It is related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was standing on al-Ḥajūn, depressed by the harassment of the idolaters. He prayed:
“Lord, show me a sign today after which I will not care who calls me a liar.”
He was then commanded to summon a tree that stood near the pass used by the people of Madinah. He called it, and it came, scraping the ground until it reached him. He next ordered it to return, and it went back to its place. He thereupon said,
“I no longer mind which of my people belies me after this.”(1)
Al-Bayhaqī went on to say:
Al-Ḥākim and Abū Saʿīd ibn Abī ʿAmr reported to us; they said: al-Aṣamm related to us; Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār narrated to us, from Yūnus ibn Bukayr, from Mubārak ibn Faḍālah, from al-Ḥasan, who said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out to one of the ravines of Mecca, weighed down—as Allah willed—by the grief caused by his people’s rejection. He said:
“O Lord, let me see something that will reassure me and dispel this grief.”
Allah revealed to him: “Call to yourself whichever branch of this tree you wish.” He called one of its branches, and it tore itself free, dragging along the earth until it reached the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said to it, “Return to your place,” and it did so. The Messenger of Allah then praised Allah, and his heart was soothed.
The idolaters had been saying, “Have you surpassed your father and forefathers, O Muḥammad?” So Allah sent down:
“Say, ‘Is it other than Allah that you bid me worship, O ignorant ones?’” (az-Zumar 39:64), and the following verses.(2)
Al-Bayhaqī remarked:(3) “This mursal report is corroborated by the one that precedes it.”
Another ḥadīth
Imām Aḥmad(4) said: Abū Muʿāwiyah narrated to us; al-Aʿmash narrated to us, from Abū Ẓibyān—who is Ḥuṣayn ibn Jundub—from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said:
A man from Banū ʿĀmir came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “Messenger of Allah, let me see the seal between your shoulders, for I am one of the most skilled physicians.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, “Shall I not show you a sign?” He answered, “Indeed.” The Prophet looked at a date-palm and said, “Call that cluster.” He called it, and it came hopping toward him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said, “Return,” and it returned to its place. The ʿĀmirī exclaimed, “People of Banū ʿĀmir, never have I seen a man more a magician than this!”(5)