The Definition of a Miracle

A miracle is defined as: an extraordinary phenomenon, which by the will of God, is presented by a claimant of prophethood and is a sign of the truthfulness of his claim.

This definition informs us of three matters:

1-Extraordinary phenomena do not come into existence by ordinary means.

2- Some of these extraordinary matters, by the will and special permission of God, emanate from prophets.

3- These exceptional matters can be a sign of the truthfulness of a prophet, and in this case, they are termed miracles.

We will provide an explanation for each of the three points within the definition. They are as follows:

Extraordinary Phenomena

Phenomena which appear in this world usually occur by causes that can be recognized by experiment be it, physical, chemical, biological or psychological phenomena. However, in rare instances the causes of some phenomena cannot be known by sensory experiments and experts in different scientific fields have testified that these acts are not performed based on material and empirical scientific laws. There is another type of cause for these phenomena and they are known as being extraordinary.

Divine Extraordinary Phenomena

Extraordinary phenomena can be divided into two general groups:

• Phenomena that do not have ordinary causes, but their extraordinary causes are, more or less, within the control of humans, who can master them with learning and special training; for example, the acts of asceties.
• Extraordinary phenomena that are realized by the special permission of God. The ability to perform these acts is entrusted only to those who have a close connection with God and therefore they possess two features. Firstly, they are not able to be taught or learned; secondly, they are not affected by a stronger force. This type of extraordinary phenomena only emanates from those chosen by God and never from those who have gone astray or follow their own desires.

Characteristics of the Prophets' Miracles

If an extraordinary phenomenon, by the permission of God. is presented by a person who has a claim of prophethood, it is called a miracle and can be a proof for his prophethood.

These miracles are not against natural laws rather they follow the natural causes just like other phenomena yet their causes arc hidden from human beings. For instance, the Prophet of Islam (s) has been narrated to have manifested a large number of miracles, which are mentioned in historical books; however the greatest and the permanent miracle of the Prophet is the Holy Qur'an. The Qur'an challenges all who are familiar with Arabic to bring even one chapter like the chapters of the Qur'an; no one was able to, and no one will be able to, as the Qur'an itself promises.

It is noteworthy that these extraordinary phenomena arc not only presented by prophets, but also, with the permission of God. by divine saints (al- awliyā). In the next section, the difference between the phenomena emanating from these two groups will be examined.

Every miracle that occurs with the permission of God must possess all the conditions below in order for it to be regarded as a miracle and to confirm the truthfulness of a prophetic claim:

1 - It must be an extraordinary phenomena
2 - It cannot be taught to anyone else.
3 - Nothing has the capability to oppose it.
4 - The person presenting the miracle should have the claim of prophethood.
5 - The person presenting the miracle should be just, and not commit sins or be corrupt.

Al-Karamah

Extraordinary phenomena, in addition to prophets, can also emanate from some of God's saints (al- awliyā’). These saints do not have a claim to prophethood and therefore these unprecedented things presented by them arc not called miracles; they are technically called 'al-karamah'.

Therefore, the term 'al-karamah' (munificence) refers to all of the divine extraordinary acts performed by non-prophets. Nevertheless, there are some unusual acts.

which at times are rooted in human or satanic desires, such as magic, divination, etc. which should not be confused with miracles or al-karamah because these acts do not enjoy the criteria of miracles or al-karamah; these acts can be taught, learned or overcome by stronger powers. It is also possible to determine the
unholy nature of such acts by referring to the corrupt beliefs or behaviour of those who perform such acts.