Englished and Recomposed for 5^th graders by Ehab Shawky.

Prologue: Israelites and Ishmaelites are cousins and brethren. Allah chose Prophet Muhammad from among the Ishmaelites. He sent him the archangel that descended upon all previous prophets. The archangel taught the Qur’an to the prophet and helped him memorize it. The Qur’an is Allah’s word and final testament to mankind. The prophet’s duty was to deliver it to all people. It holds guidance and light for mankind. It brought the most protective law for mankind’s prosperity. Applying this law took Arabs from deterioration to leadership. This law built a civilization that changed the world. The right hand is a reference to purity in Islam. Prophet Muhammad taught Muslims to use their right hands in all religious and pure matters.

Pharan was the place where Ishmael and his offspring dwelt. It’s an ancient name of Makkah’s mountains and barren valley. That’s where Prophet Muhammad was born and lived till he received the Qur’an. The mighty men of Makkah and other Arab tribes refused his call. They launched a persecution campaign against the believers. Muslims endured persecution for 13 years. Then Prophet Muhammad received the order to emigrate to Madinah. Muslims emigrated to Madinah escaping with their lives.

Madinah is the richest city in the world with palm trees. Its production of dates is the largest worldwide. During the prophet’s era, it was richer with palm trees than today. Centuries of urban expansion caused the destruction of vast areas of its forests. Nonetheless, it was —and still is— the forest of Arabia. Many Jewish tribes traveled from Sham to Dedan and Tema centuries earlier. They settled there and in Madinah’s outskirts. They were awaiting the promised prophet. Yet, most of them refused to follow Prophet Muhammad. Their racial arrogance got in the way. Anyways, their choice is up to them. May Allah guide us and all people to the truth.

When Muslims arrived at Madinah, they all fell sick. Madinah was known to hold a pestilence called Yathreb’s fever. Lady ‘A’ishah described it as the most pestilential land in Arabia. When the prophet arrived, he invoked Allah to end this pestilence and cure the people. Allah accepted the prophet’s supplication. Muslims were cured and the pestilence disappeared with no return.

The idolaters didn’t let Muslims be. Their leaders sent warnings to Madinites. They threatened to invade Madinah and kill the prophet and his followers. Exactly one year after Muslims’ emigration, they received permission to fight back. They met the idolaters at Badr Wells in their first battle. Against all odds, they were triumphant. Many of the mighty leaders who led the persecution campaign against Muslims died that day. Their false glory failed them. Their idols failed them. The number of the mighty persecutors did diminish. After years of struggle, Arabs embraced Islam. The few tens became tens of thousands.

Prophet Muhammad invited all the kings of his time to Islam. He gave them clear warnings about subjugating their people. Every man should be free to choose his faith. Every man should enjoy the freedom of choice. Some kings accepted the prophet’s call to Islam. Heraclius and Chosroes refused to follow an Arab. Each planned to invade Hejaz and put an end to the rise of Islam. Muslims led the region’s people in their fight for freedom. That was —and still is— their burden. Allah’s cause is freedom for all people from subjugation. As such, Muslims did what others deemed impossible. They defeated both, the Roman and Persian Empires. They drove asunder their hegemony. The companions freed Iraq, Sham, Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, Egypt, Western Asia, and North Africa. A new nation emerged and a new civilization was established. A civilization of faith.

Today, 2 billion Muslims exist on earth. That’s 1 in every 5 people from the earth’s population. There isn’t a country that has no Muslim population. Every day, they profess that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is his messenger tens of times. They praise Muhammad and invoke blessings upon him in every prayer from dawn to nightfall. As the earth revolves, these prayers follow up all over the earth every second of the day. The earth is full of his praise. We can see it with our eyes and hear it with our ears. The old prophecies did come true.

I gave the previous prologue, kids, because our hero tonight was a former rabbi. One of the most knowledgeable among his tribe. He was an Israelite from the offspring of Prophet Joseph. Like many Jewish tribes, his tribe lived near Madinah. They were awaiting the prophet foretold in their holy books.

One day, Rabbi Hasin Ibn Shalom was working in his field. His aunt was resting under a palm tree close by. It was a beautiful calm day. Suddenly, a friend burst into the field. He approached Hasin and said, “Haven’t you heard? The prophet we were waiting for has arrived.”

Hasin shouted joyfully, “Allah is the greatest.”

Hasin’s aunt said, “If it were Moses who had arrived you wouldn’t have been any happier.”

Hasin told her, “O aunt, I swear he is Moses’s brother and following the same faith. He has come to revive the same teachings.”

She asked, “Is he the prophet we were told would be sent before the day of resurrection.”

Hasin said, “I believe he is.”

People were spreading news of the prophet’s arrival. Hasin went looking for him. He longed to meet him. The moment he saw the prophet, he knew full-heartedly this wasn’t a lair. He stood amidst the people and listened to what the prophet was saying. The first thing he heard him say was, “O people, spread peace greetings, feed the needy, respect the ties of kinship, and pray at night while people sleep. Do that, and you will enter paradise peacefully.”

Hasin recognized the prophet’s name and appearance. Yet, as a rabbi, he needed a more solid proof. The awaited prophet must have knowledge laymen don’t have. Hasin was a descendant of a long line of rabbis. He was very well-versed with the knowledge of his predecessors. He gave the matter thorough thinking. A few days later, he visited the prophet at the mosque. He said, “Muhammad, I will ask you about three things that only a true prophet could know. What is the first sign of the judgment day? What is the first food that those who enter paradise will taste? And what makes a child incline to his father’s like or his mother’s like?”

The prophet said, “Gabriel told me of them earlier.”

Hasin said, “Gabriel! That’s the enemy of the Jews among the angels.”

So the prophet recited, “Those who take Gabriel as an enemy, let them know that he brings down the revelations onto your heart by Allah’s will. It is a confirmation of what went before you, a guidance and glad tidings for those who believe.” Then he answered, “The first sign of the judgment day is a fire that will jam the people from the east to the west. The first food of those entering paradise is the lobe of the whale’s liver. Finally, if the male’s fluid exceeds the female’s, the child inclines to his like, but if the female’s fluid exceeds the male’s, the child inclines to her like.”

On hearing the prophet’s answers, Hasin felt relieved. He said, “I testify that there is no god but Allah and that you are his messenger. O prophet, my people are bent upon falsehood. Don’t inform them that I have believed in your prophethood. Let them state their opinion in me first.”

After some time, the prophet visited the Jewish temple in Madinah. It was a festival day and Jews were gathering inside the temple. They hated to see him entering.

The prophet said, “O Jewish folks, give me twelve men who would testify that there is no God but Allah and that I am his messenger, and Allah will forgive for any Jew under the heavens all past sins.”

Their elders silenced anyone who tried to speak. The prophet repeated what he said but they didn’t respond. He gave them one last chance, but still, they grew arrogant. Seeing this, the prophet said, “So you choose to decline. I swear that I’m the seal of all prophets. I am the one you were promised whether you believe it or not.”

The prophet was about to leave when a man shouted, “Wait Muhammad.”

The prophet looked at the man and asked the attendants, “Who is that man amongst you, folks?”

They answered, “Like his forefathers, he is a dedicated rabbi. One of our most faithful men.”

The prophet asked them, “If he believes in my prophethood right now, would you believe, too?”

They said, “Allah forbid. He would never do that.”

On hearing this, the man said, “Then I bear witness that Allah is the only true God and that Muhammad is his messenger. He is the prophet you find described in the Torah. You know he is, and you know that what he preaches is the truth. So fear Allah.”

They shouted in rage, “You are a liar. Traitor,” and started to swear at him.

The prophet said, “But you are the liars. A moment ago you were praising him. Yet, when he declared his faith in my prophethood, you call him a liar! Allah won’t accept what you say.”

The man took the prophet’s side, and they left together. Only that Jew believed in the prophet that day; yet, he was more than enough. That Jew was Rabbi Hasin Ibn Shalom. After that, Hasin never parted from the prophet.

The prophet named him, ‘Abdullah. It was an honoring for his firm stand against his own people defending what’s right. ‘Abdullah name means, ‘Him who is sincere to Allah.’ Ever since that day, the companions called him ‘Abdullah Ibn Salam. The prophet received a Qur’anic verse commemorating his story.

“Say, O Muhammad, ‘What if this Qur’an is from Allah? Do you deny it while a witness from the Israelites testifies to its truth from the Torah? He believed; yet, you grew arrogant. Indeed, Allah does not guide the evildoers.’ ”

‘Abdullah Ibn Salam witnessed all the events with Prophet Muhammad. The prophet gave him glad tidings of paradise. He survived the reigns of the first 4 caliphs. He was among those who stood defending ‘Uthman Ibn Affan against the rebels. Later on, when Ali decided to march towards Iraq, ‘Abdullah begged him not to leave. He said, “I ask you with Allah’s grace not to leave Madinah. If you leave it, the caliphate will never return to it again.” Some of the rebels insulted him but Ali forbade them and said, “Let him be. He is one of the prophet’s best companions.” What ‘Abdullah said came true. The caliphate never returned to Madinah ever since Ali marched out. On his deathbed, Companion Mu‘adh Ibn Jabal said, “Seek knowledge with four men: ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas‘oud, Abuedarda’, Salman Al-Faresy, and ‘Abdullah Ibn Salam.”

‘Abdullah died in the year 43 A.H. at the age of 73. He spent the 32 years he lived after the prophet conveying his knowledge to the younger companions. May Allah be pleased with him. Sleep now little ones. May your destiny hold people like ‘Abdullah Ibn Salam. May it lead you to their companionship in this life and the next. Amen.

Copyright © Ehab Shawky, 2024.
All rights reserved.