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| 177 6 Islam Signs of Divine Authority To write about miracles in Islamic tradition requires at the outset that we acknowledge that many Muslims insist the only miracle in their history was the revelation of the sacred text, the Qur’an (“recitation”), to the Prophet Muhammad in Arabia in the seventh century. Called the “standing miracle,” it was an event of transcendent power that confirmed the authority of Muhammad to convey the words of God, and it evoked such wonder in those who heard the words recited that many reported being converted to the new faith by the power of the language alone. For Muslims, the inimitability of the Qur’an is proof of its divine origin.1 The traditionalist scholar of Islam, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, represents most Muslims when he insists that Muhammad did not compose the sacred text from his own reflection or from other sources; rather, “his knowledge marks a direct intervention of the Divine in the human order, an intervention which is not, from the Islamic point of view, an incarnation but a theophany [divine appearance].”2 The distinction suggests that the Qur’an is not the presence of God on earth (as Christ is for Christians) but a divine manifestation in the form of a revealed text (as Torah is for Jews). Islamic tradition regards the written Qur’an as the perfect expression in history of the eternal will of God inscribed in a book in heaven: “And, in truth, this Qur’an is an integral part of the Archetype of the Book (umm al-kitāb or “Mother of the Book”), which is there in Our Presence, Transcendent and all Wisdom” (43:4).3 As the ninth-century scholar Abu Bakr al-Baqillani explained the divine nature of the Qur’an, the sacred text reveals “information about the invisible, since there is no way that human beings have the ability to acquire this level of knowledge.”4 The foundational miracle of Islamic tradition, then, is the revelation of divine truth to the uneducated Prophet Muhammad in the Arabic language. Because Muslims believe the eloquence of the revelation is incomparable they also 178 | Islam and Divine Authority maintain that the Qur’an cannot be translated; versions in other languages are called “paraphrases.” Most Muslims agree that the Qur’an is a miracle, and many accept the authenticity of miracle stories in the Qur’an,5 but there is sharp controversy over contemporary miracle claims. The majority of Muslims are Sunnis, who follow traditions of faith and practice established by legal scholars called ulama. Sunnis largely deny miracles ascribed by Shiites, the minority group of Muslims loyal to successors of the family of the Prophet, to their charismatic teachers called Imams. Other Muslims, known as Sufis, belong to mystical orders under the guidance of masters called shaykhs, some of whom are regarded as saints or persons of extraordinary wisdom and virtue capable of miraculous works. All agree that miracles are signs of divine authority; they disagree on whether any leaders after Muhammad could perform miracles in support of their teachings. Despite the Sunni view that the Qur’an is the only miracle in the age inaugurated by Muhammad, miracle stories abound in Islamic tradition. Here is one story that demonstrates the authority of a Sufi shaykh to teach the basic truth of Islam. There once was a humble man who discovered the divine presence in his own heart. He applied to a religious order and those in charge gave him a small house in bad repair for himself and a single student. The inner radiance of this ordinary-looking teacher soon attracted a crowd of students and the authorities decided to test his understanding. Calling him before them, they demanded he explain the first truth of Islam: “There is no god, but God.” The Sufi began with the first phrase, “There is no god,” and disappeared from sight! Then the crowd heard him say, “but God,” and he reappeared. He repeated this feat three times. On the fourth recitation of “There is no god,” the entire assembly, including his examiners, disappeared , and when he said, “but God,” they reappeared.6 The story of the overlooked master is an enacted commentary on the confession of faith: “There is no god, but God.” The shaykh reveals the inability of his questioners to see the radical contingency of the world and the transitory nature of the human self: “Now you see me, now you don’t. Now you appear...

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