subject	Leadership
topic	Muhammed
grade	Five
time	30 minutes
objective	To enable students to understand who Prophet Muhammed is, and what some of his teachings are.
instructional material	Info Sheet 5e - Muhammed Question Sheet 5e - Muhammed

INTRODUCTION

Historians describe him as calm and meditative. Muhammad never felt fully content to be part of a society whose values he considered to be devoid of true religious significance. It became his habit to retreat from time to time to the cave of Hira', to meditate near the summit of Jabal al-Nur, the "Mountain of Light", near Mecca. At the age of 40, while engaged in one such meditative retreat, Muhammad received his first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is known as the Qur'an, the faithful recording of the entire revelation of God. The first revelation read:

"Recite: In the name of your Lord Who created man from a clot (of blood). Recite: Your Lord is Most Noble, Who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know." [96:1-5]

DEVELOPMENT

Read the Info Sheet with the students.

REINFORCING ACTIVITIES

Let the students work on the Question sheet.

INFO SHEET 5e – Muhammed

Prophet Muhammad was an illiterate but wise and well-respected man who was born in Mecca in the year 570 C.E. His first years were marked by the deaths of his parents. Since his father died before his birth, his uncle, Abu Talib, from the respected tribe of Quraysh, raised him. As Muhammad grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so he was usually asked to pose as impartial judge in disputes. His reputation and personal qualities also led to his marriage, at the age of twenty-five, to Khadijah, a widow whom he had assisted in business. From then, he became an important and trusted citizen of Mecca.

"Recite: In the name of your Lord Who created man from a clot (of blood). Recite: Your Lord is Most Noble, Who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know." [96:1-5]

The first convert to Islam was Khadijah, whose support and companionship gave the Prophet reassurance and strength. He also won the support of some of his relatives and friends. There were a few basic themes of the early message : the majesty of the One Unique God, the futility of idol worship, the threat of judgment, and the necessity of faith, compassion and morality in human affairs. All these themes represented an attack on the materialism and idolatry prevalent in Mecca at the time. So when he began to proclaim the message to others the Meccans rejected him. He and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution, which grew so fierce that in the year 622 C.E., God gave them the command to emigrate. This event, the Hijrah (migration), in which they left Mecca for the city of Medina, some 260 miles to the north, marked the beginning of a new era and thus the beginning of the Muslim calendar.

During his suffering, Muhammad drew comfort from the knowledge revealed to him about other prophets, such as Abraham, Joseph, and Moses, each of whom had also been persecuted and tested. After several years and some significant battles, the Prophet and his followers were able to return to Mecca, where they forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively. By the time the Prophet died, at the age of 63, the greater part of Arabia had accepted Islam, and within a century of his death, Islam had spread as far west as Spain and as far east as China. It was clear that the message was not limited to Arabs; it was for the whole of humanity. The Prophet's sayings (Hadith), are also believed to be revelation. The number of sayings collected by his followers and scholars is about 10,000. Some typical examples of his sayings are as follows:

"To pursue knowledge is obligatory on every believing (man and woman)." [Ibn Majah]

"Removing a harmful thing from the road is charity." [Bukhari, Muslim]

"Those who do not show tenderness and love cannot expect to have tenderness shown to them." [Bukhari]

"Adore Allah (God) as though you see Him; even if you do not see Him, He nonetheless sees you." {Bukhari, Muslim]

Although Muhammad is deeply loved, revered and emulated by Muslims as God's final messenger, he is not an object of worship.

QUESTION SHEET 5e – Muhammed

Choose one of these items to work on:

1) Give a short biography of Prophet Muhammed.

2) Choose three of Prophet Muhammed’s sayings, and explain why you like them.

3) Describe any one of the miracles that happened during Prophet Muhammed’s lifetime.

4) Using a world map, show all the countries that were part of the Islamic Empire.