Miracles Averting the Harm of Enemies

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First miracle: Ibn Babawayh has narrated through authentic chains of narrators from Imam Ali Reza (a.s.) that one day Abu Lahab came to the Prophet and threatened him, but the Prophet said: “You cannot harm me in anyway. If you do that, I will be a liar.” This was also among the miracles of the Prophet.

Second miracle: Shaykh Mufeed and Rawandi etc. have narrated from Jabir that Hakam bin Abil Aas, Uthman’s uncle, used to mimic the Prophet and make faces at him; he also parodied Imam Ali (a.s.). The Messenger of Allah (S) cursed him and he became insane for two months. One day the Prophet was walking on the road and he was following him, waving his hand to ridicule the Prophet.

The Prophet said: “He will be in that condition only.” He contracted some malady and his hands became twisted and finally the Prophet exiled him from Medina and ordered that no one should allow him back. During his reign, Uthman recalled that accursed one to Medina.

Third miracle: Ali bin Ibrahim, Rawandi and Ibn Ashob etc. have narrated from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) that the Messenger of Allah (S) was praying near the Kaaba one day. Abu Jahl had taken an oath that when he sees the Prophet praying, he would eliminate him. When he saw the Prophet, he picked a huge stone and approached him. But when he raised his hand, it was caught up in his neck.

He returned to his associates in this way and dropped the stone. And according to another report, he beseeched the Prophet and when he prayed for him, the stone separated from his hand. Another man volunteered to slay the Prophet; but when he came to the Prophet, he began to tremble with fear and returned from there saying: There was a huge serpent between me and him, thrashing its tail. According to another report, Abu Jahl had come to trample on the neck of the Prophet, but when he returned immediately and people asked him about it, he said, “Between me and him was a trench full of fire and I saw some winged angels.” When the Prophet heard this, he remarked: “If he had come near me, the angels would have cut him into pieces.”

Fourth miracle: Ali bin Ibrahim, Ibn Babawayh, Ibn Shahr Ashob and Shaykh Tabarsi etc. have mentioned in the interpretation of the following verse:

إِنَّا كَفَيْنَاكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِئِينَ

“Surely We will suffice you against the scoffers…”155

…that after the Holy Prophet (S) assumed prophethood, the first to believe in him was Ali bin Abi Talib, and the next was Khadija. One day His Eminence, Abu Talib and Ja’far Tayyar arrived and saw the Prophet praying and Ali was also standing in prayers besides him.

His Eminence, Abu Talib told Ja’far: “You also pray with your cousin.” When he stood to the left of the Prophet, the latter moved ahead of him. After this, Zaid bin Haritha believed, and these five persons continued to perform prayers till the Almighty Allah ordered them to express their faith and not to care about the idolaters.

“Surely We will suffice you against the scoffers…”156

And they (scoffers) were five persons: Walid bin Mughira, Aas bin Wail, Aswad bin Muttalib, Aswad bin Abde Ghus and Harith bin Talatala; and some have mentioned them to be six and included Harith bin Qays. Jibraeel arrived and stood by the Prophet. Walid passed from there and Jibraeel asked: “Is this Walid bin Mughira, one of your scoffers?”

“Yes,” replied the Prophet. Jibraeel gestured to him and he went away from there and reached a blacksmith who was sharpening an arrow. Mughira stepped on a sharp point and it pierced his foot, causing excessive bleeding. But due to pride he did not bend down to remove it. Jibraeel had also gestured about the place where the arrow was being sharpened. On returning home, Walid lied down on a sofa and his daughter was lying on the floor.

His foot was bleeding so heavily that it flowed to the girl’s carpet and she awoke due to it and told the slave girl: “Perhaps you left the water skin untied and water is seeping out of it till here.” Walid said: “This is the blood of your father and not water. Call my sons and nephews, as I will not survive. Let me make out my will.” When they were summoned, he said to Abdullah bin Rabiah: “Ammara bin Walid is in Habasha, take a letter from Muhammad and send it to Najjashi so that he may send him back to Mecca.”

Then he told his youngest son, Hasham: “Son, I make five bequests to you which you must remember. The first is that you must eliminate Abu Dhamdosi even if you have to pay three blood monies for that, and don’t leave him because he forcibly took away my wife who was his daughter. If he had allowed her to remain with me, I would have got a son like you from her also.

The next bequest is the revenge of blood that I want to take from Khaza, which you must not forget. Also take the compensation of the blood I have to take from Khuzaimah bin Aamir. Fourthly, you must collect some blood monies that are payable by the Thaqif tribe. Lastly, I owe the Bishop of Najran, 200 dinars, which you must repay him.” After saying this the man departed for Hell.

After that Aas bin Wail passed by the Prophet. Jibraeel gestured to his foot and a pointed piece of wood pierced it and came out from the back, killing him. According to another report, a thorn pierced him and he got such a terrible itch that he scratched himself to death.

When Aswad bin Muttalib passed by the Messenger, Jibraeel gestured to his eye and he became blind. He knocked his head against the wall and departed for Hell. According to another report, Jibraeel pointed to his stomach and he suffered from severe thirst and drank so much of water that his stomach burst and he died.

Aswad bin Abde Ghus had been cursed by the Prophet that he should become blind and suffer the loss of his son; Jibraeel also hit him with a green leaf and he lived to fulfill the prayer of the Prophet. At last his son was killed in Badr and he died in his grief.

Jibraeel gestured to the head of Harith bin Talatala and a fatal sore developed therein. Some say that he died of snake bite. Some also say that poisonous wind affected him which blackened his complexion and he became so unrecognizable that when he came home, his family members didn’t recognize him and beat him so severely that he died. Harith bin Qays consumed a poisonous fish and drank water in such excess that he died.157

Fifth miracle: Rawandi has narrated that a Jew woman attempting to injure the Prophet by the power of sorcery, had tied several knots of spell for this purpose and cast them into a well. Jibraeel informed Muhammad of the fact; the knots were taken out of the well, and no harm followed.

Sixth miracle: Rawandi etc. have narrated from Ibn Masud that when the Prophet was in prostration one day before the Kaaba, Abu Jahl ordered the entrails of a camel he had slaughtered to be thrown on the Prophet’s back. Fatima removed the uncleanness.

When the Prophet finished his devotions, he said, “O Lord, take revenge from these infidels,” and named Abu Jahl, Atba, Shaibah, Walid, Umayyah and Ibn Abi Muit and some others, who were killed at Badr.

Seventh miracle: Shia tradition scholars have narrated from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) and Sunni scholars have narrated through various channels that Atba, son of Abu Lahab said: “I deny the God of Najam,” and spat towards the Prophet. The Prophet asked him if he didn’t fear being torn up by a beast. According to another report he said: “O Allah, hand him over one of Your dogs.” After that he traveled to Yemen in a caravan and according to another report, he went to Shaam.

He used to say: “Muhammad’s curse will surely cause my death. Abu Lahab told the people to take care of him and not leave him alone, lest Muhammad’s curse be fulfilled.” So they gathered their belongings and made him camp at a high place and the people slept around him. A lion appeared in the dead of the night and after smelling at all of them at last leapt upon Atba and ripped him apart.

Eighth miracle: It is narrated that when the Holy Prophet (S) used to pray near the Kaaba, the Almighty Allah used to make him invisible to the idolaters.

Ninth miracle: Rawandi etc. have narrated from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) that Abdullah bin Umayyah told the Prophet: “I will not believe in you till the Almighty Allah and all His angels do not testify to your veracity or you go up to the sky and bring a book and even if you are able to all this, I can’t guarantee that I will become faithful. The Prophet was aggrieved at this and he returned home.

Abu Jahl said: “If he comes to the mosque next day, I will crush his head with a stone.” When the Messenger of Allah (S) entered the mosque next day and began to pray, Abu Jahl took a huge stone and moved towards him. But when he came near, he began to tremble and went away from there. When people asked him about it, he said, “I saw some men as tall as mountains gilded with iron, surrounding Muhammad; if I had made any move, they would have killed me.”

Tenth miracle: Rawandi has narrated through authentic chains of narrators from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) that when the Holy Prophet (S) once recited Surah Lahab in prayers, people told Umm Jamil, sister of Abu Sufyan and wife of Abu Lahab that “Muhammad has cursed you in his prayers and he condemns you.” She was enraged at this and she came out looking for the Prophet and said: “If I see him, I will abuse him,” (I seek refuge of Allah) she made inquiries about the whereabouts of the Prophet.

At last she entered the mosque when Abu Bakr was seated with him and he asked the Prophet to hide as Umm Jamil was looking for him and perhaps she would abuse the Prophet. The Holy Prophet (S) said: “She would not be able to see me.” And when Umm Jamil came near him she could not see him.

She asked Abu Bakr if he had seen Muhammad and when he denied, she went back home. Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) said: The Almighty Allah placed a yellow veil between her and the Prophet and she and all infidels used to address the Prophet as Muzammam, that is one who is condemned too much.

The Messenger of Allah (S) used to say: “The Almighty Allah has erased my name from their memories. They condemn Muzammam which is not my name.” Shaykh Tabarsi, Ibn Shahr Ashob and all Shia and Sunni tradition scholars have narrated this incident from Asma binte Abu Bakr etc. and it is narrated that the Holy Prophet (S) recited the following verse when she came to him:

وَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ جَعَلْنَا بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ حِجَابًا مَسْتُورًا.

“And when you recite the Qur’an, We place between you and those who do not believe in the hereafter a hidden barrier…”158

When she could not see the Prophet she told Abu Bakr: “I have heard that your companion has condemned me.” Abu Bakr said: “By the Lord of the Kaaba, His Eminence, has not condemned you.”

Reference:Hayat Al-Qulub Vol. 2