Fourth sign:

The future events he foretold, through the Knower of the Unseen's instruction, are beyond counting. Since his true reports about preceding ages, Prophets, and their nations are mostly found in the Qur'an, here we point out only a few of his correct predictions concerning his Companions, Family, and community. To ensure a complete understanding of the subject, we explain six essentials as a prelude.

First essential:

The Prophet's every act and state bears witness to his Prophethood and faithfulness. But not all of them need to be miraculous, for he was sent by the All-Mighty as a human being to guide and lead human beings in their collective affairs and individual deeds to happiness in both this world and the next, and to disclose the wonders of God's art and the works of His Power, each of which is a miracle although it appears to us as ordinary and familiar. If he were extraordinary in all of his acts, he could not guide human beings and instruct them through his acts, states, and attitudes.

Being supplied with some extraordinary phenomena to prove his Prophethood to obstinate unbelievers, he worked miracles when necessary. But his miracles were never such that people were forced to believe against their will, as that would annul human free will in this arena of test and trial. If this were not so, there would have been no choice, meaning that Abu Jahl would have believed as did Abu Bakr and that no one could have been held responsible, in this life and the next, for their deeds.

It is surprising that while so many people believed in him because they saw him perform a miracle, speak some words, or glimpsed his face, some people today go astray as if these thousands of proofs are not enough, although they reach us through authentic lines of transmission and have caused countless discerning people to accept Islam.

Second essential:

The Messenger is a human being and so acts as a human being. He is also a Messenger of God and thus an interpreter and envoy of the All-Mighty.

His message is based on the two kinds of Divine revelation: explicit and implicit. In the case of explicit revelation, the Messenger merely interprets and announces—he has no share in its content. The Qur'an and those Sacred Traditions (hadith qudsi) whose meaning and content belong to God exclusively but whose wording belongs to the Prophet, are included here. In the case of implicit revelation, the essence and origin of which is based on Divine revelation and inspiration, the Prophet is allowed to explain and describe them. When he does so, he relies either on direct revelation and inspiration or on his own insight. When giving his own interpretation, he either relies on the perceptive power bestowed upon him due to his Prophetic mission or speaks as a person conforming to his time's common usages, customs, and kinds of comprehension.

Thus not all details of every Prophetic Tradition are necessarily derived from pure Revelation, nor are the sublime signs of his Messengership to be sought in his human thoughts and transactions. Since some truths are revealed to him in a brief and abstract form, and he describes them through his insight and in accord with normal understanding, the metaphors, allegories, or ambiguities he uses may need explanation or interpretation. Remember that the human mind can grasp some truths only through analogy. For example, once a loud noise was heard in the Prophet's presence. He said: "This is the noise of a rock that has been rolling downwards for years and now has reached Hell's lowest depths." An hour later, news came that a notorious hypocrite who recently had reached the age of had died and gone to Hell. This report showed the interpretation of the Prophet's eloquent parable.

Third essential:

 A Tradition related by numerous reliable authorities is indisputable. This form of relation (tawatur) has two kinds: obvious tawatur (a Tradition with numerous chains of transmission by reliable authorities) and tawatur with respect to meaning. This second one also has two kinds: those agreed upon by silence and those unanimously related by different people but with different words. In the first case, a Tradition related in the presence of others without engendering any dispute or is met with silence enjoys an implied acceptance. If those remaining silent are interested in the narration and are known to be very sensitive to errors and lies, their silence implies acceptance with far more certainty. The second kind, tawatur with respect to meaning, occurs when an incident is related unanimously by different people but with different words, as this also implies its actual occurrence. In addition, a report with only one chain of transmission sometimes amounts to the degree of tawatur in certain conditions or through some external signs.

Most of the Prophet's miracles and his Prophethood's proofs fall into either category. Although a few are related through only one chain of transmitters, they can be regarded as certain as if related through tawatur, since they have been accepted by confirmed authorities. Among such authorities were those who memorized more than 100,000 Traditions, who were so God-conscious that for years they performed the morning prayer with the night prayer's wudu' (ablution) (spending night awake in long vigils), and who compiled the six authentic books of Tradition.[1]

Any Tradition accepted after much scrutiny has the certainty of tawatur, even if it had only one chain of transmitters, for such people were so familiar with the Prophet's Traditions and exalted style that they could instantly spot and reject one false Tradition among 100 reports. Like an expert jeweler recognizes a pure diamond, they could not confuse other words with those of the Prophet. However, such meticulous authorities as Ibn al-Jawziya were so excessive in their criticism that they considered several authentic Traditions to be false. This does not mean that the meaning of every false wording is wrong; rather, it means that the wording does not belong to the Prophet.

Question: What is the benefit of relating every Tradition through a chain of transmitters, so that they say, even for a well-known incident: "It is related from so-and-so and from so-and-so, etc."?

Answer: This has many benefits, such as showing the consensus of the truthful and reliable narrators, meticulous Traditionists, as well as the unanimity of the discerning authorities mentioned. Also, it shows that each scholar in the chain puts his seal on its authenticity.

Question: Why were miracles not transmitted with as great an emphasis as the Shari'a's basic rules?

Answer: The Shari'a's rules are used by most people to guide their lives and are applicable to everyone. Miracles, on the other hand, do not need to be known to everyone and only need to be heard once. For example, some religious obligations (such as the funeral prayer) only need to be observed by a few people and not the entire community. In the same way, only some people need to know about the miracles. This is why a miracle, no matter how much firmer its establishment is than a Shari'a rule, is transmitted by only one or two narrators, while a Shari'a rule is transmitted by ten or twenty people.

[1] These are the books of Traditions compiled by Bukhari (d. 870), Muslim (d. 875), Abu Dawud (d. 888), Tirmidhi (d. 892), Ibn Maja (d. 886), and al-Nasa'i (d. 915). (Ed.)

Fourth essential: The Messenger predicted some future events that are recurring, as opposed to isolated events having a particular significance in human history. They also have numerous aspects, each of which is explained through a different Tradition. A reporter combines these aspects as if a single narration, thereby making the Tradition appear to be at variance with reality.

For example, many narrations about the Mahdi have different details and descriptions. But the truth of the matter is that God's Messenger, relying on Revelation, told of a Mahdi who would appear in every century to preserve believers' morale, prevent them from falling into despair over social upheavals, and secure their heart-felt devotion to members of the Prophet's Family (a most-illustrious lineage). He foresaw a Mahdi in every century similar to the Great Mahdi promised for the end of time. The 'Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi, for example, regarded as belonging to the Prophet's Family, had many of the Great Mahdi's characteristics. So, narrations about the Mahdi differ due to confusing the Great Mahdi's qualities with those great caliphs or saints who came before him.

Fifth Essential: Since only God knows the Unseen, The Prophet did not know it by himself. He told his Companions whatever God, the All-Mighty, related to him about the Unseen.

The All-Mighty is also All-Wise and All-Compassionate. Thus His Wisdom and Compassion require the veiling of most future events, for as people consider many of them unpleasant, any prior knowledge of them would be painful. This is why we do not know when we will die and why the misfortunes we will experience remain behind the veil of the Unseen.

Divine Wisdom and Compassion also require that the Prophet not know the details of what will happen to his household and Companions after his death because of his deep compassion and tender-heartedness.[2] Nevertheless the All-Mighty had a Divine purpose for telling him about some of them, albeit not in all their tragic aspects. He communicated pleasant events to the Prophet, either in outline or in detail, which he then related to his Companions.

Finally, his tidings were transmitted accurately to our own era by the great Traditionists who were at the height of piety, justice, and truthfulness, and who trembled with fear at such specific warnings as: "Whoever intentionally lies about me should prepare for a dwelling in the Fire"[3] and But who does greater wrong than one who lies against God? (39:32).

[2] For example, God's Messenger once said to his wives: "I wish I knew which of you will take part in that event," which shows that he did not know that 'A'isha would participate in the Battle of Camel. If he had known, his love and affection for her would have been hurt. However, later on he was informed of this somehow and told 'Ali: "There probably will be a matter between you and 'A'isha. Treat her gently and return her to her abode safely."

[3] Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, Jami' al-Saghir; related from Companions.

Sixth essential: Many history books and biographies describe the Prophet's behavior and characteristics. But most discuss his human nature, and thus ignore his spiritual persona and his being's sacred nature, both of which are very sublime and illustrious. For, according to the rule of "the cause is like the doer," the rewards of all Muslims' prayers are added to the accounts of his perfections from the day he declared his Prophethood (until the end of time). Every day he receives countless invocations by Muslims as well as God's infinite mercy, which he draws in like measure.

Further, since he is creation's result and most perfect fruit, as well as the beloved and interpreter of the Creator of the universe, his true nature and true perfections cannot be contained in accounts of his recorded human qualities. Certainly the stature of one served by archangels Gabriel and Michael as aides-de-camp during the Battle of Badr cannot be sought in accounts of, for example, his bargaining over a the price of a horse.

To avoid falling into error, we must focus on his true nature and illustrious spiritual persona in his rank of Messengership. Otherwise we may risk showing him disrespect or entertain uncertainties about his persona.

Consider the following analogies: Suppose a planted date-stone sprouts and becomes a tall, fruitful tree growing upward and outward; or that a chick from an incubated peacock egg hatches, grows into a beautiful peacock, and, adorned with the Pen of Divine Power, grows bigger and prettier still. The date-stone and egg possess qualities, properties, and precisely balanced elements, but they are not as striking and significant as those of the tree and the peacock that grew from them. Given this, while describing the date-stone's and the egg's qualities along with those of the tree and the peacock, each item's qualities must be distinguished so that anyone following the description may find it reasonable. If this is not done (e.g., claiming that one date-stone [and not the tree] produces thousands of dates, or that the egg is [already] the prince of birds), people will be led to contradiction and denial.

The human nature of God's Messenger may be likened to that date-stone or egg, but his true nature, illumined with the Prophetic mission, is like the Touba tree or the Royal Bird of Paradise. Moreover, His true nature continues to grow more and more perfect. Given this, when one thinks of that exalted person bargaining with a Bedouin in the marketplace, he should gaze upon his illustrious essential nature, the one who rode the Rafraf during the Ascension, left Gabriel behind, and reached the Divine Presence. Otherwise, one risks showing insufficient respect to or failing to convince one's earth-bound soul of his true nature.

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