Islamists’ Viewpoint on Miracle

According to Islamists’ scholars, there is a mystery in miracle. Although they confirm the extraordinary aspect of miracle, they believe that it is not contrary to the events happening in the world and the essential rules.
But Ash’ari theologians and some contemporary thinkers never believe in mystery in miracle. They say that miracle is conventional and a conventional affair does not need any mystery.
Islamist scholars such as: Avicenna, discussed this matter.

In the first periods which the Greek philosophy was translated, prophecy and miracles were not mentioned at all.
According to Avicenna, although miracle has a divine and metaphysical aspect, but it is not out of the rule of science and philosophy.

The problem of explaining miracle with philosophical commentary
According to philosophy, in the world nothing can happen without cause. Philosophy concerns the principle: “Similarity between cause and effect”.
Although it confirms that nothing can occur without cause, but it is not true that a cause can have any kinds of effects.
In fact, each cause can have a specific effect and each effect can occur by a particular cause. This view has a philosophical base.

According to philosophical explanation, miracle and flouting the natural law is impossible, because philosophy’s aim is to prove that each effect should have definite cause. But miracle (the effect) happens by a cause which is not its real cause.

Movement is an accident (Araz) and fire is an essence (Jowhar), accident and essence are not in the same category.
The sun is an element and fire is another element. Fire is fire; for this reason it can not be a cause itself as well as the sun and movement (they must have been created by another element). So there must be a single cause to create the single effect.


Sources :

  1. prophecy (by. Mutahhari)

https://tahoor.com/en/Article/PrintView/119105