Lesson video

Hi there, my young scholars of religion, my name is Ms. Marx and I'm going to be your religious education teacher today.

Today we're going to be doing all about Muslim beliefs to do with the Prophet Muhammad as the Seal of the Prophets and a very important prophet within Islam.

So when you're ready, let's go.

So by the end of the lesson today, you'll be able to explain the role and importance of the Prophet Muhammad in Islam.

So let's start with our key terms then.

Hadith, accounts of what the Prophet Muhammad did and said.

Jibril, an angel who delivered revelations to the Prophet Muhammad.

Seal of the Prophets, a title given to the Prophet Muhammad as the final Prophet of Islam.

Sunnah, teachings and practises of Prophet Muhammad.

Messenger, a prophet given a scripture in Islam.

So look out for those in today's lesson.

So our lesson today will have three sections.

Prophet Muhammad as the Seal of the Prophets.

The Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad.

And the importance of the Prophet Muhammad.

So let's start with our first section then, Prophet Muhammad as the Seal of the Prophets.

What is similar about these phrases? A sealed jar, signed, sealed, delivered, and seal the deal.

Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you've come up with in a moment.

While all of these talk about sealing as something complete, finished, safe and secure, a jar that's been sealed or an envelope that's been sealed before it's sent away, and then two people who've like decided and agreed upon a deal and then they've sealed it.

So it's something about it being complete and finished and also that sense of it being safe and secure.

So we can think about that as we think about the phrase Seal of the Prophets that's given to the Prophet Muhammad.

So within Islam there are many prophets who have come with different revelations from Allah and we can see here some of the important prophets within Islam.

We've got Adam, Ibrahim, Ismail, and then Muhammad.

And we can see here some of them are connected through many generations, some of them directly through birth, being the father of the other prophet.

And we can see how they're connected to one another.

And we've got Muhammad here at the end.

The Qur'an names 25 prophets who had messages from Allah for humanity.

So Allah has communicated to humanity through these messages, given these revelations given to these messengers.

And many Muslims believe there've been more than that, that aren't mentioned.

The Qur'an mentions 25, but often the Muslim will believe there's been more than that, but we don't know the names of them.

The Prophet Muhammad was born from the family line of Prophet Ibrahim through his son Ismail.

The Prophet Muhammad is the final prophet and messenger.

So there have been other prophets, we've got 25 named in the Qur'an, but the Prophet Muhammad is the final one and the final messenger who was given the scripture, which we're going to think about.

So what could it mean then to call the Prophet Muhammad the Seal of the Prophets? Pause the video and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, the prophets before the Prophet Muhammad had specific messages to specific people and tribes, so specific nations, tribes, and peoples had their messages from Allah given to them.

So for example, Ibrahim had a message for King Nimrod and the idolaters.

So people who were worshipping idols at the time, he had this message for them to no longer do that.

Musa, the prophet, had a message for the Pharaoh of Egypt to let the Israelite people free.

And this was the message for the Pharaoh that was given to Musa from God.

And then Isa had a message for the children of Israel.

So Isa had his message, the gospel that was given from Allah to Isa to give to those people.

So these were specific places and times and peoples who had these specific messages.

However, a Muslim misbelieve the message the Prophet Muhammad was given was for all humanity for all time.

So sometimes he's called the Messenger, although there have been other messengers, sometimes he has that title showing that he had a message perhaps that's for everybody rather than specific times and places and peoples.

So the title Seal of the Prophet means this message completes all the other revelations.

It's a message for all humankind.

It corrects the corruptions of previous revelations.

So some of those revelations like to Ibrahim, Musa and Isa for example, may have been corrupted and changed over time.

And the revelation of Prophet Muhammad had is the correct version of the events that happened to do with those prophets.

The Seal of the Prophets means that he's born from that line of other prophets.

So it's not a brand new message that's completely different, it's from that line of prophets, it's not something completely separate and brand new.

And also it means there'll be no more prophets because that's it, the revelation is complete now and it's sealed a bit like we had the sealed jar or an envelope that's now sealed.

It's finished that sense of new revelations coming and the revelation is now complete.

Let's do a quick check.

Is this true or false? Muslims believe Allah will send more prophets after the Prophet Muhammad.

Is that true or false? Pause video and have a think and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

That is false, but why? Well, it's false because the Prophet Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets.

It means he's the final prophet.

There'll be no more after him.

Well done.

So where can we look to to understand this belief a bit more and this title Seal of the Prophets? Well, we're gonna look to the Qur'an as the ultimate authority and that ultimate revelation for Muslims. And in the Qur'an is Surah 33 it says, "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men; but he is the messenger of God, and the Seal of the Prophets." So here we've got that phrase, haven't we? What does this quote show Muslims about the Prophet Muhammad? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what we've come up within in a moment.

We've got here that he is a messenger and the Seal of the Prophets.

Prophet Muhammad is a messenger with a message from Allah to people, but also the Seal of the Prophets, something about being the final complete message that's given to him.

And here's another source of authority that Muslims will look to to understand these different beliefs.

And it's the Hadith.

So the Hadith is things that Prophet Muhammad said and did that was recorded and remembered from people who were around at the time.

And he said, "My similitude in comparison with the other prophets before me, is that of a man who has built a house nicely and beautifully, except for a place of one brick in a corner.

The people go about it and wonder at its beauty, but say, 'Would that this brick be put in its place!' So I am that brick, and I'm the last of the Prophets." So I love this image here of being a house that's been made so beautifully and crafted and it's a beautiful house that people love to look at, but there's just one thing missing to just finish it off to just complete it.

So what could this tell us about the idea of Prophet Muhammad being the Seal of the Prophets then? Pause the video and have a think and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well done, well here we've got this idea that the other prophets who came before had built the house nicely.

So those revelations and those examples of those prophets still count and still matter and are good examples and revelations to look to.

But the Prophet Muhammad completes this and is that final one brick put in place, well done.

So let's do another check, in which Muslim source of authority was it said the Prophet Muhammad was like a final brick being placed into the corner of a wall? Which one was that? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, that was the Hadith.

So let's do a task to see what we've learned so far then.

Using this image as a prompt of our letter that's being sealed, explain what is meant by the title Seal of the Prophets being given to the Prophet Muhammad in three sentences? And you might like to use these sentence stems, there are 25 named prophets in the Qur'an and Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets because.

The earlier prophets of Islam had messages for different people but.

And the Prophet Muhammad used the example of a brick house to show.

So you can use those to start your sentences off.

You're gonna do three sentences about what it means to call the Prophet Muhammad the Seal of the Prophets.

Pause the video, off you go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, some really good thinking there.

So I asked you to use the image of the envelope being sealed as a prompt to explain what's meant by the title Seal of the Prophets being given to the Prophet Muhammad? And your answers might include, there are 25 named prophets of the Qur'an and Muhammad is the Seal of the Prophets because he's the final prophet with a message that completes the messages given to the other prophets.

The earlier prophets of Islam had messages for different people, but the message given to the Prophet Muhammad was for all of humanity.

The Prophet Muhammad uses the example of a brick house to show that his message completed the message of all the other prophets.

The revelation to the Prophet Muhammad completed the house.

Well done, so now onto our second section then, the Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad.

The Shahadah is a statement of faith for Muslims and you might know this statement of faith, and here I've got an image with somebody holding it.

Often you might have it in Muslim's house, the Shahadahh being written or could be on the entrance of a mosque.

It's a really important statement of faith for Muslims. So let's see what it says.

It says, "There's no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." So here we've got that there's only one God, the idea of tawhid and the unity and oneness of God.

And then we've got ham is the Messenger of Allah.

What can this show us about the role and importance of the Prophet Muhammad then if this is the statement of faith for Muslims? Pause video and have a think.

You can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, if Prophet Muhammad is mentioned in this statement of faith for Muslims then, that shows us the importance he has connected to the message that is given to us from Allah through the revelations that he had.

So let's understand what that revelation is a bit more now.

the Prophet Muhammad was born in the year 570 CE in the city of Makkah.

In the city is the Ka'aba, a sacred cube shaped building that is the site where many Muslims believe Adam, the first human worshipped Allah.

By the time the Prophet Muhammad, the people there were worshipping many gods and idols.

The Prophet Muhammad didn't want to take part in this worship, but would often leave to meditate and reflect alone instead.

In the year 610 CE, during the month of Ramadan, when he was 40 years old, Muhammad retreated to meditate and reflect in the Cave of Hira on the Mountain of Light where the angel Jibril appeared to him and instructed him to icra the words of Allah, which can be translated as recite or read.

And this is now known as the beginnings of the revelations of the Qur'an.

After this experience, Mohammad spoke with his wife Khadijah about what happened.

She reassured him that this was from God and she's thought to be the first person to convert to Islam due to these revelations.

The first revelation was revealed on what is often known as the Night of Power and is celebrated by many Muslims during the month of Ramadan.

So the Prophet Muhammad had the revelations of the Qur'an first when he was in the Cave of Hirah and this is celebrated as the Night of Power when Jibril came to him and commanded him to recite with that message from Allah.

And he's seen as a really good example to follow as the messenger of Allah.

He was there meditating because he didn't want to worship many gods and do the idolatry and the polytheism that people were doing at the Ka'aba at that point.

He didn't want to and he was a great example for Muslims to follow.

And here in the Qur'an it says this, "You have an excellent example of the messenger of God; for anyone who seeks God and the Last Day, and remembers God frequently." So what could this tell us about the role and importance of the Prophet Muhammad then? Pause video and have a think and we'll see what you've come up with in a moment.

Well this shows us he's an excellent example and his example will help anyone who's seeking God and the Last Day.

Let's do a quick check, which angel was involved in the revelations of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad on the Night of Power.

Pause video and have a think and we'll see what you come up with in a moment.

Well done, it was Jibril.

So for the next 13 years the Prophet Muhammad was living in Makkah and continued to have revelations with the Qur'an.

Many others joined Khadija in converting to Islam and they became the first Muslims and companions of the Prophet Muhammad.

The message of tawhid, the oneness of God, was a challenge to the polytheistic society in Makkah And Muhammad and the first Muslims face some persecution.

In the year 622, Muhammad and some Muslims living in Makkah migrated to a city nearby, which is now known as Madinahh.

This event is known as the Hijrah, the migration, and Islamic calendar is dated from this year, 622 CE.

The revelations of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad continued after this for another 10 years.

At first, the revelations of the Qur'an were memorised and recited by the Prophet Muhammad and his companions and after his death, the early leaders of Islam compiled these recitations into a codified book, which is now read today by Muslims as the Qur'an.

So what source of authority can we turn to to understand the importance of the Qur'an and how this relates to the Prophet Muhammad then? Well in the Qur'an it says in Surah 5, "Today I have perfected your religion for you, and completed my favour upon you, and have approved Islam as a religion for you." So what terms in this passage support the belief that the Qur'an is that final revelation to humanity leading to the Prophet Muhammad being the Seal of the Prophets then? What words in here could help us understand that belief more? Pause the video and have a think and you can talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well done, here we've got perfected, completed and approved, this sense that it's the final revelation that is now complete and is ready there as a religion for people.

So we got perfected, completed and approved, well done.

Let's do another check.

The Prophet Muhammad wrote the Qur'an before he died.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a go.

We'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, that is false, isn't it? But why? Well, because the revelations of the Qur'an were recited by Muhammad to others and memorised in full before he died by himself and others.

He didn't write it but he recited it to others.

Well done.

So let's do another practise task to see what we've learned then.

Sam is explaining part of what she might write in answer to the question, "Describe Muslim beliefs about the Prophet Muhammad and the revelation of the Qur'an." She has made four mistakes.

She's gonna rewrite her explanations so that it's correct.

"One Muslim belief is that the Qur'an was written by the Prophet Muhammad because he was a perfect example for Muslims to follow.

This means that Muslims could trust the words of the Qur'an as the words of Allah and not follow the example of Muhammad to live out their religion.

Another Muslim belief is that the Prophet Muhammad had the revelation of the Qur'an to be the unfinished religion for people to follow because it says in the Hadith, 'Today I have perfected my religion for you and have approved Islam as a religion for you.

'" So there are four mistakes in that.

You're going to rewrite it and correct the mistakes as you go.

Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, I asked you to rewrite Sam's explanation so that it is correct and you could have said "One Muslim belief is the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad," not written by, because he was a perfect example for Muslims to follow.

This means that Muslims can trust the words of the Qur'an as the words of Allah and follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad," following his example, "to live out their religion.

Another Muslim belief is that the Prophet Muhammad had the revelation of the Qur'an to be the complete religion for people to follow." Remember as the Seal of the Prophets, it's now a complete religion.

"Because it says in the Qur'an, 'Today I have perfected your religion for you and approved Islam as a religion for you.

'" Because Sam had said the wrong source for where she'd got that quote from.

So well done.

So onto our third and final section then, the importance of the Prophet Muhammad.

So the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad are known as sunnah and these are known through collections of Hadith.

Jamila and Hassan are gonna explain to us how the Hadith reflects that importance of the Prophet Muhammad.

Jamila says, "The Qur'an instructs me to do important things, but the Hadith tells me how to do them in the way the Prophet Muhammad did them." So the Qur'an has the instruction to do something, but for Jamila to know how to do it, she can look to the example of the Prophet Muhammad.

Hassan says, "The Prophet Muhammad applied the teachings of the Qur'an to many aspects of life and the Hadith shows me how." So there's teachings in the Qur'an that the Prophet Muhammad then applied to different parts of life so that Muslims can look to that example in the Hadith to see how to do it too.

So how does the Hadith then relate to the role and importance of the Prophet Muhammad? Pause the video and have a think.

And you can reread what Jamila and Hassan have said.

Talk to the person next to you or talk to me.

Well, for the Hadith to be a source of authority that guides Muslims and how to live their faith, it must show us how important Prophet Muhammad is when these Hadith are based on him and his actions.

Thank you, Jamila and Hassan.

However, different groups of Muslims might accept different collections of the Hadith as being the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad.

So did he really say and do those things that's in the Hadith? The Qur'an is the complete revelation from Allah.

All different types of Muslims accept the Qur'an as the revelation from Allah and the words of Allah.

But different groups of Muslims accept different collections of Hadith as being authoritative and actually being the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad.

It can be understood like this.

The Prophet Muhammad was the perfect example for how to follow Islam.

His family and companions remembered what he said and did and this was passed from person to person until it was decided what to compile, what was authentic, what did he actually say and do? These stories and narrations were passed down from person to person and then it had to come to decision as to which things did he actually say and do.

So different collections of Hadith are accepted as authorities of different groups of Muslims who accept how those collections were put together.

So there's a real science to why some Hadith are seen as more authoritative and actually sunnah as compared to other Hadith.

Let's look at an example.

So different collections of Hadith having authority for different Muslims can lead to some diversity in practises.

We can see this in the ways that different Muslims might live out their faith, each believing that they are following what the Prophet Muhammad did as sunnah.

And we can see this through the different collections of Hadith.

So for example, the Qur'an says in Surah 2 "Seek help through patience and prayers." So the Qur'an instructs Muslims to pray.

To know how to pray, Muslims will look to Hadith to understand what actions did the Prophet Muhammad do, how did he pray? Where did he put his hands? What positions was he in? And we can see here with Rasool and Iqbal praying together that they might have a different understanding of what the Prophet Muhammad did.

Some collections of Hadith say the Prophet Muhammad crossed his right arm over his left during prayer.

Some Hadith say that.

Other Hadith collections say the Prophet Muhammad prayed with his hands by his sides during prayer.

So it depends which collection of Hadith you might see as authoritative and the sunah of the Prophet Muhammadmed as to what you might do with your hands during prayer.

And we can see that with Rasool and Iqbal here that they might have different collections of Hadith that they see as having authority.

So time for another check then.

Is this true or false? All Muslims accept all Hadith as being the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad and having or authority.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

That is false, isn't it? Although the Hadith is authoritative for Muslims, we can't say that all Muslims accept all Hadith as being the sunnah.

So as being the genuine actions of the Prophet Muhammad.

Different groups of Muslims may accept different collections of Hadith as being authentic and the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, well done.

So Sam is asking Rasool now, "Why is the Prophet Muhammad's example important to you Rasool? Rasool says, "I follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad in my life as a Muslim.

He was the perfect example of a Muslim to show us how we can live out the teachings of the holy Qur'an.

He was chosen by aah because of who he was.

When I do the Ten Obligatory Acts of Islam, I believe I'm following his example." And Rasool is a Shi'a Muslim.

So he believes the actions that he does, the practises he does are following the example of the Prophet Muhammad.

Jacob's asking Sarah now, "Why is the Prophet Muhammad's example important to you, Sarah?" And Sarah says, "I know by looking to the example of the Prophet Muhammad I can find guidance for how to live out my religion day-to-day.

The Prophet Muhammad was a person who lived in community with others and a family man.

This means I have examples from his life for how I can live today.

When I perform the five pillars of Islam, I believe I'm following his example too." And that's Sarah who's a Sunni Muslim.

So she believes as she does her practises, she's following his example.

Thank you Rasool and Sarah.

Rasool and Sarah then have shown us there can be more than one reason why the Prophet Muhammad is important for Muslims. So we're going to give one reason why the Prophet Muhammad is important for Muslims. Mmm, I think it is because then we can read the Qur'an because it is revealed to him.

So we know that this is a special revelation because he was chosen as the Messanger and we can trust that this was the revelation from Allah.

So over to you then, give one reason why the example of the Prophet Muhammad is important for Muslims. Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you're done in a moment.

I've got here, praying as he did or following the different actions that he did.

You could also have doing the Five Pillars of Islam and the Ten Obligatory Acts of Islam, well done.

So let's do another practise task to see what we've learned.

Here is a full evaluation question and Sam has started writing a paragraph for the statement, develop her point with a Muslim teaching and further reasons.

And the statement is, "The Prophet Muhammad is the most important prophet for a Muslim." Evaluate this statement, considering arguments for and against.

In your response you should refer to Muslim teachings.

So we are going to do the section in blue here.

We're going to do a paragraph for and refer to Muslim teachings.

And Sam says, "Some Muslims would agree that Prophet Muhammad is the most important prophet for a Muslim because.

." Pause the video and have a go and we'll see what you've done in a moment.

Well done, some great thinking there.

So I asked you to develop Sam's point with a Muslim teaching and further reasons for the statement and your response might look something like this.

"Some Muslims would agree that the Prophet Muhammad is the most important prophet for Muslim because the Prophet Muhammad was the perfect example for how to live the teachings of the Qur'an.

And the Qur'an is the direct words of Allah.

The Qur'an says that the Prophet Muhammad is an excellent example as the messenger of Allah and Muslims follow his sunnah through using authorities like the Hadith.

The Hadith are collections of traditions of the Prophet Muhammad and not the other prophets of Islam, which shows he is the most important prophet for Muslim." So while done for your hard work there.

So let's summarise what we've learned today then.

Seal of the Prophets, the Prophet Muhammad lived in Makkah in a polytheistic society and was given revelations of the oneness of Allah, tawhid.

The revelations of the Qur'an started on the Night of Power when the Angel Jibril appeared to Muhammad and instructed him to recite.

The Prophet Muhammad was the final prophet who had the final complete revelation from Allah and is the Seal of the Prophets.

The Prophet Muhammad was asked to lead a community in Madinah where the first Muslim society was established.

And the Prophet Muhammad is the perfect example for Muslims to follow.

This is known as the sunnah.

Therefore the Hadith is a source of authority for Muslims. So well done your hard work today, and I hope to see you again soon, bye-bye.