Chapter 17 Seventeenth sign: After the Qur'an, the Messenger's Greatest miracle is his character and person

 After the Qur'an, the Messenger's greatest miracle is his character andperson, his moral example. Friend and foe alike agree that he possessedthe highest level of all moral virtues. 'Ali, a man of the greatest bravery,repeatedly said: "In the fiercest phases of fighting we would withdrawinto the stronghold of God's Messenger and take refuge behind him."Likewise, he possessed all laudable characteristics to the highest degree.For this greatest miracle, we refer readers to Qadi 'Iyad's

 Shifa' al-Sharif 

,which beautifully explains and proves the Prophet's miraculous moralcharacter.Another great miracle, also affirmed by friend and foe, is his supremeSacred Law (the Shari'a), the like of which never came before and willnever come again. For a partial explanation of this supreme miracle, con-sult our writings, especially the Words, Letters, Gleams, and Rays.One of the Messenger's certain and

 mutawatir

 miracles is splitting themoon by a gesture of his index finger. This miracle, reported by some of the foremost Companions (e.g., Ibn al-Mas'ud, Ibn 'Abbas, Ibn 'Umar,Imam 'Ali, Anas, and Khudayfa), was proclaimed to the world by:

 The Hour is near, and the moon split

 (54:1). The stubborn Qurayshi polytheistsdid not contradict the news, but claimed that it was magic. Thus evenunbelievers testify to its occurrence. His Mi'raj (Ascension) is a still great-er miracle shown to the heavens' inhabitants. Readers can refer to theTreatise of the Mi'raj, a short part of which appears at the end of thistreatise as an appendix. We will mention another miracle that the Proph-et worked in connection with the Mi'raj.When God's Messenger informed the Quraysh of this event, they re-fused to believe him, saying: "If you actually traveled to the Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, as you claim, describe its doors and walls." God'sMessenger would later say: "I was annoyed by their question and denial

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in a way that had never happened to me before. Suddenly, God lifted theveil between me and Bayt al-Maqdis (Masjid al-Aqsa) and showed it tome. I looked at it and described it as it stood before my eyes."

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Thus theQuraysh realized that God's Messenger was giving the correct and com-plete description.In addition, God's Messenger told them: "During my journey I saw oneof your caravans. It will arrive here tomorrow at such and such a time."The Quraysh waited for its arrival at the promised time. It seems thecaravan was about to be delayed by about an hour. In order for theProphet's word to be proved true, Earth did not rotate for one hour.

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This is confirmed by meticulous researchers.Considering that Earth stopped rotating to confirm ProphetMuhammad's words, and that the sun witnessed this by its apparent restin the sky, just imagine how vast is the misfortune of those who do notconfirm and follow such a person, and how vast is the good fortune of those who respond: "We have heard and obeyed" and proclaim: "Thanks be to God for belief and Islam."

286.Muslim, 1:156-57; Tirmidhi, No. 3133; Bukhari, 5:66; Ibn Hanbal, 3:378.287.'Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa', 1:704; Bayhaqi, Dala'il al-Nubuwwa, 2:404.

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