Is there proof that Muhammad (pbuh) was really a prophet?
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a Prophet and a messenger and when God send his messengers God always gives us proof that they were sent by Him.
God gave Solomon (pbuh) the ability to speak to animals and control nature, God bestowed Moses (pbuh) with many miracles to prove to the people that he was sent by Him and God bestowed Jesus (pbuh) with many miracles so that the people would believe that God had sent him.
The Bible tells us how to test if a Prophet is from God:
1 John:1-3 – Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
Jesus (pbuh) Christ is mentioned 33 times in the Quran revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Jesus (pbuh) is confirmed to be the Christ in the Quran:
Quran: 3:45 O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah.
The Bible also tells us that when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord and it does not come to pass then he is not a prophet.
And they will say to their skins, “Why have you testified against us?” (Quran 41:21)
Today we are recognised by our finger prints and and when we commit a crime our finger prints bare witness against us.
Quran predicts Pharaoh’s body will be preserved
26 Then the Lord told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea and the water will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots, and over their horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the water returned to its normal depth at daybreak. The Egyptians tried to retreat in front of the advancing water, but the Lord destroyed the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. 28 The water returned, covering the chariots and the horsemen of Pharaoh’s entire army that had pursued the Israelis into the sea. Not a single one of them remained.
With regards the end point of his life, Allah makes mention in the Holy Quran in Surah Yunus: “We brought the tribe of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh and his troops pursued them out of tyranny and enmity. Then, when he was on the point of drowning, he [Pharaoh] said: ‘I believe that there is no god but Him in Whom the tribe of Israel believes. I am one of the Muslims’.” [10:90]
However, this last-minute conversion was not accepted, for it was not sincere. According to the Quran, Allah further exclaimed: “What, now! When previously you rebelled and were one of the corrupters? Today we will preserve your body so you can be a Sign for people who come after you. Surely many people are heedless of Our Signs.” [10:91-92]
Rameses II was discovered in 1881 among a group of royal mummies that had been removed from their original tombs for fear of theft. Priests of the 21st Dynasty had reburied them in a cache at Deir al-Bahari on Luxor’s west bank. Nothing whatsoever was known at the time of the revelation of the Quran about the mummy of Rameses II.
Quran mentions the two seas that meat and the water does not mix
This information was not known at the time of Prophet Muhammad and was not even mentioned in the Bible.
Modern Science has discovered that in the places where two different seas meet up, there is a barrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has its own temperature, salinity, and density. For example, Mediterranean Sea water is warm, saline and less dense, compared to Atlantic Ocean water.
Surah 25:53
It was he who let forth the two seas, this one is palatably sweet and this salt, a bitter taste, and he set a barrier between them, and a refuge which is forbidden.
Surah 55:19- 28
[19] He has let free the two bodies of flowing water (salt and fresh), meeting together:
[20] Between them is a barrier which they do not transgress:
The Bible further tells us what to look out for in a prophet.
Matthew 7:15-21
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Humble, modest and loving, Prophet Muhammad (saw) was known for his generosity. As ‘the most generous of all the people…’ (Bukhari), the Prophet (saw) continuously encouraged his followers to help others, calling upon Muslims to support their families, neighbours, communities and the wider ummah. Emphasising the importance of charity, the Prophet (saw) said:
‘Generosity is near to Allah, near to Paradise, near to the people, and far from the Hellfire…’ (Tirmidhi)
He fed the poor
Muslims are urged to help ensure the poor and needy do not go hungry. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:
‘He is not a Muslim whose stomach is full while his neighbour goes hungry.’ (Muslim)
He gave water to the needy
Water is our source of life and a blessing from Allah. With water, we nourish, clean and refresh our bodies, cleanse our souls through ablution and bathing Allah in the Holy Qur’an tells us: ‘By means of water, we give life to everything’ (21:30). Without water, we cannot survive. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) therefore taught us to not waste water and to share this precious source with others:
‘The best form of charity is to give someone water (to drink).’ (Ibn Majah)
He helped orphans
rophet Muhammed (pbuh) teaches us, we must protect and support vulnerable orphans:
‘Blessed is the wealth of the Muslim, from which he gives to the poor, the orphan and the wayfarer.’ (Muslim)
He took care of widows
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) encouraged his Ummah (his people) to look after our widowed sisters who remain emotionally and financially vulnerable following the death of their husband:
‘The person who assists and takes care of the widow… is like the person who is striving in the path of Allah…’ (Bukhari; Muslim)
Muslims, we are reminded of the need to help others who lack even the daily essentials we enjoy, but may take for granted. The Prophet (saw) said:
‘None of you have faith until you love for your neighbour what you love for yourself.’ (Muslim)
The qualities of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
His Generosity
As mentioned earlier Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) liked to live simply and thus he had no desire to collect worldly possessions for himself. He always believed that whoever gives in the way of Allah, He will raise the standards of those and will surely bless them. Abu Dharr (R.A) said:
“I was walking with the Prophet (pbuh) in the Har’rah (volcanic region) of Madinah and we faced the mount of Uhud; the Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘O Abu Dharr!’ I said: ‘Here I am O Messenger of God!’ He said: ‘It would not please me to have an amount of gold equal to the weight of Mount Uhud, until I spend and give it out (in the sake of God) within a night or within three nights. I would keep a single silver piece of it to help those who are in debt.” [Bukhari]
His Modesty
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) lived his life very simply, even after conquering Makkah he did not change his lifestyle and remained modest. Umar b. al-Khattab said:
“I entered the Messenger (pbuh)’s house and I found him sitting on a mat. He had a leather pillow stuffed with fibers. He had a pot of water by his feet, and there were some clothes hung on the wall. His side had marks due to the mat that he lay on. Umar wept when he saw this, and the Messenger (pbuh) asked him: ‘Why do you weep?’ Umar said: ‘O Prophet of God! Khosrau and Caesar enjoy the best of this world, and you are suffering in poverty?!’ He said: ‘Aren’t you pleased that they enjoy this world, and we will enjoy the Hereafter?’” [Bukhari]
He was the most merciful
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was never a supporter of revenge and always showed mercy towards others. His enemies always criticized him and never comforted him but he still forgave them and prayed for them. Even when the people of Taif called the children to mock Muhammad (pbuh) and to throw stones at him, he remained silent and only prayed for them.
He was the most truthful
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was known as Sadiq (the one who is truthful) and Ameen (trustworthy). He faced a lot complications while spreading the word of Allah yet he never lied. Even when he was caught up in difficult situations where his truth could lead him to more difficulties, he still never lied and remained truthful.
Helping others
Once Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) saw a crying salve while he was grinding grains. Muhammad (pbuh) became very anxious and asked him why he was crying. He replied “I am sick. I cannot grind the grain. My master is very cruel and he will beat me if I cannot finish my job.” Listening to this, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) moved forward and ground the rest of the grain saying, “Always call me if you have any grain to grind. I will do it for you.”
His humbleness
Once on a very hot afternoon Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was going somewhere when he saw an old woman carrying her luggage on her head. He went to her and carried luggage for her and asked about where she was going and why? She told him she was leaving town because there is was magician in town named as Muhammad (pbuh).
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) remained quiet and when they reached the destination the old woman said,”O, kind person! At least tell me your name!”. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) replied,” I am the person because of whom you left the town.” She was so shocked that such a kind person can never be a magician and so she embraced Islam.
Equality
Once after a long journey when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions laid off from their rides they decided that they will sacrifice a lamb for their dinner. One by one everybody started taking responsibility for work like:
One of the companions volunteered: “I will sacrifice the lamb.” Another: “I will skin it.” Third: “I will cook it.” Fourth: ” I will….”
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) then said: “I will gather the wood from the desert.”
The group: “O Messenger of Allah, it is not becoming of you to discomfort yourself as such. You rest. We will be honored to do all this on our own.”
The Prophet (pbuh): “I know that you are eager to do it all, but Allah isn’t pleased with the slave who distinguishes between himself and his companions, and considers himself better than others.”
His Mannerism
Once Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was sitting with a group of people and a poor man came to him and gave him a bunch of grapes. He ate all of them without offering them to anyone. Once the poor man left one of the companions asked, “O prophet of Allah (peace be upon Him) ! How come you ate all the grapes by yourself and did not offer to any one of us present?
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) smiled and said, “I ate all the grapes by myself because the grapes were sour. If I would have offered you, you might have made funny faces and that would have hurt the feelings of that poor man. I thought to myself that it’s better that I eat all of them cheerfully and please the poor man. I did not want to hurt the feelings of that poor man.”
His Kindness
There once lived a woman who used to throw garbage at Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) every day to take revenge for the idols she worshiped. Instead of changing the route Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) continued walking on the same street every day so that the woman was not disappointed. He just prayed for her to realize the Truth.
One day, when he did not find her, he went to her house and found out that she was not well. He then went inside and asked about her health and offered to help her with everything until she was back on her feet again. The kind attitude of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) inspired her so much that she asked for forgiveness and embraced Islam. So, we must try to be as kind as our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was.
Always Choosing Allah over everything else
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was someone who always chose Allah over everything and anything. Whenever he was given any choice between Allah and the worldly desires, he would always choose the path of righteousness and the path prescribed by Allah. He faced a lot of challenges but never backed out because he always believed that the responsibility and orders he was given by Allah were much greater than his own comforts. The Quran also confirms that Allah ordered everyone to choose Him in every step of our lives.
Some of the Miracles performed by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
God bestowed certain of his messengers with powers to perform miracles so that their people will know that they were sent by God. Solomon (pbuh) was given the power to speak to animals, insects and control nature. Moses (pbuh) was given powers to produce water, split the read sea among others and Jesus (pbuh) was given the powers to cure the sick, raise the dead, multiply food among others.
Similarly God gave Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the abilities to perform miracles as well.
Splitting the Moon
One of the most dramatic miracles took place in Mecca when the disbelievers once challenged Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to perform a miracle. He was inspired by God to point to the moon, which split into two completely separate halves. It remained that way for some time, before eventually converging back together. The disbelievers couldn’t believe their eyes, calling it ‘magic’. However, this miraculous supernatural event was a crystal-clear sign that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was indeed a prophet of God.
Isra and Mairaj
Isra refers to the night journey Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) undertook with the Angel Gabriel, traveling from Mecca to Jerusalem shortly before his migration to Medina. This was a miraculous event because it was humanly impossible to travel this distance in such a short period at the time. From Jerusalem, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) ascended to the heavens in what is called Mairaj where he held communion with God. By the time Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) returned to Mecca, it was still night.
When he told his fellow Meccans about his journey, people laughed. However, when Abu Bakr, a close companion and the first caliph, was confronted with this news by a mocking crowd, he replied, “If he says so, then it must be true. And where is the wonder of it? He tells me revelations come to him from Heaven to earth in one hour of day or night, and I know him to be speaking the truth.” Muhammadp also described the caravans he had overtaken on the way home, where they were, and when they might arrive in Mecca – each arrived as he had predicted and their details matched his descriptions as well.
Food
Once one of Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) companions invited him and a few others to a meal that could feed a small group. The prophet accepted the invitation and, to the host’s dismay, called all thousand of his companions to join him in the meal. Yet, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) personally served all of them from the small dish until each one ate his fill. In the end, the tray of food remained just as full as it was at the beginning of the meal. This was an amazing blessing and a clear miracle from God, which happened many times during his life.
Water
When Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions were once travelling, their water supply ran out. According to one of his companions, the Prophet had a small container of water in which he put his hand and the “water started spouting out between his fingers like springs. So we drank and performed ablution (ritual cleansing) … even if we had been one hundred thousand, that water would have been sufficient for us. Anyhow, we were 1500.” Events similar to this also occurred many times during Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) life.
Healing the Sick
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) miraculously healed others as well. He treated his cousin Ali when he was inflicted with an eye infection. One of his companions said, “The Prophet put his saliver in his eyes and invoked good on him, and be became all right as if he had no ailment.”
Prayers Immediately Answered
During a period of severe drought in Arabia, one of Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) companions beseeched him to ask God to send rain. The prophet raised his hands in prayer, and within moments a cloud appeared in the horizon, coming in their direction. One of his companions stated, “When it came in the middle of the sky, it spread and then rained. By God! We could not see the sun for a week.” After seven days of nonstop rain, a companion of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) implored him to ask God to stop the rain, as the constant downpour was overwhelming. The prophet raised his hands in supplication and moments later, the sun gradually began to appear as the clouds parted, moving away from the area.
Tree Trunk Crying
The Prophet used to stand on a tree trunk to deliver the Friday sermons. A companion of his offered to build a proper pulpit for him and the prophet obliged. However, when he used it for the first time, a loud crying sound came from the tree trunk. Many of Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) companions witnessed this first-hand and heard what sounded like a child crying. The prophet descended from the pulpit and embraced it until its weeping eventually subsided. He then explained to his companions, “it was crying for [missing] what it used to hear of religious knowledge given near it.” The ability to stir emotions in plants and animals, including an inanimate object as in this instance, was one of many miracles granted to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
Foretelling the Future
In addition to performing physical miracles, Muhammad (pbuh) also foretold many future events. For example, he mentioned a time would come when shepherds will compete in constructing tall buildings. This prophecy is clearly evident for all to observe as it manifests itself in the Arab Gulf today. Until just a century ago, the Arabs in the Gulf region were in fact living a more primitive “shepherd” lifestyle, as compared to the rest of the world. This all changed with the arrival of massive oil wealth in the mid 20th century, with much of the resulting wealth being invested in erecting skyscrapers across the region. There are many other similar miracles performed by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) throughout his life that attest to his extraordinary connection with God and the truth of his prophethood. However, hearing about these events later isn’t as impactful as experiencing them in person.
Out of God’s mercy and justice, He gave Muhammad (pbuh) , His final messenger to humanity, an everlasting miracle which could be appreciated by all people until the end of time. That miracle is His final revelation, the Quran.
Everlasting Miracle
Hadith on Quran: The Quran is greatest miracle of the Prophet.
Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “There were none among the prophets but that he was given unique signs to instill faith in humanity. Verily, I have been given the revelation that Allah has inspired in me, so I hope to have the most followers on the Day of Resurrection.”
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6846, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 152
Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi (authenticity agreed upon) according to Al-Bukhari and Muslim
One of the miraculous aspects of the Quran is its unparalleled literary excellence. At the time of the Quran’s revelation in the 7th century CE, Arabic literature was at its peak. Unlike the world’s great civilizations, which built impressive monuments or established vast empires, the Arabs prided themselves in their literary excellence.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) wasn’t known to have composed poetry and was actually illiterate. However, when God tasked him with prophethood at the age of 40 and began revealing the Quran to him, the Arabs were mesmerized by the supreme eloquence and unique rhythmic style of its verses. It didn’t fit traditional poetic forms nor was it in the category of prose. It was completely different and far superior to any literary work known to them. This wasn’t just the opinion of Muhammadp’s followers; even one of his harshest enemies, al-Waleed ibn al-Mugheerah, reluctantly admitted to the Quran’s greatness: “By God! The words brought forth by this man are such as to be incomparable with any of the others. By God! His words possess a charming sweetness and a particular beauty … it is superior to all other discourses.”
Since the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) , Muslims have strived to memorize the Quran, aided by its divine style and flow. Today, an estimated 10 million Muslims around the world have memorized the entire book (most of them being non-Arabs).
In the end, another miraculous aspect of the Quran is the fact that it has remained unaltered since its revelation more than 1400 years ago. This, then, truly is the Word of God, as it was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), who had it scribed in his lifetime.
The Quran, indeed, is the greatest miracle God gave to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and humanity continues to benefit from its guidance even today.