Miracle of the Final Prophet - The Stone Became Soft

The Stone Became Soft

Mawlana Sayyid Imran Akhtar Attari Madani

Allah Almighty made our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم miraculous from head to toe. By reading and listening to his miracles, the mind is left bewildered and they became a means of increasing our love and devotion for him.

Let us read about an amazing miracle of our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم which is unique in its nature.

Hāfiẓ Abū NaꜤīm Asfahānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه mentions: “On the day the Battle of Uhud took place, to protect himself from the attacks of the polytheists, the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم lowered his blessed head towards a stone and the stone become so soft that his blessed head entered it. That stone and its imprint is still visited today.”[1]

After relating this miracle of the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, Hāfiẓ Abū NaꜤīm رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه mentions:

There is a possibility of iron becoming malleable as it becomes soft when placed in a fire for a long time, but this is not the case for a stone as it does not melt in fire. Despite this, it became soft for the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Therefore, the miracle of the stone becoming malleable for the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is even more remarkable than the miracle of iron becoming malleable for Prophet Dāwūd عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلاَم.

Similarly, in the Cave of Mursalāt, a stone became like wax for his blessed head, preserving its impression within itself. The Amir of Ahl al-Sunnah دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ states:

The Cave of Mursalāt is located on a mountain to the north of Masjid Khayf in Mina. This mountain is located towards the right side of the one travelling from Arafat to Mina. It was in this cave that Surah al-Mursalāt was revealed to the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. It is said that when the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم entered this cave, his blessed head touched a stone above him, leading to the stone becoming soft and leaving an impression of his blessed head upon it. Prophetic devotees place their head on this blessed stone to gain blessings.[2]

The stone becoming soft for our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is certainly a great miracle. We learn several things from this:

• Allah Almighty granted our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم all the miracles that he conferred individually upon the noble prophets صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, which means his blessed being is jāmiꜤ al-muꜤjizāt (the gatherer of miracles).

Protecting one’s life from a sworn enemy is not cowardly, rather it is wisdom. One should show bravery when the situation demands it, and display wisdom when the situation requires it. When it came to the time of showing bravery, our Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم displayed the most bravery, which is why Sayyidunā Anas رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ states, “The Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was the bravest of all people.”[3]