Miracle: The Quranic Excuses for Muhammad's Inability to perform any Miracle

Islamic preachers claim that Muhammad performed hundreds of miracles, such as the splitting of the moon, but these claims are challenged as Muhammad failed consistently and completely to perform a single miracle in front of the pagan Meccans or the Jews of Medina. These historical events are recorded in the Quran itself, where the author of the Quran (i.e., Muhammad himself) was forced to provide various excuses for his (or Allah's) inability to perform any miracles. However, these excuses contradict the established practice of earlier prophets who were given miracles as proof of their prophethood in front of their opponents, which did not happen with Muhammad.

The First Quranic Excuse: Muhammad Cannot Show Miracles Being Only a Man and Messenger

This incident occurred in Mecca. Muhammad used to threaten the Meccans, warning them to believe in his prophethood or face the consequences, claiming that his Allah would make the sky fall upon them in fragments. However, Muhammad and his Allah failed to deliver on this promise.

Quran 17:90-93:

And they (the polytheists of Quraish) say, "We will not believe you until you break open for us from the ground a spring. Or [until] you have a garden of palm trees and grapes and make rivers gush forth within them in force [and abundance] Or you make the SKY FALL UPON US IN FRAGMENTS AS YOU HAVE CLAIMED  or you bring Allah and the angels before [us] Or you have a house of ornament [i.e., gold] or you ascend into the sky. And [even then], we will not believe in your ascension until you bring down to us a book we may read."  Say: "Glory to my Lord. (I cannot do it while) I am only man and a messenger." 

Furthermore, if Muhammad's lack of miracles was due to his role as a mere messenger, why did previous prophets demonstrate miracles to validate their prophethood? For instance:

• Jesus spoke as an infant in the cradle, gave life to birds made of clay, and cured the blind (Surah Al-Ma'idah, 5:110).
• Moses received nine miracles, including his staff transforming into a dragon, his hand becoming radiant, the plague of locusts/lice, the swarm of frogs, and the parting of the sea for the Children of Israel (Verse 17:101).
• Solomon comprehended the language of animals and birds and controlled jinn and winds (Quran 27:16-17, 34:12-13),
• while Joseph interpreted dreams and predicted future events (Quran 12:46-47, 40:51-52).

And then the Quran claims that Allah does not change his practices:

Quran 17:77: سُنَّةَ مَن قَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِن رُّسُلِنَا ۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ لِسُنَّتِنَا تَحْوِيلًا

This has been Our Way with the Messengers whom We sent before you. You will find no change in Our Practice (Arabic: The Sunnah of Allah).

Quran 48:23: سُنَّةَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ ٱللَّهِ تَبْدِيلًا

[This is] the established way of Allah which has occurred before. And never will you find in the way of Allah any change.

Quran 35:43: فَهَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا سُنَّتَ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ ۚ فَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّتِ ٱللَّهِ تَبْدِيلًا ۖ وَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّتِ ٱللَّهِ تَحْوِيلًا

Then do they await except the way of the former peoples? But you will never find in the way of Allah any change, and you will never find in the way of Allah any alteration.

The Quran presents a contradiction regarding the expectation of miracles from prophets. In one instance, it suggests that prophets are not required to display miracles as evidence of their prophethood, yet in another, it describes earlier prophets performing miracles to prove their legitimacy. This raises a question: Why did earlier prophets show miracles to disbelievers, but Muhammad and his Allah refused to do so?

The answer lies in the fact that the Quran recounts fictional tales of earlier prophets' miracles, which cannot be verified since they took place in the distant past. Conversely, when it came to Muhammad and his Allah, they were expected to perform miracles in real-time, right before the very eyes of the pagans who challenged them. However, they failed to deliver on these expectations.

PS:

This Excuse in the Quranic Verse also challenges those Ahadith which claim that Muhammad showed Meccans the miracle of the splitting of the moon. Had Muhammad really split the moon, then he would have presented it to the Meccans as proof of his prophethood. 

The Second Quranic Excuse: Muhammad will not show the miracle to the Jews while their forefathers sinned

The Bible contains several passages that highlight the phenomenon of divine acceptance of a person's sacrificial offering through the appearance of a mysterious fire that consumes the offering. These instances can be found in verses such as Judges 6:20-21, 13:19-20, and 2 Chronicles 7:1-2.

Actually, Muhammad had already made a mistake, and he had also previously confirmed this method of the miracle of fire in the Quran 5:27, in the story of Adam and his sons, where a fire appeared and consumed the offering of one son who sacrificed a sheep.

Quran 5:27:

Recite to them the truth of the story of the two sons of Adam. Behold! they each presented a sacrifice (to Allah): It was accepted from one, but not from the other.

Tafsir Tabari, under verse 5:27 (link):

It was narrated from as-Suddi, in his narration from Abu Maalik and from Abu Saalih from Ibn ‘Abbaas, and from Murrah from Ibn Mas‘ood, and from some of the companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): ... Habeel (Abel) offered a fat lamb as his offering, while Qabeel (Cain) presented a sheaf of corn but secretly took out and consumed a large portion of the corn. Subsequently, fire descended from the heavens and consumed Habeel's offering, while Qabeel's offering remained untouched and unaccepted. In response, Qabeel became enraged and threatened to kill Habeel, vowing that he would not allow him to marry his sister.

Grade: Sahih (Albani)

Consequently, when Muhammad asserted his prophethood, the Jews asked him to provide proof through the manifestation of a miracle, specifically the fire consuming his offering.

Muhammad found himself unable to dismiss this demand outright, as he already acknowledged it in the story of Adam in the Quran.

However, Muhammad resorted to a different approach, offering a new excuse. He accepted the validity of the miracle involving the fire accepting the offering, but he refused to showcase this miracle. He justified his inability to show this miracle by accusing the Jews of Medina that their forefathers sinned by killing previous prophets

Quran 3:183:

They (the Jews) said: "Allah took our promise not to believe in any messenger unless He showed us a sacrifice consumed by Fire (From heaven)." Say: "There came to you messengers before me, with clear Signs and even with what ye ask for: why then did ye slay them, if ye speak the truth?"

However, this excuse by the writer of the Quran does not hold up under scrutiny for several reasons.

Firstly, it is unjust to punish individuals for the sins of their ancestors. In this case, the writer of the Quran is essentially claiming to hold the Jews of his time accountable for the actions of their forefathers. This contradicts the concept of divine justice, which does not attribute guilt based on lineage.

Secondly, the Jews of Muhammad's era maintained a strong belief in their own holy scriptures, which also indicated that the proof of prophethood involved successfully passing the miracle test. It is understandable that they would request the same evidence from Muhammad and, upon his failure to provide it, reject his claims. This rejection cannot be seen as their fault, as they were simply following the principles outlined in their own religious texts.

Ironically, when the Jewish holy books seemingly predicted the arrival of Muhammad (according to Muslim claims), Muhammad expected the Jews to adhere to their own scriptures. However, when those same holy books instructed them to seek the miracle of fire as a validation of prophethood, Muhammad wanted them to abandon that requirement. This double standard raises questions about consistency and fairness.

Thirdly, the writer of the Quran contradicts his own claims within the text. The Quran repeatedly asserts that the practices of Allah remain unchanging. Yet, in this instance, Muhammad is deviating from that principle by rejecting the miracle of fire as a valid proof of prophethood.

Quran 48:23: [This is] the established way of Allah which has occurred before. And never will you find in the way of Allah any change.

Quran 35:43: Then do they await except the way of the former peoples? But you will never find in the way of Allah any change, and you will never find in the way of Allah any alteration.

Since Muhammad was unable to perform the miracle of fire in front of the Jews, a sudden shift occurred in the ways of Allah to accommodate his inability to demonstrate miracles.

Fourthly, it is worth noting that compared to the ancestors of the Jews, the ancestors of the pagan Meccans (Mushrikeen) did not have a history of killing prophets. However, Muhammad didn't show any miracle to them too by making other excuses. 

This raises the question: why did Muhammad deviate from the Sunnah of Allah in front of the Meccans and refrain from showing them the miracle of fire?

Muhammad got so much exposure in this incident, that despite all his struggles to make the Jews of Medina happy in the beginning (by adopting the Biblical laws in Islamic Sharia), not even 10 Jews of Medina believed in him and converted to Islam;

Sahih Bukhari, 3941:

The Prophet said: "Had only ten Jews believe me, all the Jews would definitely have believed me." 

The Third Quranic Excuse: The Miracle of the Sky Falling on the Meccans Did Not Occur due to Muhammad's Presence Among Them

After Muhammad failed to deliver on his promises of bringing divine punishment or miracles to the Meccans, his life became increasingly difficult, leading him to flee to Medina for safety. However, his inability to display a miracle in front of the Jewish community in Medina further eroded confidence in his prophetic claims. In response,

This compelled Muhammad to come up with an ADDITIONAL Excuse for his earlier failure in Mecca. Muhammad claimed the revelation of the following verses, in which his Allah was saying that Muhammad was indeed telling the truth about the falling of the sky on Meccans, but Allah didn't send this punishment while Muhammad was also present there, and Allah didn't want him to be harmed:

Quran 8:32-32: And when they [Meccans] said, "O Allah, if this should be the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones from the sky or bring us a painful punishment." But Allah would not punish them while you, [O Muhammad], was among them, and Allah would not punish them while they sought forgiveness.

Note: This verse was revealed in Medina after the first two incidents had already happened. 

Two pertinent questions arise from this narrative:

• Firstly, why did Allah not choose to punish the Meccans with the miracle of the falling sky during Muhammad's absence or after his migration to Medina? This query is particularly intriguing since Muhammad had previously asserted that Allah would send this miracle as a sign of his prophethood.
• Secondly, the Meccans did not solely request the miracle of punishment; rather, they sought any miraculous manifestation (even without any punishment), similar to those experienced by the previous prophets, that could substantiate Muhammad's claim to prophethood. 

 Please see the following verse again where they are also asking Muhammad for any miracle (even without punishment), and they were read to believe in his prophethood. 

Quran 17:90-93:

And they (the polytheists of Quraish) say, "We will not believe you until (1) you break open for us from the ground a spring. (2) Or [until] you have a garden of palm trees and grapes and make rivers gush forth within them in force [and abundance] Or you make the SKY FALL UPON US IN FRAGMENTS AS YOU HAVE CLAIMED (3) or you bring Allah and the angels before [us] (4) Or you have a house of ornament [i.e., gold] (5) or you ascend into the sky. And [even then], we will not believe in your ascension until you bring down to us a book we may read."  Say: "Glory to my Lord. (I cannot do it while) I am only man and a messenger." 

Thus, Muhammad along with his Allah failed to show even any simple miracle without any punishment, as it happened in the cases of previous prophets. 

Allah was not only Unable to Answer the Questions (as a miracle), but Allah was even UNABLE to Understand those Questions

The pagan Meccans, in an attempt to test Muhammad's claims, sought assistance from the Jews who sent them three challenging questions.

When the Meccans presented these questions to Muhammad, he struggled to provide answers for a period of 15 days (as he was gathering information from people, instead of getting any information through revelation). He then attributed this delay to the absence of Gabriel, claiming that the presence of a puppy in his home prevented the angelic visitation.

Imam Syuti documented the following tradition in his commentary concerning this verse18:23 (link):

أخرج ابن المنذرعن مجاهد، أن قريشاً اجتمعت فقالوا: " يا محمد، قد رغبت عن ديننا ودين آبائنا، فما هذا الدين الذي جئت به؟ قال: هذا دين جئت به من الرحمن. فقالوا: إنا لا نعرف الرحمن، إلا رحمن اليمامة - يعنون مسيلمة الكذاب - ثم كاتبوا اليهود فقالوا: قد نبغ فينا رجل يزعم أنه نبي، وقد رغب عن ديننا ودين آبائنا، ويزعم أن الذي جاء به من الرحمن. قلنا: لا نعرف الرحمن إلا رحمن اليمامة، وهو أمين لا يخون.. وفيّ لا يغدر.. صدوق لا يكذب، وهو في حسب وثروة من قومه، فاكتبوا إلينا بأشياء نسأله عنها. فاجتمعت يهود فقالوا: إن هذا لوصفه وزمانه الذي يخرج فيه. فكتبوا إلى قريش: أن سلوه عن أمر أصحاب الكهف، وعن ذي القرنين، وعن الروح. فإن يكن الذي أتاكم به من الرحمن، فإن الرحمن هو الله عز وجل، وإن يكن من رحمن اليمامة فينقطع. فلما أتى ذلك قريشاً أتى الظفر في أنفسها فقالوا: يا محمد، قد رغبت عن ديننا ودين آبائك... فحدثنا عن أمر أصحاب الكهف وذي القرنين والروح. قال: ائتوني غداً. ولم يستثن، فمكث جبريل عنه ما شاء الله لا يأتيه، ثم أتاه فقال: سألوني عن أشياء لم يكن عندي بها علم فأجيب حتى شق ذلك عليّ. قال: ألم ترنا لا ندخل بيتاً فيه كلب ولا صورة؟ - وكان في البيت جرو كلب - ونزلت { ولا تقولن لشيء إني فاعل ذلك غداً إلا أن يشاء الله واذكر ربك إذا نسيت وقل عسى أن يهدين ربي لأقرب من هذا رشداً } من علم الذي سألتموني عنه أن يأتي قبل غد؟ ونزل ما ذكر من أصحاب الكهف ونزل{ ويسألونك عن الروح... } [الإسراء: 85] الآية ".

Ibn Mundhir narrated from Mujahid that pagans of Quraysh gathered and they said to Muhammad: "You have deviated from the religion of our ancestors. From where did you get this new religion?" Muhammad replied: "This religion is from Rehman." The Quraysh said: "We don't know any other Rehman except the one from Yemen." The Quraysh considered Musaylmah Kadhab from it (who was another person who claimed false prophethood in the era of Muhammad, and who also claimed his new religion from al-Rahman i.e. God). Then Quraysh wrote to Jews that there had appeared a person among them, who claims himself to be a prophet, and he had left the religion of their ancestors ... Jews replied: "Asked him 3 questions about the Ashab-e-Kuhf (The people of Cave), Dhulqarnain and Ruh (i.e. the Spirit). If he will really be able to reply to those questions, then he is from Rahman who is God. But if Rahman is from Yemen, then he will not be able to reply them." Quraysh became happy upon it and they said to Muhammad: "If you have already left the religion of our ancestors, then tell us about Ashab-e-Kuhf (The people of Cave), Dhulqarnain, and the spirit."  Muhammad said to them: "Come to me tomorrow (and I will reply)." But Muhammad forgot to say Insha-Allah (i.e. if Allah wills). Gabriel came to him after only 15 days. Muhammad said to Gabriel: "Quraysh came to me and they asked me about somethings (as a test of my prophethood), which I didn't know. Thus, I was in a very difficult state during this period." Gabriel replied: "Have you not seen we (i.e. angels) don't enter a house which has a dog or a picture? And there was a puppy in your house (who entered the house and Muhammad didn't know about it)." Upon that it was revealed: [... and do not enquire about those questions from any one of them. And never say of anything, "Indeed, I will do that tomorrow," Except (when adding), "If Allah wills." Quran 18:22-24] (i.e. puppy entered his house while he forgot to say Insha-Allah).

Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 3227:

Muhammad's vague answers to those 3 questions after collecting some incomplete information from the people

After extensively questioning people, Muhammad managed to gather some incomplete information regarding the three questions. It took him 15 days to formulate his responses. However, despite his efforts, the answers remained ambiguous and lacked clarity. Muhammad resorted to making numerous excuses instead of providing straightforward and accurate answers.

Let us now examine the answers:

(1) The People of Cave (Ashab-e-Kuhf):

Muhammad failed completely in telling the exact numbers of the people in the cave:

Quran 18:22:

Some will say: "They were three, and their dog was the fourth;" and some will also say: "They were five and their dog was the sixth," -- guessing in the dark. And some will even say: "They were seven, and their dog the eighth." Say: "My Lord alone knows best their number; none but only a few know of them (i.e. their exact numbers)." So do not argue about it with them but lightly, and do not enquire about them from any one of them

On one hand, Muhammad asserted that Allah possessed precise knowledge of the number of people in the cave. On the other hand, Allah did not disclose the exact figures. The question arises: Why?

What potential harm would have arisen if Allah had revealed the precise numbers of the people in the cave?

The primary reason for this discrepancy is that during the 15-day period, Muhammad sought input from various individuals regarding the count, only to receive conflicting answers. Some claimed there were seven, others insisted on five, and a few maintained that there were three. Consequently, both Muhammad and his Allah were unable to provide a definitive and accurate response to this question concerning the true number.

In light of this predicament, Muhammad outright refused to provide an answer, informing the Meccans that he was incapable of providing precise numbers. He claimed that his Allah prohibited him from engaging in debates over the specifics of their count, compelling him to focus solely on the indisputable fact of their existence within the narrative of the people of the cave.

Moreover, Linda Kelly wrote (link):

Hadith tells us that angels won't enter a room where there is a dog. That means that for 309 years that the sleepers (i.e. the people of cave who were sleeping in the cave) were in the cave, no angel ever entered. Yet God says "We turned them...." The use of "we" clearly indicates the participation of angels. There is absolutely no reason to mention the dog as part of this story, except to make it clear to future generation that dogs are permitted to live among people, right "in their midst." And 18:22 clearly shows that the dog was counted right along with the believers

(2) Dhulqarnain:

Quran 18:83-88:

And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about Dhul-Qarnayn. Say, "I will recite to you about him a report." We granted him power in the land and endowed him with all kinds of resources. He set out (westwards) on an expedition, until when he reached the very limits where the sun sets, he saw it setting in a spring (of) dark mud;
(.....then Quran told about the story of Dhulqarnain about his journey towards the last part of East ... and then Quran told about the story about the construction of wall which protects against Gog and Magog).

Once again, Muhammad failed to provide a clear answer regarding the true identity of Dhulqarnain, leading to ongoing confusion among Muslims. The vague response given by the Quran and Muhammad perpetuated an endless cycle of uncertainty. This confusion is exemplified by various contradictory statements.

Since historical and archaeological evidence reveals that Alexander the Great was a polytheist who believed he was the literal son of Greek and Egyptian gods, Muslim apologists tried to shift the identity of Dhul Qarnayn from Alexander to other prominent historical kings, such as Cyrus the Great. However, that shift holds very little evidence and has major flaws compared to the overwhelming evidence that the story is actually based on the Syriac legend of Alexander the Great.

The version of the Quran includes Alexander building a huge iron wall (Gates of Alexander) to trap the people of Gog and Magog behind, which will be broken at the end of times. However there's no evidence this wall exists at all, and Muslims suddenly started claiming 'it's somewhere underground' once Google Maps became a thing.

(3) Ruh (The Spirit):

The explanation regarding the concept of Ruh (The Spirit) was even more elusive compared to the previous two answers.

Quran 17:85 states:

"They ask you about the Spirit. Say: 'The Spirit is by command of my Lord, and you have not been given of knowledge except a little.'"

In essence, Muhammad evaded answering the third question completely by using the excuse that only limited knowledge about the spirit is granted to humans.

The Biggest Issue: Allah was even Unable to Understand the 3 Questions

Muhammad claimed it was Allah who answered these 3 questions. But it makes things more complicated for Muslims, as then the blame goes to Allah for not even understanding these 3 questions by the Jews. 

The actual inquiries were not related to the stories of the people of the cave, Dhulqarnain, or the Spirit. To gain a better understanding of the actual questions presented by the Jews and the disconnect between their inquiries and Allah's answers, it is recommended to watch the referenced video. This raises concerns regarding the authenticity of Muhammad's claim that Jibril (Gabriel) delivered the correct responses, as the answers given by Muhammad did not even align with the Jews' actual questions.

This is a very important video which completely exposes Islam on this issue. Please watch it. 

Double Standards: Muhammad always denied showing any miracle of his prophethood, but demanded others to show miracles of their prophethood

You have seen above how Muhammad always denied showing any miracle of his prophethood. But now let us see the following tradition:  

Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 3055:

In simple words, these are Double Standards. 

Conclusion:

Where there are contradictions, there are always lies present there.

Dear Muslims!

Please don't let anyone fool you anymore, and let you swallow all these contradictions in the name of religion. 

Dr. Ali Shariati wrote:

At the birth of holy prophet (pbuh), enormous fire of Zoroastrians which had been burning for thousands of years in Istihrabad suddenly died out, fourteen towers of Kisra’s Palace in the city of Madayin fell down, but it effected not a single person in Mecca. It would have been a better if all 360 idols in Ka'ba would have fell down, so that the people of Meccan would know that something special happened on that day. But no such thing happened. (Ref: Dr. Ali Shariati, Book 23 Years).