Signs & Miracles · Signs Seen in Public

The eye healed at Khaybar

Handle with care. Do not turn this into a general claim that Muslims can heal people. It is a reported sign given to a prophet, nothing more.

In short

• 1.The Prophet said he would give the banner to a man who loved God and His Messenger. The army spent the night wondering who.
• 2.In the morning he asked for Ali. They said he was ill with his eyes and could barely see.
• 3.He applied his saliva to Ali's eyes and prayed. Sahl says it was as though he had had no pain at all.
• 4.Reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim; the narrator was present.

The claim being examined

Before the battle of Khaybar the Prophet asked for Ali, who was suffering badly in his eyes. He applied his saliva, and Ali was reported to be immediately well.

The Islamic position

It is narrated in both Bukhari and Muslim from Sahl ibn Sa'd, in front of the whole army, on the eve of a battle.

Analysis

Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim from Sahl ibn Sa'd al-Sa'idi in the context of the expedition to Khaybar. The setting is a military camp on the eve of an assault, with the entire force present and the outcome immediately visible. The classical writers on dala'il al-nubuwwah (signs of prophethood) grouped healings of this kind with the publicly witnessed signs for that reason.

From the Sunnah

Sources

Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari · Al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim · Sahih al-Bukhari 4210; Sahih Muslim 2406

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