Al-Bidāyah wan-Nihāyah documents miracles in their historical context. Modern: 'Miracles and Merits of Allah's Messenger' in our library. Primary sources: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim have extensive sections on the Prophet's ﷺ signs and virtues.

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Proving Islam Hub

Back to the overview of evidences for Islam.

Prophecies

Specific predictions in the Qur'an and Sunnah that came true.

Miracles & Merits

The library book compiling the authentic miracles.

Seerah Guide

The life of the Prophet ﷺ in which these miracles occurred.