Miraculous Aubergine ( 1996 )
The home of Salim and Ruksana Patel, in Bolton, England, has recently been inundated with about 50 visitors a day, coming to see their miraculous aubergine. Mrs Patel foresaw the miracle in a dream after she'd bought the aubergine from their local shop. On slicing the vegetable in half, she saw that the seeds were formed in the Muslim symbol "Ya-Allah", meaning Allah exists.
Mr Patel said: "I felt so excited I ran round to the priest and he confirmed that it was indeed a miracle."
Abdulla Patel, priest of the local Masjide-Gosia mosque, said: "In all my 30 years as a priest, I have never witnessed anything like this. It is wonderful for the community, and for Salim ..." When the aubergine has been displayed for several weeks in the mosque it will be divided into small pieces and shared among the faithful. (Source: Daily Mail, UK; reported in Share International, June 1996 )
Miracle Melon ( 1996 )
On 20 January 1996, just before the Feast of Ramadan, a farmer in Taiba-Ndiassana, Senegal, discovered to his surprise a watermelon on which the name of Allah had appeared. After the phenomenon had been confirmed by the local Muslim religious authority, it was then authenticated by the Islamic Institute in Dakar. According to Sheik Absoul Moneim Zein another word can also be seen on the watermelon just next to the name of Allah -- Hamdoulillah -- which means "Praise be to God".
Last year similar signs appeared also on the eve of Ramadan. The same Sheik Moneim confirmed the appearance of the name Allah on the scales of a fish caught near Popenguine, home to the largest Catholic community in Senegal.
Although European media devote little coverage to these events, newspapers in Africa have carried numerous articles about similar incidents in recent years, for instance, the baby of two Christian parents in Chad who was born with the sign of the Prophet Mohammed on his hand. Newspapers in Dakar published a photograph of a forest in Germany in which a verse from the Koran could be read in the shapes of some of the trees. (Source: L' Actualite Religieuse, France; reported in Share International, July-August 1996 )
Allah Aubergine Number 2 ( 1997 )
On 20 February 1997, Mr Sidat, a fruit and vegetable wholesaler and chairman of the Madina Mosque in Hackney, north London, was amazed to discover on slicing an aubergine that the seeds spelt out the Arabic script for 'Allah'. Since the miracle, streams of people have visited Mr Sidat and seen the aubergine which he intends to cut up and share with family and friends. "We feel really blessed that this has happened to us and when I spoke to one of the elders at the mosque he said it must be a good omen." (Source: Hackney Gazette, UK; reported in Share International, April 1997 )
Miraculous Tomato ( 1997 )
British Muslims hailed what was described as a "miracle message" from God written inside a tomato. British newspapers reported that when schoolgirl Shaista Javed, 14, sliced the tomato in half, she found the veins spelled out a message in Arabic. On one side was the message "There is only one God," while the other read "Mohammed is the messenger."
Shaista, a Muslim, believes she has witnessed a miracle. "God made me buy that tomato," she was quoted as saying in the Daily Mail. "These words are a message from God." Since Sunday, when she bought the tomato in the northern city of Huddersfield, word has spread throughout the Muslim community. About 200 people, some from as far afield as London, have visited the household to see the fruit, wrapped in plastic clingfilm to keep it fresh.
A local shopkeeper said demand for tomatoes had surged, but the nearby mosque was cautious. "We don't consider it a miracle but it is certainly a blessing," a spokesman was quoted as saying. ( Source: Reuters, June 1997 )
The "Allah fish" ( 1997 )
An albino tiger oscar fish which has spent the last four years on a pet store shelf has suddenly become a local celebrity in Lodi, San Joaquin County. A group of Muslims are convinced that the markings on the right flank of the fish spell out the word "Allah" in Arabic.
It has been dubbed the "Allah fish" and is owned by Hyatullah Ahmadi, 27, who bought it last week. "It's a sign of Allah," said Ahmadi, a student of the Koran, Islam's holy book. "If He wants to write His name on any kind of animal or thing, he can do it." "It's very, very distinctly written," said Taj Khan, president of Lodi Muslim Mosque, who has seen the fish several times.
The Allah fish has received a flood of guests since it moved into its new aquarium in the Ahmadi home. ( Source: Associated Press; Pasadena Star-News, July 5 )