What is the Miracle?
Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, has ordered His creatures to know Him and to worship Him after they have known Him:
"And I have not created the Jinn and the men except that they should serve Me."(281)
His creatures indicate His existence. The pretty creation and the untied regulation indicate His Oneness. He has created a guide from their own selves to show them the way to all things. This guide is reason. However, reason by itself is unable to know the methods of the worship of Allah nor the qualities of His obedience, for this reason Allah should teach His creatures how to worship and obey Him.
As Allah has ordered His creatures to worship and to obey Him, then it is incumbent on Him to send someone to them to guide them to what He has wanted and to make them know what He has ordered.
It is not right for reason to believe in the person who claims Prophet hood without a proof or a miracle. So, it was incumbent on the prophets to produce evidence for their missions. We do not regard the person as a sent prophet unless he has a strong proof.
What is the Miracle?
This question is worthy of care and thinking. That is because the correctness of Prophet hood depends on the correctness of the proof I think that the answer of this is very easy, for there are many verses in the Glorious Quran about the prophets and the messengers.
For example, the miracles of Musa (Moses) were the white hand and the rod, the miracles of 'Isa (Jesus) were healing the blind and the leprous, and bring the dead to life. And the miracle of Holy Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family, was the Holy Qur'an itself. When you consider these miracles carefully, you will know that the normal person is unable to bring something like them even if he has power and knowledge.
Now, we may ask: Who has the ability and knowledge to make the fire comfort and peace? Who has the ability and knowledge to cut the birds into pieces, put them on the mountains, and summon them to come as perfect birds before him?
Who has the ability and knowledge to make his hand white without evil whenever he wants? Who has the ability and knowledge to make his rod walk and to eat what the magicians do? Who has the ability and knowledge to heal the blind and the leprous and to bring the dead to life? Who has the ability and knowledge to determine out of dust the form of a bird and to breath into it knowledge and to create a book like the Holy Qur'an in all its characteristics?
Through these things, you understand the difference between magic and the miracle. Worth mentioning, the miracle happens not according to the natural laws; it should be something possible in itself, for the impossible things in themselves do not occur, and it should be done by the unique persons who summon people to worship Allah, the Most High, and who produce evidence for His Existence.
So, miracle is the gift which Allah grants to whomever he wills of His close creatures.
As for magic, it is an art. Whoever learns it is able to do it. It is mere imagination and misguidance. It has neither reality nor truth.
The person may say: Science refuses the miracle which occurs contrary to the natural laws, for its occurrence is not according to the usual causes. So, how do things happen according to unusual causes? This question maybe answered as follows:
1. There are clear verses in the Holy Qur'an about those miracles which occurred not according to the natural laws, such as the safety of Ibrahim from the fire, the coming of the birds to him after they had been cut into pieces, the white hand of Musa (Moses) and his rod which became a snake.
'Isa (Jesus) healed the diseases which doctors are unable to cure, such as blindness and leprosy. Also he brought life to the dead and created the bird with Allah's permission. Then science is worthless when it opposes the clear verses of the Holy Qur'an. Rather, this science is not correct because there are mistakes in some of its premises.
2. As these miracles are possible in themselves, then why do we deny them while we are in need of them, and Allah's power is inclusive and it has neither defect nor feebleness, "Indeed, He has power over all things?"
Yes, we refuse the things which are impossible in the self and the accident. For example, Allah creates a partner for Him, brings together the two opposite or contradictory things, and puts this wide world into the small egg. The defect is in these things because they are impossible, not in the power. However, we do not refuse that the stones speak, the moon breaks, the trees walk, for they are possible in themselves.
3. If we regard these miracles as impossible for Allah, the Exalted, then which thing confirms the Prophethood of the prophets?
If Prophethood is possible without a miracle, then everyone can claim it. So, what is the difference between the truthful prophet and the false one?
When it is said that genius, cleverness, eloquence, knowledge, honesty, and truthfulness are enough to confirm those we claim Prophethood, we say that most people do not attach importance to these qualities.
Rather, they are not able to know the person who has such qualities. So, it is necessary for the prophet to bring the material thing which people cannot bring to uproot their questions and to be as a plain proof to convince the knowledgeable and the ignorant.
4. Why does the science refuse the things which occur not according to the natural laws? Is it not the Creator of the usual laws and the Creator of the unusual laws one? And He Who is able to create the things through their usual causes is able to create them through the causes which are above the level of our ability and knowledge.
These proofs and miracles are also necessary to the trustees of authority (awsiya') of the prophets to fulfill the purpose for which the prophets summoned people. Allah sent the prophets to make people know Him and then to serve Him. Also the trustees of authority were nominated to fulfill the same task. Therefore, the Imam should bring the miracle to prove his Imamate.
As Allah, the Exalted, nominated Imam Jafar al- Sadiq, peace be on him, to carry out the law which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, brought, then if was incumbent on Allah to grant him the miracle when necessary as He granted it to the Prophet. This is the viewpoint of the Imamis concerning the Imamate of al- Sadiq.
As for the Sunni viewpoint concerning him, they think that he belongs to the pure family of the prophet. and that he has all outstanding merits.
The author of the book 'Madinat al- Ma'ajiz' has mentioned over three hundred miraculous and laudable acts on al- Sadiq.
References:
281 al- Dhariyat, 56.
Other Links:
Laying foundation of the Islamic University in Madina
The Piety and Devotedness of Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS)
