穆斯林相信，先知穆罕默德ﷺ的使命得到了实际神迹的支持，这些神迹由一代道德品行极为优良的人亲眼见证并加以记述。本章将在首先探讨神迹的效用、合理性与可证明性之后，介绍一些传述最为可靠的神迹。

Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad’s صلى الله عليه وسلم ministry was supported by physical miracles that were witnessed and reported by a generation of superb moral integrity. This chapter will feature some of the most authentically transmitted miracles, after assessing the utility, plausibility, and provability of miracles in the first place.

虽然《古兰经》是先知ﷺ最伟大的神迹，其本身足以作为神迹，但这并不否定真主还赐予他许多其他的神迹迹象与之同在。345

While the Qur’an is the Prophet’s صلى الله عليه وسلم greatest miracle, and certainly sufficient on its own as a miracle, this does not negate that God gave him many other miraculous signs along with it.345

换言之,对穆罕默德先知ﷺ的使命的确信,并不取决于他是否行过神迹,但关于这些神迹的历史上可靠的记载,使其发生成为不可否认之事,并成为培育确信的有力因素。当然,信士总是被鼓励通过思索、求知以及净化心灵,去追求更高层次的确信,直至能够透过伊斯兰讯息本身见证真理。然而,我们也不应低估这样一个事实:某些人的身心灵构造,更适合他们走上"神迹之路",通往信仰之门。正如伊本·盖伊姆所写:"通往正道的途径是多样的,这是真主对祂的仆人的慈悯与恩惠,因为他们在理智、心智和灵性洞察上各有不同。"346 随后他举例说明,有些人是因其本性的纯正,从讯息本身中认出真理而得到引导,例如艾布·伯克尔·绥迪格;有些人则是通过讯息承载者ﷺ无可挑剔的品格而认识真理,例如赫底everybody嘎·宾特·胡韦利德。第三类人是真主借神迹使其归信;第四类人为先知在世时的胜利与成功所折服;第五类人则只是追随加入伊斯兰之门的领袖而已。

In other words, conviction in the prophethood of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is not dependent on his performance of miracles, but historically reliable reports of these miracles make their occurrence undeniable and a powerful cultivator of conviction. Of course, the believer is always encouraged to pursue higher states of conviction through contemplation, seeking knowledge, and purifying their heart until they can witness the Truth through the message of Islam itself. However, we should not underestimate the fact that some people’s psychospiritual makeup better orients them to traverse the “miracles avenue” to the gates of faith. As Ibn al-Qayyim writes, “The paths to guidance are diverse, as a mercy and kindness from God to His servants, due to the variation in their intellectual, mental, and spiritual insights.”346 He then proceeded to give examples of how some are guided by recognizing the truth in the message itself, due to the purity of their own nature, such as Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq , and some recognized the truth through the impeccable character of its bearer صلى الله عليه وسلم, such as Khadījah bint Khuwaylid . A third segment of humanity was brought to faith by God through miracles, while a fourth was impressed by the triumphs and successes of the Prophet’s lifetime, and a fifth group simply followed its leaders who joined the fold of Islam.

除了使一些人归信之外,奇迹还能增强人已有的信仰:读到这些故事的人会对先知穆罕默德ﷺ生出深切的爱、敬重与仰慕。思考真主的慈悯与对信士的佑助,能使信徒对天命的安排与患难时的襄助坚信不疑。阅读并相信这些奇迹所显现的真主全能,能使人敢于立大志、突破自身界限,摆脱自我设限的观念。人会认识到,看似固定不变的自然秩序,实际上完全取决于真主的意志。

In addition to bringing some people to faith, miracles augment existing faith by instilling in those who read these stories immense love, respect, and admiration for the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. Reflecting on God’s mercy and aid to the believers grants the faithful a firm confidence in divine providence and help in times of hardship and difficulty. Reading and believing in the reality of divine omnipotence as manifested through these miracles enables a person to dream big, pushing their boundaries, and shaking off self-limiting beliefs. One recognizes that the natural order, seemingly fixed, is in fact entirely contingent on divine will.

这就是奇迹的作用所在。把奇迹淡化,只为显得更理性、更有见识,对许多真诚寻求真理的人是一种很大的伤害。至于那些只想为既有信念寻求印证的人,《古兰经》本身就宣称,对于不愿相信的人,奇迹是无用的,即便他们亲眼目睹。安拉说:“即使我为他们打开天上的一扇门,让他们在其中升腾,他们也必定说:‘我们的眼睛只是被迷惑了,不然,我们是中了魔法的人。’”《古兰经》反复描述了历代怀疑者对奇迹的这种反应,并解释了为何有些人即便亲眼见到先知ﷺ的奇迹,仍然拒绝伊斯兰。

This is the utility of miracles and why deemphasizing them to appear more rational and sophisticated is a great disservice to many sincere seekers. As for those solely interested in validating their preexisting beliefs, the Qur’an itself asserts that miracles are futile for those not willing to believe them, even if they were to witness them with their own eyes. Allah says, “And [even] if We opened to them a gate from the heaven and they continued therein to ascend, they would say, ‘Our eyes have only been dazzled. Rather, we are a people affected by magic.’”347 The Qur’an repeatedly describes this response to miracles from skeptical minds across the ages and explains why some still rejected Islam after witnessing the Prophet’s صلى الله عليه وسلم miracles themselves.

它证明了《古兰经》所提出的一个关键认识论观点的真实性，即怀疑论作为求知途径是徒劳的。即使是最清楚的迹象和奇迹，只要一个人愿意怀疑自己的感官、彻底质疑现实，也仍然可以被怀疑。

It demonstrates the veracity of a key epistemological perspective that the Qur’an postulates—namely, the futility of skepticism as an approach to knowledge. Even the clearest signs and miracles can be doubted if a person is willing to be skeptical of their own senses and question reality entirely.

但是，由于我们这个后现代时代对宗教和传统关于超自然事物的叙述，比人类历史上任何时期都更加怀疑，因此让我们首先来破除一些普遍流行的误解，即奇迹在逻辑上是不可能的，或者在历史上是无法证明的。

But, because our postmodern times harbor greater suspicion against religious and traditional accounts of the supernatural than any other period in human history, let us first begin with dispelling the commonly held misconceptions that miracles are either logically impossible or historically unprovable.