Miracles Surrounding The Prophet's Birth

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(Al Quran 3:164) Indeed Allah conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Prophet Muhammad ﷺ)

It has been recorded that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  was born in the Islamic Calendar month of Rabbi al Awwal which corresponds to the year 570 CE. There are several miraculous events that surrounded Prophet Muhammad's birth, Islamic Scholars have recorded them in hadith literature and books on the Prophet's seerah (biography). These include events that happened not only at the exact moment of the his birth but also prior to his birth and following his birth. I have listed all that I know, to the best of my knowledge and I have also tried to briefly explain each to help the readers grasp their importance. 

Miraculous Events Prior to Prophet Muhammad’s Birth

Destruction of the Army that attacked Kabah

The year Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born, about fifty days before his birth, Abraha, the king of Yemen attacked Kabah to destroy it. He led his forces with a huge elephant named Mahmudi marching ahead in front. When they came near Mecca, the elephant stopped. They could not find any way of making the elephant continue. Soon they came across a huge flock of birds that carried stones in their beaks and rained on them from such a great height that destroyed his entire army. The Quran also mentions this miraculous event: “See you not how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant…And He sent against them birds in flocks. Striking them with stones of hard clay”[1]

Predictions of soothsayers in Arabia

A famous foreteller named Shiqq, repeatedly foretold the messengership of Muhammad ﷺ, and his reports have been recorded in history books, with the certainty of tawatur[2] in meaning.[3] The famous foreteller of Damascus, Satih, who looked very much like half a man with only one eye, one arm and one leg, lived a very long life. He was highly reputed for his predictions. In fact, Khusrow (Chosroes), the Persian ruler, once sent him a learned man named Muyzan to ask for the interpretation of a strange dream of Khusrow (Chosroes) and the meaning of the collapse of the fourteen pillars of his palace that had occurred on the night of Prophets birth. Satih said, "Fourteen rulers will reign, and then your empire will be utterly destroyed. A man will come with a religion, and will abolish both your religion and empire." In this clear statement, Satih predicted the arrival of the last Prophet and Islam spreading across Persia.[4]

Lady Amina (May Allah Be Pleased with her) saw a beautiful dream when she was pregnant

Lady Amina bint Wahhab, the blessed mother of the Prophet ﷺ , saw a vision in her dream that a light came out of her, when she was pregnant, that lit the land as far north as Syria. She was also told in her dream that she was pregnant with the master of this nation and the sign of that would be that when she gives birth to him she would see a light coming out with him that would shine over Bosra in Syria. “When this happens”, she was told, “call him Muhammad!” Thus indicating the spread of Islam in entire Syrian lands. (Nursi 2010)

Sheikh Al Nursi also mentions in his book: “Some other foretellers such as Sawad b. Qarib ad-Dawsi, Khunafir, Af'a Najran, Jizl b. Jizl al Kindi, Ibn Khalasat ad-Dawsi and Fatima bint an Nu'man an-Najariyya, as books of history and the Prophet's (ASW) biography have recorded in detail, also predicted that the last Prophet (ASW) would arrive, and that he would be Muhammad.” (Nursi 2010)

Ka’ab ibn Luayy predicted Prophet Muhammad’s arrival

Ka‘b ibn Lu‘ayy[5], one of the Messenger’s ancestors that lived more than 200 years before his birth, announced Muhammad’s Prophethood in poetry through inspiration:

“In the time of heedlessness
Muhammad will appear suddenly;
He will give tidings that are all true.” (Nursi 2010)

In addition to the above there are several other recorded miraculous events that took place before the birth of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. These can be found in hadith books. At this point, these would be sufficient.

Miraculous Events during Prophet Muhammad’s Birth

Lady Amina (r.a) noticed a light during her delivery

Lady Amina (r.a) said “I conceived him,” she said, “and suffered no pain until delivery. When he came out of me, a light came out with him that illuminated everything from East to West” She also said, “I saw the night I gave birth to him a light that illuminated the palaces of Syria so that I saw them.” Uthman ibn Abi al Aas and Abdul Rahman Bin Awf narrated that their mothers said: “At the time of Muhammad’s (s) birth we saw the house filled with lights and the stars drew so near that I thought they were going to fall on us.” The Prophet ﷺ later confirmed this, saying: “My mother saw, when she gave birth to me, a light that illuminated the palaces of Bosra.”[6]

Prophethood left the Children of Israel

Aisha (r.a) said, “There was a Jewish merchant in Mecca on the night that the Prophet (s) was born. He inquired ‘Oh, people of Quraish, was there any newborn among you?’ They replied ‘We don’t know’. He said ‘Tonight, the Prophet of this last nation was born. Between his shoulders there is a mark containing a few hairs on it like a horse’s mane (part on the back of horse’s neck).’ They accompanied the Jew and went to the Prophet’s mother, and asked her if they could see her son. She brought him to them and they uncovered his back and saw the birth mark, whereupon the Jew fell unconscious. When he regained consciousness, they asked him "What is the matter with you?" He answered, "By Allah, prophethood has gone away from the children of Israel.” (al-Qastallani n.d.)

Abu Lahab is in Hell but forgiven every Monday

The Quran confirms that Abu Lahab, the sworn enemy of the Prophet ﷺ  to be in hell fire: “May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he. His wealth will not avail him or that which he gained. He will [enter to] burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame.”[7] It is recorded in the Sahih of Imam Bukhari that Thuwayba, the female slave of Abu Lahab was freed upon her bringing him the good news of the Prophet’s birth. After his death, Abu Lahab was seen in a dream, when he was asked: “How are you faring?” He answered, “I am in the fire. However, I get a break every Monday, when I am able to suck water from this spot between my fingers,” and he gestured with two of his fingertips. “This miracle is due to my freeing Thuwayba when she brought me the good news of the birth of the Prophet.”[8]

Jinns and Sorcerers (& magicians) were cut off from the heavens at the birth of Prophet

After his arrival in this world, especially during the night of his birth, shooting stars became more frequent, which was a sign that the access of satan and evil jinn to information concerning the al-ghayb (unseen) was to cease. Since Allah's Messenger ﷺ had appeared in this world with revelation, it was necessary to bar the knowledge of hidden matters that was transmitted by soothsayers and jinn and was inaccurate and mixed with falsehoods, so that their knowledge should not cause any doubt concerning revelation or resemble it. The Quran also confirms this when a group of jinns accepted Islam at the blessed hands of Prophet ﷺ and said, “And that we contacted the heaven, yet we found it filled with very strict guards and flaming (meteors). And verily, we used to sit there in stations, to (steal) a hearing, but any who listens now will find a flaming fire watching him in ambush.”[9]

This can also be confirmed by the fact that some of companions of the Prophet ﷺ such as Dhayab ibn al-Harith and Sawaad bin Qaarib were sorcerers prior to converting to Islam and were informed by their jinn partners about the arrival of a prophet while expressing their helplessness in going to the heavens for eavesdropping.

The 1000 Years old burning fire extinguished

The Persians followed the religion of worshipping fire. This religion had existed for quite a long while in Persia. When our dearest Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  was born, one of the major places of their worship where a huge bon of fire was lit for 1000 years immediately extinguished. This was indeed a great miracle for entire humankind that the message of Allah ﷻ has arrived and it is free of all impurities of shirk (associating partners with Allah). (Al Raheeq Al Maktum)

An Ancient Lake named Saveh sank in to the soil

The blessed night our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ there was an ancient lake in Persia named Saveh held very sacred by the Persians that sank in to the ground. This is recorded in famous Islamic texts such as Suyuti’s al-Khasa’is and by later scholars Sheikh Said Al Nursi in his Risala i Nur Collection, Prophet Muhammad and His Miracles. Amazingly, there is research happening in Iran and published research articles that indeed an ancient lake named Saveh did exist. According to the legend mentioned in historical Persian texts, this lake dried out on the night of the birth of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. A recent investigation in the Zarand area between Tehran and Saveh has revealed some evidence of the existence of this lake in Zarand Plain.[10]

 All idols inside Kabah toppled

Its recorded in the Sunan of Bayhaqi an authentic hadith collection as well as several biographers of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ from early Islam have recorded that on the blessed night of his birth, idols within the Ka‘ba toppled over that stunned all the Quraysh people due to the fact that they were fixated. It was a reminder to them that the religion of truth has arrived and falsehood will be no more.

Miraculous Events after Prophet Muhammad’s Birth

When the Prophet was newly born

Al Tabarani narrates that when he fell to the ground, he had his fingers drawn together, with the index finger pointing, testifying to the oneness of Allah. Ibn Saad narrated that when Lady Amina (r.a) gave birth to the Prophet ﷺ he had no meconium (fetal fecal matter) in him. According to narrations by Ibn Umar (r.a) and others, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born circumcised and with his umbilical cord already cut off. Anas (r.a) related that the Prophet ﷺ said: “One of the signs of the honor I have been given by my Lord is that I was born circumcised, and no one saw my private parts.”[11]

Prophet ﷺ plays with Moon in the cradle

The Prophet’s uncle, Al Abbas (r.a) said: “Oh, Messenger of Allah, what made me enter into your religion was my witnessing a sign of your prophethood. I saw you in your cradle talking tenderly to the Moon and pointing at it with your finger. It moved across the sky to wherever you pointed.” Muhammad ﷺ said, “I was talking to it, and it talked to me, which distracted me from crying. I could hear the sound of its prostration under the throne.”[12] This moon would later split in to two halves a result of another miracle of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ discussed further in this section.

Wonders with Halima – The wet nurse of Prophet ﷺ 

Halima[13] narrates “It was a year of drought and famine and we had nothing to eat. I rode on a brown donkey. We also had with us an old she-camel. By Allah we could not get even a drop of milk. We could not have a wink of sleep during the night for the child kept crying on account of hunger. There was not enough milk in my breast and even the she-camel had nothing to feed him. At length we reached Makkah looking for children to suckle. Not even a single woman amongst us accepted the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) offered to her. As soon as they were told that he was an orphan, they refused him. Every woman who came with me got a child to nurse and when we were about to depart, I said to my husband: “By Allah, I do not like to go back along with the other women without any baby. I should go to that orphan and I must take him.” He said, “There is no harm in doing so and perhaps Allah might bless us through him.” So I went and took him. When I lifted him in my arms and returned to my place I put him on my breast and to my great surprise, I found enough milk in it. He drank to his heart’s content, and so did his foster brother and then both of them went to sleep although my baby had not been able to sleep the previous night. My husband then went to the she-camel to milk it and, to his astonishment; he found plenty of milk in it. He milked it and we drank to our fill, and enjoyed a sound sleep during the night. The donkey that she rode when she came to Makkah was lean and almost foundered; it recovered speed much to the amazement of Halimah’s fellow travelers. Their barren land sprouted forth luxuriant grass and beasts came back to them satisfied and full of milk.[14]

The birth of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  is surrounded by many miracles and above are the few as recorded in authenticated sources by writers of his seerah[15] and those who specialize in hadith.

Allahumma Salli Ala Muhammaddin Wa’ala Ale Muhammaddin Wa Barak Wassallam. (Oh Allah, send Your grace, honour and mercy upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad and bless them abundantly)[16]

References:
[1] Al Quran 105:1–5
[2] A prophetic tradition (hadith) that has multiple chains of narrators making it strong in its authenticity.
[3] Nursi, Bediuzzaman Said. 2010. Miracles of Prophet Muhammad. Feedbooks.
[4] Nursi, Bediuzzaman Said. 2010. Miracles of Prophet Muhammad – Chapter: The predictions of Prophet Muhammad's coming by Soothsayers and Gnostics. Feedbooks.
[5] Ka’ab Lu’ayy was born in 305 CE.
[6] al-Mubarakpuri, Safi-ur-Rahman. 1996. Al-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar). Dar-us-Salam Publications.
[7] Al Quran 111:1–3
[8] Sahih al-Bukhari 5101 – Sunnah.com
[9] Al Quran 72:1–8
[10] OKHRAVI, Rasoul, DJAMALI, Morteza. 2003. "The Missing Ancient Lake of Saveh." Iranica Antiqua 327-344.
[11] al-Qastallani, Ahmad Shihab ad-Din. n.d. "al-Mawahib al-laduniyya bi al-minah al-Muhammadiyya (The Divinely-Granted Gifts in the Form of the Muhammadan Grants) Translated by Shaykh Gibril Haddad." As Sunnah Foundation America. Accessed Febraury 2/20/19, 2019. http://sunnah.org/wp/2008/11/26/bismillah-al-rahman-al-rahim/.
[12] al-Qastallani, Ahmad Shihab ad-Din. n.d. "al-Mawahib al-laduniyya bi al-minah al-Muhammadiyya (The Divinely-Granted Gifts in the Form of the Muhammadan Grants) Translated by Shaykh Gibril Haddad." As Sunnah Foundation America. Accessed Febraury 2/20/19, 2019. http://sunnah.org/wp/2008/11/26/bismillah-al-rahman-al-rahim/.
[13] Halima (may Allah be pleased with her) was a foster mother of the prophet with whom he lived until the age of six years.
[14] al-Mubarakpuri, Safi-ur-Rahman. 1996. Al-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar). Dar-us-Salam Publications.
[15] A term, which means ‘biography’.
[16] This is a short salawaat, a prayer that contains salutations to the Prophet. 

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