Kashif Shahzada

Firstly we need to define what a miracle really is? If a miracle entails an act of God, then even our existence is a miracle if God is the one who brought us into existence, but if a miracle implies a sudden and unexpected change in the laws of nature, then I wish to share this with you from a Qur`anic standpoint. Perhaps all religions advocate belief in miracles, with their Prophets using such feats as proof of their validity.

However the Qur’an declares that the entire universe has been subjected to man and he can harness it with his God given abilities (see 45:13). Natural laws do not undergo any changes and are fixed and immutable, says the Qur’an- hence miracles implying change in natural laws never happen. We are informed:

‘Laa tabdeela li khalq Allahe’

“..There is no altering in Allah’s creation..” 30:30

‘Wa lan tajida li sunnatallahe tabdeela’

“..And you will not find any change in the course of Allah..” 35:43

The laws on which God has made his creation do not undergo any change and are immutable. We can study these laws and equations  and predict the behaviour of objects on this basis. Now, I am sure the question may come to mind that if the Qur`an has stated on one hand that there is no change in Khalq Allah i.e. the creation of Allah including the laws of nature, then what will  become of those Qur`anic passages whose apparent reading attributes miracles to messengers of Allah and seem to  narrate their supernatural feats?

Is this a contradiction within the Qur`an? No it certainly is not. The reason being, that we do not approach the Qur`an with a clear mind and have pre conceived notions about religious tales, whereas the original Arabic text reveals something entirely different.

We should never approach something with a bias, but should keep our minds free from all sorts of baggage.

Such passages should not be taken literally but should be pondered upon in depth, exploring the inherent meaning in the Arabic, and relating them with the text of other ayat (verses) where such phenomena is described.

E.g. We read in the Qur`an that Jesus gave life to the ”dead’ by God’s permission (see 3:49)- however this  does not mean that he brought the biologically dead back to life, but it should be understood that the Qur`an calls those who refuse to acknowledge the way of life Allah has prescribed as ‘dead’ and ‘without life’ (see 6:122).

Jesus gave ‘life’ to such morally dead people by his teachings and it is not the case that he altered the laws of nature by reviving the pathologically dead.  Consider ayah 8:24 which exhorts the believers to hearken to the call of Allah and His messenger when they invite them to that which gives them ‘life’.

The implication in this ayah is not that believers are biologically dead and Allah and his messenger will raise them back to life, but to a new life  based on the way of life that the Qur`an has given. The Qur`an frequntly calls people living a life without divine values as ‘dead when messengers are appointed, they give such morally dead people a renewed ‘life’ by their teachings.

Hence there is nothing ‘miraculous’ about Jesus giving life to the ‘dead’ because the Qur`an has clarified that they weren’t biologically dead but dead because of no morality. Cross referencing Qur`anic ayaat clarifies this. Secondly, whenever the Arabic preposition “Kaaf” appears before a word, then it means that the sentence under consideration is a simile, and is metaphorical in nature and should not be taken literally.

This preposition is called “Kaaf tashbih” (the letter kaaf for similitudes) in Arabic. We should consider the following examples from the Qur`an:

FA- MAA LA- -HUM cAN AT- TADHKIRAH MUcRID.EN

“Then what is the matter with them that they turn away from admonition?” 74:49

KA-’ANNA -HUM H.UMUR MUSTANFIRAH

“As if they were affrighted asses,” 74:50

FARRAT MIN QASWARAH

“Fleeing from a lion!” 74:51

In the above verses, the unbelievers are likened to donkeys, while the lion is used for the Qur`an. This does not imply that unbelievers are biological donkeys, and neither is the Qur`an a lion from the wilderness!

The prepositional “Kaaf” which occurs in KA-’ANNA -HUM H.UMUR MUSTANFIRAH denotes that this is a metaphorical phrase. Similarly, when the verse about Jesus’ building a bird out of clay is discussed, the same prepositional “Kaaf” occurs. i.e. “.. I create for you all from clay [KA- HAY'AH AT.- T.AYR]- *the likeness of a bird*. ” 3:46 Note that “Kaaf tashbih” before the word “Hay`ah” (appearance) confirms that this phrase is metaphorical in nature and should not be understood literally. Jesus did not alter the laws of nature by creating a living bird from dust, but this is a metaphor that he from their dust like condition will give them something which will fly like a bird.

Similarly, in the famous ‘staff turning into a serpent’ narratives of Moses, the same prepositional “Kaaf” occurs as well. Describing the ‘staff’ which turned into a ‘serpent’, it is said:

KA`ANNAHU JAAN-UN

“..It became as if it were a serpent..”

The Rod of Moses (which is in fact another metaphor for the laws that he received from Allah and not a physical stick constructed of wood) did not metamorphise into a snake but was metaphorically like a serpent.

We should not ignore the Arabic text of the ayat and should engage in a deeper study rather than a superficial one based on translations.

We can see that the Qur`an has stated in a number of its verses that there is no change in ‘Khalq Allah’ (the creation based on Allah’s natural laws). Hence passages which show a change in those laws are not to be taken literally but metaphorically.

Hence all these are explanations within the scope of reason and rational thought and are not ‘miracles’ (please bear in mind what I meant by miracles i.e. a change in the laws of nature). This is not something to decide up to our own discretionary choice, but the Qur`an itself bears witness to this and gives us principles and indicators for its interpretation.

Neither is the Qur`an in contradiction to the laws of nature, not does it go against human reason. In brief please consider that the appeal of the Qur`an is to human reason. It mentions that messengers of God called their audience to become rational and not emotional. However a miracle worker is not appealing to the reason of his audience but their emotions.

The Qur’an states that the entire Universe has been subjected to mankind. We can harness nature and use it to our benefit. This entails studying the laws of nature. If laws of nature were changing by miracle workers, then the heavens and earth wouldn’t be under our subjugation.

The Qur’anic declaration that the entire universe can be harnessed by man frees us from a number of superstitions. The Qur`an mentions that there is no change in natural laws. Hence arbitrary change by any ‘miracle’ performer is not possible. God has given laws, which we can understand, these laws pertain to physics as well as society.

Human body is governed by physical laws (which are unchanging) while human soul is governed by moral law given through the agency of God’s messengers.

We do not have the ability to transgress physical laws, but we have the free will to go against the moral laws, in both cases, we get full results for our actions. E.g. if we place our hand in fire, then we will get burned (physical law), if we break a moral law, then that also has ramifications in the life we live in as a well as the hereafter (this theme is discussed at full length in the Qur`an).

Seeking assistance with the laws of nature is seeking assistance from God, as it is God Himself who has framed these laws. If a near one is ill, then merely praying for him won’t do anything. No prayer will heal him unless you take him to the doctor and get the medicine he prescribes. His healing is dependent upon God,  through the medicine and the effect it has – all which God has ultimately created for our benefit. Hence by studying the laws of nature and harnessing them, we can seek God’s assistance in life. The Qur`an is full of statements calling for study of nature and applying it to use. Godliness and Godly men according to the Qur`an are those who study the creation (see 3:190-193).The Qur’an forbids from monasticism and seclusion.

As there is no change in natural laws, Qur`anic passages whose superficial reading implies miracles, should be studied deeply and it will will be apparent that they are rationally explained within the text itself and are not literal but metaphorical statements.