Established in the authentic sources
The splitting of the moon
In the Quran, Al-Bukhari and MuslimThe people of Makkah asked the Prophet ﷺ for a sign, and he showed them the moon in two parts, with Mount Hira visible between them. The Quran mentions the event at the start of Surat al-Qamar.
Water flowing from between his fingers
Al-Bukhari, MuslimWhen the afternoon prayer came and the people found no water for wudu, the Prophet ﷺ put his hand into a small vessel and told them to perform wudu from it. The whole group, about three hundred, did so from water flowing from between his fingers.
Food multiplied on the day of the Trench
Al-Bukhari, MuslimWhile digging the Trench in severe hunger, Jabir slaughtered a small goat and his wife ground a measure of barley. The Prophet ﷺ invited all the diggers, spat blessing into the pot and dough and prayed. A thousand men ate their fill and the food remained as it was.
The weeping palm trunk
Al-BukhariThe Prophet ﷺ used to preach leaning on a palm trunk. When a pulpit was made and he stood on it, the Companions heard the trunk cry like a pregnant she-camel. He came down, embraced it, and it quietened.
The food that glorified Allah
Al-BukhariIbn Masud reports that they used to hear the food glorify Allah as it was eaten in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ, and that such signs were counted as blessings, not warnings.
Ali’s eyes healed at Khaybar
Al-Bukhari, MuslimAli, may Allah be pleased with him, was suffering from his eyes. The Prophet ﷺ spat into them and prayed for him, and he was healed as if he had never had pain. He took the banner and Allah gave victory at his hands.
Rain in answer to his prayer
Al-Bukhari, MuslimIn a severe drought a Bedouin told the Prophet ﷺ that livestock were perishing. He raised his hands in prayer under a clear sky, clouds rose like mountains, and before he left the pulpit rain ran down his beard. When asked to turn it away from Madinah, it cleared around the city.
Foretelling the unseen
The Quran and Al-BukhariThe Quran announced that the Romans would win within a few years after their defeat, and so it happened. The Prophet ﷺ told his Companions of the death of the Negus, in Abyssinia, on the very day he died.
The stone that greeted him
MuslimThe Prophet ﷺ said he knew a stone in Makkah that used to greet him before he was sent, and that he still knew it.
The Night Journey and the Ascension
The Quran, Al-Bukhari, MuslimThe Prophet ﷺ was taken by night from the Sacred Mosque to Al-Aqsa, then ascended through the heavens, and the five daily prayers were prescribed to him.
ٱقۡتَرَبَتِ ٱلسَّاعَةُ وَٱنشَقَّ ٱلۡقَمَرُ وَإِن يَرَوۡاْ ءَايَةٗ يُعۡرِضُواْ وَيَقُولُواْ سِحۡرٞ مُّسۡتَمِرّٞThe Hour has come near, and the moon has split [in two]. And if they see a sign [i.e., miracle], they turn away and say, "Passing magic."
فَرَأَيْتُ الْمَاءَ يَنْبُعُ مِنْ بَيْنِ أَصَابِعِهِI saw water flowing from between his fingers.
سَمِعْنَا لِلْجِذْعِ مِثْلَ أَصْوَاتِ الْعِشَارِWe heard the trunk make a sound like that of pregnant camels.
وَلَقَدْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ تَسْبِيحَ الطَّعَامِ وَهُوَ يُؤْكَلُWe used to hear the food glorifying Allah while it was being eaten.
اللَّهُمَّ حَوَالَيْنَا وَلَا عَلَيْنَاO Allah, around us and not upon us.
الٓمٓ غُلِبَتِ ٱلرُّومُ فِيٓ أَدۡنَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ غَلَبِهِمۡ سَيَغۡلِبُونَAlif, Lām, Meem. The Byzantines have been defeated In the nearest land. But they, after their defeat, will overcome
إِنِّي لَأَعْرِفُ حَجَرًا بِمَكَّةَ كَانَ يُسَلِّمُ عَلَيَّ قَبْلَ أَنْ أُبْعَثَ إِنِّي لَأَعْرِفُهُ الْآنَI know a stone in Makkah that used to greet me before I was sent; I know it even now.
سُبۡحَٰنَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَسۡرَىٰ بِعَبۡدِهِۦ لَيۡلٗا مِّنَ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡأَقۡصَا ٱلَّذِي بَٰرَكۡنَا حَوۡلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِنَآۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡبَصِيرُExalted is He who took His Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)] by night from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
Scholars differ
The eye of Qatadah ibn an-Numan restored
Reported by al-Bayhaqi and others; scholars discuss its chainsIt is reported that Qatadah’s eye was struck at Uhud and fell onto his cheek, and the Prophet ﷺ put it back with his hand so that it became the better of his two eyes. It comes through chains some of which are weak, so we mention it for awareness, not as certain.
The poisoned lamb informs him
The poisoning is in Al-Bukhari; the arm “speaking” is disputedIt is established that a Jewish woman gave the Prophet ﷺ a poisoned lamb at Khaybar and that it did not kill him. That the arm spoke and warned him comes through chains scholars disagree about.
Famous but not established
Idols falling and the Persian fire dying on the night of his birth
No sound chainBiographies and sermons often mention Khosrow’s palace shaking and the Magians’ fire dying on the night he was born. None has a sound chain, so we do not build on them.
His shadow never touched the ground
No basisIt is widely claimed that the Prophet ﷺ had no shadow. There is no basis for it in the authentic reports; what is established is that he was a human being.
His greatest miracle: the Quran
The miracle that remains today is the Quran. Allah challenged people to produce the like of it and they could not. Every other miracle passed with its time, but the Quran is in our hands, recited as it was revealed.
وَإِن كُنتُمۡ فِي رَيۡبٖ مِّمَّا نَزَّلۡنَا عَلَىٰ عَبۡدِنَا فَأۡتُواْ بِسُورَةٖ مِّن مِّثۡلِهِۦ وَٱدۡعُواْ شُهَدَآءَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمۡ صَٰدِقِينَAnd if you are in doubt about what We have sent down [i.e., the Qur’ān] upon Our Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)], then produce a sūrah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses [i.e., supporters] other than Allāh, if you should be truthful.
قُل لَّئِنِ ٱجۡتَمَعَتِ ٱلۡإِنسُ وَٱلۡجِنُّ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَأۡتُواْ بِمِثۡلِ هَٰذَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ لَا يَأۡتُونَ بِمِثۡلِهِۦ وَلَوۡ كَانَ بَعۡضُهُمۡ لِبَعۡضٖ ظَهِيرٗاSay, "If mankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce the like of this Qur’ān, they could not produce the like of it, even if they were to each other assistants."
Frequently asked questions
Do miracles prove the Prophet’s ﷺ truthfulness?
They are among the signs of his truthfulness, but the greatest proof is the Quran itself and the guidance, character and law he brought. Faith rests on reflection and evidence, not on extraordinary events alone.
What is the difference between a miracle and a karamah?
A miracle is an extraordinary event Allah brings about at the hands of a prophet to confirm him; a karamah is one with which Allah honours a righteous friend of His.
Why not list everything reported of his miracles?
Because some of what is reported is not established. We separate the sound from the rest so nothing is wrongly attributed to the religion.
Texts and translations are under scholarly review.