➊ The main reason for the emergence of these narrations is that due to their widespread popularity, this work fell into the hands of preachers and those who organize Milad gatherings. Since this sect is generally deprived of knowledge and does not have access to authentic narrations, and on the other hand, due to the lively atmosphere and noise, there was a need to present interesting and popular statements for praise, they inevitably had to rely on their creative power. Those who were somewhat cautious expressed them in the form of Sufi anecdotes and poetic themes; the listeners regarded them as narrations, or later these statements themselves acquired the status of narrations. Those who were bold and careless did not even maintain this veil but directly gave them the status of Hadith and report by attaching a chain of transmission.
Hafiz Suyuti writes with reference to Allama Ibn Jauzi’s book Al-Mawdu’at.
احدهما القصاص ومعظم البلاء منهم يحرى لانهم يريد وان احاديث تتفق وترقق و الصحاح يقل ليدهذا ثم أن الحفظ يشق عليهم ويتفق عدم الدين وهم يحضرهم جهال.
Among those who fabricate false hadiths is a group of preachers, and the greatest trouble comes from them because they want hadiths that can be popularly accepted and effective, which is not the case with authentic hadiths. Besides, it is difficult for them to memorize authentic hadiths, and they lack piety. Their gatherings are attended only by ignorant people.
Thus, the fabricated collections of virtues and merits, punishment and reward, paradise and hell, events of the birth, miracles, and proofs are mostly arranged by these ignorant people.
Allama Ibn Qutaybah, who died in 276 AH, in his book Ta’wil Mukhtalif al-Hadith, which has now been published in Egypt, says that corruption in hadith and narration came through three ways, one of which is preachers.
والقصاص فانهم يميلون وجوه العوام اليهم ويستدرون ماعندهم بالمناكير والغرائب والاكاذيب من الأحاديث ومن شان العوام القعود عند القاص ما كان حديثه عجيبا خار جدا عن فطر العقول وكان رقيقا يحزن القلوب ويستغرز العيون
And preachers, because they want to turn the public’s attention towards themselves, narrate whatever they have as nonsense, rejected, and strange things, and the condition of the public is that they sit with these preachers as long as they narrate irrational or such effective things that create an impact on their hearts and make them cry.
Your imagination of superiority and comprehensiveness:
➋ The second reason for the emergence of these traditions is that Muslims consider the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ the best of the prophets, that he ﷺ was sent with the most perfect Shariah, and that he ﷺ embodies all virtues. This belief is absolutely correct, but people have wrongly exaggerated it and combined all the miracles of the previous prophets into the person of the Prophet ﷺ. As a result of this synthesis, these ideas spread among all Muslims. Al-Bayhaqi and Abu Nu’aym have, in their evidences, and Al-Suyuti in his “Khasais,” openly sought out miracles of the Prophet ﷺ similar to those of other prophets and tried to prove that just as the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ are a summary and collection of the teachings of all the prophets, similarly, the miracles of the Prophet ﷺ are also a collection of all the miracles of other prophets, and whatever was separately manifested from the common prophets, all of it collectively manifested from the Prophet ﷺ. Obviously, for this similarity and comparison, all authentic traditions cannot be available, so people took refuge in weak and fabricated traditions, sometimes employing poetic imagination and cleverness. For example, Allah taught all the names to Prophet Adam عليه السلام. Dailami narrated in Musnad al-Firdaws that Allah also taught all the names to the Prophet ﷺ. Regarding Prophet Idris, the Qur’an states that Allah raised him to a high place, but the elevation of the Messenger ﷺ went beyond that, reaching the two bows (qabqawsayn). If the prayer of Prophet Noah عليه السلام for the flood was accepted, then the prayer of the Prophet ﷺ for drought was also accepted. If a she-camel was a miracle for Prophet Salih عليه السلام, then a camel spoke to the Prophet ﷺ. Prophet Abraham عليه السلام was not burned in the fire, and fiery miracles also occurred for the Prophet ﷺ. If a knife was placed on the throat of Prophet Ismail عليه السلام, the chest of the Prophet ﷺ was also split open. Wolves spoke to Prophet Jacob عليه السلام; it is narrated that a wolf also conversed with the Prophet ﷺ. Abu Nu’aym relates that Prophet Joseph عليه السلام was given half of beauty, but the Prophet ﷺ was given the whole share. For Prophet Moses عليه السلام, rivers flowed from stones, and water flowed from the fingers of the Prophet ﷺ. The staff of Prophet Moses عليه السلام showed miracles, and in the absence of the Prophet ﷺ, a plum tree grew and the dry branch of the plum tree turned into a sword. The Red Sea split for Prophet Moses عليه السلام, and for the Prophet ﷺ, during the Mi’raj, the river of space between the heavens and the earth split in the middle. The sun stood still for Joshua, and at the gesture of the Prophet ﷺ, the sun set and rose. Prophet Jesus عليه السلام spoke in the cradle; it was fabricated that the Prophet ﷺ also spoke in the cradle, and from the tongue of the Prophet ﷺ, the voices of Takbir and Tasbih were raised first.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) bringing a girl back to life:
The greatest miracle of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) is bringing the dead back to life, and this is exclusively attributed to him. However, this miracle has also been attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In one narration, the Prophet (peace be upon him) invited a man to Islam, who said he would not believe until the Prophet brought his daughter back to life. Accordingly, the Prophet (peace be upon him) went to her grave, called out, and she came out alive and then left. Similarly, there is a narration that the Prophet’s mother was also brought back to life by his prayer and she believed in him.
3. It is established from the Holy Quran and authentic Hadiths that the previous scriptures of the Prophets contained prophecies about the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). According to these, the Jews and Christians were awaiting a coming Prophet. This event was exaggerated by false narrators to the extent that the Jews supposedly knew the exact day, date, year, time, and place. Thus, before the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Jewish scholars would predict all these details, and Christian monks even knew his physical features. Moreover, in old households, ruins, and synagogues, there were hidden books that contained the complete description of the Prophet (peace be upon him), which people kept very secret. In some monasteries, even pictures of the Prophet (peace be upon him) existed. The Torah and the Gospel contained some prophecies about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) which are indeed present and remain today, but they are in metaphors, allegories, and ambiguous expressions. These were spread clearly and specifically with the name and status of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in weak and fabricated narrations.
In Arabia, there were idol temples and soothsayers who would open lots and make predictions, their source of knowledge being jinn and devils. When the time of the Prophet’s birth approached, voices were often heard from the idol temples and the bellies of idols. The soothsayers would announce in rhymed couplets and jinn in poetry that the time of Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) birth was near. A whole ode was attributed to a king in praise of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Kings of Yemen, chiefs of Quraish, and elders saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) in dreams. The blessed name was seen inscribed on stones. Ka’b bin Lu’ayy, the chief of Quraish, would gather his tribe every Friday and deliver a sermon containing rhymed couplets and poetry announcing the glad tidings of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) appearance. The people of Mecca, upon hearing the name Muhammad from the mouths of priests and monks, would name their children Muhammad hoping he might be the Prophet. The people of Medina had already learned from these Jews that the city of Yathrib would be the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) place of migration, so they awaited his arrival. The soothsayer Sati’h has a long tale about the prophecy of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), but most of that record is fabricated and false, and the rest is very weak and unreliable. The one or two authentic parts have already been mentioned.
Taking poetic imagination as a fact:
➍ The birth of the Prophet ﷺ was a mercy for the world, therefore the pride and honor of the universe rightfully belong to him. Later preachers and those who recited the Milad narrated this event in a poetic manner such that Amina’s shoulder was illuminated with light, animals began to speak out of happiness, birds started singing songs of congratulations, the animals and birds of the West congratulated those of the East, the dry trees of Mecca blossomed, stars bowed down to the earth, the gates of the heavens opened. Angels raised a hymn of joy, the Prophets beheld the radiant face. Angels took the child on a tour of the heavens and the earth, the army of devils was chained, mountains grew taller with pride, the waves of the river began to leap with joy, trees donned new greenery, the palace of Paradise was adorned with furnishings, etc. Later preachers and Milad reciters took this poetic expression as a fact and a tradition was formed.
Describing future events in signs at the time of birth:
➎ The events that occurred during or after the prophethood of the Holy Prophet ﷺ have been accepted as having taken place at the time of the Holy Prophet’s ﷺ birth, and they have been made a precursor of future events as miracles. For example, during the time of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, idolatry was eradicated. The empires of Khosrow and Caesar perished. The fire-worship of Iran ended, and the land of Syria was conquered. These events were made miracles in such a way that when the Holy Prophet ﷺ was born, all the idols of the Kaaba were toppled, the battlements of Khosrow’s palace shook, the fire temple of Persia was extinguished, the Sawah canal dried up, and a light shone from which the palaces of Syria became visible.
➏ Some events cannot be called miracles in any way, but in the eagerness to multiply miracles, if even a little wonder was seen in any matter, it was made a permanent miracle. For example, there is a narration from Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), also mentioned in Musnad Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, that there was no pet animal in the house of the Holy Prophet ﷺ; when the Holy Prophet ﷺ entered, it would sit quietly in one place, and when he went out, it would run here and there. This shows that even animals respected the dignity and rank of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and were aware of his greatness and status, but in reality, this is not a miracle; some animals also behave like this with ordinary people.
It is in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim that Hazrat Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) was seriously ill; when the Holy Prophet ﷺ visited him, he was unconscious. The Holy Prophet ﷺ performed ablution and sprinkled water on his face, and he regained consciousness. This is a simple incident, but the authors of the books of proofs have also declared it a miracle.
Similarly, there is a narration that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was born circumcised. This narration is transmitted through multiple chains, but none of these chains is free from weakness. Hakim wrote in Al-Mustadrak that the circumcised birth of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is proven by mutawatir narrations, but Allama Dhahabi criticized this, saying that it is not even proven correctly, let alone mutawatir.
And according to Allama Ibn Qayyim (Zad al-Ma’ad), even if this is proven, it is no virtue of the Holy Prophet ﷺ because such children have been born frequently.
In an authentic narration, it is mentioned that when the Holy Prophet ﷺ raised his hands in supplication or went into prostration, the whiteness of his armpits was visible. This is a trivial matter, but Mujib Tabari, Qurtubi, and Suyuti, etc., have also declared it a miracle and a special characteristic of the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
In the eagerness to increase the number of miracles, the authors of the books of proofs have also said that if in the narration of a single event, there is even a slight difference in the narrators’ chain regarding time, place, or any other matter, it was considered multiple events. For example, there is one event where a camel became mad or unruly; when the Holy Prophet ﷺ approached it, it obediently lowered its head. The Companions said, “O Messenger of Allah! When animals bow their heads before you, we as humans should surely prostrate before you.” The Holy Prophet ﷺ replied:
“If I were to command anyone to prostrate, I would have commanded the wife to prostrate to her husband.” This is one event which, due to slight differences in narration, has been counted as fourteen or fifteen events.
Carelessness in the transcription of words:
➐ Some miracles mentioned in these books are originally found in the authentic collections, and are mentioned in such a way that they are not miracles but ordinary events. However, careless narrators in the lower-grade narrations, by slightly altering the words, have declared them as miracles. In many authentic narrations, it is mentioned that there was a raised flesh on the blessed shoulder which was called the “Seal of Prophethood,” and on the blessed finger, there was a silver ring on which “Muhammad Rasul Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم” was inscribed. Careless narrators combined these two events, and thus the incident, as found in Hakim’s History of Nishapur, Ibn Asakir’s History of Damascus, and Abu Nu’aym’s Dalail, became that the inscription of the Kalima and other phrases were written on the Seal of Prophethood on the flesh of the blessed shoulder.
