The Thirty-first Word

Addendum

The miracle of splitting the moon

In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate.

The Hour has drawn near, and the moon split. But whenever they see a sign (miracle), they turn away in aversion, saying: “This is sorcery like many others, one after the other.” (54:1-2)

QUESTION: Materialist philosophers and their imitators, who want to eclipse this bright miracle of Prophet Muhammad with their vicious delusions, say: “If the event had really happened, it would have been known all over the world and related in all historical documents.”

ANSWER: This miracle was demonstrated before a group of people as an evidence of Prophethood of Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. It happened momentarily at a time of night when people were sleeping; such obstacles as mist, clouds, and time differences prevented others from seeing it; and, moreover, at that time science and civilization were not yet advanced or widespread. Thus the practice of observing the sky was quite limited. Last but not least, there is no reason why it should have been seen worldwide.

In order to remove such clouds of delusion, consider the following five points:

FIRST POINT: The stubbornness of Muhammad’s unbelieving contemporaries is well-known and recorded. When the Qur’an announced this incident in The moon split, not one unbeliever dared contradict it. If they had not seen this event, they would have used this verse as a pretext to attack the Prophet more formidably. However, neither the biographies of the Prophet nor history books report anything that even suggests their denial of this event. Their reaction was recorded as: This is sorcery like many others, one after the other. They declared the event to be magic, and added further that if Meccan caravans in other places had seen it, it had truly happened; otherwise, the Prophet had bewitched them. When caravans arriving the following morning from Yemen and other places announced that they had seen this miracle, the unbelievers replied: “The magic of Abu Talib’s orphan has affected even the heavens!”

SECOND POINT: The majority of the foremost scholars of meticulous research, such as Sa‘dud-Din at-Taftazani, concluded that, like the miracles of water flowing from the Prophet’s fingers and satiating a whole army, and the audible grieving of the wooden pole against which the Prophet used to lean while delivering sermons, when it was separated from him following the construction of a pulpit, the splitting of the moon is mutawatir. This means that it has been transmitted down the generations by numerous truthful groups after another, and that the transmitters form such a vast community that they are unable to agree on a lie. It is as certain as Halley’s comet, which appeared a thousand years ago, or the existence of an island we have not seen. Therefore it is unreasonable to foster baseless doubts about such certain, witnessed matters. In fact, it is enough for their accept ability that they are not impossible. Splitting the moon is just as possible as splitting a mountain by a volcanic eruption.

THIRD POINT: Prophets work miracles to prove their claim of Prophethood and to convince deniers, not to compel belief. Therefore, every miracle is shown to convince those who heard the claim of Prophethood. If miracles somehow compelled everyone to see or believe in them, the All Wise’s Wisdom in or the Divine purpose for creating us with free will and sending religion, which entails that the ground be prepared for the mind’s willing acceptance but the free choice not be negated or canceled, would be violated.

Thus if the All-Wise Originator had left the moon split for several hours so that everyone could see and record it in their historical records, it would have been only another astronomical event instead of an event unique to Muhammad’s Messengership or an evidence of his Prophethood. Or it would have been so evident a miracle that everyone had been forced to believe, free will would be annulled and people of coal-like spirit like Abu Jahl would be equal to those of diamond-like spirit like Abu Bakr. Thus the purpose of creating humanity with a special function and responsibility, as well as the purpose for sending Revelation, would be negated. That is why this miracle was not shown worldwide so that it could be recorded.

FOURTH POINT: Since this event occurred instantaneously at night while everyone was sleeping, it would certainly not be seen all over the world. Even if some people had seen it, they would not have believed their eyes. And even if it had made them believe, such a significant, miraculous event would not have been recorded by histories based on individual reports.

Some additional reports that after the moon split into two halves, it fell to earth have been rejected by veracious scholars as a false addition made by hypocrites to reduce to nothing the value of this evident miracle.

This miracle would certainly not be mentioned in Chinese, Japanese, and Native American historical accounts because, in addition to other obstacles, it was barely sunset in such European countries as Spain, France, and England (all enveloped in mists of ignorance), daytime in America, and morning in China and Japan when it happened.

FIFTH POINT: This miracle is not an ordinary incident that happened due to particular causes or randomly so that it should be criticized based on ordinary “laws of nature.” Rather, the All-Wise Creator of the sun and the moon made it an extraordinary event to confirm His Messenger’s Prophethood and support his claim. Therefore it was shown as a convincing proof to certain people specified by Divine Wisdom, for the nature of Divine guidance and human responsibility as well as the reason for raising a Messenger required this. If it had been seen by those who were not intended to see it and who had not yet heard of Muhammad’s Prophethood, and if it had occurred according to ordinary “laws of nature,” it would have been an ordinary astronomical event instead of a miracle specific to and connected with his Messengership.

In conclusion, these arguments are enough for any mind to be convinced of the possibility that this miracle occurred. Out of many evidences of its occurrence, we will mention only six, as these six have the strength of a six-fold consensus:

• The Companions, all people of justice and truthfulness, agree that it took place.
• All exacting Qur’anic interpreters agree that The moon split indicates that a gesture of Muhammad’s fingers caused this event.
• All truthful Muhaddithun (Traditionists) narrated this incident through various authentic channels of transmission.
• All people of truth and sainthood, as well as of inspiration and spiritual discovery, testify that this event took place.
• All foremost theologians and learned scholars confirm this event, despite their other differences of opinions.
• Muhammad’s community, which an authentic Prophetic Tradition states can never agree on an error, accepts its occurrence.

These six evidences clearly prove the splitting of the moon.

In conclusion, then, we have established the reality of this miracle by refuting objections to its possibility. In a few concluding sentences, we will speak in the name of the truth and for the sake of belief.

By making the Seal of the Prophets, an earthly body, yet the light-dif fusing moon of the heaven of Messengership, travel through the heavens (Ascension), which is the greatest wonder or miracle of his sainthood achieved through the quality of his worship which elevated him to the status of God’s beloved, God showed the inhabitants of the heavens and those of the highest realms that Muhammad is their superior and His beloved.

So too, by allowing a man’s gesture to split the moon, which is set in the sky and bound to the earth, people saw another great evidence of his Messengership. Thus Prophet Muhammad flew to the summit of perfections on the two brilliant wings of Messengership and sainthood—like the moon’s two bright halves. He ascended to the point of two bows’ length (to the highest rank and nearest station to God) and became the cause of pride for all inhabitants of the heavens and the earth.

Upon him and his Family be blessings and peace such as to fill the earth and the heavens.

Glory be unto You. We have no knowledge save what You have taught us. You are the All-Knowing, All-Wise.

O God, for the sake of him by a gesture of whom the moon split, make my heart and the hearts of the Risale-i Nur’s students as devoted and loyal to the “sun” of the Qur’an as the moon is to the sun. Amin.

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi