A long time ago, in a city called Makkah, a very special boy was born. His name was Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). He was born on a Monday. His father’s name was Abdullah and his mother’s name was Aminah. But before Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was born, his father passed away. His mother was very sad, but she loved her very much. She named him Muhammad. Muhammad is a beautiful name. It means “the praised one.” Everyone in the family was happy when he was born. A kind woman named Halimah took care of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) for some time. She took him to the village, where the air was clean and the people were kind. Halimah loved him very much. Muhammad was a gentle and happy baby. He did not cry too much. He smiled and played kindly. People said he was a special child.
When Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was about six years old, his mother, Aminah, also passed away. Now Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had no mother and no father. But he was not alone. His kind grandfather Abdul Muttalib took care of him. Abdul Muttalib loved him a lot. But when Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was eight years old, his grandfather also passed away. Then his uncle Abu Talib took care of him. Abu Talib was kind and good. He treated Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)like his own son. As a boy, Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was kind, honest, and smart. He never told a lie. He never shouted. He shared his food. He helped the poor. He took care of animals. People called him Al-Ameen, which means “The Trustworthy.” That means everyone trusted him. Everyone knew he told the truth.
When Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) grew up, he became a strong and handsome young man. He worked hard. He helped people. He became a merchant. A merchant is someone who buys and sells things. He always told the truth in his work. He never cheated. A rich and kind woman named Khadijah saw how honest he was. She asked him to work for her. He did a great job. She was so happy with him. Later, Khadijah asked Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم) to marry her. Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم) said yes. They got married. Khadijah loved him very much, and he loved her. She was his first wife, and she was the first person to believe in him when he became a prophet. They had children together and lived happily.
Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) liked to think. He liked to sit alone and pray. He would go to a cave called Hira. He would sit in the cave and think about Allah. He did not like how the people in Makkah were behaving. Many people in Makkah were doing bad things. They were praying to idols. They were not kind to each other. They were mean to the poor. They did not help others. Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) knew this was wrong. One day, while he was in the cave, something amazing happened. Angel Jibreel came to him. The angel said, “Read!” Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was scared. He said, “I cannot read.” But the angel hugged him and said again, “Read!” This happened three times. Then the angel told him that Allah had chosen him to be a Prophet. That means Allah gave him a job to teach the people.
At first, Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was very scared. But Khadijah helped him. She said, “You are a good man. Allah will help you.” Then Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) started to tell people about Islam. Islam means peace. Islam teaches us to believe in one God, Allah, and to do good things. He told people to stop worshiping idols. He said, “Only Allah is the true God.” He said, “Be kind to each other. Help the poor. Speak the truth. Do not cheat.” Some people were happy to hear the truth. But many people were angry. They did not want to stop worshiping idols. They did not want to change. They were mean to the Prophet. They laughed at him. They threw stones at him. But he never got angry. He never hurt anyone. He was patient and kind.
The Prophet’s followers were called Muslims. They believed in Allah. They prayed. They gave to the poor. But the bad people in Makkah still tried to hurt them. So one day, Allah told the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) to move to another city. The name of that city was Madinah. The Muslims left Makkah and went to Madinah. This move is called the Hijrah. The people of Madinah were happy to welcome the Prophet. They loved him. They listened to him. In Madinah, Islam grew strong. Many people became Muslims. They loved the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). They saw how kind he was. He always smiled. He shared his food. He forgave people. He taught them how to pray, how to fast, and how to be good.
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) taught the Muslims to pray five times a day. He taught them to fast in the month of Ramadan. He taught them to give Zakat, which means helping the poor with money. He told them to go for Hajj if they could. These are the Five Pillars of Islam. He also taught them to be kind to animals, to speak softly, and to take care of their parents. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “The best of you is the one who is best to his family.” He loved children. When he saw children, he smiled and said kind words. He let children sit with him. He played with them. He told people to love orphans and be kind to them.
Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was a very clean person. He always kept his clothes neat. He brushed his teeth. He smelled nice. He told others to wash before praying. He said, “Cleanliness is part of faith.” He also told people to be good neighbors. He said, “If your neighbor is hungry, and you are full, that is not good.” He wanted everyone to care for each other. He loved peace. Even when people were mean to him, he forgave them. One day, a lady who used to throw trash at him got sick. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) went to visit her. She was surprised. She said, “You are a good man.” She became Muslim.
After many years, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and the Muslims went back to Makkah. There were many people with him. They thought he would fight the people who were mean to him. But he did not fight. He forgave them. He said, “Today, I forgive you all.” The people of Makkah were so touched. Many of them became Muslims. They said, “Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is a true prophet.” Islam grew and spread to many places. People in many countries became Muslim because of his good example.
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) lived a simple life. He did not have a big house. He did not have lots of money. He sat on the floor. He ate simple food. He thanked Allah for everything. He used to pray at night. He cried when he made dua for his people. He asked Allah to forgive them. He cared about everyone. He was gentle and soft-hearted. One day, when he was 63 years old, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) became sick. His last words were, “Pray, and be kind to the people who are under your care.” Then he passed away. His friends and family were very sad. But they remembered his words. They remembered his love. They kept following Islam. And Islam continued to grow.
We love our Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). He is the last prophet. There will be no prophet after him. He showed us how to be good. He taught us how to live. He gave us the Quran. The Quran is the holy book from Allah. We read it to learn what is right. We follow the Sunnah, which means the way of the Prophet. When we say his name, we say “Sallallahu alaihi wasallam,” because we love him. He is our teacher, our guide, and our example.
Let us remember what we learned. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was born in Makkah. His father died before he was born. His mother died when he was young. His grandfather and uncle took care of him. He was kind, honest, and gentle. People called him Al-Ameen. He became a prophet when he was 40 years old. Angel Jibreel gave him the message. He taught people to worship Allah. He was kind to the poor, children, and animals. He moved to Madinah. He forgave people. He smiled. He cleaned. He prayed. He taught us everything good. He passed away, but his message is still with us.
We should try to be like him. We should tell the truth. We should pray. We should help others. We should smile. We should love the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and follow his way. Let us say together: “I love Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). I want to be kind like him. I want to follow Islam.”