Not just in Christianity but also in Islam, Jesus is seen as someone who did many surprising and amazing miracles. Most people are familiar with Jesus turning water into wine and walking on water according to the Christian holy book, but what does Muslim texts have to say? Let’s take a look at 10 surprising miracles performed by Jesus according to the religion of Islam.
The first miracle that we’re going to be looking at is Jesus speaking in the cradle. To give birth to a child while being a virgin of course was a criminal act during the time of Jesus and the Quran details the way that Mary was saved from being charged as guilty for this by Jesus, who was still a baby in the cradle, and he spoke.
Surah 19:27-30 Then she brought him to her people, carrying him they said “O Mary, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented. O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil nor was your mother unchaste. So she pointed to him. They said “How can we speak to one who is in the cradle, a child.” Jesus said “Indeed I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the scripture and made me a prophet.”
The next miracle is the table filled with food. In Surah 5 of the Quran, this miracle of Jesus is mentioned. The disciples of Jesus asked him to ask God to send down a table filled with food and for it to be a special day of commemoration for them in the future.
Surah 5:112-114 And remember when the disciples said “O Jesus, son of Mary, can your Lord send down to us a table spread with food from heaven?” Jesus said “Fear Allah if you should be believers.” They said “We wish to eat from it and let our hearts be reassured and know that you have been truthful to us and be among its witnesses.” Said Jesus, the son of Mary “O Allah our Lord, send down to us a table spread with food from the heavens to be for us a festival for the first of us and the last of us and a sign from you and provide for us and you are the best of providers.” And the table was filled with food.
Let’s talk about creating a bird. This is another miracle that’s related to Jesus that’s mentioned in the Quran where Jesus created a live bird out of clay.
Surah 3:49 And make him a messenger to the children of Israel, who will say “Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord in that I design for you from clay that which is like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird by permission of Allah.”
Jesus also performed the miracle of disclosing secrets. Jesus was informing people about those things which were secrets to other people such as what they ate at home as well as what they had hidden in their home.
Surah 3:49 And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Indeed in that is a sign for you if you are believers.” Muslims teach that Jesus was a chosen messenger of God and hence God revealed to him secrets.
Surah 72:26-27 He (i.e. Allah) alone is the all knower of the unseen and he reveals to none his unseen except to a messenger whom he has chosen.
Also according to Islam, Jesus prophesied of Ahmad. One of the missions of all the previous prophets had to do with announcing and prophesying that other prophets were gonna come. Similarly quoting from prophet Jesus, this is what the Quran says: And remember when Jesus son of Mary said “O children of Israel. I am the messenger of Allah unto you confirming the torah which came before me and give glad tidings of a messenger to come after me whose name shall be Ahmad. But when he (i.e. Ahmad) came to them with clear proofs, they said “This is plain magic.” (Surah 61:6)
The next miracle is about bringing people back to life. The act of causing a living creature to die or reviving the dead to life is completely out of this world and one of the miracles of Jesus was that he was, by the permission of God, able to bring the dead back to life.
Surah 3:49 I give life to the dead by permission of Allah.
However, the Quran does not give the details of the person or people that Jesus brought back to life. It just said that he has the ability to do so or I should say was allowed to do so by permission of God.
Let’s talk a little bit more about the virgin birth. One day as Mary was praying in her isolated place of worship, suddenly some angels appeared to her and in the Quran it says: “O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of a word from him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, distinguished in this world and the hereafter and among those brought near to Allah. He will speak to the people in the cradle and in maturity and will be of the righteous. She said “My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has touched me?” The angel said “Such is Allah. He creates what he wills. When he decrees a matter, he only says to it “Be” and it is. (Surah 3:45-47)
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Surah 3:49 “And I cure the blind and the leper”.
When we go further into Surah 5:110 “And you heal the blind and the leper with my permission”.
The next is about a miracle that was recorded in the hadith so the Quran doesn’t mention this but it was from al Tabari and reported by Mahmoud M Ayub in the book titled “The Quran and its interpreters” volume 2, the House of Imran. As the story goes, Jesus, when he was young, was playing with some kids in the community and telling them what food their parents were making for them at home. And some of the parents learned about this and they started to get really annoyed and stopped their children from playing with Jesus because they’re saying things like “He’s a magician. He’s not a good influence for them.” and the parents kept their children away from Jesus. And they ended up gathering them into one house. One day Jesus was feeling lonely and he went out to look for some of his friends to play with and he came to this house where all the kids were and the parents were actually hiding them in that house and the parents lied and said that the children were not there. And the parents ended up calling Jesus a pig. When Jesus kept questioning, and after being called a pig, Jesus then said “Let there be swine in this house” and that turned all the children in the house into swine.
The miracle that we’re going to end off is Jesus being raised to heaven.
And for their saying “Indeed we have killed the Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah. And they did not kill him nor did they crucify him but another was made to resemble him to them. And indeed those who defer over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him for certain. Rather, Allah raised him to himself and ever is Allah exalted in might and wise. And there is none from the people of the scripture but that he will surely believe in Jesus before his death and on the day of resurrection he will be against them a witness. (Surah 4:157-159)