Trees and Stones Turned into Walls

Miracle of the Final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم

Trees and Stones turned into Walls

Mawlana Sayyid Imran Akhtar Attari Madani

The final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم performed many miracles, and reading about them amazes us and increases our love for him. The following awe-inspiring miracle highlights the Prophet’s صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم modesty and Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه has referred to it in his poetry.

Sayyidunā Usamah bin Zayd رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُمَا reports:

The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said to me as we travelled to perform jihad, “Is there a place where I can relieve myself?” I said there was no appropriate place because of the amount of people in that open area. The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Check if there are any trees or stones nearby.” I replied that I could see some trees and stones, and the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم responded, “Go to the trees and stones and tell them that the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم commands you to come together because he needs to relieve himself.” I did just as the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم asked, and by Allah! The trees and stones came together and became a wall. After the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم relieved himself, he said to me, “Tell them to separate.” By Allah, when I told the trees and stones to separate, they moved back to where they were originally.^[1]

There are some lessons for us to learn from this miracle:

* The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم had the utmost modesty.

* We must make this trait a part of our character.

* Islamic rulings must be obeyed even when travelling or facing a need.

* Even in exceptional circumstances, veiling and Islamic rulings must be observed to the best of one’s ability.

* There is no harm in making special arrangements if needed.

* Allah Almighty granted the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم immense authority.

* Inanimate objects like stones and trees obeyed the commands of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.

* If there is a need to make temporary changes to the surrounding environment, change it to its previous state immediately once the need is fulfilled. This is to ensure others are not inconvenienced.