The Prophet Muhammad

Religious Studies: KS3, topic 1.1.21

Muhammad is the final prophet in Islam. Allah revealed to him the verses of the Qur'an, the holy book for Muslims.

On Mount Hira in the year 610CE, Muhammad had an experience that completely changed his life.
Muhammad would spend a lot of time praying and meditating in a cave.
The Angel Jibril (Gabriel) appears to Muhammad and proclaimed, “Iqra!” meaning, “Read!”.
The Prophet Muhammad told the angel that he was not a reader.
This continued three times. At this point, Jibril starts to teach Muhammad lessons from Allah.

The prophet did not know how to read nor write.
After prophet Muhammad died, Ali ibn abi Talib had collected the Qur'an and wrote it down as a book.
There are 30 parts in the Qur'an, which make 114 "suras" (chapters). Each sura has a different number of verses. The first chapter is used daily during prayer.
The Qur'an has been written and read only in Arabic for more than 1,400 years. The Qur'an is used with the hadith to interpret sharia law/religious law.
During the holy month of Ramadan, many Muslims will read the Qur’an, some even try to learn all the text by heart.

When Muhammad first started teaching the lessons he learned to others, he faced opposition.
The rich & powerful tribal leaders did not want to hear about charity and compassion for the weaker members of society.
They also did not want the restrictions he preached. Such as no alcohol or to stop their belief in lots of gods and idols.
Eventually, Islam has grown into a distinct and powerful world religion. With over 1 billion followers today throughout the world.

Test yourself on The Prophet Muhammad