the miracle not limited by place and time

we mentioned in the introduction that every prophet is sent with miracles to establish his prophethood.

muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) performed many miracles which have been documented by those who witnessed them such as the splitting of the moon, the increase of an inadequate amount of food to a large number of people, and many other miracles that were not permanent and could not be seen by every generation in every place.

the qur’an, however is the permanent miracle and it is not limited by time and place. generations far removed from muhammad’s (peace and blessings be upon him) time can witness it for themselves.

ibn khaldoon, a renowned muslim historian put it very beautifully when he said:

“know that the greatest of all miracles, and the most sacred and blessed and the clearest proof is the qur’an that was revealed to the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). this is because all other miracles, in general, were brought forth separate from the actual inspiration (that the prophet received), as a means of proving the truthfulness of the inspiration. as for the qur’an, it is the inspiration and the miracle in one, and is therefore the clearest and most powerful miracle, since it combines the boast and the proof into one.” itr, p. 113

also, we ask the reader to reflect on the following statement of ibn taymiyyah:

“the greatest (of all the miracles) is the qur’an that the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came with, for it is the religion of god and his speech, and it is proof of the prophethood of muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). its very revelation is one of the most supernatural and extraordinary of acts, for it is the call (to the worshipof god alone) and the proof (of the prophethood of muhammad, peace and blessingsbe upon him) and the miracle (i.e., all in one)”

collection of islamic rulings, vol. 11 p. 324