Question:
Is the miracle of water flowing from the fingers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) proven?
Answer:
The miracle of water flowing from the fingers of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is proven; this miracle occurred several times, and there are numerous hadiths about it, the collection of which reaches the level of mutawatir (mass-transmitted). Moreover, there is a consensus among scholars on the proof of this miracle.
❀ Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:
كنا نعد الآيات بركة، وأنتم تعدونها تخويفا، كنا مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى سفر، فقل الماء، فقال: اطلبوا فضلة من ماء، فجاؤوا بإناء فيه ماء قليل، فأدخل يده فى الإناء، ثم قال: حي على الطهور المبارك، والبركة من الله، فلقد رأيت الماء ينبع من بين أصابع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، ولقد كنا نسمع تسبيح الطعام وهو يؤكل
We considered miracles as a source of blessing, and you (the disbelievers) considered them as a means of frightening. We were on a journey with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and water became scarce. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: If there is any leftover water available, bring it. The companions brought a vessel with a little water in it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) put his hand in the vessel and said: Bless this water, for the blessing is from Allah. (Abdullah bin Mas’ud said:) I saw water flowing from the fingers of the Prophet (peace be upon him). We also used to hear the tasbih (glorification) of food while it was being eaten.
❀ Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:
حضرت الصلاة فقام من كان قريب الدار من المسجد يتوضأ، وبقي قوم، فأتي النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم بمخضب من حجارة فيه ماء، فوضع كفه، فصغر المخضب أن يبسط فيه كفه، فضم أصابعه فوضعها فى المخضب فتوضأ القوم كلهم جميعا، قلت: كم كانوا؟ قال: ثمانون رجلا
When it was time for prayer, those whose houses were near the mosque went to perform ablution at their homes. A few people remained, and a stone vessel with a small amount of water was brought to the Prophet (peace be upon him). He wanted to put his blessed palm into it, but its mouth was so narrow that he could not spread his palm inside it. So, he closed his fingers and put his hand into the vessel. (When water flowed from his fingers,) all the people performed ablution with it. The narrator Hamid (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I asked Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): How many people were there? He said: They were eighty (80) people.
❀ Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:
أتي النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم بإناء، وهو بالزوراء، فوضع يده فى الإناء، فجعل الماء ينبع من بين أصابعه، فتوضأ القوم، قال قتادة: قلت لأنس: كم كنتم؟ قال: ثلاث مائة، أو زهاء ثلاث مائة.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was at Maqam Zura’ when a vessel was brought to him. He put his blessed hand into the vessel, and water began to flow from his fingers, with which all the companions present performed ablution. Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I asked Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): How many people were there? He said: Three hundred or so.
❀ Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:
عطش الناس يوم الحديبية والنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بين يديه ركوة فتوضأ، فجهش الناس نحوه، فقال: ما لكم؟ قالوا: ليس عندنا ماء نتوضأ ولا نشرب إلا ما بين يديك، فوضع يده فى الركوة، فجعل الماء يتور بين أصابعه، كأمثال العيون، فشربنا وتوضأنا قلت: كم كنتم؟ قال: لو كنا مائة ألف لكفانا، كنا خمس عشرة مائة.
At the time of Hudaybiyyah, people were thirsty. The Prophet (peace be upon him) had a vessel of water from which he performed ablution. People quickly came to him to take water. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: What is the matter with you? They said: We have no water to perform ablution, nor do we have water to drink; only this water in front of you is available. The Prophet (peace be upon him) put his blessed hand into the vessel, and water flowed from his fingers like springs. So, we all drank water and performed ablution with it. Salim bin Abi al-Ja’d (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I asked Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him): How many people were there at that time? He said: We were fifteen hundred people; even if we had been one hundred thousand, this water would have sufficed us.
❀ Allama Abu al-Abbas al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him)
says:
الإتفاق على نبع الماء من بين أصابعه.
There is consensus on the water flowing from the fingers of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
❀ He also says:
هذه المعجزة تكررت من النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم مرات عديدة فى مشاهد عظيمة، وجموع كثيرة، بلغتنا بطرق صحيحة من رواية أنس، وعبد الله بن مسعود، وجابر، وعمران بن حصين، وغيرهم ممن يحصل بمجموع أخبارهم العلم القطعي المستفاد من التواتر المعنوي.
This miracle appeared many times at very important occasions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and in the presence of large gatherings of companions. This miracle has reached us through authentic chains of narration, including those of Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyiduna Imran bin Husain (may Allah be pleased with him), among others. From their combined narrations, one gains certain and definitive knowledge and the benefit of mutawatir meaning.
❀ Hafiz Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him)
says:
في هذه الأحاديث فى نبع الماء من بين أصابعه وتكثير الطعام، هذه كلها معجزات ظاهرة وجدت من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى مواطن مختلفة وعلى أحوال متغايرة وبلغ مجموعها التواتر.
All the narrations about water flowing from the fingers of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the increase of water, and the increase of food are miracles of the Prophet (peace be upon him), which appeared at different places and occasions. Their collection reaches the level of mutawatir.
❀ Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him)
says:
منه ما تواتر معناه؛ كأحاديث الشفاعة وأحاديث الرؤية، وأحاديث الحوض وأحاديث نبع الماء من بين أصابعه وغير ذلك، فهذا يفيد العلم ويجزم بأنه صدق.
Some hadiths are mutawatir in meaning, such as those concerning intercession, the vision of Allah, the Pond (Hawd), and water flowing from the fingers of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Mutawatir in meaning also provides certain knowledge and is certainly true.
❀ Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him)
says:
أما ما عدا القرآن من نبع الماء من بين أصابعه وتكثير الطعام وانشقاق القمر ونطق الجماد فمنه ما وقع التحدي به ومنه ما وقع دالا على صدقه من غير سبق تحد ومجموع ذلك يفيد القطع بأنه ظهر على يده صلى الله عليه وسلم من خوارق العادات شيء كثير.
The miracles other than the Qur’an, such as water flowing from the fingers of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the increase of food, the splitting of the moon, and the speaking of inanimate objects, some appeared as a challenge and some appeared as proof of the truthfulness of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) prophethood, meaning they did not appear only as a response to a challenge. Their collection provides definitive evidence that many extraordinary events occurred through the hands of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
