Extraordinary Events in the Prophet's Life from Historical Viewpoint

To begin with, the present study presents a definition of the term irhās (an extraordinary event) and makes a distinction between this and a miracle (mu'jiza) or a charismatic act (kirāmat), and goes on to deal with some of the strange and exotic events in the life of the earlier prophets. It then makes a historical study of the exotic events, i.e irhāsāt, in the holy Prophet's life before his prophetic mission in three periods: a) on the eve of his birth, b) throughout his mother’s pregnancy and when he was born, and c) during his childhood and adolescence. This study is thus focused on the discussion about the nature as well as the veracity of irhāsāt in the holy Prophet's life up to his prophetic mission.