Mujizat al-Nabi min al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya
- Author died
- 774 AH
- Editions
- ta al-Sayyid Ibrahim
Mujizat al-Nabi min al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya (The Miracles of the Prophet from The Beginning and the End) is a thematic compilation extracted from the monumental historical encyclopedia al-Bidaya wa-l-Nihaya by the Damascene historian and traditionist Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 CE) . The work gathers the transmitted proofs of prophethood (dala'il al-nubuwwa) and evidentiary miracles (mu'jizat) associated with the Islamic prophet Muhammad ﷺ .
Subject Matter and Scope
The book focuses on documenting both intangible (ma'nawiyya) and tangible (hissiyya) signs of Muhammad's prophethood, treating them through an analytical and evidentiary framework rather than simple storytelling . Ibn Kathir categorizes the tangible miracles into celestial (samawiyya) and terrestrial (ardiyya) phenomena :
- Celestial Signs: Prominently covers the splitting of the moon (inshiqaq al-qamar) along with transmissions from Companions including Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Anas ibn Malik, Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn Umar, Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman, and Jubayr ibn Mut'im, providing arguments against deniers . It also addresses the descent of rain following supplications made on the pulpit and examines reports concerning the holding or turning back of the sun (radd al-shams) .
- Terrestrial Miracles: Details physical marvels such as water springing from between the Prophet's fingers, the obedience of trees, blessings manifest in the well of Quba, and the multiplication of small provisions, including the multiplication of clarified butter for Umm Sulaym . It further recounts the signs witnessed during the emigration (hijra) at the tent of Umm Ma'bad, the revival of a slaughtered sheep, and the speech of the poisoned roasted sheep's arm .
- Unseen Knowledge: Surveys prophecies regarding future occurrences and events during his lifetime and after his death, presenting them alongside the corresponding Quranic and hadith evidence .
Method and Sources
Ibn Kathir employs the methodology of hadith criticism in evaluating reports, citing multiple transmission chains (turuq) and assessing their authenticity . For instance, he discusses the report on the return of the sun transmitted through Asma bint Umays, Abu Hurayra, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, and Ali ibn Abi Talib, explicitly critiquing and rejecting the authentication (tashih) pronounced by Ahmad ibn Salih .
The material incorporates comparative chapters that benchmark Muhammad's miracles against those granted to earlier prophets, demonstrating how they matched or exceeded them . In compiling this comparative study, Ibn Kathir built upon earlier works, drawing from the Dala'il al-Nubuwwa literature of Abu Nu'aym al-Isbahani, al-Bayhaqi, and Abu Muhammad Abd Allah ibn Hamid, as well as the work of Ibn al-Zamlakani, concluding the section with the comparative poem of Jamal al-Din Yahya ibn Zakariyya al-Sarsari (d. 656 AH) .
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