Great Muslim Kids Stories about Prophet Muhammed
Are you looking for ways to immerse your children in Islamic values in a natural and enjoyable way?
I know for me, I want my children to have a love for Islam and their religious heritage without it feeling forced. This is really important, particularly as we are living in the UK where the religion of the country is different to mine. And I know this is the same for many Muslim parents around the world living and raising their children in a Western country.
Stories and books are such a powerful way to immerse our kids in Islamic values and teach them about our Islamic cultures and heritage. When living in the West where ready exposure to the Muslim way of life isn’t available like it would be in a Muslim country, our kids need to be given other ways to access this.
Stories about Muslims and the Muslim experience can do that for our children. It’s also important that these Islamic stories are available in the language our kids are most comfortable with, which for my family is English (not Arabic!)
And most children will devour stories! From a young age, these little people become enraptured with the characters and worlds that authors lovingly build for them. Through stories, kids get to experience other people’s lives by stepping into their shoes.
Great stories are crucial to developing kids’ budding brains. Stories cultivate children’s imaginations, enhance their creativity and, crucially, build their empathy which is the bridge towards true understanding and acceptance of others.
With this in mind, below I have listed a collection of wonderful Islamic stories about the Prophet Muhammed and other inspiring Muslim figures which children will love. These are tried and tested by my five year old and officially certified great!
I have separated them into two main categories for ease:
- Stories about the Prophet Muhammed
- Stories about Inspiring Muslims
While this list focuses on the two topics above, there are so many more Islamic story books for children out there that I would recommend, including for older kids. You can also check out my post with my recommendations for wonderful Islamic stories with moral lessons.
Please note, there are some Amazon affiliate links in this post, though these have not influenced my choice of top picks below.
Islamic stories about the Prophet Muhammed
My First Book about the Prophet
My First Book about the Prophet by Sara Khan is a perfect book for toddlers and young preschoolers (2-4 years old) to get to know the Prophet Muhammed. It has very simple language and limited text teamed with incredibly colourful and high quality illustrations, which makes it ideal for tiny Muslims in this age range.
This Islamic story book covers the main events of the Prophet’s life, but in being a book suitable for toddlers, it also leaves a lot out, including the wars in which the Muslims fought. This isn’t problematic at all though in my opinion, as it does the job which is to introduce the Prophet Muhammed and his message of Islam to very young children. The author, Sara Khan, does a wonderful job of highlighting the key events and attributes of the Prophet to leave children feeling enamoured with him.
My Prophet Muhammed: My Hero
This is a beautiful hardback story book by the Islamic publishing house, Learning Roots. It tells the life story of the Prophet Muhammed in a relatively simple and accessible way for young children aged at least 5-6 years old. I wouldn’t recommend much younger than this as there is quite a lot of text on each page. The book itself is also quite lengthy at 28 pages (double spread).
With that being said, I got this as a birthday gift for my then 4 year old daughter who is obsessed with books, and while some words and concepts were a bit tricky for her to understand, I could elaborate and explain anything she wasn’t sure of. She enjoyed listening to the story and asked me to read it over again and again.
What sets this book apart is the high quality premium paper (smooth and shiny) and vivid colours and illustrations. Learning Roots has kept true to Islamic tradition and depicts no images of the Prophet or other faces, which may please some Muslim parents. I personally would have preferred some images of people to help bring the story more to life, but it didn’t seem to affect my daughter’s enjoyment of the book at all.
A lovely book with just enough detail for young Muslim children without overwhelming them and allowing them to understand the main details of the Prophet’s life.
The Prophet Described by Learning Roots
This is another stunning book from Learning Roots. I have all 3 books from their Prophetic collection (which all feature in my top picks!) and I have been seriously impressed by the quality of each book. The Prophet Described is suitable for children aged around 5 to 8 years old.
The Prophet Described follows the story of a mother who describes the beautiful qualities of someone very special. Her young son is hooked and keen to find out who she is describing. These descriptions are based on well-known hadith and of course, the person being described, which the son finds out at the end, is the Prophet Muhammed.
This lovely Islamic story is told in rhyme and the depictions of the Prophet are so beautiful, it would be difficult not to be drawn in. Another perfect and quite unique book written to build love for the Prophet within our young Muslim children.
The Prophet’s Pond
As mentioned above, the Islamic children’s publishing house, Learning Roots, has a Prophetic collection of 3 books, of which The Prophet’s Pond is one. Like its counterpart, The Prophet Described, it is written in rhyming style and with lots of repetition, which is why I would say it is suitable for ages 4+.
This Islamic story book has the same mother and son team from The Prophet Described. It is based on the hadith from al-Bukhari which narrates that the Prophet said, ‘Remain patient until you meet me by the pond.’ The son goes searching for this pond but of course, this pond can only be found in Paradise.
I love the premise of this story which is totally unique and lovingly told. Prior to this book, I wasn’t aware of this pond, so I have learned something new through reading it and it has simply increased my love and yearning for the Prophet Muhammed. And I am sure it will do the same for our children too.
The Wondrous Web
This is an adorable rhyming book by author, Razana Noor, suitable for ages 3+. It tells the story of the spider who wove a web across the entrance of a cave which saved the Prophet Muhammed from capture by the Quraysh. It is told from the perspective of the spider who is smaller than all the other spiders, but who dreams that he can one day accomplish something big for the pleasure of Allah.
The Wondrous Web is so imaginatively told and helps little children understand how even the tiniest creature can make a huge impact, like saving the life of the Prophet!
It also ends with a dua/prayer for protection and five fun facts about spiders which I thought was a unique touch! Highly recommended.
Stories about inspiring Muslims
Fatima al-Fihri
This book written by Aaliyah Tar Mohamed tells the life story of Fatima al Fihri, a Muslim woman who opened the world’s first university within a mosque in Fez, Morocco. It is suitable for children aged 3 and up as the text is very easy to understand. The pictures are bright and have beautiful intricate details which can be additional topics of conversation between you and your child.
I am a huge advocate of diverse representations of people within stories as it teaches empathy, acceptance and helps young children feel seen. This book is perfect for young Muslims girls who may find an incredible role model within Fatima al Fihri.
Nana Asma’u
Nana Asma’u is a story about another inspiring Muslim woman who is a wonderful role model for all Muslims. She was a West African Muslim who memorised the whole Quran and spoke four languages. She wanted to educate as many people as she could and teach them about the message of Islam. She realised this vision through problem solving, determination and poetry!
It is written by the same author of Fatima al Fihri and in the same style which makes it perfect for little kiddies aged 3 and over and will hopefully be an inspiring story for young Muslim girls of colour.
Little People, Big Dreams – Muhammad Ali
This book forms part of the series, ‘Little People, Big Dreams’, and is not strictly an ‘Islamic’ story book, but it does tell the life story of Muhammad Ali, one of the most famous Muslims within modern times. It is written by Isabel Sanchez Vegara.
I am a big fan of Muhammad Ali for his strong moral stance on issues of social justice which is an Islamic duty and his rags to riches story. As a black Muslim man who faced discrimination and hardship and still achieved greatness while being unapologetically Muslim, he is a fantastic role model for young Muslim boys.
This book has slightly more challenging language than the stories already covered so I would suggest it is suitable for ages 6+, though I have read it to my 5 year old daughter who enjoys listening and likes to ask questions for clarification if she is unsure of anything.
I pray this list of my top recommendations of great Islamic story books for young kids is useful to you. I pray it helps you to engage your children with our beautiful religion and connect with incredible prominent Islamic figures, including our beloved Messenger of Allah.
May Allah reward all our efforts, big and small, in raising our children to love Islam and be pious Muslims. Ameen.
Salaam x
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