fardu ain kanak kanak

rywonderful form. And knowledge,
fhand the Garden and Hawa, the
fhmost beautiful, loving companion.
“Nothing,” he thought, “Would be

fhbetter, than praising Allah and
fh
thanking him forever.”

fhThey were curious now, and time

and again allowed themselves to

fhexplore that part of the garden
where the mysterious tree stood.

fhThe more they saw the tree, the
fhmore tempted they were, to taste its
fhfruit and then maybe live forever.

At last Adam [a] plucked a fruit and

fhHawwa [a] willingly shared it with

him. And so Adam [a] and Hawwa

fh[a] both ate the fruit. They found it
fhdelicious, so delicious in fact, that

they had never tasted anything

fhbefore quite like that.
fhBut no sooner had they finished
fheating the forbidden fruit, they sud-

denly realised their error. They had

vn198 my faith ...ISLAM

ry forgotten the warning of Allah and
fh felt ashamed. They found them-
fh selves naked, with no one but them-

selves to blame.
fh So, to hide their shame, they quick-

ly gathered a few leaves and care-

fh fully covered their naked bodies.
fh Allah was indeed displeased. He
fh turned to them, saying, “Did I not

command you to stay away from
fh the forbidden tree and not to eat its
fruit. And did I not tell you that shay-

fh tan is your open enemy?”
fh
fh
CHAPTER 4

fh Adam [a] and Hawwa [a] felt very
fh sad indeed for what had happened.
fh They were not disobedient crea-
tures nor were they proud. And so
fh both Adam [a] and Hawwa [a] pros-
trated themselves to Allah and

fh begged for His forgiveness. They
vn cried saying, “O Allah! We have

my faith ...ISLAM 199

ryharmed ourselves, and if you do not
fhforgive us and have mercy on us

then we will surely have lost every-

fhthing.” They cried and cried, “We

have made a terrible mistake. shay-

fhtan has tricked us. So forgive us, O

Allah, for You are most Merciful and

ffhhYou are most Forgiving.”

Allah is truly Forgiving, Allah is truly

fhKind, kinder than a even a mother
can be to her little baby child. fh

fhAnd so Allah turned to them in for-

giveness and accepted their

fhprayers. Allah was now pleased

with them, pleased that they were

fhhumble and not like the haughty
fhshaytan, all puffed up and proud.
fhWhen shaytan heard this, he was

more angry than before. “Adam and

fhHawa escaped from my trap, but
not their children,” he swore, “For I

fhshall trick them with every kind of
fhEvil and drag them down with me

into the very bottom of Jahannum.”

vn200 my faith ...ISLAM

ry
fh Now the time had come for Adam
fh [a] to leave Jannah, the Garden, to

do the work he was created for, for

fh he had now learnt the great lesson.
That to do Allah’s work demanded
complete obedience, and to be ever

fh watchful of shaytan, the proud, jeal-
fh ous deceiver.
fh “Now go down to the earth, and
fh there you will live,” Allah said to

Adam [a] and Hawa [a]. “From now

fh on you both shall work the earth for
fh your food, and everything I have

created on the earth you shall use

fh for your own good. You shall have
children too and You shall obey Me,

fh your Creator. And most importantly,
you shall keep away from shaytan,

fh the deceiver.”
fh And so Adam [a] and Hawwa [a]
fh found themselves all alone, away

from Allah and oh! so far from the

fh Garden. They were to learn to
vn appreciate all the good things Allah

my faith ...ISLAM 201

rydid create, and especially the good
fhfavour in Jannah they did once
enjoy. fh

Adam [a] and Hawwa [a] lived for

fhmany years on this earth, and they
had many children, and their chil-

fhdren had children, and so too did
fhtheirs. They spread out all over the
lands and covered the earth, and

fhfrom the east to the west, all the
people we see, are all the children

fhof common parents, children of
fh
Hawwa [a] and Adam [a].

fhThe people of all countries, the peo-

ple of all colours, people of every

fhrace and people of every time, the

people we know, the people we

fhhave never met, and the people of
fhthe past and the future to come yet,

they are all children, children of the

fhsame parents, children of the ones
who were favoured by Allah, chil-

fhdren of Hawwa [a] and Adam [a].
fh
vn202 my faith ...ISLAM

ry The following moral lessons learnt from the T
fh
story must be explained & discussed thoroughly

- The heavens and the earth

fh were created before human
fh beings were.
fh - Only human beings can truly
fh admire and appreciate creation.
fh - Allah chose mankind to rule
over the earth as His deputy, His
Khalifah.

fh - Human beings have been creat-
fh ed from clay.
fh - Our soul is a spirit from Allah.
fh - Allah has given human beings
fh special qualities which even the
angels do not possess.
- Allah has given human beings

freedom to do as they please : if

fh they use this freedom to do good
fh they will be rewarded, and if they
fh use it to do bad they will lose
Allahs favours and be punished.

fh - Human beings obey Allah out of
vn love while angels obey Allah

my faith ...ISLAM 203

rybecause they are created to do
fhso.
- The obedience of a human fh
being is thus more valuable to fh
Allah than the obedience of an fh
angel.
- Mankind is the most honoured

of all creatures. fh

fh- shaytan served Allah and wor-
shipped Him, but he loved him- fh
self more than he loved obedi- fh
ence to Allah. fh
- shaytan was proud of all that he
had done.

- Allah hates those who are

fhproud, even of their good deeds.
fh- Jealousy and pride can blind a
person and prevent him from fh
seeing the truth. fh
- Jealousy leads to the worst evil. fh
- Others must be judged by their
qualities and not by their looks.

fh- Allah curses those who are

proud and disobedient.

vn204 my faith ...ISLAM

ry
fh - shaytan is our enemy till the end
fh of time.
fh - All mischief comes from shay-
fh tan.
- Those who do evil are the fol-
lowers of shaytan.

- Those who do evil will be with

ffhh shaytan in Jahannum.
fh - Human beings need compan-
fh ionship.
fh - Wives are the best companions
and friends.
- Happiness comes from true

fh friendship.
fh - Jannah is a place of enjoyment.
fh - There is no sickness or death in
fh Jannah.
fh - Jannah is more beautiful than
you can imagine.
- Jannah is full of the most won-

fh derful pleasures.
vn my faith ...ISLAM 205

ry- A true servant of Allah loves
fhAllah even more than Jannah
itself. fh
- Human beings are the only fh
creatures which can truly love fh
Allah.
- Allah tests us to teach us valu-

able lessons. fh

fh- The worst of enemies always
pretend to be the sincerest of fh
friends. fh
- shaytan always tries to make fh
disobedience to Allah seem
attractive.

- Human beings are by nature

fhgood and soft hearted, not evil
fhand cruel.
- Good, honest people always fh
assume the best of others, and fh
for that reason must take special fh
care to guard themselves from
the wicked.

fh

- Adam [a] did not intend to dis-

vn206 my faith ...ISLAM

ry obey Allah.
fh - Adam [a] wished to live forever
fh only to praise Allah and worship
fh him as the angels did.
fh - We must never give preference
to our own understanding over
the commands of Allah, even if

our intentions be good.

fh - Allah knows better than us and
fh we must trust in His His com-
fh mands.
fh - True love for Allah means com-
fh plete obedience to Him.
- Disobedience to Allah brings
shame.

fh - You must always admit your
fh wrong and never try to justify it.
fh - If you commit a sin you must
fh repent immediately and right the
fh wrong.
- Allah always forgives those who
repent.

fh - Allah loves those who repent.
- shaytan’s plans are destroyed

vn my faith ...ISLAM 207

when we repent. ry
- Allah is Kind and Forgiving. fh
fh
- Making mistakes are the best fh
ways of learning valuable les-

fhsons.
fh
- To be Allah’s Khalifah, His fh
deputy on earth, and to do Allah’s fh
work successfully demands com- fh
plete obedience, and to be ever
watchful for the traps of shaytan.
- If we disobey Allah He will

remove the blessings we enjoy. fh
- By removing His blessings Allah fh
wishes to teach us appreciation.

- All people of the earth are the fh
children of Adam [a] and Hawwa fh
[a]. fh
- All people of the earth are broth-

ers and sisters. fh

fhColour in the picture of the creature whose C P
form shaytan mischieviously took.
vn208 my faith ...ISLAM

ry

ACTIVITIES

fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
fh Now if shaytan took the form of a
fh snake does it mean that all snakes

are evil? .......... Do you know what
fhTComments function snakes serve in our
fh☺☺ ecosystem?
........................................................

vn ........................................................
my faith ...ISLAM 209

Colour-in the correct word/s in green. C P ry

fhAllah chose man the angels as His
fh
deputy on the earth.

Allah has given human beings angels

fhsome of his very own special qualities.
Adam shaytan loved himself even

fhmore than he loved obedience to Allah.
fhAllah hates those who are proud
humble .

fhAdam committed a sin made an
fh
error .

Allah forgave punished Adam [a]

fhand Hawa [a].
P fh
SUMMARY

BY THE END OF THIS LESSON THE CHILD HAS : fh
(tick in box if completed)

- listened to an extract fh
- read & rewrote inverted sentences

- learnt a new Ayah and a new Hadith fh
- listened to a detailed story fh
- found suitable one word meanings
- identified specific teachings
- drew a picture for enjoyment

- completed a word selection exercise fhTComments

How does my teacher f☺ h☺
rate my performance in this lesson ?

☺☺ vn210 my faith ...ISLAM

ry life SIRAT AN-NABI [s]
fh of nabi muhammad
fh
fh
fh
fh
fh X
fh
fh ry
fh vn

fh
fh
fh
fh C O N T E N T S
fh
fh LESSON 1 The Birth of the Prophet [s] 214
LESSON 2 The Prophet’s [s] Youth 231

vn LESSON 3 The Revelation Begins 251
my faith ...ISLAM 211

ry
fh
fh
Nabi Muhammad [s] is the Last Prophet of Allah. T P fh
fh
By choosing the Prophet Muhammad [s] to be the

Seal of the Prophets and the Qur’an to be the completion

of Revelation, Allah has established a permanent medium

of communication between Himself and man, and has

erected an ever-radiating beacon of guidance and light.

The message of the Prophet [s] was, and, of course, still is, fh
a universal revival, a common blessing, a supranational

heritage and an ever-lasting spiritual deliverance. It is an fh
evolutionary continuance of the previous messages and a
well-balanced incorporation of all the former revelations. It

transcends all boundaries of race, age, color, and regional fh
features. It is addressed to man of all times and it is pre- fh
cisely what man needs.

Prophet Muhammad [s] was the only Prophet who fulfilled

his mission and completed his work in his lifetime. Before fh
he died, the Qur’an stated that the religion of Allah has
been perfected, the favour of Allah on the believers has

been completed, and the truth of revelation has been fh
guarded and will be safely preserved (Qur’an 5:3 and 10:9).
When he died, the religion of Islam was completed, and the

community of believers was well-established. The Qur’an fh
was recorded in his lifetime and preserved authentically. All
this means that the religion of Allah has been completed by

Prophet Muhammad [s], in concept as well as in applica- fh
tion, and that the Kingdom of Allah has been established
here on earth.

Prophet Muhammad’s [s] mission, his example and his fh
accomplishments have proved the point that the Kingdom fh
of Allah is not an unattainable ideal or something of the
Hereafter only, but it is something of this world too, some-

thing that did exist and flourish in the age of Prophet fh
Muhammad [s] and can exist and flourish in any age when-
ever there are sincere believers and men of faith. Thus, if

any man was destined to be the culmination of

vn212 my faith ...ISLAM

ry
fh
fh
fh Prophethood, who could it be other than Prophet
Muhammad [s]? And if any book was designed to be the
completion of Revelation, what could it be other than the

fh Qur’an?
Allah decreed that Nabi Muhammad [s] would be the Last

fh Prophet and so he was. No Prophet before Prophet
Muhammad [s] had done or accomplished or bequeathed
so much as he did. And no one after him, of those who have

fh claimed prophethood, has done anything comparable to
what he did. However, this Divine decree was in anticipa-
tion of the great historical events which have followed. It

fh heralded good news for man that he would enter a new
fh stage of intellectual maturity and spiritual heights, and that
he would have, from then on, to do without new prophets or
new revelations, to be on his own, aided by the rich legacy
bequethed by Prophet Muhammad [s]. It was in anticipa-

fh tion of the fact that the cultures, races and regions of the
world would become closer and closer to each other, and
that mankind could assimilate one universal religion in

fh which Allah occupies His rightful position and man realizes
his servitude. The historical stage of Prophethood has
ended with Prophet Muhammad [s] to give man the evi-

fh dence that he can mature on his own initiative.
The nature of Islam is such that it has a great deal of flexi-

fh bility and practicability and can cope with any arising situa-
tion. The nature of the Qur’an is such that it is universal and
ever-revealing, and in it guidance is sure, without doubt.

fh The nature of Prophet Muhammad’s [s] message is such
fh that it is addressed to all men and directed to all genera-
tions.

Muhammad was not merely a racial leader or a national lib-

fh erator. He was, and still is, the universal Prophet and the
best model of him who seeks Allah. In him every man can
find an excellent example of virtue and piety to follow. And

vn in him every generation can find its lost hope.
my faith ...ISLAM 213

lesson 1 ry
fh
fh
fh
OUTCOME OBJECTIVES TP fh
fh
- learn about the origins of the Arab nation. fh
- understand the corrupting influence and evil conse- fh
quences of idolatry. fh
- appreciate Allah’s concern for erring mankind. fh
- learn that Allah always sends guidance to humanity. fh
- develop an appreciation of the necessity for Prophets. fh
- learn about the importance of a healthy environment fh
for developing children. fh
- recognize that monetary gain should never be adecid- fh
ing factor in our actions. fh
- undertsnad that kindness and generosity are meritori-
ous deeds that merit reward, even in this world.
- realize that good character is the most praiseworthy
attribute

LESSON OVERVIEW TP

BY THE END OF THIS LESSON THE CHILD
WILL HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO :

- listen to an extract being read out by the teacher
introducing the Birth of Nabi Muhammad [s]
- complete a writing exercise for comprehension
- learn a new Ayah and a new Hadith
- listen to a story about the Birth of Nabi Muhammad
[s] and his first years of childhood.
- identify the specific teachings being conveyed
through the story
- colour-in a picture of early Makkah for enjoyment
- investigate the meaning of an Arabic word
- colour-in an Arabic word for enjoyment

vn214 my faith ...ISLAM

ryL E S S O N 1 Read and explain the following. T
fhBirth
Arabia is a desert land.
ry
fhvn The Arabs lived in Arabia.
They worshipped idols.
fhT H E B I R T H
OF THE The Arabs lived like barbarians.
PROPHET

fh They were cruel to the poor, the

Vocabulary weak, the orphan and the widow.
fhbarbarian
fhorphan Nabi Muhammad [s] was born on
widow the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal 570.
grand

fhenvironment He was born in the city of Makkah
well man-
nered in Arabia.
fh His father, ‘Abdullah, died before he
fh was born.

His mother’s name was Aminah.
fh His grandfather was ‘Abd al-
Muttalib, the grand chief of Arabia.

fh
fh The Makkan children would be sent

to the countryside to grow up in the
fh healthy environment.
Muhammad [s] lived with the nurse

fh Halimah in the desert countryside
fh for four years.

Muhammad [s] was a good, well
vn mannered child.
my faith ...ISLAM 215

Complete the sentences using the list below C ry

well mannered Halimah Makkah idols ACTIVITIES
Arabia ‘Abd al-Muttalib Aminah
fhQur’an
.................... is a desert land. fhAllah has declared:
The Arabs worshipped .................... “Say (O Muhammad),
Nabi Muhammad [s] was born in the ‘O People! I am sent
city of .....................
His mother was ..................... fhUnto you all, as the
.......................... was the grand Messenger of Allah,
chief of Arabia. to Whom belongs the
Nabi Muhammad [s] lived with the kingdom of the heav-
nurse ..................... in the desert fhens and the earth.
countryside. There is no god but
Nabi Muhammad [s] was a He. It is He who gives
.......................... child. both life and death.
So believe in Allah

fhand His Messenger,
The unlettered

Prophet, who

believes in Allah and

fhHis Words. Follow
him so that you may
be guided.”
fhHadith
Our beloved Prophet
Muhammad said:
fh“Indeed Allah select-
ed Isma’il as the best
of the children of
Ibrahim, and then he

fhselected Kinanah as
best of his children,
and then he selected
the Quraysh as the
fhbest of them, and
then he selected
Banu Hashim (my
clan) as the best of
Read the following story. T the Quraysh, and

Our story begins a long, long time fhthen he selected meof
ago, almost one thousand five hun- as the best of the
Banu Hashim (for the
mantle

fhProphethood).”
dred years ago, in the hot and dry

fhdesert land of Arabia, where the
fhsands blew over the wavy, empty TComments
dunes and the winds howled on the ☺ ☺

fhcold, dark, stony nights. There were
few trees and even less grass. All

vn216 my faith ...ISLAM

ryP C that was to be seen was sand and
fhVocabulary stone. And if you were real lucky
fh then an oasis or two, here and
dune there, scattered over the vast gold-
....................

howl en deserts.

fh.................... There were few animals. The
oasis camel, though, is one animal that
.................... lived quite comfortably in these

fhscatter

....................
dare

fh....................
fhhospitable deserts, because they were able to

....................
neglect go for days without drinking a single
fh....................
gamble drop of water. Arabia was truly a

fh.................... harsh land, which very few would
crest dare to pass through.
....................

fhudder

....................

meadow But in those lands lived a brave
fh....................
palm people, who were hospitable too.

fh.................... They loved their freedom and would
impress

.................... travel over the deserts, over its
fh wavy sand dunes, and sleep under
the starry moonlit skies. They were

fh the great-grandchildren of Nabi
fh Ibrahim [a], the Prophet and Friend

TComments of Allah. They were the Arabs.

fh☺ ☺
The Arabs had forgotten the religion

vn my faith ...ISLAM 217

ryof Nabi Ibrahim [a] , of worshipping
fhOne Allah, because of neglect.

They had taken idols as gods whom

fhthey worshipped along with Allah.
Because they had no guide or

fhteacher their wonderful qualities of
fhbravery and courage were used to
harm the poor and the weak. fh

They drank wine and gambled.

fhThey robbed and murdered. They
fhbelieved in every foolish supersti-

tion and would even offer human

fhbeings as sacrifices to their imagi-
nary gods, thinking foolishly that

fhthis would please them and bring
fh
them great rewards.

fhThey were especially cruel to the
women and the little girls, whom

fhthey would sometimes bury alive,
fhunder the hot dry desert sands, and

leave to slowly die, or to be eaten

fhby the crawling insects and the wild

beasts passing by. The widow, the

fhorphan and the weak had no pro-
vn218 my faith ...ISLAM

ry tector too. So, despite some execel-
fh lent qualities, the Arabs had
fh become evil in the end. They lived

like barbarians and all because they

fh had no teacher to guide them.
fh Now Allah never leaves a people
fh without guidance and a teacher and

so it was, on one starry night, in the

fh city of Makkah, that a very special
child was born. The skies had lit up

fh from the east to the west, and even
fh the little desert rabbits were curi-

ously peaking their pointy ears and

fh tiny heads out of their burrows and
crests. Ahh, something very special

fh was happening, someone very spe-
fh cial was coming.
fh In fact, the child's grandfather, ‘Abd

al-Muttalib, the grand chief of all

fh Arabia, spent six days deciding on a
fh name for the child. On that seventh

day, he dreamed that the name

fh should be Muhammad, which
means 'The Praised One'. But what

vn my faith ...ISLAM 219

rywas stranger still is that when he
fhwent to tell the baby's mother, he

found that she too had had the very

fhsame dream. And so they named

the child, Muhammad, the Praised

fhOne.
fh

Baby Muhammads father had

fhpassed away. His name was

‘Abdullah, and he would have been

fhso very proud of his beautiful little
fhchild. Oh, how beautiful a child

Muhammad was, with eyes as deep

fhand starry as the desert nights and

shiny curly hair, like rolling crystal

fhwaves on a dark sea. And he had
fhthe most rosy red cheeks and the

most handsome round face. It

fhlooked like the full moon on a clear

desert night. Ahh, this was a very

fhspecial child.
fh

It was the custom in those days for

fhthe women of the city to send their

young children into the desert vil-

fhlages where the air was fresh and
vn220 my faith ...ISLAM

ry the food healthy. And also because
fh amongst the village folk the Arabic
fh language was spoken very beauti-

fully. The children would grow

fh healthy and strong while they were
there.

fh
fh Once every year, the desert women

used to come to Makkah and collect

fh the young children. But Aminah was
a poor widow. Her husband

fh ‘Abdullah had passed away and it
fh seemed that no one would take her

orphan child, the beautiful baby

fh Muhammad. The desert women
were afraid that their would be no

fh one to pay them for looking after the
fh little child and so they all walked

away.

fh At last a poor woman named
fh Halimah agreed to take the child.
fh She was a kind, generous women,

and seeing that no one else wished

fh to care for the little baby she decid-
ed to take him. She already had a

vn my faith ...ISLAM 221

rychild of her own, a son, about the
fhsame age as Muhammad. “They

can grow up together, as friends, “

fhshe thought, “And play and go on
desert adventures”. fh

fhAs she travelled home, she won-

dered how she would feed the chil-

fhdren, for back at home her sheep
and goats were thin and the crops

fhhad dried. But she hoped that Allah
fhwould bless her because she had
kindly taken the orphan child fh

Her prayers were answered. When

fhshe returned to her desert village,
fhand to her little house, a wonderful

sight met her eyes. The sheep and

fhcamels were fat and strong, and
their udders were swollen with milk.

fhThe small patch of grass around her
fhtiny house had stretched out over

the dunes and now looked like a

fhgreen, grassy meadow. The date

palms too were bending over, heavy

fhwith all their juicy dates, and her
vn222 my faith ...ISLAM

ry house was full of every enjoyable
fh thing, and bright and happy too.
fh This was a miracle and Halimah

knew why. Their was something

fh very special about Aminah’s beauti-
ful child, something wonderful

fh indeed.
fh From that day the little house, in the
fh little village, in the desert, was the

happiest and brightest in the whole

fh wide world, and in it two little boys
fh grew up healthy and strong.
fh Happy moments, and happy days

and months, passed by, and after

fh four years Halimah was on her jour-
fh ney back to the city of Makkah. The

time had come to return the beauti-

fh ful baby Muhammad to his mother.
But now, he was a handsome little

fh boy. Muhammad had grown up to be
fh a loving and gentle child, with best

of manners and the purest heart.

fh Lady Aminah was overjoyed. Her
vn my faith ...ISLAM 223

ryson Muhammad had returned, and
fhmy, was she so impressed by how

big and strong he had become.

fhThey hugged and kissed, and from
that day they were inseperable,

fhlady Aminah and Muhammad, her
fh
handsome boy .

The following lessons learnt from the T fh
fh
story must be explained & discussed thoroughly fh
fh
- The Arabs lived in Arabia. They fh
were a brave and hospitable peo-
ple.
- The most hospitable people
often live in the harshest environ-

ments. This because they under- fh
stand the difficulties that come fh
with having few resources. fh
- The Arabs are the descendants fh
of Nabi Ibrahim [a] from his son fh
Nabi Isma’il [a].
- The Arabs, like all other people,
originally worshipped one Allah.

fh- The Arabs forgot the true reli-
vn224 my faith ...ISLAM

ry gion of Nabi Ibrahim [a] because
fh of neglect and began to worship
fh false gods and Idols.
fh - Those who worship false gods
fh become barbaric - drinking wine,
gambling, robbing and murder-
ing.

- Those who worship false gods

fh do not respect women and girls.
fh - Those who worship false gods
fh are always cruel to the poor, the
fh weak, the orphans and the wid-
fh ows.
- People become cruel and
wicked when they have no guid-

ance.

fh - The best qualities are used for
fh the most evil ends when people
fh have no guidance.
fh - Allah never leaves a people
fh without a guide and a teacher.
- Dreams can be a form of inspi-
ration from Allah.

fh
- Children must be given good

vn my faith ...ISLAM 225

rynames.
fh- Children must be brought up in
a healthy environment. fh
- Children must be taught elo- fh
quence from a young age. fh
- Good speach and eloquence
distinguishes man from animal.

- Children must be stimulated

fhfrom a young age. Constructive
fhactivity and adventure is the best
way of achieving that. fh

fh- Monetary gain should not be the

deciding factor of our actions.

fh- Allah always rewards kindness
and generosity, even in this

fhworld.
fh- Allah always keeps those happy
who bring joy to others. fh
- Allah generously rewards those fh
who take care of orphans. fh
- The house in which there is an
orphan is always blessed by

Allah. fh

- We should never overly con-
vn226 my faith ...ISLAM

ry cern ourselves with the feeding
fh and provision of children. Allah is
fh the provider and each will receive
fh his or her provision.

fh - What makes a child truly hand-
fh some or beautiful is good man-
fh ners and character.
fh - The love between a mother and
fhACTIVITIES child is very special.

Colour-in the picture of the night on which C

Nabi Muhammad [s] was born.

fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
fhTComments
f☺ h☺
vn my faith ...ISLAM 227

Can you read the word below ? Do you know C ry
fh
what it means ? Write your answer in the space fh
provided and colour-in the word.

fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
P fh
SUMMARY

BY THE END OF THIS LESSON THE CHILD HAS : fh
(tick in box if completed)

- listened to an extract fh
- completed a writing exercise

- learnt a new Ayah and a new Hadith fh
- listened to a story fh
- found suitable one word meanings
- identified specific teachings
- coloured-in a picture for enjoyment

- coloured-in an Arabic word fhTComments

How does my teacher f☺ h☺
rate my performance in this lesson ?

☺☺ vn228 my faith ...ISLAM

ry lesson 2
fh
fh
fh OUTCOME OBJECTIVES TP
fh
fh - learn that the immediate family bear the primary
fh resposibility of caring for orphans.
fh - understand that cherishing of the young takes priority
fh over all other ocupations.
fh - discover that the loss of loved ones was instrumental
in engendering in the Prophet [s], at a very young age,
a profound sense of appreciation and value for life and
people.
- learn that amongst peoples of other faiths, believing
Christians are the most affable and more readily
embrace the true faith.
- realise that miracles are unique to Prophets and serve
as a sign only to those who seek the truth.
- discover that Prophets are averse to paganism from
childhood.
- recognize that the Jews have always been the arch-
enemies of the Prophets of Allah.

fh LESSON OVERVIEW TP

fh BY THE END OF THIS LESSON THE CHILD
WILL HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO :

fh - listen to an extract being read out by the teacher
describing the youth of Nabi Muhammad [s]

fh - complete a true & false exercise for comprehension
fh - learn a new Ayah and a new Hadith
- listen to a story about the youth of Nabi Muhammad
[s] and his journey to Syria.
- find suitable meanings for the difficult words

fh - identify the specific teachings of the story
- solve a maze for enjoyment

- complete a verse from the Holy Qur’an
vn my faith ...ISLAM 229

Read the following sentences. ryT L E S S O N 2
Youth

fhNabi Muhammad [s] stayed with his ry
fhmother, Lady Aminah, for two years. vn
THE
PROPHET’S

fhWhen Muhammad [s] was six years [ s ] Y O U T H
fhjourney to Yathrib.
old, Lady Aminah took him on a

Vocabulary

fhLady Aminah’s family lived in trade
Yathrib. monk
recognise
fhLady Aminah died on the return
fh
journey.

fhNabi Muhammad’s [s] grandfather,
fh‘Abd al-Muttalib then took care of

him.

fh‘Abd al-Muttalib passed away two
years later, when Nabi Muhammad

fh[s] was eight.
fh
Abu Talib, Nabi Muhammad’s [s]

fhuncle, then took him into his care.
fhAbu Talib was very fond of his
nephew, Muhammad [s]. fh

At the age of twelve, Abu Talib took

vn230 my faith ...ISLAM

ry Muhammad [s] on a trading journey
to Syria.
ACTIVITIES There they met a Christian Monk
named Bahira.
fhQur’an Bahirah recognised Nabi
Muhammad [s] as the future
Allah has declared: Prophet of Allah.

fh“And remember when State whether True or False. CP
Jesus, son of Mary,
said, ‘O Children of
Israel! I am the
Messenger of Allah

fhsent to you, confirm-
ing the Law which
came before me, and
giving glad tidings of

fha Messenger to come
after me, whose
name shall be

fhAhmad’ ...”
Hadith
Our beloved Prophet Nabi Muhammad [s] stayed with F
his mother for three years.
fhMuhammad said: When Muhammad [s] was six,
“I have been sent to he travelled to Yathrib.
mankind to bring to Lady Aminah died when
perfection good char- Muhammad [s] was six.

fhacter.”
fh
fh
fh Nabi Muhammad’s [s] grandfa-
ther did not take care of him.

fh Abu Talib was not fond of his
fh nephew, Muhammad [s].

At the age of twelve,

fh Muhammad [s] went to Syria.
fh There they met a Jewish rabbi

TComments named Bahira.

fh☺ ☺ Bahirah did not recognised Nabi
Muhammad [s].

vn my faith ...ISLAM 231

Read the following story. ryT P C

fhMuhammad was back at home Vocabulary
fhagain. It was such a happy time for admiration

Lady Aminah and her little boy. ....................
tragedy

fhHappier moments, and happier ....................
warrior
....................

charming
....................

treat
days and months passed by, until,

fhwhen Muhammad was six, his
fhmother took him on a long and
exciting journey, a journey to ....................
character
fhYathrib, the city now known as
fhMadinah. ....................
trustworthy
....................
righteous

fhLady
....................

Aminah’s family lived in monk
....................
fhMadinah, and were they, oh, so
monastery
....................

excited to meet her and her won- trade
fhderful little boy! Everyone loved
....................
route

fhMuhammad and
he was cuddled ....................
sacred

and kissed. He was the joy and ....................
merchant

fhadmiration of all his uncles and ....................
fhladen
aunts.
....................
fhIt was a happy time, a time that TComments

Muhammad would never forget, a ☺ ☺

fhtime that he wished would go on for-
vn232 my faith ...ISLAM

ryP C ever, for soon thereafter, tragedy
fh was to come again, and little
Vocabulary
fh Muhammad’s heart would be bro-
warrior ken into a million tiny pieces.
....................

fascinating

fh....................
fhwinding On their journey back to Makkah lit-

....................

shimmer tle Muhammad’s mother, Lady
....................
Aminah, became terribly ill and
approach died. Now he was an orphan, all
alone, without the love of a father or
fh....................

deceive

fh....................
fhgaze

.................... the care of a gentle mother.

solitary
fh....................
shielding Little Muhammad was now left in

....................
absent the care of his grandfather, the chief
.................... of all Arabia, ‘Abd al-Muttalib, the
very man who had given him his
fhminding

....................

fhdestined
fh.................... beautiful name.
fh Now ‘Abd al-Muttalib was a power-
fh ful man whom everyone respected,

even the most fiersome Arab war-

fh riors. But he had one weakness,
fh and that was his love for little

Muhammad. Hand in hand the two
vn my faith ...ISLAM 233

rywould walk, sometimes racing,
fhsometimes skipping, through the
streets and alleys of Makkah. fh

fhWherever ‘Abd al-Muttalib went the

little boy followed. Even when he

fhsat with great and mighty kings, lit-
fhtle Muhammad never left his side.

They were inseperable, ‘Abd al-

fhMuttalib and Muhammad, his
fh
charming grandchild.

fhIt was a happy time again, a time
that Muhammad would never for-

fhget, a time that he wished would go
fhon forever, for soon thereafter,

tragedy was to come yet again, and

fhlittle Muhammad’s heart would be
fhbroken into a million pieces more.
fhOne dark night, ‘Abd al-Muttalib, the
fhgreat chief of all Arabia, became

terribly ill and soon, he too died.

fhThe grandfather that the boy
vn234 my faith ...ISLAM

ry Muhammad loved even more than
fh a son could love a father, was now
fh gone. And yet again, Muhammad

was all alone.

fh
fh But there was an uncle, a very kind

man, Abu Talib was his name. He

fh now took the orphan boy
fh Muhammad into his home and

treated him like a son, like his very

own. Abu Talib grew so fond of little

fh Muhammad that people would call
fh him “Muhammad, son of Abu Talib.”
fh And whenever you looked for the

boy, he was by his uncles side, his

fh dear and loving uncle, the gentle
fh Abu Talib.
fh And who could not love a boy like
fh Muhammad, for he was like no

other child. He was a handsome,

fh charming boy indeed, but that was
fh not all. Allah had blessed him with

kindness, wisdom and honesty,

vn my faith ...ISLAM 235

and the best of all character. ry
fh
So truthful and trustworthy was the

fhboy, that whenever he walked by
fhthe people would call out in admira-
tion, “Here comes that truthful boy

fhhere comes As-Sadiq. Look there
fhhe is, the trustworthy boy, there is
Al-Amin.” fh

Naturally, Abu Talib was very proud

fhof his nephew, and wherever he
fhwent, Muhammad would be by his
side. They were inseperable, Abu

fhTalib and Muhammad, the righteous
fhnephew who was like his very own
fhchild.
fhIt was a happy time again, a time

that would last for many, many

fhyears.
fh

At the time, there was a monk

fhnamed Bahira, who lived in a
vn236 my faith ...ISLAM

ry monastery near the town of Busrah,
fh on the trading route to Syria. He
fh had spent his life worshipping Allah

and reading the Sacred Books of

fh the Prophets of old, the Tawrah of
fh Nabi Musa [a] and Injil of Nabi ‘Isa

[a]. He had read of a great Prophet,

fh the last Prophet, who would one
fh day come to the world. Bahira had

prayed to Allah asking that he live to

fh see that Last Prophet
fh The people of Makkah were mer-
fh chants, who traded with the cities of

Syria. Day after day, caravans of

fh camels, laden with goods, set out
fh across the golden, barren deserts.

One of these caravans belonged to

fh Abu Talib.
fh Now, Abu talib was preparing for a
fh journey to Syria, and as we now
fh know, he and his nephew

Muhammad were inseperable. So

vn my faith ...ISLAM 237

ryhe decided to take his nephew with
him. fh
fhMuhammad was twelve years old
fhnow and he was bursting with

excitement for he had never been

fhto Syria before. He had only heard
fhthe wonderful tales of its huge

cities, and tall towers. Its fascinating

fhmarket-places and strange people.
fhAll was ready and the caravan set
fhoff. It made its slow windy, way
across the golden desert sands

fhuntil, after many hot days and chilly
fhnights, it reached the city of
Busrah. fh

fhThe monk, Bahira, was seated all

alone that day in his monastery. He

fhhad just finished reading one of his
fhbooks when he streched and

yawned, looking out through his

fhwindow across the desert. Through
vn238 my faith ...ISLAM

ry the shimmering heat, he saw a car-
fh avan approaching. That was not
fh strange to him at all, for many cara-

vans passed that way. But hold on,

fh what was this. “Are my eyes deceiv-
fh ing me. It cannot be!” Bahira said to

himself. He rubbed his eyes and

fh stretched his gaze over to where
fh the caravan was approaching. “How

very strange indeed! No How very

wonderful!” he shouted out as he

ffhh jumped up clicking his heels.
fh There in the distance Bahira could

see a solitary cloud floating in the

fh skies just above the caravan, not
fh moving any faster or slower. It

seemed that the cloud was shield-

fh ing someone from the sun. Bahira
fh watched in amazement. “Yes!” he

said to himself, “That cloud is

fh shielding someone from the sun.
fh Look it follows the caravan wherev-

er it goes.”

vn my faith ...ISLAM 239

ry
fhHe continued to look as the caravan

drew nearer and nearer, until even-

fhtually it stopped beneath a grove of
fhtrees. No sooner did everyone

come into the shade of the trees

fhbut, the strange cloud suddenly
fhdisappeared. Bahira had read about

this having happened to others

fhbefore, but those others were non
other than Prophets. “Only

fhProphets are shielded by clouds,”
fhBahira screamed excitedly, “Oh,
how wonderful.” fh

fhBahira rushed over to greet the

merchants. He knew these mer-

fhchants and recognised Abu Talib.
fh'It's good to see you again,” Bahira

said to him. “And you too Bahira,”

fhreplied Abu Talib. “Now come in and
fhhave something to eat,” Bahira
fhsaid.
vn240 my faith ...ISLAM

ry They were quite surprised because
fh Bahira, the monk, had never invited
fh them into his monastery before.

“But why? You never invite us into

fh your monastery?” they asked. “Ahh,
fh things are very different today,” he

replied.

fh
fh Bahira knew that there was some-

one very important with them,

someone whom he had been wait-

fh ing his whole life to meet. They sat
fh down together for the meal and
fh Bahira asked them questions about

themselves, but he could not get

fh the answers he was looking for. At
fh last he asked, “Is your whole group

here or are some absent?”

fh
fh “No, not all of us are here,” replied

Abu Talib. “My nephew is minding

fh the camels. He is a young boy, so
fh we we thought it best that he stay

behind.”

vn my faith ...ISLAM 241

ry
fh“Please allow me to talk to him,”
Bahira requested. fh

fhBahira questioned the child closely,

learning all he could about who he

fhwas, where he came from, what he
fhbelieved and what he thought about

many other things. As the young

fhMuhammad spoke Bahira’s face lit
up like a lamp. Everyone could see

fhthe excitement on his face. Bahira
fhwas now quite sure that the young
boy Muhammad was indeed the

fhProphet he had read so much
fhabout. He tried one last test. Bahira
asked the child to swear by the idol-

fhgods of Makkah, al-Lat and al-
fh
Uzzah. Muhammad refused.

fhBahira took Abu Talib by the shoul-
fhder and, whispering into his ear,

said, “O Abu Talib! This child is des-

fhtined for greatness,” he said. “Many
vn242 my faith ...ISLAM

ry will follow him, but I fear that many
fh will try to harm him too. I fear the
fh Jews of Syria will see him for what

he is to become. So take him back

fh to your country immediately and
fh look after him well.”
fh No sooner did Abu Talib finish his
fh meal but he set off immediately

back for Makkah. From that day
onward, Abu Talib would always be

fh by the side of his dear nephew, the
fh last Prophet to be.
fh
fh
fh
fh ry
fh vn

fh
fh
vn my faith ...ISLAM 243

The following lessons learnt from the T ry
fh
story must be explained & discussed thoroughly

fh- Visiting relatives and friends is a
virtuous act.

fh- Visiting is a means of engen-
fh
dering love and solidarity.

fh- The death of a parent is the

most traumatice experience for a

fhchild.
- The immediate family has the

fhprimary responsibility to care for
fh
orphans.

fh- No matter how important an
occupation you may think you fh
have, children are always more fh
important. fh
- Care and concern for young fh
children is a sign of true great-
ness.

- Losing loved ones develops in

fhthe individual a great sense of
fhappreciation of life and value of

people, all people. This was of

vn244 my faith ...ISLAM

ry particular significance in the life
fh of the Prophet [s] for his was a
fh life dedicated to the wellbeing of
all people. His concern for

fh humanity was unequaled.
fh
fh - Good character is the most
fh admirable attribute.
- All people are attracted to those
who possess good character.

fh - The coming of the Last Prophet,
fh Nabi Muhammad [s], was pre-
fh dicted in the previous Books of
Allah.

fh - Most Christians during the time
fh of Nabi Muhammad [s] embraced
fh Islam because of their knowl-
fh edge of his coming, as we will
learn later.
- Among the Christians we find
the most faithful, pure hearts,

fh (even today) who no sooner see
Islam but embrace it.

fh
vn - Travelling is the best way to

my faith ...ISLAM 245

gain knowledge of the world. ry
fh
fh
- All Prophets are accompanied fh
by miracles. fh
- Miracles strengthen the faith
and bring joy only to the pure of
heart.

- Christian monks avoid the com- fh
pany of other people. Muslims, fh
on the other hand, are command- fh
ed to mix with all people, and to fh
influence them positively. This is fh
called Da’wah. fh
fh
- Prophets are given exceptional
wisdom and are inspired even
from an early age.
- Even as children, Prophets

never commit shirk, believing in

fhother gods or idols.
fh

- All Prophets are apposed by the

fhenemies of true religion.

- The greatest enemies of

fhProphets are the Jews.
vn246 my faith ...ISLAM

ry This man is lost. Can you help him find his
way safely through the desert? Take a colour pencil
ACTIVITIES and draw a line along the correct path to lead him to

fh the city of Busra. Thereafter colour-in the picture.
fh
fh
fh The city of Busrah is in
which country today ?

.......................................

fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
fh
Start Here!

fhTComments Why is the camel
f☺ h☺ called ‘the ship of

the desert’ ?
...............................
...............................

vn my faith ...ISLAM 247