Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mrs. Ofshah, and welcome to our lesson.

Today, we are going to learn about the early life of Prophet Muhammad, one of the most influential figures in Islamic history.

We will explore his journey towards becoming a prophet, how he received revelations, and how his life continues to inspire Muslims all around the world today.

The lesson is called "The Early Life of Prophet Muhammad" from the unit "Prophet Muhammad: How does he inspire Muslims today?" The outcome of today's lesson is, I can understand Prophet Muhammad's journey towards prophethood, and how he received revelations from Allah, God.

Let's look at some of the keywords we will be exploring in our lesson today.

The first word is prophet, which is someone inspired to teach or proclaim the will of God.

Angel, a spiritual being who is a messenger from God.

Revelation, spiritual understanding made known by God.

Integrity is being honest and fair.

Would you like to repeat those words one more time? Have a go.

Well done.

We have two cycles in our lesson today.

First, we will find out why was Prophet Muhammad a successful merchant? Let's begin by looking at the important events from his early life.

When Prophet Muhammad was a young man, many people in Makkah were merchants.

This means they bought and sold things to make a living.

Makkah was a busy city, and it was an important place for trading.

People would travel long distances to sell goods like food, spices, and cloth.

Prophet Muhammad helped his uncle with business, and as he grew older, he became known for being honest and fair in his dealings.

The Prophet Muhammad worked as a merchant for many years and his integrity made him known for being honest and trustworthy.

Here's a time for a check.

What was the Prophet Muhammad known for when he worked as a merchant? Is it his integrity, being honest and trustworthy? Or his ability to sell the most goods? Or his travel to many countries? What do you think? That's correct, he was known for his integrity, being honest and trustworthy.

You got that right.

Well done.

Prophet Muhammad's work earned him the title Al-Amin, the trustworthy.

His reputation for fairness and honesty helped him build strong relationships in business, and he worked with many people who admired his integrity.

Time for another check.

What title did Prophet Muhammad earn because of his honesty and trustworthiness? Is it Al-Faisal? Is it Al-Rashid? Or is it Al-Amin? Have a go.

That is correct.

Al-Amin, the trustworthy.

You got that right.

Here we have Meryem.

Meryem is a Sunni Muslim and has a Muslim worldview.

Meryem believes in following Prophet Muhammad's teachings and learn from his life experiences, like his patience, kindness, and integrity, and tries to follow those values every day.

Meryem says, "Prophet Muhammad's honesty and trustworthiness, which earned him the name Al-Amin, inspire me to always tell the truth and be fair.

When I think about him, I remember how important it is to be kind and reliable, just like he was." Meryem continues to say, "Muslims like me try to be honest and helpful in everything we do, whether at school, at home, or with friends.

By following his example, we can make good friends and build trust with everyone, just like the Prophet did." Khadija was a successful and wealthy businesswoman who ran a lot of trade businesses in Makkah.

She heard about Prophet Muhammad's honesty and good character, so she decided to ask him to manage her trade caravans.

These caravans carried goods to different places and Khadija trusted Prophet Muhammad to handle everything because she knew he had integrity and was honest and fair.

Khadija admired Prophet Muhammad's honesty and integrity, and soon they got married.

She believed in his character and supported him in many ways, helping him with his work and ideas.

Khadija was one of the Prophet's biggest supporters and played an important role in his life and mission.

Time for another check.

True or false? No one supported Prophet Muhammad when he began his mission.

True or false? What do you think? False.

Why? Because we know something or we know someone who supported him.

Yes, that's correct, Khadija.

Khadija was one of the Prophet's biggest supporters and played an important role in his life and mission.

You're correct if you chose false as your answer.

Well done.

Here's Rasool, he's a Shi'a Muslim and has a Muslim worldview.

Rasool is sharing how Prophet Muhammad inspired him to live life of honesty and integrity.

Rasool says, "Prophet Muhammad's honesty and integrity made him well-known and trusted by everyone.

I'm inspired by the Prophet's example and try to be honest and trustworthy in everything I do, just like he was." Here's Meryem and Rasool and they're both inspired by the qualities of Prophet Muhammad.

What made Prophet Muhammad a successful merchant? Do you remember what Meryem and Rasool shared with us? Great effort, Prophet Muhammad's honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness, which earned him the title Al-Amin, inspires many Muslims to always be truthful, fair, and reliable.

His example reminds Muslims of the importance of kindness and being trustworthy in everything they do, whether at school, home, or with friends.

By following his example, people can build strong relationships and trust, just like he did, earning respect and admiration from others.

I'm sure you had similar ideas as well.

Time for our task.

Here we have Izzy and Andeep.

Izzy says, "Prophet Muhammad was a successful merchant." But Andeep is unsure why most people wanted to trade with Prophet Muhammad.

Help Izzy explain why.

Can you write two sentences to explain why people wanted to trade with Prophet Muhammad? You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready with your sentences.

Let's check our answers.

Write two sentences to explain why people wanted to trade with Prophet Muhammad.

Your possible sentences might include: People wanted to trade with Prophet Muhammad because he was known for his honesty and fairness in all his business dealings.

His reputation for integrity made him trustworthy, so many merchants preferred to work with him.

He was given a title Al-Amin, meaning the trustworthy, which made him highly respected by merchants.

Well done if you included those sentences.

Great.

We now know why Prophet Muhammad was a successful merchant.

Now let's talk about something very important, how Prophet Muhammad became a prophet and began receiving revelations from Allah, the God.

During the time of Prophet Muhammad's life in Makkah, the majority of people practised polytheism and worshipped idols believing in many gods.

But Prophet Muhammad believed in only one God, Allah, and he never worshipped idols.

Even before he became a prophet, he was known for being honest and kind.

Prophet Muhammad loved spending time alone.

He would often leave the busy, noisy streets to go to a special cave called Hira, which was in the mountain near the city of Makkah where we could pray in peace.

Time for another check.

Are you ready? Where did Prophet Muhammad go to pray and reflect? Is it the mosque of Madinah? Or Mount Uhud? Or the cave of Hira? What do you think? That's correct.

The cave of Hira.

That is the correct answer.

The cave of Hira was quiet and peaceful, a perfect place for him to pray, think about life and get closer to Allah.

He spent a lot of time there, thinking about how people could become better and how they could worship the one true God, Allah.

Muslims believe that one day when Prophet Muhammad was alone in the cave of Hira, something very special happened.

While he was praying and thinking, the angel Jibr'il appeared to him.

Angel Jibr'il brought an important revelation from Allah.

He told Prophet Muhammad that he was chosen to be the prophet and that it was his job to teach people about Allah and how to live good lives.

Time for another check.

Who brought an important revelation from Allah? Was it angel Jibr'il? Or Prophet Ibrahim? Or Khadija? What do you think? That's correct, it was angel Jibr'il, who is also known as Gabriel.

But what does revelation mean? What do you think? Revelation is when God gives a special message to a prophet to guide people.

Did you think of the same idea? Great.

An example might be when a trusted teacher gives important advice to help a student improve or grow.

Just like that advice, revelation is meant to guide people towards living well, but it comes directly from God to the prophet.

The first revelation received by the Prophet Muhammad is mentioned in the Qur'an, in the Surah Al-Alaq, which reads as, (speaking in foreign language) which means, "Recite in the name of your Lord who created, created man from a clot of congealed blood.

Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous, who taught by the pen, taught man that which he knew not." When the Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation, the angel Jibr'il commanded him to recite, which marked the beginning of his prophethood.

This was the first of many messages that Prophet Muhammad would later deliver to guide people to worship Allah and follow the right path.

He received many revelations from Allah over a period of 23 years.

Time for another check.

Prophet Muhammad received only one revelation.

True or false? False because we already have learned that he received many revelations.

Prophet Muhammad received many revelations from Allah over a period of 23 years, which are recorded in the Qur'an.

Well done if you chose false as you answer.

Many Muslims like Rasool believe that Prophet Muhammad was chosen by Allah to be His final messenger.

Rasool shares, "I believe that Prophet Muhammad was chosen by Allah to be His final messenger.

When he was 40 years old, Allah sent messages through the angel Jibr'il.

These messages were written down in the Qur'an and they teach people how to live good and fair lives." Here's our next task.

Izzy is trying to describe Prophet Muhammad's journey in receiving revelations.

Izzy says, "Prophet Muhammad liked spending time in the busy market.

One day while he was praying, the angel Jibr'il appeared to him and told him to recite.

This was the first and only revelation from Allah.

This message was shared with the people and is mentioned in the Qur'an.

Prophet Muhammad spent his life spreading these teachings to help people live good and fair lives." What parts of Izzy's description are incorrect? Can you rewrite Izzy's description so that it becomes correct? Read carefully and correct Izzy's description.

You can post the video now and come back when you're ready with the correct description to check with me.

Let's check our answer.

Rewrite Izzy's description so that it becomes correct.

Your answer might look like this.

Prophet Muhammad liked to spend time alone in the cave of Hira where he could pray in peace.

You might have corrected that already.

One day while he was praying, the angel Jibr'il appeared to him and told him to recite.

This was the first of many revelations from Allah, which Prophet Muhammad received over the next 23 years.

I hope you've included that too.

These messages were shared with the people and became what we know today as the Qur'an.

Prophet Muhammad spent his life spreading these teachings to help people live good and fair lives.

I hope you got them right.

Well done.

Before we finish, let's review what we've learned today.

We've learned about the early life of Prophet Muhammad and now know that Prophet Muhammad was a successful merchant.

His reputation for integrity made him trustworthy, so many merchants preferred to work with him, and he was given a title Al-Amin, mean meaning the trustworthy.

Khadija and Prophet Muhammad got married.

She was one of the Prophet's biggest supporters and played an important role in his life and mission.

Prophet Muhammad received the first of many revelations from Allah through angel Jibr'il, which continued over the next 23 years.

Great job.

Keep thinking about how people can follow Prophet Muhammad's example of kindness and integrity in their lives and make the world a better place for everyone.

This is the end of today's lesson and I will see you in our next lesson.

Goodbye.