In the introductory chapter under the title ‘The Meaning and Referent of Āyah,’ it was clearly established that in the Holy Qur’an, this word is used for the signs of Allah. It is used both in the sense of signs directly manifesting from Allah and also for the miracles of the noble prophets. There is no difference between the two in the sense that both are manifestations of Allah’s power and occur by His command. However, there is a difference in terms of expression: in the former, Allah deals directly without the mediation of a prophet, while in the latter, the mediation of a prophet is employed. In our religious terminology, the word ‘miracle’ is used for the sign that appears at the demand of the audience through the hand of a prophet. In this context, it is not appropriate to use the term ‘miracle’ or ‘miracle of prophethood’ for the event of the splitting of the moon. It should be referred to as a divine sign. Both Maulana Islahi and Maulana Maududi hold this position.
Maulana Maududi has elaborately stated his stance. In this regard, he has also critiqued the narrations that are presented as evidence to interpret the meaning of a miracle. He writes:
Here, the question arises: what was the true nature of this incident? Was it a miracle shown by the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) at the request of the disbelievers of Mecca as a proof of his Prophethood? Or was it a cosmic event that occurred in the moon by the power of Allah, to which the Prophet (PBUH) merely drew attention, so that it might serve as a sign of the possibility and nearness of the Hour? A large group of Islamic scholars counts this among the miracles of the Prophet (PBUH) and holds the opinion that it was shown at the demand of the disbelievers. However, this view rests solely on certain reports narrated from Anas (RA). Apart from him, no other Companion has explicitly stated this. In Fath al-Bari, Ibn Hajar writes: “Among all the chains through which this event has been transmitted, I have not come across any version—except the hadith of Anas—that conveys the idea that the event of the splitting of the moon occurred at the request of the polytheists.” (Bab Inshiqaq al-Qamar) A narration conveying the same idea has been reported by Abu Nu’aym al-Isfahani in Dala’il al-Nubuwwah from Abdullah ibn Abbas, but its chain of transmission is weak. Moreover, among the many reports transmitted from Ibn Abbas with strong chains in the major hadith collections, none includes this detail. Furthermore, both Anas and Ibn Abbas were not contemporaneous eyewitnesses of the event. In contrast, Companions who were present at the time—such as Abdullah bin Masud, Hudhayfah, Jubair bin Mut'im, Ali, and Abdullah bin Umar—none of them stated that the polytheists of Mecca had demanded a sign as proof of the Prophet’s truthfulness, and that this miracle of the splitting of the moon was shown in response. The most significant point is that the Noble Qur’an itself does not present this incident as a proof of the Prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH), but rather as a sign of the nearness of the Resurrection. (Tafheem al-Qur’an 5/229-230)
The statement of Maulana Islahi is as follows:
For such signs, it is not necessary for the Prophet to have presented them as his miracle. Rather, their manifestation can occur without any proclamation or challenge. It is also not necessary that the disbelievers demanded exactly this sign that manifested; rather, their appearance occurs even without a demand from their side, simply so that the objections raised by the disbelievers can be answered. A major reason why the disbelievers considered the Day of Judgment to be a very irrational concept was their skepticism regarding how it is possible that the entire universe could be completely disrupted in a single day. Their question about the mountains, as recorded in the Qur’an, indicates that they regarded these things as absolutely immutable, unshakeable, and eternal. By demonstrating the sign of the moon splitting, Allah showed them that none of the universe’s components, regardless of their magnitude, is autonomous, eternal, or unshakeable. Rather, everything is subject to the command of Allah Almighty. Whenever He wills, He will disrupt them all. (Tadabbur-e-Qur’an 91/8)