and ʿUmar and ʿUthmān are people for whom such things occur many times over, and who experience things greater than either of these. Although such an event, when it occurs at the hands of a righteous person, is a blessing from Allah and a miraculous favor bestowed upon him, similar things frequently happen to people who are not righteous.

As for the other details in the account, such as his statement:

“This monastery was founded in the name of the seeker of this rock, and the source of the water lies beneath it.”

This is not part of the religion of the Muslims. Churches, monasteries, and hermitages are built in the names of those who follow Christian ways. Muslims, however, build their places of worship—the mosques that Allah has permitted to be raised and in which His name is remembered—in Allah’s name alone, not in the name of any created being.

The monk’s statement (1), “Are you a prophet sent by Allah, or an angel brought near to Him?” demonstrates his ignorance and that he is among the most misguided of people. Angels do not drink water and do not need [to] (2) draw it from beneath a rock. No prophet will come after Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. It is known that this monk had heard about the Muslims who conquered those places. If it is possible for a messenger to be sent after the Messiah, then Muhammad is that messenger, and his miracles are both outward and inward. If the monk accepted him as truthful, then he knew that no prophet would come after him. If he did not accept him as truthful, how could he believe that someone else was a prophet sent by Allah merely because he pointed out water beneath a rock, or because the monastery was founded in his name, when they build monasteries in the names of many people who are neither angels nor messengers?!

And the statement attributed to ʿAlī in this account:

“But I am the wasī (entrusted representative) of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace”