Short answer
Yes, by Allah's (﷾) permission and in front of many witnesses. When the people of Mecca asked the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) for a sign, the moon was split. The Qur'an announced it to those same enemies. They did not deny it. They called it magic. At al-Hudaybiyah his Companions ran out of water, and water flowed from between his fingers until everyone had drunk and washed. The eyewitness Jabir puts their number at fourteen or fifteen hundred. The Prophet (ﷺ) said every prophet was given signs that led people to believe, and what he was given was the revelation. Islam teaches that the Qur'an is his lasting sign, which anyone can still read today.
Full explanation
The splitting of the moon
The Meccans who opposed the Prophet (ﷺ) asked him for a sign, and he showed them the moon split in two. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, a Companion, says it happened while they were with the Prophet (ﷺ) at Mina, a valley near Mecca. He says the Prophet (ﷺ) told them to bear witness. Anas and Ibn Abbas, two other Companions, also report it. The Qur'an then announced it to the very people who had asked. Had nothing happened, they could simply have said so. Instead the Qur'an records their answer: they called it magic. His enemies argued about the explanation. They did not argue about the sign.
“The Hour (of Judgment) is nigh, and the moon is cleft asunder. But if they see a Sign, they turn away, and say, "This is (but) transient magic."”
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reports that the moon split into two while they were with the Prophet (ﷺ) at Mina, and the Prophet said: bear witness.
Anas ibn Malik reports that the people of Mecca asked the Messenger of Allah to show them a sign, and he showed them the moon split.
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reports that in the Prophet's (ﷺ) lifetime the moon split into two parts, and the Prophet told the people to bear witness to it.
Ibn Abbas reports that the moon split into two parts in the Prophet's (ﷺ) lifetime.
Water from his fingers
On the day of al-Hudaybiyah, a place near Mecca, the Muslims had almost no water left. The Prophet (ﷺ) put his hand into a small vessel. Water flowed from between his fingers until all of them had drunk and washed for prayer. The report comes from Jabir ibn Abdullah, who was there. When someone asked how many they were, Jabir said the water would have been enough for a hundred thousand, but they were fifteen hundred.
Jabir ibn Abdullah reports that on the day of al-Hudaybiyah the people were very thirsty and had no water for washing or drinking except a little in a small vessel in front of the Prophet (ﷺ). He put his hand in it and water began to flow out from between his fingers like springs, and they all drank and washed for prayer. Asked how many they were, Jabir said that it would have been enough even for a hundred thousand, but they were fifteen hundred.
A named witness who was there
Christians often point to a statement by Paul, a Christian missionary of the first century. He wrote that Jesus, whom Christians say rose from the dead, was seen by more than five hundred people at once. Paul does not name one of them, and he was not there himself. The report of the water names its witness, Jabir, who was present and gives their number. His words reach al-Bukhari, a ninth-century collector of the sayings of the Prophet (ﷺ), through a chain of named narrators. Each of them can be checked.
“After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.”
Jabir ibn Abdullah reports that on the day of al-Hudaybiyah the people were very thirsty and had no water for washing or drinking except a little in a small vessel in front of the Prophet (ﷺ). He put his hand in it and water began to flow out from between his fingers like springs, and they all drank and washed for prayer. Asked how many they were, Jabir said that it would have been enough even for a hundred thousand, but they were fifteen hundred.
| Question | Water from the Prophet's (ﷺ) fingers | Paul's “above five hundred” |
|---|---|---|
| What is reported | At al-Hudaybiyah water flowed from between the fingers of the Prophet (ﷺ) until everyone had drunk and washed. | The risen Jesus was seen by more than five hundred people at once. |
| Is a witness named? | Yes: Jabir ibn Abdullah. | Paul does not name one of them. |
| Was the reporter there? | Yes. Jabir was there. | No. Paul was not there. |
| Who gives the number? | Jabir himself: they were fifteen hundred. | Paul. |
Signs come only by Allah's (﷾) permission
The Qur'an teaches that no messenger brings a sign by his own power, only as Allah (﷾) permits. When the opponents of the Prophet (ﷺ) demanded signs on their own terms, he was told to answer that signs are with Allah (﷾). He was also told that the Book itself should be enough. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that other prophets were given signs that led people to believe. What he himself was given was the revelation. Muslims hold that the Qur'an is his greatest sign. The moon and the water were seen by those present. The Qur'an can be examined by anyone, in any age.
“We did send messengers before thee, and appointed for them wives and children: and it was never the part of a messenger to bring a sign except as Allah permitted (or commanded). For each period is a Book (revealed).”
“Say: "The signs are indeed with Allah: and I am indeed a clear Warner." And is it not enough for them that we have sent down to thee the Book which is rehearsed to them? Verily, in it is Mercy and a Reminder to those who believe.”
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said every prophet was given signs that led people to believe, but what he himself had been given was the revelation Allah sent to him, and so he hoped to have the most followers on the Day of Resurrection.
"The Qur'an says he brought no miracles"
Qur'an 29:50-51 — Surat al-'Ankabut (The Spider), verses 50-51
“Say: "The signs are indeed with Allah: and I am indeed a clear Warner." And is it not enough for them that we have sent down to thee the Book which is rehearsed to them? Verily, in it is Mercy and a Reminder to those who believe.”
Cited for
Critics say these verses admit that Muhammad (ﷺ) could not produce a miracle. They say he answers the demand for signs only by pointing to the Book.
The response
The verses answer people who demanded signs on their own terms. They do not say no sign was ever given. They say signs are in Allah's (﷾) hands, not in the hands of the Prophet (ﷺ). A messenger brings one only when Allah (﷾) permits. Jesus refused in the same way when the Pharisees, a Jewish religious group, demanded a sign. The same Qur'an announces the splitting of the moon to these very opponents.
Where it lands — The verses refuse signs on demand. They do not deny the signs Allah (﷾) gave, and the same Qur'an records one of them.
Perspectives
The Islamic perspective
The Prophet (ﷺ) performed miracles by Allah's (﷾) permission, and large numbers of people saw them. His lasting miracle is the Qur'an.
The Qur'an announced the splitting of the moon to the Meccans. It records that they called it magic rather than denying it.
Ibn Mas'ud was with the Prophet (ﷺ) at Mina. He reports the splitting of the moon in Sahih al-Bukhari, and Anas and Ibn Abbas report it too.
Jabir was an eyewitness. He reports that water flowed from the fingers of the Prophet (ﷺ) for about fifteen hundred people at al-Hudaybiyah.
A report that names its eyewitness, passed on by named narrators, is strong. It is stronger than Paul's five hundred unnamed people, at an event Paul did not see.
Miracles happen only by Allah's (﷾) permission, and the greatest sign of the Prophet (ﷺ) is the Qur'an.