Imam Husain’s miracles

But, when men saw the Apostles in a human form leading an ordinary life, they assumed that the Apostles were not different from ordinary men.[1] Therefore, they demanded that the Apostles should perform some miracles (do something super-natural). The miracles were such that they excelled far beyond and were superior to man’s achievement of the time.

Imam as-Sadiq (a.s.) said that miracles were endowed on the Divinely appointed persons as proof of their veracity that they were indeed sent by an Omnipotent Lord. Imam Ali bin Musa ar-Ridha (a.s) said that the types of miracles varied according to the need of the time and were accepted as conclusive proof of the Prophet’s Divine appointment.[2]

In early days when a Prophet (s) preached obedience to One Omnipotent God Who will hold them to account, people reviled him saying that if there would be punishment in the hereafter why they were not tormented immediately. However, God always warned in advance through His Apostles before sending down chastisement on any nation or community.[3]

Thus, God sent the deluge and those who disbelieved Noah’s Messengership and Message were drowned.[4] Similarly, the people of Aad disbelieved the Prophet Hud whom they called a liar. They said, “Should we abandon our ancestral deities and worship one God? Then bring down the scourge with which you threaten us if you are really in truth.” The believers were saved and the disbelievers annihilated.[5] On similar lines, was the case of the prophets Salih,[6] Lot[7], Shu’aib…etc.[8] The reason for the annihilating scourges is to make men realise that there is an Almighty Lord before Whom they are humble.

Abraham (a.s) was sought to be punished by his people for calling them to worship One Almighty God and to desist worshiping idols of their own making. A huge fire was prepared which was so intense that a catapult was made and Abraham (a.s) was thrown from it into the fire. Miraculously, on the Command of the Almighty, the fire did not harm Abraham (a.s).[1] The saving of Ishmael (a.s.) from being sacrificed by Abraham was yet another miracle.[2] Abraham was endowed with the miracle of raising the dead to life when he wanted to know how the dead would be raised to life. He was asked to tear birds into pieces and throw the pieces on the tops of mountains and then to call them back. The birds came flying.[3]

During the period of Solomon, Satan taught sorcery. Harut and Marut in Babylon taught magic to men who used it only to cause harm and no benefit to anyone.[4]

The people of Moses demanded miracles as assurance that he was indeed divinely appointed.[5] During the period of Moses (a.s), men became so adept at sorcery that they thought they were invincible. Moses and Aaron (a.s) were unable to convince the Pharaoh to give up the claim of his godship and to accept and submit to an Almighty Lord Who will call the Pharaoh to account for his deeds. Instead of meeting the arguments in the debate, the Pharaoh wanted to see a sign whereupon Moses (a.s) threw down his rod, which became a serpent. He showed his palm which shone like a brilliant light. The Pharaoh’s men said that Moses (a.s.) was practicing sorcery to veer them away from worshiping the Pharaoh. They advised him to summon all the skilled sorcerers in the kingdom to confront and challenged Moses and Aaron (a.s). When the sorcerers gathered together, Moses’ rod became a huge serpent and swallowed all their serpents. This miracle led some of the assembly to acknowledge the truth of the Message of Moses (a.s) and to submit to the Lord of all Creation, the God of Moses and Aaron (a.s). However, the denial by the Pharaoh led to the final scourge and his destruction by drowning.[6] His last moment repentance could not  

save him and as the excavations in Egypt have revealed, his body was preserved as a lesson to posterity.[1] The Qur’an reveals that Moses (a.s) was given nine clear signs which the Pharaoh denied and was made to drown.[2] Moses (a.s.) was asked to strike his rod on the water that parted and gave way to him (a.s) and his companions to escape.[3] Thus, the miracle of Moses (a.s) overwhelmed the sorcery of all other sorcerers, which subdued the arrogance of the people of Egypt. God sent miracles that every miracle would be mightier than the previous one, yet the non-believers denied the signs saying that it was nothing but magic. They called upon Moses (a.s) to invoke God to send down the promised punishment. It was then that they were all drowned. [4]

Qarun was the richest man in the time of Moses (a.s). He spurned the advice of Moses (a.s) to obey the Almighty Lord, but Qarun was insolent and proud. He denied the Message and Messengership of Moses (a.s) and was swallowed along with his palace and immense wealth. Haman, the Pharaoh’s vizier was also a vicious man[5]

Prophet David (a.s) was given two miracles. One is he was blessed with a mellifluous voice that when he sang the praise of the Lord, the mountains and birds joined in his singing. The other is that iron became soft to him like wax so that Prophet David (a.s.) could mould it into anything he desired.[6] This indeed was necessary because the ‘Iron Age’ had started and anyone who could strive and make a weapon became more powerful. David (a.s) had no need to strive to make a sword, for iron was soft as wax in his hands.

Prophet Solomon (a.s.) was given the miracle of speaking to birds, animals, and Jinn.[7]He was given control over the elements.[8] By this time, man had started understanding the elements and was trying to put them to his own advantage. Man also was in the process of understanding the behaviour of animals. His miracles were in tune with the times.  

By the time Jesus (a.s) was born, man had advanced by leaps and bounds in the field of medicine. By this time, cures were found from herbs, trees, metals, and minerals. Man boasted that he had found cures for everything except congenital blindness, leprosy, and death. Jesus (a.s) was sent with the power to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, cure the leprous, and raise the dead to life.[1] The most wonderful miracle of Jesus (a.s) was that he spoke while in his cradle during his early infancy.[2]

However, man misconstrued that miracles were performed not by Prophets, Apostles or Saints but by God Incarnate. Thus, Prophets, Apostles and Saints themselves came to be worshipped as gods.[3] The real object of miracles as proof of an Omnipotent Almighty God became obscure and miracles were assumed of lesser importance. Man had grown out of the stage of wondering at abnormal things. Man realised that some miracles could be scientifically explained. What man has thirsted for now is knowledge of the unknown, what lay beyond the range of the eye, ear, or mind.

Though the Prophet (s) was surrounded by infidels and hypocrites who challenged his Messengership and Vicegerancy of God, no scourge came down because the Prophet (s) was designated as ‘Rahmatul lil Aalameen’ or ‘Mercy for the creatures’. It is therefore that the Qur’an reveals, “Allah was not to send them any chastisement while you (the Prophet) were among them, nor was He going to send it while they could seek pardon.”[4] Now, the time for seeking pardon is given to every person until the last moment of his life.

In due course of time, medical science developed very fast. Healing was no more a specialty. Man devoted himself to studying nature and acquiring knowledge. Literacy and acquisition of knowledge of the unseen and unknown took priority. Therefore, the miracle then had to be related to reading and acquiring of knowledge. The very first word revealed to the Prophet (s) in the Qur’an was ‘Iqra’ or ‘Read’.[5] The Qur’an urges man to think, ponder, and see his intellect. Intellectual reasoning is given top priority in the Shiite thought. Miracles, though important in themselves, are yet relegated to a secondary position.  

people of Fire. O Lord, even this very moment let him taste the torment of thirst and die’. Even as the Imam (a.s) finished his prayer, Tamim was seized by a burning thirst and he wanted to quench it by jumping down from his horse. His violent action terrified the other horses and in the melee, Tamim was trampled to death.[1]

A similar incident is reported by al-Asbaqh bin Nabata about Bani Aban bin Darim, who taunted about Imam Husain’s thirst. When Imam Husain prayed Allah, Bani Aban was seized with severe thirst and he called for water. People gave him gallons of water that he drank and ultimately his stomach burst and he died.[2]

Imam Husain used his supernatural power when his daughter Sukaina wanted water to be brought for the infants who were near dying because of the three-day’s thirst. Imam Husain (a.s) tried to explain by saying that the enemy forces had surrounded them and that they prevented his companions from fetching water. He also told her that they made unsuccessful attempts to dig wells. However, when the child insisted, Imam Husain (a.s) struck the ground with his toe and water gushed out. He then told:‘Sukaina, Here is water. If you quench your thirst with it, there will not be any intercession for the Umma of your grandfather, the messenger of Allah. Would you still prefer to drink water?’ The noble child preferred to bear the thirst than to quench it and thus deprive her grandfather’s Ummaof his intercession.

When Imam Husain (a.s) wanted to address Yazid’s army for the last time, he asked their commander Umar ibn Sa’d to silence his men so that they might hear what Imam Husain wanted to say. Umar replied, ‘I can order my men to keep quiet, but what about the neighing of horses and the tingling of their bells? How can I silence them?’ Imam Husain (a.s) replied, ‘Of course, you can not do that, but I can do it’. Imam Husain (a.s) cast a glance all around him and absolute silence prevailed, so that everyone present at Karbala heard his sermon clearly. This exercise of Imam Husain’s power was necessary because the Imam (a.s) wanted to convey and establish his righteousness and the injustice of the enemy.

The Qur’an categorically declares that those who attain martyrdom are not to be reckoned as ‘dead’, for they are alive and they get their sustenance from their Lord.[3] The one and only proof of this is to be found in the events that took place after Ashura.  

It is reported that a man from the tribe of Bani Asad went into the battlefield on the night after Ashura. He found a radiance and fragrance emanating from the bodies of the martyrs. When he went closer, he saw that a lion was going around the bodies and was moaning as if in great pain.[1]

At-Tabari reports from Harith bin Wakidah who said, “I was one of those who accompanied the head of al-Husain to Syria when I heard the head, which was mounted on a spear, reciting (Qur’anic) verses from the Sura of al-Kahf. I assumed that I must have been imagining it. The head then addressed me and said, “O son of Wakidah, don’t you know that we the Imams live and get our sustenance from our Lord?’ At that time, I planned to secrete the head. The severed head once again addressed me, ‘O ibn Wakidah, remove all such thought from your mind, for it is a greater crime to parade my severed head than slaying me. Leave them to their devices’. The head then recited, ‘Soon, they shall know when they will be dragged with chains and yokes around their necks.’ [Qur’an, 40:71].[2]

Abu Makhnaf reports that when the severed head of Imam Husain (a.s) was hung in the market place of Kufa, they heard it reciting the Sura of al-Kahf. Similarly, he reports on the occasion when the head was hung on a tree, it recited ‘Soon the tyrants will know how they will be punished’. In Damascus, people heard the head saying loudly, ‘There is no might except in Allah’.[3]

Abdurrahman al-Khath’ami reports from Imam Mohammad al-Baqir (a.s) who said, ‘Once, I and my father Imam Zainul Aabidin were going to one of our farms. Leaving Medina, we entered a desert area. There appeared a noble and venerable sage. On seeing him, my father got down from his steed and paid his respects. Then my father sat near him, attentively hearing every word. My father was repeating the endearment every now and then, ‘May my life be sacrificed for you’. After some time, the sage left, but my father stood watching him until he disappeared from sight. I then asked my father who the sage was, and he replied, ‘It was your grandfather Imam Husain (a.s).’”[4]