pre-Islamic Arabia
How did Arabs in pre-Islamic Arabia treat orphans and the poor?
Badly!
The rich would unfairly take the wealth of the orphans. The poor would usually not get justice.
What were the names of the mother, father, and paternal grandfather of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him?
Mother: Amina
Father: Abdullah
Paternal grandfather: Abdul Muttalib
True or false: The "splitting of the chest" incident, when angels came to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, when he was a child, opened his chest, and washed his heart with ZamZam water was a dream and didn't actually happen.
FALSE! The Prophet, peace be upon him, told his companions about this incident when he was an adult.
It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) that that Jibreel came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was playing with the other boys. He took hold of him and threw him to the ground, then he opened his chest and took out his heart, from which he took a clot of blood and said: “This was the Shaytaan’s share of you.” Then he washed it in a vessel of gold that was filled with Zamzam. Then he put it back together and returned it to its place. The boys went running to his mother – meaning his nurse – and said: Muhammad has been killed! They went to him and his colour had changed. Anas said: I used to see the mark of that stitching on his chest."
Who was the very first person to accept the message of Islam, after the Prophet himself?
Khadijah, radiyallahu anha (his wife)
What is a hadith? What is the sunnah?
A hadith is something the Prophet, peace be upon him said, such as an incident or story he told others about.
The sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is his habits, customs, and what he encouraged or approved of. For example, it is a sunnah to take a bath/shower on Friday (Jummuah).
True or false - there were some Christians and Jews living in Arabia, but Christianity did not have much of an effect.
True!
Who was the "nurse-mother" of the Prophet, peace be upon him, who raised him in the desert, away from the city of Makka?
She experienced miraculous blessings just because of the presence of Baby Muhammad (SAW).
Halima as-Sa'diyya
How did Khadija (R.A.) get to know who Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was and test his character?
She hired him to work for her and sent him on a business trip with her servant, Maysarah. She had also heard people say good things about him.
True or false: as soon as Allah (SWT) sent down the first verses of the Qur'an, the Prophet (peace be upon him) started telling everyone he knew about the message of Islam immediately.
FALSE! At first, he was extremely scared and overwhelmed by the revelation. Then, after the second revelation, he began quietly and privately calling people to Islam. Only after 3 years did he go public.
What is a "martyr" or "shahid" in Islam?
A martyr is someone killed for standing up for or fighting for their religion. They have a very high status in Jannah. (There are also other types of martyrs/ways to become a martyr, according to hadith of the Prophet SAW)
What was the name of the tribe that the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his family came from, which was one of the most influential tribes in Arabia?
What was significant about the year in which the Prophet, peace be upon him, was born? What memorable event took place in Makka? Describe that event.
The Year of the Elephant.
During this year, Abraha, the ruler of Yemen at the time, brought an army of elephants to destroy the Ka'bah and was unsuccessful due to Allah's intervention. Allah sent a swarm of birds to pelt Abraha and his army with stones, destroying them.
What were some of the professions/jobs that the Prophet, peace be upon him, did prior to becoming the Messenger of Allah?
Shepherd and businessman/merchant/trader
What was the "Period of Silence"? How long was it?
The Period of Silence was a time between the first revelation of Qur'an and the next revelation. The Prophet, peace be upon him, was scared that Allah (SWT) was upset with him and concerned by the pause in revelation. Some say this lasted for a few days, some say for a few weeks, and some say for a few months.
What is the name of the famous poem written by Imam al-Busiri that was inspired to him in a dream? Hint: we listened to this in class!
The Burdah
(Mawlaya salli wa sallim...)
What were some of the positive aspects of Arab culture?
Arabs at the time were known for their hospitality and sense of loyalty. They valued tribal ties and loyalty. They also valued poetry and lineage.
What is the name of the Islamic month that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was born in?
Rabi' al-Awwal
What was one of the nicknames of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, due to his trustworthiness?
Al-Amin ("the Trustworthy")
The first revelation of Qur'an sent to RasulAllah on __________ (name of the night this happened) was __________ (the words of the first revelation) from Surah _________.
Laylat al-Qadr - the Night of Power
"Iqra!" - read
Surah Alaq
What is the meaning of the salawat we say in our 5 daily prayers?
Allahumma salli ala Muhammadin wa ala aali Muhammad, kamal sallayta ala Ibrahim wa ala aali Ibrahim, innaka Hameedum Majeed.Oh Allah, send your prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as you have sent prayers upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, for indeed You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious.
What is the word used to describe the period before Islam came to Arabia where people engaged in corrupt, bad practices such as killing their female babies? hint: it also means "ignorance"
Jahiliyyah
Who was the woman who was there when the Prophet, peace be upon him, was born and when he died, and took care of him and loved him dearly?
Hint: she accompanied Amina and the young Muhammad (peace be upon him) when they went to visit his father's grave and Amina passed away.
Umm Ayman (AKA Baraka)
Sayyida Khadija and RasulAllah (peace be upon him) had 6 children together, 2 who died very young. Name at least 3 of their children.
(name at least 3!)
Name 3 or more early believers (people who accepted Islam early on in the Prophet's mission to spread Islam).
Khadijah (RA)
Zayd ibn Haritha (RA)
Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA)
Summayah bint Khabbat (wife of Yasir), Yasir bin Amir, and their son Ammar bin Yasir
Why do we study the life of our Prophet, peace be upon him, AKA the Seerah？
To know someone is to love them, and we want to love our Prophet (peace be upon him) because loving him means loving Allah (SWT).
We want to be able to learn from his life and the challenges he went through.
We want to learn from his character to be better human beings.
(And so many more reasons!)