Is the Scientific Miracle in the Hadith 'Beneath the sea there is fire' Valid?

Abstract

The research aims to study one of the Hadiths which has been claimed to contain scientific miracles in the Prophetic Sunnah, namely the Hadith "There is fire under the sea." The research employs the inductive method: to investigate the authenticity of the Hadith, trace its sources, and compile discussions about it and its narrators from specialist scholars. Additionally, it uses the critical method: to critically analyze the Hadith to form a correct understanding of its authenticity and validity. Lastly, it utilizes the analytical method: to examine the knowledge contained within the Hadith, considering whether it represents a scientific discovery or was human knowledge accessible during the Prophet's era, peace be upon him. The research has reached the following conclusions: 1. The Hadith "There is fire under the sea" is not authenticated by any Hadith scholars as a statement of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Instead, it is validly attributed to Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As from his own opinion and words, which is not authoritative as stated by Imam Al-Shawkani, may God have mercy on him. 2. The knowledge that "the sea contains fire" was accessible to human knowledge during the Prophethood era; most islands in the seas and oceans are volcanic, and sailors have observed fires emanating from them from ancient times to the present in all the seas and oceans of the world, including those surrounding the Arabian Peninsula. 3. Further confirming that the Hadith does not contain a scientific miracle, a Jew mentioned in the presence of Ali, may God be pleased with him, that there is fire in the sea. Ali confirmed this, citing the verse from the beginning of Surah At-Tur: "And by the sea filled with fire," indicating that this knowledge could also be deduced from the Holy Quran.