The first of Allah Almighty’s blessings were those bestowed upon the family of H`alīma. They were the ones in the midst of whom he, peace and blessings be upon him, suckled. Before he arrived amongst them they were impoverished, and whilst he was there fortunes returned to their pastures and the udders of their cattle flowed with milk.

May Allah Almighty shower mercy upon al-Būšīrī who penned the couplet:

إِذا سَخّرََ الإِلٰهُ أُناساً لِسَعِيدٍ فَإِنَّهُم سُعَداءُ

When the Lord binds a people to a blessing, indeed blessed they are.

Later his, peace and blessings be upon him, chest was split [1] and h`aż ush-shaytān, the satanic portion, removed. This is not strange to the omnipotence of Allah Almighty. Whoever dismisses it is limited in understanding and knows not of the power of Allah Almighty. The display of paranormal acts by the Prophets is nothing new nor unusual.

Also from the divine blessings was the shade provided by the clouds for him during his journey to ash-Shām. It shaded him even on a clear day and no one else from the caravan enjoyed the same. This is how Maysara, Lady Khadīja’s slave – who was his partner-in-trade on the journey – reported it. It is this that endeared him to Khadīja and she proposed to him whilst being certain that he would, in the future, have great standing. For this reason, when prophethood came to him she was the first of all people to believe in him. She didn’t wait for another sign in addition to what she already knew of his perfect mannerisms and what she had heard of divine miracles.

Allah Almighty’s blessings upon him included the greetings he would hear from stones and trees [2]. When he would go far out where no building could be seen, to answer the call of nature. He would arrive at mountain passages and valleys where every stone and tree he would pass would whisper: peace and salutations be upon you O Messenger of Allah! He would turn to the right, left and rear but find no one. He, peace and blessings be upon him, narrated these events himself.

This is not largely surprising as Allah Almighty has compelled inanimate objects for Prophets before him; the staff of Mūsā devoured the work of Pharaoh’s magicians after turning into a poisonous snake and then changed back. When he struck a stone with it, twelve water-springs gushed out, one for every tribe of the Banū Isrāīl. Similar to this were other Prophets for whom Allah Almighty compelled objects as He willed, to demonstrate to the intelligent, the Prophets’ high and significant status.

1. The Hadith of splitting of the chest is authentic. It is reported by Muslim [1/101] and by Ahmad in his Musnad [35/121].
2. as-Sīra al-H`alabīya