Evidence that Muhammadwas a Prophet

Question:
Prove that Muhammad is a true Prophet. What powers did God give him?
Please e-mail it as soonas possible.
Fatwa:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that
Muhammadis His slave and Messenger.
The signs that prove the prophecy of Muhammadare numerous. Many books
have beenwritten to enumerate them and thoroughly discuss them. We
would like to mention some of these signs as reported by Muslim
scholars and which prove that Muhammadwas a real Prophet including:
- First, his good biography and high morals as well as the noble
qualities that distinguished him. He was known before becoming a
Prophet as a truthful and honest person, although the community where
he lived was a society of ignorance. This was, perhaps, the most
important sign of his prophecy. He was not known to have ever lied on
people. So, why should he lie on be half of the Lord by claiming that
he was a Prophet, if he was not a real Prophet?
- Second, the powers and triumphs Allaah gave him and thespread of the
religion he preached, as well as the triumph of this religion over all
existing religions in a short period of time. Had he been a liar,
Allaah would have humiliated and destroyed him as He did with those
before him who falsely claimed Prophethood.
- Third, the miracles Allaah gave him as supporting evidence were
beyond the ability of human beings andwere beyond range ofnatural
phenomena. The moon split for him, water gushed from his fingers, food
became more abundant in his hands, and similar phenomena were
authentically reported and happened in a way that could notbe denied.
- Fourth, the Prophetwas backed by the greatest miracle which is
theQuran. In fact,Quranwas a challenge and remains a challenge for
Arabs who were known to be good poets and eloquent speakers. Allaah
challenged them to write a singleSurah )chapter( that would be similar
to that ofQuran, but the Arabs were unable to do so. Indeed, the
challenge still endures, none of the Arabs throughout history - since
the revelation of theQuran- was ableto make anything that was even
similar to it. No doubt that theQuranhas been preserved intact until
it came to us. Groups of people memorized it including children,
adults, males and females. So generations brought theQuranto
generations until it reached us as it was revealed 14 centuries ago.
Hence, theQuranremains intact protected from distortion or alteration.
Nothing has been added to it, nor taken from it.Quranis full of
scientific facts that were verified only in these times of scientific
investigation. No doubt that Muhammad who was illiterate would not
have possessed this knowledge 14 centuries ago. Doesn't this prove the
authenticity of theQuranand thatit is the Word of the Creator of the
Universe who knows all its secrets?
- Fifth, the things from the unseen that he )the Prophet( informed us
about. Some of themoccurred during his life time. Others happened
later. Some of these things happened to the Prophets, may Allaah exalt
their mention, who preceded him and some are still to occur. He also
informed about the signs of The Day of Judgment, some of which had
already been seen such as widespread killings and genocide, adultery
and fornication and the consumption of the alcohol, outnumbering of
males by females and the increased number of earthquakes, and
afflictions,… etc.
- Sixth, the testimony of some of the people of the Book that he was a
true Prophet. Some of them believed in him like 'Abdullaah Ibn
Salaamwho was a Jew as well as Negus )king ofAbyssinia( who was a
Christian. Some of the people of the Book certified that he was a
Prophet from Allaah but refused to follow him like Huyayy Ibn Akhtab.
The above are some of the signs that prove his Prophethood and the
authenticity of his revelations. We would like the questioner to visit
some of the Islamic centers in her area, and hopefully, they will
guide her to some useful references in the matter.
Allaah Knows best.