Tenth sign:

This concerns the grieving pole which is reported in the form of tawatur and reinforces the tree‑related miracles. This event which happened in the Prophet's Mosque before a vast congregation consolidates and confirms such miracles for the pole came from a tree. But this miracle itself is mutawatir (has the certainty of explicit tawatur) while miracles concerning trees are mutawatir when considered as a whole.

The Prophet used to lean on a date‑palm pole while delivering a sermon in his mosque. However when he began to deliver his sermons on the newly constructed pulpit the congregation heard the pole moan like a camel. Its moaning ended only after the Messenger consoled it by putting his hand on it.

This miracle is widely known and has the certainty of explicit tawatur. It was reported through different channels by an illustrious group of Companions among them such eminent scholars and leading Tradition narrators as Anas ibn Malik and Jabir ibn 'Abdullah al‑Ansari (both of whom served the Prophet). 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar. 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas. Sahl ibn Sa'd. Abu Sa'id al‑Khudri. Ubay ibn Ka'b. Burayda and Umm Salama (mother of the believers). Hundreds of Tabi'un authorities received it from the Companions and authentic books of Tradition above all Bukhari and Muslim transmitted it to the following centuries.

Jabir reports that God's Messenger used to lean against the pole called the "date‑palm trunk." when delivering a sermon in his mosque. After a pulpit was built the Prophet would deliver his sermon from it. Due to this separation the pole moaned like a pregnant camel. Anas relates that it moaned like a water buffalo and caused the mosque to tremble. Sahl ibn Sa'd says: "When it moaned. many people burst into tears."

According to Ubay ibn Ka'b the pole sobbed so much that it split. Another report relates that God's Messenger said: "It moaned because it was separated from the recitation of God's Names (during the sermon)." According to another version he said: "If I had not embraced and consoled it it would have wept until the Day of Judgment because of its separation from the Messenger."

According to Burayda the Messenger put his hand on the pole when it began to weep and said: "If you wish. I will restore you in the wood from whence you came so that you may be rooted again perfectly flourishing and yield fruit again. Or if you wish. I will plant you in Paradise and God's friends will eat from your fruits." Then he listened to it and the people in the mosque heard the pole say: "Plant me in Paradise and God's friends will eat from my fruits in the place where there is no decay." God's Messenger replied that he would and added: "It has preferred the World of Eternity to the transitory one."

The well‑known scholar Hasan al‑Basri would weep whenever he recounted this miraculous event to his disciples and would say: "A piece of wood demonstrates such love and ardor for God's noble most beloved Messenger. You need to feel this love much more than a piece wood does."[1] And we say: "That is true and love and ardor for him are possible by adhering to his illustrious Sunna and Shari'a."

[1] Bukhari. Sahih. 4:237; Ibn Hanbal. Musnad nos. 2236. 2237. 2400. 2401. 2430-32; Muslim. Sahih no. 2374; Qadi 'Iyad al-Shifa' al-Sharif. 1:304-5; Nasa'i. Sunan. 3:102; Tirmidhi. Sunan. No. 3631; Bayhaqi. Dala'il al-Nubuwwa. 6:66; Abu Nu'aym. Dala'il al-Nubuwwa. 2:399; Darimi. Sunan. No. 39; Kanz al-'Ummal. 12:411-18.

Question: Why were miracles of abundance concerning food and water not reported through as many channels as the grieving pole even though more people saw them?

Answer: There are two kinds of miracles. Some affirmed his Prophethood. The grieving pole is of this kind for it is a proof that strengthens the believers' belief urges hypocrites to belief and sincerity and causes unbelievers to believe. This is why everyone witnessed it and so much effort was exerted to spread it. The other kind of miracles involving food and water are wonders or Divine gifts even banquets provided by the All‑Merciful One because of need rather than manifest miracles.

Although they are miraculous proofs of his Prophethood their real significance is that God. Who creates hundreds of tons of dates from a single date‑stone provides a banquet for 1.000 people out of a little food and satiates a thirsty army of holy warriors with water flowing abundantly from the Prophet's fingers. This is why each miracle related to food and water does not reach the degree of the miracle of the grieving pole.

However examples of these two kinds of miracles are considered in their entirety to have been as widely reported as the grieving pole. Besides while each person present could see only the effects (and not the incidents) of the abundant food and water with some only witnessing their happening the pole's moaning was heard by everyone. This is another reason why the latter was spread so widely.

Question: The Companions preserved the record of the Prophet's every act and condition with the utmost care. So why are such important miracles not related through more than or lines of transmission? And why are the main reporters only Companions like Jabir. Anas and Abu Hurayra and not for example. Abu Bakr and 'Umar?

Answer: The answer to the first part is given in the Fourth Sign's Third Essential (p. 89). Concerning the second part just as a patient goes to a doctor engineers are consulted about engineering matters and muftis are asked about religious issues some scholarly Companions were entrusted with and devoted themselves to instructing the following generations in the Prophetic Traditions. For example. Abu Hurayra devoted his life to preserving Traditions. while 'Umar shouldered administrative matters and the caliphate's problems. Thus 'Umar narrated only a few Traditions for he had confidence in such people as Abu Hurayra. Anas and Jabir to instruct the Muslims in the Traditions. In fact a Tradition can be considered as established if it is reported by a well‑known person belonging to the truthful sincere and trusted Companions. Given this there is no need for it to be related by others. This is why some significant incidents have only one two or three channels.