profited from the Messenger (UWBP) as a highly sensitive wonderworker that had premonitions of his coming, and gave news of it.

Another Category was the numerous predictions of the future. As if the Messenger's (UWBP) ethereal, winged spirit rent the bonds of fixed time and space, roamed in the climes of the past and the future, then told us of what it had witnessed.

Another: Wonders that could be perceived by the physical senses and were performed during the period of his challenging the existing order. These have been said to number nearly a thousand. That is to say, as we said, even if each miracle was reported from only one source (âhâdî), in total they may be considered as being reported unanimously in respect of their meanings.

And Another is water flowing from his blessed fingers. As though with its flowing from his blessed hand, which was a source of munificence, the water — the leaven of life — was depicting the outpouring of the water of guidance -- the leaven of spirits — from his tongue, which was the source of guidance.

And Another was the utterances of trees, stones, and animals. As though the spiritual life of his guidance spread to inanimate beings and animals and brought them to speech.

And Another was the splitting of the moon. As though the moon, which is like the heart of the sky, longingly split its pure shining breast at the sign of his blessed finger in order to form a relation- ship with his blessed heart.

Note

The splitting of the moon may be held to be unanimously reported in respect of its meaning (mütevâtir-i bi'l-mâna), and is established by the verse, "And the moon split"(54:1). For those who denied the Qur'an did not object to it. And apart from one forced interpretation that does not deserve attention, the verse has not been interpreted otherwise.

Doubt and Note

The whole world did not necessarily witness the splitting of the moon since it was both unexpected, and it occurred at night when