By Sheikh Mansour Leghaei (Earlwood, Australia)
3. Historical Possibility: Fact or Fable
Could strong historical evidence prove the occurrence of miracles?
First of all as Swinburne stated, it is unfortunate that Hume was so bigoted in his views by refusing to face facts, in that he claimed even if there is ample historical evidence for the occurrence of miracles, we cannot accept them.
Secondly, there can be three different ways of finding the occurrence of an event in the past:
a. By the means of remembering it.
b. The ample and excessive number of eye witnesses narrating it,
c. From the remaining physical impacts
Any of the above methods are acceptable so far as they do not report a rational or scientifically impossible event.
Does testimony of the followers of different religions on their miracles destroy their testimony as Hume claimed?
The fallacy of his argument is that a miracle is a proof for the truth and authenticity of prophet-hood of a prophet not a proof for all the present teachings of those religions.
From the Islamic point of view, all previous prophets are true and we believe in them as well as their miracles unless its narration contradicts the fundamental teachings of religions. The difference between Islam and today’s Christianity is about the wrong concepts imported and fabricated doctrines of churches.
Three Living Miracles
If one persists to argue about the authenticity of historical miracles, we can still prove the possibility of miracles by the virtue of the still present living miracles of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). And the best proof for the possibility of something is its occurrence.
1. The Qiblah of Masjedul-Nabi
2. The Quran
3. Al-Mobahala
4. Religious Possibility
Any reported miracle from Prophets is religiously possible in so far as their occurrence is not contrary to the sublime teachings of divine religions. Thus, although the Christian narration of the miracle of Jesus, that he had supposedly changed water to wine without any known catalyst, is not rationally or even scientifically impossible, but religiously is impossible and hence cannot be historically agreed upon either.
