The famous scholar Hasan al-Basri would weep while teaching this miraculous event  to his students,  and say to them: “A piece of wood  demonstrated  love and longing for God’s Noble Messenger  (Upon whom be blessings and peace), so you should feel more love than that.”[158]  As for us, we say, Yes, and love and longing for him is shown through following his illustrious Practices (Sunna) and sacred Shari‘a.

A n   I m p o r t a n t   P o i n t

If it is asked : Why were the miracles that were displayed  in connection with food – to satisfy fully a thousand men with four handfuls of food in the Battle of Khandaq,  and  another  thousand  men  with  water  flowing  from  the  Messenger’s (UWBP) blessed fingers – not narrated through numerous chains of transmission as the  miracle  of  the  moaning  of  the  pole  was,  although  the  former  two  miracles occurred in the presence of larger crowds?

The Answer: The miracles that were manifested  were of two kinds: one were manifested at the hands of God’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) in order to make people assent to his prophethood. The moaning of the pole was of that kind. It occurred solely as a proof, an affirmation, of prophethood, to increase the believers’ faith, to urge the dissemblers to sincerity and belief, and to bring to belief the  unbelievers.  That  is  why  everyone,  the  low  and  the  high,  saw  it,  and  great attention was paid  to broadcasting  it. However,  the miracles  concerning  food  and water were wonders rather than miracles, or divine favours rather than wonders, or, more than favour, they were banquets bestowed by the All-Merciful One because of need. For sure, they were proofs of his claim to prophethood and miracles, but their basic aim was this: the army was hungry so Almighty God provided a feast for a thousand men out of a handful of food from His treasury in the Unseen, just as He creates a thousand pounds of dates from a single seed. And for a thirsty army fighting in His way, He caused water to flow like the water of Kawthar from the fingers of its Commander-in-Chief, and gave them to drink.

[156] Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 304

[157] Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 304; Ibn Maja, Iqamat al-Salat, 199; Darimi, Muqaddima, 6.

[158] Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 305.