Sixteenth Sign
The wonders that took place before his prophetic mission, but which were related to it, are called irhasat, and these too were indications and proofs of his prophethood. They were of three kinds:
The First Kind
This kind of irhasat comprises the tidings of Muhammad’s (UWBP) prophethood given by the Torah, the Bible, the Psalms of David, and the scriptures revealed to other prophets, as stated by the Qur’an. Indeed, since those Books are revealed scriptures and those who brought them were prophets, it is necessary and certain that they should have mentioned the one who would supersede their religions, change the shape of the universe, and illuminate half the earth with the light he brought.
Is it possible that those scriptures, which foretold insignificant events, would not speak of the most important phenomenon of humanity, the prophethood of Muhammad (UWBP)?
Yes, since they would certainly speak of it, they would either denounce it as a falsehood and so save their religions from destruction and their books from abrogation, or they would affirm it, and through that man of truth, save their religions from superstition and corruption. Now, both friend and foe agree that there is no sign of any such denouncement in the scriptures, in which case there must be affirmation.
And since there is certain affirmation, and since there is a definite reason and fundamental cause for such affirmation, we too shall demonstrate through three categorical proofs the existence of this affirmation:
First Proof
Allah the Most High’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) says to them through the tongue of the Qur’an: “Your scriptures describe and confirm me; they confirm me in the things I say.” He challenges them with verses such as, Say, “Bring the Torah and read it, if you are men of truth!” ❋ Say, “Come, let us gather together, our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves; then let us earnestly pray and invoke the curse of Allah on those who lie!” Despite his continuously taunting them with verses such as these, no Jewish scholar or Christian priest was able to show that he had made any error. If they had been able to, those very numerous and very obdurate and jealous unbelievers and dissembling Jews and the whole world of unbelief would have proclaimed it everywhere.
The Messenger (UWBP) also said: “Either you find any error of mine, or I shall fight you until I destroy you!” And they chose war and wretchedness. That means they could not find any error. For if they had, they would have been saved from all that.
Second Proof
The words of the Torah, the Bible, and the Psalms do not have the miraculousness of those of the Qur’an. They have also been translated again and again, and a great many alien words have become intermingled with them. Also, the words of commentators and their false interpretations have been confused with their verses. In addition, the distortions of the ignorant and the hostile have been incorporated into them. In these ways, the corruptions and alterations have multiplied in those Books. In fact, Shaikh Rahmatullah al‑Hindi, the well-known scholar, proved to Jewish and Christian scholars and priests thousands of corruptions in them, and silenced them.
Nevertheless, despite these corruptions, in our times the celebrated Husain Jisri (May Allah have mercy on him) found one hundred and fourteen allusions to the prophethood of Muhammad (UWBP), and included them in his Risalat al‑Hamidiya. This was translated into Turkish by the late Ismail Hakkı of Manastır; whoever wishes may refer to it.
Also, many Jewish and Christian scholars acknowledged and admitted that the attributes of Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) were written in their scriptures. The famous Roman Emperor Heraclius, who was a non‑Muslim himself, said: “Jesus foretold Muhammad’s coming.”
Also, another Roman ruler called Muqawqis, the Governor of Egypt, and celebrated Jewish scholars and leaders such as Ibn Suriya, Zubayr b. Batiya, Ibn Akhtab and his brother Ka‘b b. Asad, although remaining non‑Muslim, admitted: “He is described in our Books.”
Also, some of the well‑known Jewish scholars and Christian priests gave up their obduracy on seeing Muhammad’s (UWBP) attributes as described in the above-mentioned books, and believed in him. They then pointed out these references to other Jewish and Christian scholars, and convinced them.
Among them were the famous ‘Abdullah b. Salam, Wahb b. Munabbih, Abu Yasir, the two sons of Sa‘ya, Asid and Tha‘laba, and Shamul. The latter lived at the time of Tubba‘, the ruler of Yemen. Shamul became a believer before Muhammad’s prophetic mission and without ever seeing him, just as Tubba‘ did. While the guest of the Bani Nadir before the prophetic mission, a gnostic called Ibn al‑Hayyaban, declared: A prophet will soon appear, and this is the place he will emigrate to. He died there. Later, when that tribe was at war with Allah the Most High’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), Asid and Tha‘laba came forward and cried out to the tribe: By Allah, he is the one Ibn al‑Hayyaban promised would come. Don’t fight him! But they did not heed him, and paid the penalty.
Also, many Jewish scholars like Ibn Benjamin, Mikhayriq, and Ka‘b al‑Ahbar, became believers on seeing the prophetic attributes in their Books, and silenced those who did not accept faith.
There was also the famous Christian scholar and monk, Bahira, who was mentioned above: Allah the Most High’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was twelve years old when he went to Damascus with his uncle, and it was for his sake that Bahira invited the Quraysh. For he had seen a cloud casting its shadow on the travelling caravan. When it continued to do so, he realized that the one he was seeking had remained with the caravan, and he sent someone to fetch him. He told Abu Talib: “Return to Mecca! The Jews are exceedingly jealous and will resort to treachery, for his attributes are described in the Torah.”
Also, Nestor the Abyssinian, and the ruler of that country, the Negus, came to believe on seeing Muhammad’s (UWBP) attributes written in their Books.
Also, a well‑known Christian scholar called Daghatr became a believer on seeing the description of the Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and was martyred when he proclaimed this among the Byzantines.
Also, from the Christian leaders, Harith b. Abi Shumar al‑Ghasani and the prominent rulers and religious leaders of Damascus such as Sahib al-Ilya, Heraclius, Ibn Natur and al-Jarud, entered the fold of Islam after seeing the Prophet’s (UWBP) description in their Books. Of them, only Heraclius concealed his belief, for the sake of worldly rule.
Also, like these, Salman al‑Farsi had formerly been a Christian. He searched for the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) after seeing his description.
Also, a famous scholar called Tamim, and the well‑known Abyssinian ruler, the Negus, and the Abyssinian Christians, and the priests of Najran, all unanimously declared that they had seen the Prophet’s (Upon whom be blessings and peace) description in their scriptures, and had come to believe in him.
The Third Proof
Here, as examples, we shall point out from the Gospel, the Torah, and the Psalms, a few instances of verses concerning our Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace).
First: In the Psalms, there is the following verse: Allah, send to us after the period between prophets one who will establish an exemplary model. Here, “One who will establish an exemplary model” refers to the Prophet Muhammad (UWBP).
A Verse From the Gospels Says: The Messiah said: “I am leaving for my father and your father, so that He may send you the Paraclete,” that is, Ahmad Muhammad.
A Second Verse From the Gospels: I ask from my Lord for the Paraclete that he may abide with you forever. Paraclete, meaning the distinguisher of good from evil, is the name of our Prophet (UWBP) in those Books.
A Verse From the Torah Says:Verily Allah told Abraham that Hagar – the mother of Isma‘il – will bear children. There will emerge from her sons one whose hand will be above all, and the hands of all will be opened to him in reverence.
Another Verse From the Torah: And He said to Moses: “O Moses, verily I shall send them a prophet like you, from the sons of their brothers [the children of Isma‘il]; I shall place My word in his mouth, and shall punish whoever does not accept the words of the one who will speak in My name.”
A Third Verse From the Torah:Moses said: “O Lord! Verily I have found in the Torah the best of communities that will emerge for the benefit of humanity, that will enjoin good and forbid wrong, and that will believe in Allah. Let it be my community!” Allah said: “That is the community of Muhammad.”
A Reminder: In those books, the name of Muhammad is given in Syriac form, such as Mushaffah, Munhamanna, Himyata, and names meaning Muhammad in Hebrew. Otherwise the name of Muhammad is explicitly mentioned only in a few places and was also altered by the jealous Jews.
A Verse From the Psalms of David States: O David! A prophet will appear after you, named Ahmad Muhammad; he will be truthful, and he will be a chief, and his Community will be forgiven.
One of the Seven ‘Abdullah’s, ‘Abdullah b. ‘Amr b. al‑‘As, who made extensive studies of the earlier scriptures, and ‘Abdullah b. Salam, who was the earliest to accept Islam from among the famous Jewish scholars, and the famous scholar Ka‘b al-Ahbar from among the Children of Israel, all pointed out in the Torah, which was not then corrupted to its present extent, the following verse, which after addressing Moses, then addresses the prophet-yet-to-come: O Prophet, verily We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, a warner and a protection for the unlettered. You are My bondsman, and I have named you the Reliant on Allah. You shall not be harsh, stern, and clamorous in the market places, nor shall you requite evil with evil, but instead pardon and forgive. Allah shall not take you unto Himself until you straighten a crooked people by causing them to say, “No god but Allah.”
Another Verse From the Torah: Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger, his birthplace is Mecca, he will emigrate to Tayba, his rule will be in Damascus, and his community will constantly praise Allah.
In this verse, a Syriac word meaning Muhammad is mentioned for the word Muhammad.
Here Is Another Verse From the Torah: You are My bondsman and messenger, and I have named you Reliant on Allah, which is addressed to a prophet who is to come after Moses, and is from the progeny of Isma‘il, the brother of Isaac.
In the Following Verse From the Torah, My chosen bondsman is not harsh or stern, the meaning of Mukhtar (chosen) is the same as Mustafa, a name of Muhammad.
In Several Places in the Gospels, a prophet who will come after Jesus is referred to as “the Master of the World.” He is described as: He will have with him a staff of iron with which he will fight, as will his people. This verse indicates that a prophet will come with a sword, charged with waging jihad. “Qadib min hadid (literally, staff of iron)” means sword.
And so will be his community. In agreement with the Biblical verse mentioned above, and referring to it as well as some other verses, the following Qur’anic verse at the end of Sura al‑Fath also states that his community, like him, will be commanded to wage jihad: And their similitude in the Gospel is like a seed that sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, filling the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the unbelievers with rage at them.
In the Thirty‑Third Chapter of the Fifth Book of the Torah, there is the following verse: The Lord came from Sinai, rose up unto us from Sa‘ir, and shined forth from Mount Paran.
In this verse, with the phrase “the Lord came from Sinai,” the prophethood of Moses is mentioned; with the phrase “rose up unto us from Sa‘ir” (Sa‘ir being a mountain near Damascus), the prophethood of Jesus is indicated. And the phrase “He shined forth from Mount Paran” (the Paran Mountains being the mountains of Hijaz), gives tidings of the prophethood of Muhammad (UWBP), as all will agree.
Moreover, confirming the sentence, This is their similitude in the Torah, is the following verse of the Torah concerning the Prophet’s (UWBP) Companions, who would shine forth from the Paran Mountains: The flags of the blessed ones will be with him, and they will be on his right. In this verse, the Companions are described as “the blessed ones,” that is, his Companions are blessed, righteous men, the beloved ones of Allah.
In the Forty‑Second Chapter of the Book of Isaiah, There Are the Following Verses: “See My servant, whom I uphold; My Chosen One, in whom I delight. He will reveal justice to the nations of the world… He will encourage the fainthearted, those tempted to despair. He will see full justice given to all who have been wronged. He will not be satisfied until truth and righteousness prevail throughout the earth, nor until even distant lands beyond the seas have put their trust in him.”
Here, the verses explicitly describe Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace), the prophet of the end of time.
In the Fourth Chapter of the Book of Micah, Are the Following Verses: “But in the last days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the House of Allah will be the most renowned one of all the mountains of the world, praised by all nations; people from all over the world will make pilgrimage there. “Come,” they will say to one another, “let us go up to the mountain of Allah and the House of Allah.””
These verses obviously describe the most blessed mountain in the world, Mount ‘Arafat, and the worship and proclamations of “Allah is Most Great!” of those making the Hajj, who will flock there from all climes, and the Community of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace), famous for the divine mercy it will receive.
In the Seventy‑Second Chapter of the Psalms, There Are the Following Verses:
“And he will reign from sea to sea, And from the river to the ends of the earth. The kings of Yemen and the Islands, All will bring their gifts. And to him all the kings will prostrate themselves, All the nations will serve him… And he will live, And on his behalf prayer will be made constantly, All day long he will be praised… His name will prove to be to time indefinite, It will continue as long as the sun. All will be blessed in him, All nations will praise him.”
These verses describe the Glory of the World, the Prophet Muhammad (UWBP) most evidently. Apart from Muhammad the Arabian, what prophet has come since David (Upon whom be peace) who has spread his religion from East to West, made kings pay tribute, and brought rulers to submission as though prostrating; to whom every day one fifth of mankind offer benedictions and prayers, and whose lights have irradiated from Medina? Has there been any other?
Again, the Turkish Translation of John’s Gospel, Chapter Fourteen Verse Thirty, Says: “I shall not speak with you for much longer, for the ruler of the world is coming, and I am nothing compared with him.” Thus, the title “Ruler of the World” means Glory of the World. And the title Glory of the World is one of the most famous of Muhammad the Arabian’s (Upon whom be blessings and peace) titles.
Again in John’s Gospel, Chapter Sixteen Verse Seven, It Says: “But I am telling you the truth. My departure is but for your benefit. For, unless I depart, the Comforter will not come.” Now see, who other than Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) is the Ruler of the World and true consoler of men? Yes, the Glory of the World is he, and he is the one who will save transitory man from eternal extinction and thus comforts him.
Again, the Eighth Verse of Chapter Sixteen in John’s Gospel: “When he comes, he will give the world convincing evidence concerning its sin, its righteousness, and its judgement.” Who other than Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) has turned the world’s wrongdoing into righteousness, saved men from sin and associating partners with Allah the Most High, and transformed politics and world rule?
Also From the Gospel of John, the Eleventh Verse of Chapter Sixteen: “There is deliverance from judgement, for the Ruler of this World has already been judged.” Here “the Ruler of the World” is certainly Ahmad Muhammad (UWBP), for he is known as the Master of Humanity.
Also, in John’s Gospel, the Thirteenth Verse of Chapter Twelve: “But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you all to the truth, for he will not be presenting his own ideas, but will be passing onto you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” This verse is explicit. Who apart from Muhammad the Arabian (UWBP) has called all men to the truth, whose every statement was based on revelation, has spoken what he had heard from Gabriel, and informed man in detail about the resurrection of the dead and the hereafter? Who other than he could do this?
Also, the Books of other prophets include names in Syriac and Hebrew that correspond to the various names of the Noble Messenger (UWBP), such as Muhammad, Ahmad, Mukhtar.
For example, in the scriptures of the Prophet Shu‘ayb, his name is Mushaffah, and means Muhammad. In the Torah, he is mentioned as Munhamanna, which again means Muhammad, and as Himyata, which means the Prophet of al‑Haram. In the Psalms, he is called al‑Mukhtar. Again in the Torah, the name is al‑Hatam al-Khatam. Both in the Torah and in the Psalms, it is Muqim al‑Sunna, in the scriptures of Abraham and in the Torah, he is mentioned as Mazmaz, and again in the Torah, as Ahyad.
Allah the Most High’s Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) himself said: In the Qur’an, my name is Muhammad, in the Bible, Ahmad, and in the Torah, Ahyad.
In fact, the Bible refers to him as The one with the sword and the staff. Indeed, the greatest of the prophets who wielded the sword, and was charged with fighting in Allah’s way together with his community, was Allah the Most High’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace).
The Gospels also describe him as wearing a crown. Yes, this title is particular to Allah the Most High’s Messenger (UWBP), for “crown” means turban, for in former days, it was the Arabs who as a people, all wore the turban and headband. This definitely therefore refers to Allah the Most High’s Messenger (UWBP).
The term Paraclete in the Gospel, or Faraqlit, is defined in Biblical interpretation as “the one who distinguishes truth from falsehood.” It is therefore the name of one who in the future will lead people to the truth.
In one place in the Gospels, Jesus (Upon whom be peace) says: I am going so that the Lord of the World may come. Who other than the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) has come after Jesus who will be the Ruler of the World, distinguish and separate truth from falsehood, and guide mankind in place of Jesus? That is to say, Jesus (Upon whom be peace) was constantly giving his community the good news: Another will come; no need will remain for me. I am his forerunner and herald. Confirming this is the following verse of the Qur’an: And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: “O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was revealed before me in the Torah and bringing the good tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad [the Praised One].”
Yes, in the Gospels, Jesus gave the glad tidings many times, that the greatest leader of mankind would come. He is mentioned with various names, in, of course, Syriac and Hebrew – and has been seen by scholars – which bear the meaning of Ahmad, Muhammad, and the Distinguisher between Truth and Falsehood. That is to say, on many occasions Jesus (Upon whom be peace) told of the coming of Ahmad (UWBP).
Question: Why is it that while the other prophets foretell the coming of Muhammad (UWBP), Jesus (UWP) does so more fully and in the form of good news?
The Answer: Because Ahmad (UWBP) defended Jesus (UWP) against the fearsome denials and slander of the Jews, and saved his religion from corruption. Furthermore, in the face of the burdensome Shari‘a of the Children of Israel, who did not recognize Jesus, he came with an elevated Shari‘a which was easy, all‑encompassing, and completed the deficiencies of Jesus’ Shari‘a. For these reasons, Jesus often gave the good news: the Ruler of the World will come!
Now it is clear that in the Torah, the Gospels, the Psalms of David, and in the scriptures of other prophets, there are numerous discussions of a prophet who is to come at a later time, many verses mentioning him. Just as we pointed out examples of these, showing that he is mentioned in these Books under various names.
Who, other than Muhammad (UWBP), the Prophet of the end of time, could it be that these scriptures of the prophets speak of so repeatedly in their verses, and with such importance?
The Second Kind
The signs of prophethood that were manifested by way of irhasat also include those tidings of his coming given before his prophetic mission in that time between prophets by the soothsayers and certain people known as saints and gnostics at that time; they published their claims and passed them down to subsequent generations in their poetry. These are numerous, and we shall mention some that are well‑known and have been accepted and narrated by the scholars of history and the Prophet’s life.
First: One of the rulers of Yemen, called Tubba‘, saw descriptions of Allah the Most High’s Messenger (UWBP) in former scriptures, and believed in him. He announced this by means of a poem, which went like this: I bear witness to Ahmad, for he is a Messenger from Allah, the Creator of man; Were I to live long enough to see him, I would be a minister and a cousin of his.
That is, I would have been like ‘Ali.
Second: Quss b. Sa‘ida was the most renowned and most significant orator of the Arabs, a monotheist, and man of enlightened mind. Before Muhammad’s (UWBP) prophetic mission, he announced his messengership with these lines: Ahmad shall be sent forth amongst us, the best prophet ever sent; Allah’s blessings be upon him, whenever a riding party sets out amidst cries!
Third: Ka‘b b. Lu’ayy, one of the forefathers of the Noble Messsenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), announced Muhammad’s (UWBP) prophethood by way of inspiration as follows: Suddenly, Muhammad the Prophet will appear, Giving tidings most true.
Fourth: Sayf b. Dhi‑Yazan, one of the rulers of Yemen, read descriptions of Allah the Most High’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) in the old scriptures, and believing in him, longed to see him. When ‘Abd al-Muttalib, Muhammad’s grandfather, went to Yemen with some of the Quraysh, Sayf summoned them and said: A child will be born in Hijaz, with a mark between his shoulders resembling a seal. He will be the leader of all humanity.
Then, in private he told ‘Abd al‑Muttalib: “You are his grandfather”, foretelling his mission in a wondrous way.
Fifth: Waraqa b. Nawfal was a cousin of Khadija. When the first revelation came, the Noble Messenger (UWBP) was deeply shaken. Khadija described the event to the well‑known Waraqa b. Nawfal, who told her to send him to him. Allah the Most High’s Messenger (UWBP) went to Waraqa and told him how the revelation had come. Waraqa said: Good news, O Muhammad! I testify that you are the awaited prophet who was foretold by Jesus.
That is, Don’t worry! It was truly the coming of revelation.
Sixth: Before the prophetic mission, a gnostic called Athkalan al‑Himyari asked the Quraysh when he saw them: “Is there anyone among you who claims prophethood?” They replied in the negative. He again asked them at the start of his mission, and this time their reply was affirmative. Athkalan said: “The world is awaiting him!”
Seventh: Ibn al‑‘Ala, a famous Christian scholar, told of Allah the Most High’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) before his mission, never having seen him. He later came, saw the Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and said: By the One who sent you in truth, I found your description in the Gospels, and the Son of Mary gave glad tidings of your coming.
Eighth: Mentioned above was the Negus of Abyssinia, who declared: Would that I had been the servant of Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace), rather than a king. “To serve him would have been far superior to this sovereignty.”
In addition to these tidings given by these learned men through divine inspiration from the Unseen, soothsayers too gave news from the Unseen of the coming of Allah the Most High’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and of his prophethood, by means of jinn and spirit beings. These are numerous also, and we shall mention a few which are well‑known, have reached the degree of ‘consensus in meaning,’ and are related in most of the books of history and the Prophet’s (UWBP) biography. Referring the lengthy accounts of them to those books, we shall give only a summary of them.
The First is the famous soothsayer, Shiqq, who had only one eye, one arm, and one leg; he was quite simply half a man. His repeated predictions concerning Muhammad’s (Upon whom be blessings and peace) messengership have passed into the history books, with the certainty of consensus in meaning.
The Second is the famous soothsayer of Damascus, Satīh, who was a monstrosity lacking bones, and even limbs, whose face was in his chest and who lived a very long time. He was highly reputed at that time for the correct information he gave concerning the Unseen. The Persian king, Chosroes, even, sent a learned envoy called Mubezan to ask Satih to interpret a strange dream he had at the time of Muhammad’s (UWBP) birth, in which the fourteen pinnacles of his palace collapsed. Satih said: “Fourteen men will rule over you, then your empire will be destroyed. Also someone will come who will announce a religion; he will abolish both your religion and your empire,” sending news of this to Chosroes. In this way, Satih explicitly foretold the coming of the Prophet of the end of time.
As written in detail in the books of history and the Prophet’s biography, soothsayers like Sawad b. Qarib al‑Dawsi, Khunafir, Af‘a Najran, Jidhl b. Jidhl al-Kindi, Ibn Khalasat al-Dawsi, and Fatima bint al-Nu‘man al-Najariyya, foretold the coming of the Prophet of the end of time, stating that that Prophet was Muhammad (UWBP).
Also, one of ‘Uthman’s relations, Sa‘d b. bint al‑Kurayz, received knowledge from the Unseen by means of soothsaying about the prophethood of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace). In the early days of Islam, he told ‘Uthman Dhi’l-Nurayn to go and accept faith. ‘Uthman did so and entered the fold of Islam at the beginning. Sa‘d expressed the event with a poem, which went like this: Through my words, Allah has guided ‘Uthman to the source, That yields righteousness; truly Allah guides to the truth.
Like soothsayers, jinns who were invisible but whose voices were heard, called hātif, repeatedly foretold the coming of Allah the Most High’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace).
For example: An invisible jinn shouted out the following to Dhayab b. al‑Harith, and was the reason that he and others accepted Islam: O Dhayab! O Dhayab! Listen to the oddest thing: Muhammad has appeared with the Book. He is calling on Mecca, yet they do not respond to him!
Another unseen jinn called out to Sama‘ b. Qarrat al‑Ghatafani, The truth has come in manifest radiance, the false is destroyed and uprooted, and caused him and some others to believe.
Such messages and good tidings given by unseen jinns are extremely well‑known and numerous.
Just as the voices of jinns and the soothsayers foretold him, so too idols and sacrifices slaughtered for the idols gave news of the prophethood of Allah the Most High’s Messenger (UWBP).
For example: One is the famous story of the idol of the Mazan tribe, who shouted out: This is the Prophet who has been sent; he comes with the revealed truth, telling of Muhammad’s (Upon whom be blessings and peace) messengership.
Another is the well‑known incident which caused ‘Abbas b. Mardas to accept Islam: there was an idol called Dimar, which one day called out: Dimar was worshipped before the declaration of Muhammad; that misguidance can no longer continue.
Before he accepted Islam, ‘Umar heard an animal sacrificed to an idol exclaim: O sacrificer, the means of success are at hand: an eloquent man proclaiming, ‘No god but Allah!’
There are very many more examples like these, which have been accepted as authentic and narrated in reliable books.
And just as soothsayers, gnostics, invisible jinns, and even idols and sacrifices told of Muhammad’s (Upon whom be blessings and peace) messengership, and each instance was the cause of people coming to believe in him,
so too inscriptions on stones over and in graves, and on gravestones, like Muhammad, a worker of righteousness, the trustworthy, were the means of some people coming to believe.
Because, in the time shortly before Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) lived, there were only seven men bearing that name, and not one of them deserved the epithet of righteous and trustworthy.
The Third Kind
These are irhasat including the wondrous events which occurred at the time of, and in conjunction with, the birth of Allah the Most High’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace).
There were also events that occurred before his prophetic mission which were miracles. They were many and we shall mention a few examples that became famous, have been accepted by the authorities on Hadiths, and whose authenticity have been established.
The First: On the night of the Prophet’s (UWBP) birth, both his mother, and the mothers of ‘Uthman b. al‑‘As and ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Awf, who were with her, saw a brilliant, widely scattered light, about which they said: “At the time of his birth we saw a light so bright it lit up the east and the west for us.”
The Second: That night most of the idols in the Ka‘ba toppled over and fell to the ground.
The Third: That night the famous aywan of Chosroes’ palace shook and cracked apart, and its fourteen pinnacles collapsed.
The Fourth: That night the small lake of Saveh, which was considered to be holy, sank into the ground, and at Istakhrabad the fire which, burning continuously for a thousand years, the Zoroastrians had worshipped, was extinguished.
These four events indicated that the person who had just been born would abolish fire‑worship, destroy the palace of the Persian kings, and prevent those things being sanctified that Allah the Most High did not permit.
The Fifth: Although they did not coincide with the night of Muhammad’s (UWBP) birth, certain events that took place not long before it are also included in the irhasat. One is the War of the Elephant, which is mentioned in the Qur’an in Sura al‑Fil. Abraha, the king of Abyssinia, came to destroy the Ka‘ba, driving a huge elephant called Mahmudi before his forces. When they came close to Mecca, the elephant was unable to move. They could not make it move forward, and had to retreat. While retreating, a flock of birds attacked and routed them, and they fled. This extraordinary story is recorded in detail in the history books.
The event was one of the proofs of Muhammad’s (UWBP) prophethood, for it occurred close in time to his birth and saved the Holy Ka‘ba, his qibla, birthplace, and native land, from Abraha’s destruction.
The Sixth: According to the testimony of Halima al‑Sa‘diya and her husband, when Allah the Most High’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was with them in his childhood, they frequently saw a cloud above him shielding him from the sun. They told everyone this, and it was well-known and authenticated.
Also, as testified to by the monk Bahira, when the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) went to Damascus at the age of twelve, he saw a cloud casting a shadow over his head, and he pointed this out.
Again before his prophetic mission, one time Allah the Most High’s Messenger (UWBP) returned from a trading journey he made together with Khadija’s servant, Maysara, when Khadija saw two angels shading him like clouds. She mentioned this to her servant Maysara, and he replied: “I observed the same thing throughout our journey.”
The Seventh: It is established in a sound narration that before his prophetic mission, Allah the Most High’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) sat down under a tree. Although the place was dried up, it suddenly grew green. The tree’s branches inclined over his head, twisting back and shading him.
The Eighth: When the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace)was small, he stayed in Abu Talib’s house. Whenever he ate together with Abu Talib and his household, they would eat to repletion; whereas when he was not present, they were not satisfied. This is both well‑known and definite.
Also, Umm Ayman, who looked after and served the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) when he was small, said: “Allah the Most High’s Messenger (UWBP) never complained about being hungry or thirsty, neither when small nor when he was older.”
The Ninth: It is both well‑known and definite that unlike other members of her tribe, his wet-nurse Halima al-Sa‘diya’s goats and posses- sions were very productive and abundant.
Also, flies did not bother him; they never alighted on his clothes or blessed body – just as one of his progeny, Sayyid ‘Abd al‑Qadir Gilani, received this legacy from his forefather, for flies never alighted on him either.
The Tenth: After Allah the Most High’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was born, and especially on the night of his birth, there was a great increase in falling stars. As shown with decisive proofs in the Fifteenth Word, falling stars are a sign of jinns and devils being barred from receiving news of the Unseen.
Thus, since Allah the Most High’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) had appeared in the world together with revelation, it was necessary to prevent the knowledge about the Unseen being transmitted by soothsayers, diviners, and jinn, which was inaccurate and mixed with lies, so that their knowledge should not cause any doubts about revelation, and should not resemble it.
Before the prophetic mission, soothsaying was widespread. Then with its revelation, the Qur’an brought it to an end. Indeed, many soothsayers accepted Islam, for they could no longer find their informers, who were jinns. That is, the Qur’an had put an end to it.
And these days a new type of soothsaying has appeared in the form of mediums among the spiritualists of the West. But we shall not go into that now.
In Short: Very many events occurred and persons appeared confirming and causing others to confirm the prophethood of the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) before the commencement of his mission.
For sure, before the appearance of the one who was going to be the ruler of the world and would change the world’s spiritual shape, and would make this world into the tillage for the next, and proclaim the high value of the creatures of the world, and show to man and jinn the way to eternal happiness and save them from everlasting extinction, and solve the obscure talisman of the world and riddle of the wisdom in its creation, and would know and make known the purposes of the universe’s Creator, and recognize the Creator and acquaint Him to all men – before such a one appeared, surely everything, all species and realms of beings would be happy at his coming, would await him and welcome and applaud him, and if his coming was made known to them by their Creator, they in turn would announce it. Indeed, we saw in the above Signs and examples how each realm of creature displayed his miracles as if welcoming him, and confirmed his prophethood through the tongue of miracles.