Prophet Muhammad ﷺ for Kids: His Life Story

Children love Prophet Muhammad ﷺ most when they know him as a person: a boy who lost his parents, a young man everyone trusted, a grandfather who kissed his grandsons and a friend who asked a little boy about his pet bird. This guide tells his life in short, true steps you can read aloud, with the source of each part, and the same facts as ilmbee’s Prophet Muhammad (Book 12).

Who was Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?

He is the last Prophet and Messenger Allah sent to people. There will be no Prophet after him (Qur’an 33:40). Allah says He sent him as a mercy to all the worlds (Qur’an 21:107), and through him Allah gave us the Qur’an and showed us how to live it.

A simple sentence for a young child: “Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the last Prophet. Allah sent him to teach everyone to worship Allah alone and to be kind.”

What was his childhood like?

He was born in Makkah, in the Quraysh tribe, on a Monday. He told his Companions this himself (Sahih Muslim). The books of seerah say it was the Year of the Elephant, when Allah protected the Kaaba from an army; see Surah Al-Fil story for kids.

His childhood had sad days. His father, Abdullah, died before he was born, and his mother, Aminah, died when he was six. As a baby he lived in the desert with a nurse called Halimah as-Sa’diyyah. Then his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib cared for him, and after him his uncle Abu Talib. Allah reminds him of this in the Qur’an: “Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter?” (Qur’an 93:6).

As a young man he looked after sheep for the people of Makkah, as every Prophet had done (Sahih al-Bukhari). He stayed away from the bad things many people in Makkah did.

Why did people trust him so much?

Because he never lied. Years later, when he stood on the hill of as-Safa and asked the people of Makkah, “If I told you an army was behind this hill, would you believe me?”, they answered, “We have never known you to tell a lie” (Sahih al-Bukhari). At twenty-five he married Khadijah radiyallahu anha, a kind and respected woman of Makkah. Her story is in Khadijah for kids.

What happened in the cave of Hira?

When he was about forty, he liked to go alone to a cave called Hira, on a mountain near Makkah, to think and worship Allah. One night the angel Jibreel alayhis salaam came to him and said, “Read!” He brought the first verses of the Qur’an: “Read in the name of your Lord who created” (Qur’an 96:1-5). He hurried home, and Khadijah comforted him (Sahih al-Bukhari). From that night he was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

What happened after he became a Prophet?

He began calling the people of Makkah to worship Allah alone. Some believed straight away, among them his wife Khadijah, his friend Abu Bakr and his young cousin Ali, radiyallahu anhum. Many others refused and hurt him and the Muslims.

When the people of the town of Ta’if treated him cruelly, an angel offered to punish them. He said no: he hoped their children would one day worship Allah alone (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim). That is the kind of forgiveness children can learn from him.

In these years Allah took him on the Night Journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and up through the heavens (see Isra and Mi’raj for kids). After thirteen years in Makkah, Allah allowed him to move to Madinah, where the people welcomed him with joy (see The Hijrah for kids). He lived ten years in Madinah and died there at sixty-three (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim). He is buried in Madinah.

How was the Prophet ﷺ with children?

He played with them. A little boy called Abu Umair had a pet bird. Whenever the Prophet ﷺ visited, he would ask with a smile, “O Abu Umair, what did the little bird do?” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim). This is the story of Abu Umair Had a Bird (Book 36).
He never spoke harshly to them. Anas radiyallahu anhu served him for ten years from boyhood, and the Prophet ﷺ never once said even “uff” to him (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim).
He showed them love. He kissed his grandson al-Hasan, and when a man said he had never kissed his own children, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever does not show mercy will not be shown mercy” (Sahih al-Bukhari).

How can a child love and follow the Prophet ﷺ?

Say ﷺ after his name. Allah tells us to send blessings and peace on him (Qur’an 33:56), and whoever sends one blessing on him receives ten from Allah (Sahih Muslim).
Copy his small habits. He taught us how to make wudu and pray, and how to eat, drink and sleep. Each habit copied is a way of loving him. He is our best example (Qur’an 33:21).
Do his kind deeds. Help someone in need, move something harmful off the path, plant a tree: he said that when a bird, a person or an animal eats from a tree a Muslim planted, it counts as charity (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim).
Love him more than anyone. He said none of us truly believes until he is more beloved to us than our parents, our children and all people (Sahih al-Bukhari). Loving the Prophet More Than Ourselves (Book 61) tells how Umar radiyallahu anhu came to love him more than himself.

What does his life teach children?

Honesty earns trust: people believed him because he never lied.
Hard times are not the end. He lost his parents young, and Allah cared for him.
Kindness is stronger than revenge: he forgave the people who hurt him.
Small children matter. The greatest of people made time for a little boy’s bird.

Questions to ask your child

Where was Prophet Muhammad ﷺ born, and in which city is he buried?
What did the angel Jibreel say to him in the cave of Hira?
Why did the people of Makkah call him truthful?
What did he ask little Abu Umair? Why do you think it made Abu Umair happy?
Which one of his habits can you follow today?

What age is this for?

Ages 4 to 6: tell it as a few big moments (born in Makkah, the cave of Hira, the move to Madinah) and stories of his kindness to children. Ages 7 to 11: follow the whole timeline, add the hard parts such as Ta’if, and talk about why he forgave. Keep the focus on what he did and said, so children come to know him through his character.

Prophet Muhammad (Book 12) is the place to start in ilmbee’s Series 01, read aloud with each word lit up as it is spoken. To try the narrated books with your child, read 3 books free.

The books in this guide

From ilmbee Series 01, 100 illustrated books read in order. The first 3 are free to read.

Frequently asked questions

How do you explain Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to a child?

Say that he is the last Prophet Allah sent, the kindest of people, and the one who taught us how to pray, eat, sleep and treat others. Then tell one true story at a time, such as how he played with little Abu Umair and his bird.

Where and when was Prophet Muhammad ﷺ born?

He was born in Makkah, into the Quraysh tribe, on a Monday, as he told his Companions himself (Sahih Muslim). The books of seerah place his birth in the Year of the Elephant, around 570 CE.

How old was Prophet Muhammad ﷺ when he became a Prophet?

He was forty years old when the angel Jibreel came to him in the cave of Hira with the first verses of the Qur’an. He then lived thirteen years in Makkah and ten in Madinah, and died at sixty-three (Sahih al-Bukhari).

Why do Muslims say ﷺ after the Prophet’s name?

Because Allah tells the believers to send blessings and peace on the Prophet (Qur’an 33:56). ﷺ stands for “sallallahu alayhi wa sallam”, may Allah send blessings and peace on him, and the Prophet ﷺ said that whoever sends one blessing on him receives ten from Allah (Sahih Muslim).

What is a good first book about Prophet Muhammad ﷺ for children?

Start with a short, sourced overview of his life, then add single stories of his kindness. ilmbee’s Prophet Muhammad (Book 12) tells his life in twenty pages, and Series 01 adds stories of him with children and his Companions.

Sources

Qur'an references are given as surah:ayah, with the meaning in plain English. Hadith are from the collections named.

Qur'an 33:40 (Al-Ahzab): Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah and the last of the Prophets.
Qur'an 21:107 (Al-Anbiya): We sent you only as a mercy to the worlds.
Qur'an 93:6 (Ad-Duha): Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter?
Qur'an 96:1-5 (Al-Alaq): the first verses revealed, “Read in the name of your Lord who created.”
Qur'an 33:21 (Al-Ahzab): in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example.
Qur'an 33:56 (Al-Ahzab): Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet; believers, send blessings and peace on him.
Sahih Muslim 1162: Monday is the day he was born and the day revelation first came to him.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2262: every prophet shepherded sheep; he shepherded for the people of Makkah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4770: on as-Safa, the Quraysh said they had never known him to lie.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3: the first revelation in the cave of Hira.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3902; Sahih Muslim 2351: sent at forty, thirteen years in Makkah, ten in Madinah, died at sixty-three.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3231; Sahih Muslim 1795: after Ta'if he hoped their descendants would worship Allah alone.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6129; Sahih Muslim 2150: “O Abu Umair, what did the little bird do?”
Sahih al-Bukhari 6038; Sahih Muslim 2309: Anas served him ten years and was never spoken to harshly.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5997: he kissed his grandson al-Hasan; whoever does not show mercy will not be shown mercy.
Sahih al-Bukhari 15: none of you truly believes until the Prophet ﷺ is more beloved to him than his parent, his child and all people.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6632: Umar, “Now, O Umar.”
Sahih Muslim 408: whoever sends one blessing on the Prophet ﷺ, Allah sends ten on him.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2320; Sahih Muslim 1553: planting a tree that others eat from is charity.
Seerah (Ibn Ishaq, via Ibn Hisham), for scholar review: born in the Year of the Elephant; father Abdullah died before his birth; mother Aminah died when he was six; nursed by Halimah as-Sa'diyyah; cared for by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, then his uncle Abu Talib; married Khadijah at twenty-five.