The polytheists demand a sign (2)

The Qur’an records Allah’s answer to the pagans who demanded that Muhammad perform a spectacular miracle: “Say: Glory to my Lord! Am I not but a man and sent as a messenger?” (17: 93).

This verse makes it clear that Muhammad , like all prophets, had no power of his own to perform such miracles, but that Allah determines when, where, and how His signs will be revealed. The prophets were given such signs to prove that they were messengers. Allah says: “Say: Certainly all signs are in the power of Allah. But what will make you realise that even if they received a sign, they would not believe.” (6: 109).

As for the pagans who demanded to see a clear sign, Allah told the Prophet in the Qur’an: “Even if I send angels to them, and the dead speak to them face to face, and I gather all things before their very eyes, they would not believe unless it be My wish. But most of them ignore the truth.” (6: 111).

And Allah said: “If there were a Qur’an with which mountains could be moved, or the earth rent asunder and the dead made to speak, it would be this one. Truly, the command rests with Allah. Do the believers not know that had Allah willed, He could have guided all mankind.” (13: 31).

In this way, Allah instructed the Prophet and the believers to stop trying to justify their faith. The onus was on the unbelievers to come to Islam. And how could they believe if Allah, to Whom guidance belonged, had not willed it?

The moon splits in half

The absence of any spectacular miracle such as they had demanded convinced the Quraysh that they had found Muhammad’s weakness. Now they asked him to show them any sign. If Muhammad couldn’t produce even a small sign, the Quraysh believed that it would show everyone that he was a false prophet. Muhammad would be silenced at last.

The Prophet prayed to Allah and asked Him to show the Quraysh a sign. Finally, Allah gave the Quraysh clear evidence: the moon split in half so that each half appeared on either side of Mount Hira. “Be you all witnesses,” the Prophet said.

At first, the pagans could not believe what they saw. The moon had been split in two before their eyes. After the initial shock, however, they determined that it was nothing but the sorcery of the son of Abu Kabasha. “Maybe he has put a spell on us, so let’s wait until some travellers arrive in Makkah and ask them if they also saw it.” As soon as some travellers arrived in Makkah, the Makkans asked them if they had seen the strange sight. The travellers confirmed they too had seen the wonderous sight of the cleft moon. Now there was no doubt what they had witnessed, but the Quraysh stubornly clutched their disbelief.