Miracles of Healing and Curing

There are several instances when many ill and wounded were healed at the blessed hands of the Prophet ﷺ. All of these are recorded and received through authenticated sources. The classification of these ahadith, which mention the healing of various individuals are no less than mutawattir, a classification of the highest degree according to ilm al-hadith (sciences of hadith) subject. Mutawattir narrations are divided in to two. One is mutawattir in wording and the other is mutawattir in meaning. These miracles of healing the ill and wounded have been received through both types. This is important to know before we share some of those miracles. Even though one can find tons of such healing miracles in the hadith books, I have chosen to share only twelve important ones taken from Sheikh Said Al Nursi's book on Miracles of the Prophet. Each miracle in his book has been listed with hadith references for authenticity. 





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​Miracle Number 1

As reported in Shifa ash-Sharif[1] of Qadi lyad (r.a), a hadith expert, by numerous channels and with an exalted chain of transmitters from Saad bin Abi Waqqas (r.a), one of the ten Companions given the glad tidings of Paradise, said: "I was beside Allah's Messenger in the battle of Uhud. He shot arrows until his bow was broken. Then he began giving his arrows to me. Each time he gave me a featherless arrow, he ordered me to shoot it, which I did, and it flew just like one with feathers, piercing an unbeliever's body. In the course of this, Qatada bin Numan[2] was hit by an arrow, and one of his eyeballs poked. Allah's Messenger, with his auspicious blessed hand, placed the eyeball back in its socket. The eye healed at once, as if nothing had happened to it, and became even better than the other one.” This incident became so famous that decades after when one of the grandsons of Qatada came to Umar b. Abdul-Aziz (r.a) (682 – 720 CE)[3], he presented himself with the following words in poetic form: “I am the son of that person whose poked eyeball was placed in its socket by the Messenger of Allah and became the best eye.”[4]

Miracle Number 2

Recorded in authentic collections of Bukhari and Muslim, Allah's Messenger ﷺ  had appointed Ali ibn Abi Talib (r.a) as the flag-holder at the battle of Khaybar, but Ali (r.a) had been suffering severely from sore eyes. Allah's Messenger ﷺ applied his healing saliva to his eyes, and right at that moment, the pain ceased and his eyes became better. The following morning, Ali (r.a) conquered Khaybar[5] using the very heavy iron gate of the citadel that he had torn away as a shield. In the same battle, Salama b. al-Aqwa[6] (r.a) had his leg cut by a sword, and Allah's Messenger ﷺ healed it by breathing on him.[7]

Miracle Number 3

Authorities on the Prophet's biography, above all, Imam Nasai, report from Uthman bin Hunayf[8] (r.a): “A blind man came to the Messenger of Allah and said, 'Pray for my eyes to open. ' Allah's Messenger said, 'Go, make ablution, and then pray two rakahs, and say, [O Allah, I ask You, while turning toward You, for the sake of the Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy. O Muhammad, I turn toward your Lord, for your sake and through you, asking that He (Allah swt) uncover my sight. O Allah, make him my intercessor.] ' He departed to do what he had been told. When he came back, his eyes had already been opened.”[9] 

Miracle Number 4

When Muawwidh bin Afra (r.a), one of the fourteen martyrs of the battle of Badr, was fighting with Abu Jahl. Abu Jahl cut off one of his hands. Muawwidh took his cut-hand in the other and came to Allah's Messenger ﷺ, who stuck it to his wrist, applied his blessed saliva to it and healed it. He then turned back to battle and fought until he was martyred.[10]

In the same battle, Hubayb b. Yasaf (r.a) received such a sword blow on the shoulder that it seemed as if his shoulder had been divided into two. Allah's Messenger ﷺ stuck his arm to his shoulder, breathed on him, and the wound healed. Although these two incidents are separate and individually reported, they can be regarded as having definitely occurred because they have been amended by such an imam like Imam Jalil bin Wahab (r.a), and taken place in a battle that itself was a spring of wonders.[11] The Quran confirms miracles taking place during battle of badr when Allah ﷻ sent large number of angels for assistance of believers: “When you said to the believers: Does it not suffice you that your Lord should assist you with three thousand of the angels sent down?”[12]

Miracle Number 5th

Imam Baghawi[13] (1041 – 1122 CE) narrates: Ali b. al-Hakam (RA) had his leg broken by the blow of an unbeliever at the battle of Khandaq[14]. Allah's Messenger stroked his leg, and it was healed instantly. The soldier continued to fight without even dismounting from his horse.[15]

Miracle Number 6

Narration scholars, including Imam Bayhaqi, a hadith expert and famous for his collection Sunan Bayhaqi, report that once Imam Ali (r.a) was so ill that he could not help moaning. As he was alone and praying for his cure, Allah's Messenger ﷻ came in and said: “O my Allah, heal him!” He then said to Imam Ali, “Get up!” touching him with his foot. He was cured at once. Ali says, “Since then I have never caught the same illness.” (Nursi 2010)

Miracle Number 7

This is the well-known story of Shurahbil al-Jufi (r.a). He had a tumor in his palm that would not let him hold either his sword or the reins of his horse. After Allah's Messenger ﷻ stroked the tumor and massaged it with his blessed hand, it disappeared. (Nursi 2010)

Miracle Number 8

Ibn Abi Shayba[16] (r.a), an early meticulous researcher and a well-known hadith expert, renown for his work Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, relates that a woman brought her son to Allah's Messenger ﷻ. The boy was retarded who could not even speak. Allah's Messenger rinsed his mouth with water and washed his hands and gave the water to the woman telling her to make her son drink. There was nothing left of his retardedness; his intelligence then surpassed that of even the brightest.[17]

Miracle Number 9

Ibn Abbas (r.a) reports in an authentic narration that one day an insane child was brought to Allah's Messenger. He put his hand on the child's chest, so that the child suddenly vomited a small, black object that resembled a cucumber. He was cured in the same breath. (Nursi 2010)

Miracle Number 10

Imam Bayhaqi and Imam Nasai (r.a) report in an authentic narration that Allah's Messenger ﷻ healed a boy named Muhammad b. Khatib whose arm had been scalded with boiled water, by stroking his arm and applying his saliva to it.[18]

Miracle Number 11

Narrated by Jalaladdin Suyuti (r.a), who was honored by conversing with Allah's Messenger ﷻ several times in a state of awakening: A baby who had just been born was taken to Allah's Messenger (s.w.t). When Allah's Messenger turned to him, the baby began to speak, and said, “I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah.” Then Allah's Messenger said, “May Allah bless you!” After that, he never spoke again during his infancy. He later became famous as Mubarak al-Yamama (the blessed one of Yamama), for he had been honored by this miracle of the Prophet (s.w.t) and his supplication of “May Allah bless you.”[19]

Miracle Number 12

Many ahadith collections recorded that a shameless woman who had the nature of a silly child asked for a bite of food that Allah's Messenger ﷻ was eating. He gave her one, but she insisted, “No, I want the one in your mouth.” Allah's Messenger gave it to her. After eating that delicacy, she became the shyest, chaste woman in Medina.[20]

In the books of ahadith there are tons of miracles of various kinds that were done by the Prophet ﷻ and if we list them they will definitely exceed thousand. Please note that the people who have quoted the above miracles have not done so because they were Muslims, they recorded due to their ability to understand the nature of ahadith in various ways due to their expertise in this science after devoting their lives studying it. These same people have written books exposing the fallacy found in many ahadith therefore if anything was attributed to the Prophet and was not from him, they exposed it.

References:

[1] Kitab al-Shifaa bitaarif Ḥuquq al-Muṣṭafa (The Book of Healing by the Recognition of the Rights of or News of the Chosen One) – A 12th century work which describes in details the Prophet’s qualities, life incidents and miracles.
[2] A companion of Prophet from among the Ansaar (helpers).
[3] Umayyad Caliph who ruled during sixth century CE.
[4] Nursi, Bediuzzaman Said. 2010. Miracles of Prophet Muhammad - The predictions of Prophet Muhammad's coming by Soothsayers and Gnostics. Feedbooks.
[5] One of the Jewish fortresses conquered after a battle with Muslims.
[6] One of the companions of Prophet Muhammad.
[7] Nursi 2010
[8] One of the companions of Prophet Muhammad.
[9] Jami at-Tirmidhi 3578 – Sunnah.com
[10] Nursi 2010
[11] Nursi 2010
[12] Al Quran 3:124
[13] Al-Baghawi was a Persian Shafii scholar, mufassir and hadith expert. He is known for his famous hadith work Masabih al-Sunnah which later became Mishkat Al Masabih.
[14] Also known as battle of trench in which Muslims dug a huge trench.
[15] Nursi 2010
[16] A hadith expert famous for his collection called Musannaf.
[17] Sunan ibn Majah Vol. 4, Book 31, Hadith 3532 – Sunnah.com
[18] Nursi 2010
[19] Nursi 2010
[20] Nursi 2010

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