Life of Ahmad — Page 355
as THE ESSENCE OF ISLAM 355 threw a handful of pebbles at the infidels in the battle of Badr. But this handful of stones had such an extraordinary effect upon the enemy that not a single eye could escape it. All were blinded and frightened and were seized with panic, and it is to this miracle that the holy verse alludes: i. e. , "When thou didst cast, not thou but God didst cast. " (Al-Anf a l 8:18) A human being could not do it, it was the hidden Divine power that did it. Similarly another miracle of the Holy Prophet sa was a manifestation of the same Divine power. There was no supplication for it, as it was simply brought about by his finger filled with Divine power. The Holy Prophet sa worked many more miracles of the same kind which were unaccompanied by prayer or supplication on his part. Several times it happened that he dipped his fingers into a cupful of water and a whole army with camels and horses drank out of it and still there was the original quantity left in the bowl. Once he touched two or three loaves of bread and lo! they were sufficient for thousands of hungry persons. He blessed a small quantity of milk with his lips and it satisfied a large number of people. A brackish well was sometimes turned sweet by the fluid of his mouth. Serious