Did the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) perform miracles?

Yes, but in Islam miracles are not breaches of the laws of nature. The greatest miracle of his life was that one man stood against an entire hostile society and in the end prevailed.

Some think a miracle is only a miracle if the laws of nature are suspended. Islam sees it differently. God Himself created the laws of nature and does not break them. A miracle rather shows His power within His own creation.

The greatest miracle is shared by all prophets. A single person, without power or wealth, stands up against an entire society that mocks and persecutes him. Humanly speaking he has no chance, and yet he prevails. So it was with the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). He was driven out of Mecca, and a few years later he returned as victor and forgave his enemies. The first verse above had announced exactly this.

The second verse above shows how the Holy Prophet (saw) responded to demands for spectacular signs. He was supposed to ascend into heaven or own a house of gold. His answer was simple. He was only a man and a messenger. He did not want to convince through spectacle, but through the truth.

Other miracles are understood only with later knowledge. One example is Moses (as). Pharaoh’s magicians did not really turn their cords and staves into serpents. They deceived the eyes of the onlookers, as the third verse above says. Even to Moses (as) it seemed so for a moment. Then God dissolved the illusion for everyone, and the magicians recognised at once that a higher power was at work. Nothing against nature happened. Nature was restored.

Jesus (as) too said that whoever had even a little faith could perform his miracles as well. This shows that he meant them partly in a figurative sense. Miracles are signs that convince the heart, not conjuring tricks.