In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
USOOL AD-DEEN
(ROOTS OF RELIGION)
FOR CHILDREN
The "Usool ad-Deen" course has been put together by volunteer experts and teachers in the Mohammad (PBUH) Scientific and Cultural Foundation Center for Kids and Teens (Khaane Koodak va Nojavan in Farsi). This course is appropriate for children between the ages of 8 to 12. It aims to make students familiar with the basics of Shia Islam, including beliefs and doctrine...
Lesson 11: The Shared Mission of All the Prophets
(Nubuwwah – Part 2)
Written by: Zahra Moradi
Translated by: Mahla Rezaee andAli Mansouri
Edited by: Marzie Salehi
Note to Instructor: We should respect people from all religions, races, and ethnicities.
Content:
Last lesson, we talked about Nubuwwah and explained that God, the Most Kind, has sent 124,000 of His most kind and moral servants as prophets to guide people. The first of them was Prophet Adam (AS) and the last of them was Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
{Here, the teacher should recite a Salawat to remind the children of last week’s commitment.}
The prophets came at different times, but all of them had a single message; that there is only One God, He has created all things, and everything is under His power and control (Laa ilaha illaAllah). Anyone who wants to be happy, successful, and ultimately go to heaven should worship this One God and follow His instructions.
In addition to inviting people to worship the One God and follow religion, the prophets had another important mission. This was to acknowledge the previous prophets and bring forth the good news of the final Prophet, Muhammad (PBUH). {say a loud Salawat}
Every previous prophet told their people the good news that God will send the best and most compassionate Prophet, named Muhammad (i.e. praiseworthy), to complete religion. Humanity would achieve permanent happiness and success if it followed him. These prophets informed people about signs of his Prophethood such as his characteristics, behaviors, his family, where he born, what things would happen with his coming, and his successors. They explained that God, the Most Kind, loves the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and has stated that whoever wants God to love them should love and follow Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).[1]
Then each prophet asked their followers to pledge to accept, support, and follow Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) if they are alive during his time.
But there is always a group of people who follow Satan instead of God and His prophets. Throughout history, every time a prophet passed away, a group of people would spread the lie that their prophet was the final prophet and their religion was the final religion. They would bring themselves forward as the successors to the previous prophet and state that there will be no more prophets after this.
Gradually, some people would be tricked by these lies and believe that their prophet was the last one and no other prophet would come after them. For example, one group of people accepted the Prophethood of Prophet Moses (AS), but not the later prophets like Prophet Jesus (AS) and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The group of people that only accepts Prophets until Prophet Moses (AS) and not later ones are called Jews and their religion is called Judaism.
Another example is the group of people who accept Prophet Jesus (AS) but state that there is no prophet after him. Their religion is called Christianity.
There is another group of people who accept both Prophet Moses (AS) and Prophet Jesus (AS) and also believe in the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as the last prophet. These people are called Muslims and their religion is called Islam.
We have learned from our kind Prophet to be kind and respectful to everyone. Although our religion is different from the religion of Jews and Christians and many people do not accept Muhammad (PBUH) as a prophet, all of us are servants of the same God and thus must be kind to all people.
Dear students, our behaviors and actions when following our Prophet will demonstrate the kindness and morality of our Prophet, and the good things Islam teaches, to other people. If we behave kindly and respectfully, it would encourage other people to learn more about our good Prophet and religion, and this can lead them to find out the truth.
To conclude, it is always worth remembering that you, as a Muslim, should behave with kindness and friendliness as well as justice and morality with all people, no matter what their religion is. We have learned this from our Prophet’s behavior.
[1] A reference to the verse,
"قُل إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّه"
meaning, “[Oh Prophet to the people] Say, if you love God, then follow me so that God also loves you”: The Holy Quran, Surah Āl ʻImrān, Verse 31.
