The era of information is racing ahead constantly striving to push back the boundaries of knowledge and forge the limits of the unknown. With the coming of this day, those eager to learn have pursued understanding with a passion bringing great benefits. Open-heart surgery, flight by planes, and exploration in spaceships are now commonplace. The fantastic way that these things have changed our lives on an individual and collective basis is truly amazing. On occasion one might even hear people say that these border on being miraculous.
And yet not long ago, none of these existed. To think someone's chest could be cut open, a harmful aspect of it resolved, and then closed up again for the person to live on in a better way was unimaginable. Only a few generations back, the thought of soaring above the trees and mountains was for birds alone. And to dream of going to the moon was ridiculous.
But times have changed. The miracle of the heart, flight, and space travel has been somewhat revealed. The strangeness is gone, and we now look forward to the next development in understanding.
Reflecting on such things, my thoughts came to the Prophet and his status as the Seal of the Prophets, the Messenger for the remainder of time. Just as Jesus's miracles (peace be upon him) were appropriate for a time when man was first delving into the pursuit of medical knowledge, so too were Prophet Muhammed's miracles (peace be upon him) in accordance with the needs of those who received and would receive his message.
In a time when the people of his age were fascinated by the use of words and poetry, he was illiterate. Verse after verse his greatest miracle was revealed as Allah blessed him with the Quran. The knowledge and wisdom the Book contained was beyond anything that existed or has since.
In these days more than ever, we know the value of being informed. We have built massive, intricate systems in an effort to be able to connect with whatever information we may need. But this should come as no surprise because over 1,400 years ago the Prophet's coming in this way heralded our times.
This of course is obvious, but what recently struck me in an awe-inspiring moment is that three other miracles of the Prophet also seem to have hinted at the potential of our times. First as a boy, we know that while out in the desert with another child two angels came and opened Muhammed's chest (peace be upon him). Having removed something from the heart of this boy that would someday become a prophet, the angels closed his chest leaving him to eventually go unharmed upon his way. It sounds unbelievable, but today doctors have physical achieved that very thing.
And what about the Prophet's traveling from Mecca to Jerusalem in less than a night on a winged beast? How many times a day does such a journey occur now for anyone with the courage to believe they will reach their destination safely? Amazingly, we are now hearing of a passenger plane that can travel half way around the world in just a few hours.
Third is the Prophet's ascension through the heavens. Level upon level he rose above the earth. Higher and higher he went seeing just how minute all this really is in the grand scheme of things. And today, we are mesmerized by what the astronauts experience and the satellites project back to us on earth.
Taking all this into consideration, the Prophet's miracles seem only appropriate given that he was sent with a message that would endure the test of time and continue to reveal its validity with our gradual intellectual advancements. Only time will tell how truly outstanding it is that Allah has provided us with the Prophet. And only the continued pursuit of knowledge will help us to understand the magnitude of truth found in the Quran, the ultimate source by which to be informed.
