MIRACLES

Miracles in the Islamic tradition play less of an evidentiary role than in some other religions since the prophet Muhammad's humanity is stressed. The miracles of prophets mentioned in the Qur?an are known there as signs (ayat) and include Abraham's not being harmed by the fire he was thrown into (21:69), as well as Jesus' speaking as a baby (19:30–33), bringing birds made of clay to life (3:49, 5:110), and healing powers (3:49). The Qur?an itself is often said to be the main miracle of Muhammad since an untutored or illiterate (ummi) person could not have been the source of this most compelling and eloquent message.

The sayings of the Prophet and his biography (sira), as they developed provide examples of various miraculous occurrences during the life of the Prophet including the childhood opening of his breast and cleansing of his internal organs by an angel, his night journey from Jerusalem through the seven heavens, his splitting of the moon, multiplication of food, and bestowal of blessings generally.

In later Muslim sources prophetic miracles were termed mu?jizat, or "things which render the detractors or opponents incapable or overwhelmed." In other words, acts incapable of being imitated as in the doctrine of the i?jaz al-Qur?an—its incomparable eloquence and content. In theological or philosophical discussions the term kharq al-?ada—a break in God's customary order of things—is used to indicate the miraculous. In the case of Sufi saints miracles are usually termed karamat (gifts or graces). They have the ambiguous role of both confirming spiritual attainments and potentially distracting from the ultimate goal of service of God. Classical authors struggled to differentiate prophetic and saintly miracles, and those who were inclined toward Sufism saw the saintly miracles as emerging and continuing the prophetic legacy. Al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi (d. 930) argued that the signs of the prophets emanated from the divine power while the karamat of the saints emanated from the divine generosity. Other Sufi commentators differentiated the public nature of prophetic miracles from the secretive aspects of saintly powers. Later Sufis, however, did not hesitate to openly enumerate the graces they received as in the Lata?if al-minan of al-Shar ani or the many accounts of saints performing miracles that led to mass conversions on the frontiers of Islamic expansion. South Asian saints' lives often consecrate chapters to waqi?at or "events" of a paranormal nature including mind reading and predicting future events.

More recent reformists and some classical theologians, such as the Mu?tazila, were more skeptical of miracle stories, given their rationalist proclivities, in some cases denying saintly miracles altogether. Debates over the physical reality of prophetic miracles such as the night journey or moon splitting still engage Muslim commentators.

A color plate of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus appears in the volume two color insert.

See alsoMi?raj ; Muhammad ; Prophets .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gramlich, Richard. Die Wunder der Freunde Gottes. Stuttgart: Steiner Verlag, 1987.

Gril, Denis. "Le Miracle en islam, critère de la sainteté." In Saints Orientaux. Edited by Denise Aigle. Paris: de Boccard, 1995.

Marcia Hermansen