We Muslims believe that the major prophets all had signs, or miracles. For Moses, one of these miracles was parting the sea; Jesus could cure the afflicted. For the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the main miracle was the Quran. As I argue in this post, in my lay opinion, the fact that Allah's last Prophetic miracle was expressed in the form of written language signifies the importance of high culture, intellect, and deep spiritual understanding of religion as opposed to an acceptance of only the physical manifestations of God's supreme authority over this existence (although that is of course important as well).
As a nascent student of Arabic, reading the Quran and trying to dissect it's grammar is immensely beautiful and engaging. Even before I started studying the grammar, the English translations alone would consistently astonish me and speak directly to my being.
However, many people ask how it is possible for the Quran to be a miracle. Aren't miracles supposed to be impossible? I don't see lightening bolts jumping out from the pages. As a kid, I remember often pondering how something so seemingly simple as ink on paper was such a big deal? Why couldn't commanding thunder and winds, for example, as the Prophet Sulaiman had, been the Prophet Muhammad's miracle? Certainly, then, all would believe -- they could see the power of God.
While I am nowhere NEAR an expert or scholar of Islam, my opinion is that physical miracles such as parting the sea, while certainly astonishing, appeal only to a very limited conception of God's authority and power. Physical miracles, like all miracles of God, are meant for those who can actually grasp the magnitude and message of what is happening. Their hearts must be open, not stubborn and closed to the idea of being convinced of God's signs. Indeed, God often talks about how he showed miracles to unbelieving people -- at their own request and challenge -- and how even after that miracle had occurred, the people would make up an excuse, explicitly reject what literally happened before their eyes and carry on with their lives.
As this Quaranic story illustrates about the people whom the Prophet Saleh was delivering God's message:
They demanded that Saleh prove that the One God he spoke of was truly mighty and strong. They asked him to perform a miracle – to cause a unique and incomparable she camel to emerge from the nearby mountains. Saleh addressed his people asking, if the camel appeared would they then believe in his message. They answered a resounding yes, and together the people prayed with Saleh for the miracle to occur.
By the grace of God, an enormous, ten month pregnant she camel emerged from the rocks at the bottom of the mountain. Some of the people understood the magnitude of this miracle but the majority continued to disbelieve. They saw a great and dazzling sight yet remained arrogant and stubborn.
Allah repeatedly states in the Quran that his message (and miracles) can only be understood by those who have the capacity (not only intellectually, but spiritually and mentally, etc. as well) to grasp the significance of the signs of God.
So, why, then is the last Prophetic miracle the Quran? As I see it, at the point in time when the Quran was revealed, mankind had transcended the point in their development where physical miracles alone could provide proof of God's existence. The Quran appeals to the highest faculties of man's mind; the Quran is made for all times and all people... it is God's message directly addressed to his believers of all levels. The Quran is a miracle because it is God's untarnished message directly revealed for all humanity -- it is, in short, a sign of Allah.
It seems to me that Allah, by revealing the Quran, is encouraging us to believe by reading and examining the eternal messages the Quran has to offer. The Quran is expressed in written form: it is the template of the Arabic language and the reason we Muslims hold the Arabic language in such high regard. The Quran is the epitome of written Arabic and lays down the fundamentals of grammar, syntax, and overall structure of the Arabic language.
Allah has provided us with a miracle/sign that is accessible for all who seek it -- rather than a physical act, such as parting the sea which is limited to a very small amount of people during a very short period of time.
Thus, the final miracle is also eternal -- a miracle we can attest to every day, the most accessible sign of God on earth.
