Lesson video

Hello there, my young scholars of religion.

My name is Miss Marks and I'm going to be your religious education teacher today.

Today we're going to be doing all about the role and importance of the Prophet Muhammad, who's known as the Seal of the Prophets in Islam.

So when you're ready, let's go.

So by the end of this lesson today, you'll be able to explain the role and importance of the Prophet Muhammad in Islam.

Let's start with some key terms. Hadith accounts for what the Prophet Muhammad did and said.

Jibril, the angel who delivered revelations to the Prophet Muhammad.

Seal of the Prophets, title given to the Prophet Muhammad as the final prophet of Islam.

Sunnah, teachings and practises of Prophet Muhammad.

Messenger, a prophet given a scripture in Islam.

So look out for those in today's lesson.

So listen today, we'll have three sections.

Prophet Muhammad as the Seal of the Prophets, the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad, and the importance of the Prophet Muhammad.

So let's start with our first section, Prophet Muhammad as the Seal of the Prophets.

What is similar about these phrases? A sealed jar, signed seal delivered, and seal the deal.

What is similar between those three? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

While done, they are all connected to something being complete and finished and sort of safe and secure.

Finalised, a jar that's sealed or a letter that's sealed when you seal the deal, it means it's kind of finished and complete and done and it is secure.

And perhaps we can link this to why the Prophet Muhammad is called the Seal of the Prophets in Islam.

So here we've got a reminder of some of the important prophets in Islam.

Got Adam, Ibrahim, Ismail and Muhammad.

And all of these prophets are from that same line from Adam, whether it's through many generations or one generation.

And we can see the Prophet Muhammad comes from Ibrahim's son Ismail.

The Quran names 25 prophets who have messages from Allah to humanity.

So there are 25 named, there may have been more that aren't mentioned.

Many Muslims believe there have been more that aren't necessarily mentioned in there.

We have these 25 that are named.

And the Prophet Muhammad was born from the family line of Ibrahim and he's born from the family line of the son Ismail.

The Prophet Muhammad though is the final prophet and messenger and he's the final prophet who's come as a messenger.

So he has been given a scripture or a text which we know as the Quran, but he's the final one.

There's no more prophets after the Prophet Muhammad.

So what could it mean then to call the Prophet Muhammad the Seal of the Prophets? If you think back to a sealed jar or an envelope that's sealed or sealing a deal, how could that connect to the idea of the Prophet Muhammad perhaps being the last prophet? Well the prophets before Muhammad had specific messages for specific people and tribes.

So for example Ibrahim had a message for King Nimrod and the idolaters who were around at his time with his message of monotheism rather than polytheism and that was a message for them.

Musa had a message for the Pharaoh of Egypt to ask for the Israelites to be freed.

He had a very special message for them and then the Israelites.

And Isa had a message for the children of Israel, so those descendants of those people that Musa helped to free, Isa had a message for them and that was the revelation he had for those people at that time.

But Musa's belief, the message the Prophet Muhammad was given, was for all humanity for all time.

So sometimes he's even called the apostle or the messenger.

So he has this status of having a message that's for everybody forever and there's no longer a need for more prophets to come with messages because we've got a complete and full message that was given to the Prophet Muhammad.

So this title Seal of the Prophets means that this message completes all the other revelations.

So it's not separate from it, it's not a different message, it is a completion of those revelations that have come before.

It is a message for all humankind, it's not just for one group of people who happened to be around at the time of the Prophet Muhammad, this message is for all humans.

Also Muslims believe that it corrects the corruptions of previous revelations.

So where previous revelations over time have had changes made to them, Muslims believe, where things are slightly different now to what you might read as to how it was actually revealed to that prophet, the Quran corrects these and sort of gives us without error how these revelations should be understood and read and what the revelations were.

So therefore it's linked to the idea of it being a secure revelation because we can trust it as the direct words of Allah to not have those corruptions and changes that may have been made to the other ones.

Also Muhammad is born from the family line of other prophets, so he is from that family line, he can trace that ancestry back to Ismael and Ibrahim and all the way back to Adam, so he's born from that family line and he's still connected to them but he's the final one as the Seal of the Prophets.

And there will be no more prophets after this, there's no need for more prophets, more revelations because the Quran is the complete revelation that the Prophet Muhammad is given.

Let's do a quick check.

Muslims believe that Allah will send more prophets after the Prophet Muhammad, is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

That is false isn't it? Because the Prophet Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets, which means he's the final prophet, there'll be no more after him.

So like that envelope that's sealed and shut, there'll be no more because he is the Seal of the Prophets.

Well done.

So to understand these beliefs within Islam around the Prophet Muhammad and especially as the Seal of the Prophets, we can look to the Quran as a really good source of authority for why this belief is there.

And we've got here in the Quran in Surah 33, "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men but he is the messenger of God and the seal of the prophets." So here's that phrase, seal of the prophets in the Quran.

So what does this quote show Muslims about the Prophet Muhammad? Have a read through again and pause the video and have a think, you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

So he's a messenger, so he's been given a message to give to people, but he's also the Seal of the Prophets or the final one.

So that is a direct quote that we can use from the Quran that he's the Seal of the Prophets.

Fantastic, well done.

So along with the Quran, the Hadith is also a really important source of authority for Muslims to understand how to live out their Muslim faith and what some of the important Muslim beliefs and teachings are.

And the Hadith is the sayings and narrations connected to the life of the Prophet Muhammad, what he said and did.

And here he's speaking about his role as a prophet.

"My similitude in comparison with other prophets before me is that of a man who's built a house nicely and beautifully except for a place of one brick in the corner.

The people go about it and wonder at its beauty but say, 'Would that this brick be put in its place!' So I am that brick and I am the last of the prophets." And I love this phrase here that it's a nice and beautiful house that's built.

So all the prophets that have come before have contributed to this house being built.

What does it do to show us about this idea of the Prophet Muhammad being the Seal of the Prophets though? How does it illustrate the Prophet Muhammad being the Seal of the Prophets? Pause the video and have a think and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well it uses the symbolism of a house that's being built to show us that he is the last brick that's being put into a house that was built beautifully.

Other prophets came before the Prophet Muhammad, built the house nicely and Muhammad completes the message and is the final one, the final brick in place.

So that's another way of understanding that Prophet Muhammad is the final of other prophets that have come before.

So the Prophet Muhammad is the final brick in the wall that completes the whole house.

So the house is now complete and no more bricks will be needed for that house because he's the final one that's put in place.

Let's do another check.

In which Muslim source of authority was it said the Prophet Muhammad was like a final brick being placed into the corner of a wall of a house? Pause the video and have a think.

Which source was that and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

That was the Hadith.

The Quran uses the phrase Seal of the Prophets and in the Hadith the prophet elaborates on this by using the symbolism of a house being built with the final brick being put into the corner of a wall.

Well done.

Let's do a practise test to see what we've learnt then about Prophet Muhammad as the Seal of the Prophets.

Using the image below, explain what's meant by the title Seal of the Prophets being given to the Prophet Muhammad.

You might like to use the sentence stems: There are 25 named prophets in the Quran and the earlier prophets of Islam had messages for different people but the Prophet Muhammad used the example of a brick house to show.

So you can use those sentences if you like to explain what is meant by that phrase Seal of the Prophets.

Pause the video and off you go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

Some good thinking there.

So I asked you using the image of the envelope being sealed to explain what's meant by the Prophet Muhammad being the Seal of the Prophets and you could have said there are 25 named prophets of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad is the final prophet born from the same family lines.

The earlier prophets of Islam have messages for different people but the message given to the Prophet Muhammad was for all of humanity and the Prophet Muhammad used the example of a brick house to show that his message completed the message of all the other prophets.

The revelation to the Prophet Muhammad completed the house.

Well done.

So on to our second section then, the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad.

So the Shahadah is an important statement of faith for Muslims and here we've got an image of someone holding it up written in Arabic and often you might find it in someone who's a Muslim's house or it might be in mosques.

This phrase is written out, it's really important and it's used when someone wants to become a Muslim, it's whispered in the ear of a baby when they're born, it's used within daily prayers.

So it's a really important statement that reminds Muslims of super important things in their religion and it says this, there's no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, sometimes it's no God but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.

Now what does that show us about the importance and role of the Prophet Muhammad then? Pause the video and have a think and we can see what you've done in a moment.

Well it reminds Muslims that there's only one God which is very important in Islam but also that that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah's people.

So, we can know about God through the message that the Prophet Muhammad was given.

So, let's understand a bit more about what happened with the Prophet Muhammad in the revelations of the Qur'an then.

Well, the Prophet Muhammad was living in Mecca, and you can see here in the map where Mecca is in a modern day map of Saudi Arabia.

And in the city of Mecca, you can see we've got the Kaaba, which is the cube-shaped building which Muslims pray towards, and they also circle in the Hajj ritual.

So, we know that Mecca is a very important site for Muslims, and it's connected to the story of the revelations of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad.

In that map, they've also got Mecca and the Kaaba, and in the top, in the middle, you can see it says Mount Ahira, and that's going to be important for us as we understand the story.

So, the Prophet Muhammad was born in the year 570 CE in the city of Mecca.

In this city is the Kaaba, which is a sacred cube-shaped building that's the site where many Muslims believe Adam, the first human, worshipped Allah.

By the time of the Prophet Muhammad, people there were worshipping many gods and idols.

The Prophet Muhammad didn't want to take part in this worship, and would often leave to meditate and reflect alone instead.

In the year 610 CE, during the month of Ramadan, when he was 40 years old, Muhammad retreated to meditate and reflect in the Cave of Hira, on the Mountain of Light.

And the angel Jibril appeared to him and instructed him to iqra the words of Allah.

Now this could be translated as read or recite, and is now known as the beginnings of the revelations of the Qur'an.

After this experience, Muhammad spoke with his wife Khadija about what happened.

She reassured him this was from God, and she is thought to be the first person to convert to Islam due to these revelations.

The first revelation was revealed on what's often known as the Night of Power, and is celebrated by many Muslims during the month of Ramadan.

And not only are those words of the revealed Qur'an important for Muslims to read and understand their faith, but also the example of the Prophet Muhammad as someone to follow.

And in fact, I should refer to him as the walking, talking Qur'an.

So for Muslims to know how to live out the teachings of the Qur'an, they can look to the example of the Prophet Muhammad.

And the Qur'an, as a really important source of authority in Islam, can also support this.

It says this in Surah 33, "You have an excellent example in the messenger of God, for anyone who seeks God and the last day, and remembers God frequently." So if you're looking for God, and you want to understand what happens for life after death, and you want to remember God, then you can look at the example of God's messenger, which is the Prophet Muhammad.

How does this passage support the role and importance of Prophet Muhammad then? Pause the video and have a think, and we can see what you've come up with in a moment.

Well, he's an excellent example to follow, and also his example is going to help anyone who's looking for God, and asking questions about the last day, and what might happen in the afterlife.

Let's do another check.

Which angel was involved in the first revelations of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad on the night of power? Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, it was Angel Jibril.

So for the next 13 years, the Prophet Muhammad was living in Mecca and continued to have revelations of the Qur'an, and many others joined Khadija in converting to Islam, and they became the first Muslims and companions of the Prophet Muhammad.

The message of Talib, the oneness of God, was a challenge to the polytheistic society in Mecca, though, and Muhammad and the first Muslims faced some persecution.

And in the year 622, Muhammad and some Muslims living in Mecca migrated to a city nearby, which is now known as Medina.

This event is known as the Hijrah, or the Migration, and the Islamic calendar is continued from this date.

The revelations of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad continued after this for another 10 years.

At first, the revelations of the Qur'an were memorised and recited by the Prophet Muhammad and his companions.

After his death, the early leaders of Islam compiled these recitations into a codified book, which is now read by Muslims today as the Qur'an.

And the Qur'an is the final revelation to humanity.

If you remember the Prophet Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets, there'd be no more prophets, there'd be no more messengers, there'd be no more revelations.

And the Qur'an reminds us of this.

Today I have perfected your religion for you, I have completed my favour upon you, and have approved Islam as a religion for you.

So what terms in this passage support the belief that the Qur'an is the final revelation to humanity? Pause the video and have a think.

You can talk to the person next to you, or talk to me.

And we've got here the idea of it being perfected, completed and approved.

And that all seems to fit in with the idea of the Prophet Muhammad being the seal of those prophets.

Let's do another check.

The Prophet Muhammad wrote the Qur'an before he died.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

That is false.

Although the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad before he died, it is false.

But why? Because the revelations of the Qur'an were recited by Muhammad to others, so they were said out loud, and others memorised it in full before he died.

But the Prophet Muhammad didn't write it down.

Well done.

So let's do another practise task to see what we've learnt.

You're going to explain two Muslim beliefs about the Prophet Muhammad and the revelations of the Qur'an.

Refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief and teaching in your answer.

And your guidance below here is that for both parts you're going to give the Muslim belief and develop it.

And for one of them you're going to use a source of authority.

But say where it's from and also make sure you link it to the question, which is to explain two Muslim beliefs about the Prophet Muhammad and the revelations of the Qur'an.

So pause the video and have a go, and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done.

Some good thinking there.

So I asked you to explain two Muslim beliefs about the Prophet Muhammad and the revelations of the Qur'an.

And your response may look something like this.

One Muslim belief is that the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad because he was a perfect example for Muslims to follow.

This means that Muslims can trust the words of the Qur'an as the words of Allah, and follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad to live out their religion.

Another Muslim belief is that the Prophet Muhammad had the revelation of the Qur'an to be the complete religion for people to follow.

Muslims believe this because it says in the Qur'an, Today I have perfected your religion for you and approved Islam as a religion for you.

And what I've done here is put a quote in the second part of the answer, and I've stated that it's from the Qur'an.

Well done.

So on to our third section then, the importance of the Prophet Muhammad.

So the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad are known as Sunnah, and these are known through collections of Hadith.

And Jamila and Hassan are going to explain how the Hadith reflect the importance of the Prophet Muhammad.

Jamila says, "The Qur'an instructs me to do important things, but the Hadith tells me how to do them in the way the Prophet Muhammad did them." So the Qur'an might tell Jamila to pray, but how does she pray? She looks to the example of the Prophet Muhammad.

Hassan says, "The Prophet Muhammad applied the teachings of the Qur'an to many aspects of life, and the Hadith shows me how.

So we can look to the example of the Prophet Muhammad for how to apply those teachings from the Qur'an.

How does the Hadith relate to the role and importance of the Prophet Muhammad then? So pause the video and re-read Jamila and Hassan's points, and then you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, the Hadith shows us how the Prophet Muhammad lived out the teachings that are in the Qur'an.

So we know that the Hadith is a really important source of authority as well for Muslims, as well as the Qur'an, to know how to live out the way the Prophet Muhammad did.

But different groups of Muslims might accept different collections of Hadith as being the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad.

So different groups of Muslims might accept different collections of Hadith as showing what the Prophet Muhammad really did say and do.

Let's break it down a bit.

The Prophet Muhammad was the perfect example for how to follow Islam.

All Muslims agree with this.

That was written in the Qur'an, wasn't it? It's an excellent example of how to follow Islam.

The family and companions of the Prophet Muhammad remembered what he said and did.

So we've got the revelation of the Qur'an, but then the actions and the things that he did and said are remembered by those who were around him at the time, who saw it, who were part of it.

This was then passed on from person to person.

People were saying what they had seen, what they had heard, what the Prophet Muhammad had did and said.

Sometimes lots of people saw an event, sometimes only a couple of people saw it, and it was many, many things that people were saying that the Prophet Muhammad had said and done.

Now this wasn't written down by those companions and family members at the time, but it was passed on orally, just like the Qur'an was recited orally too.

And so stories about what the Prophet Muhammad did and said were passed on from person to person.

And this went on for quite some time before it was decided that there should be a way of knowing, did this really happen? So somebody saw something and they tell someone else that they saw this thing happen.

Well, how can we judge whether it really did or didn't? So a whole science has developed of understanding that chain of narration with Hadith, like who was it passed on to? Were they trustworthy? Did many people see it? Was it just one? Different ways of categorising whether these Hadith are authentic or not.

And different groups of Muslims have accepted different collections being authentic.

So some Muslims might accept one Hadith, whereas other Muslims might not accept it.

So whilst the Qur'an is the direct words of Allah, and we know that it's the same as it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, the Hadith have got slight differences depending on the collection that you're looking at as to whether they're seen as authentic or not.

So those different collections of Hadith having authority for Muslims can lead to some diversity in practises.

So for example, the Qur'an says, "Seek help through patience and prayers." So the Qur'an is instructing Muslims to pray.

But here we've got Rasool and Iqbal praying.

Can you notice a difference between them? Pause the video and see if you can spot a difference between how Rasool and Iqbal are praying here.

Yes, did you spot that their arms are in a different position? So, some collections of Hadiths say the Prophet Muhammad crossed his right arm over his left during prayer.

And so Muslims who accept those Hadith may want to pray in that way to pray the way the Prophet Muhammad did.

But other collections of Hadith say the Prophet Muhammad prayed with his hands by his side during prayer.

And so they'll want to do that, believing that that is what they're doing as Sunnah, copying the example of the Prophet Muhammad.

So different groups of Muslims accepting different collections of Hadith can influence a diversity in practises.

Let's do a quick check.

All Muslims accept all Hadith as being the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad and having authority.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

That is false, isn't it? Because it's not all Muslims who accept all of the Hadith.

Different groups of Muslims may accept different collections of Hadith as being authentic and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad.

So now let's think about how the example of the Prophet Muhammad can influence Muslims then.

And Sam is asking Rasool, "How does the Prophet Muhammad's example influence you, Rasool?" And Rasool, who's a Shia Muslim, says, "I follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad in my life as a Muslim.

He was the perfect example of a Muslim to show us how we can live out the teachings of the Holy Quran.

He was chosen by Allah because of who he was.

When I do the 10 obligatory acts of Islam, I believe I'm following his example." And Jacob's asking Sarah now, "How does the Prophet Muhammad's example influence you, Sarah?" And Sarah, who's a Sunni Muslim, says, "I know by looking to the example of the Prophet Muhammad, I can find guidance for how to live out my religion day to day.

The Prophet Muhammad was a person who lived in community with others as a family man.

This means I have examples from his life for how I can live today.

When I perform the five pillars of Islam.

I believe I'm following his example too." So we can see from Sarah and Rasool here, for both of them they are following the example of the Prophet Muhammad, but there may be some diversity in the way they do it due to the different branches of Islam that they belong to.

So Rasool and Sarah have shown us there can be more than one way that beliefs can influence believers.

So let's together give one way that beliefs about the Prophet Muhammad may influence Muslims. Reading the Quran, because if the Prophet Muhammad had the Quran revealed to him, and this is the perfect direct words of Allah, I can read them as an influence of who the Prophet Muhammad was.

Over to you then.

Give one way beliefs about the Prophet Muhammad may influence Muslims. Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, I got here praying as he did because of wanting to follow that excellent example as the Quran calls him.

So time for another practise task to see what we've learnt then.

Here is a full evaluation question.

The Prophet Muhammad is the most important Prophet for a Muslim.

And Sam has started to write a paragraph in support of this.

You're going to continue with the Muslim teaching and reasons in support of the statement.

So Sam has started by saying, "Some Muslims would agree that the Prophet Muhammad is the most important Prophet for a Muslim because," and you are going to finish this with some reasons in support and Muslim teachings.

So pause the video and off you go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, some great thinking there.

So Sam said that some Muslims would agree that the Prophet Muhammad is the most important Prophet for a Muslim because, and you could have said something like this.

The Prophet Muhammad was the perfect example for how to live the teachings of the Quran, and the Quran is the direct words of Allah.

The Quran says the Prophet Muhammad is an excellent example as the messenger of Allah, and Muslims follow his Sunnah through using authorities like the Hadith.

The Hadith are collections of traditions of the Prophet Muhammad and not the other Prophets of Islam, which shows he is the most important Prophet for a Muslim.

And what I've done here is used a direct quote from the Quran and I've said where it's from.

Well done.

So let's summarise everything we've learnt today then.

The role and importance of Muhammad.

The Prophet Muhammad lived in Makkah in a polytheistic society and was given revelations of the Oneness of Allah, Tawhid.

The revelations of the Quran started on the Night of Power when Angel Jibril appeared to Muhammad and instructed him to recite.

The Prophet Muhammad was the final Prophet who had the final complete revelation from Allah and is the seal of the Prophets.

The Prophet Muhammad was asked to lead a community in Medina where the first Muslim society was established.

And the Prophet Muhammad is the perfect example for Muslims to follow, and this is known as the Sunnah.

And therefore, the Hadith is a source of authority for Muslims. So well done for your hard work today and I hope to see you again soon.

Bye bye.