Islamiyat · May / June 2020 · Paper 11 · Question 2
0493
As printed in the paper
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2(a)[10]
Write about the events of the first revelation received by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and how he was reassured afterwards.
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Candidates should include some of the following points. All other relevant points must be credited.
The Prophet (pbuh) had increased the time he spent in solitude in the cave of Hira. When he was 40 the revelation came to him, during the month of Ramadan:
The angel Jibril came to him and instructed him to read, iqra, and the Prophet (pbuh) replied he could not.
The angel squeezed him hard (‘the angel pressed me until I could not bear it any more’)
He repeated the command and squeezed the Prophet (pbuh) again, then after a third time the angel squeezed him, released him then recited the first few verses of Sura Alaq (96.1–5): “Read! in the name of your Lord, who created, 2. Created man out of a clot of congealed blood: 3. Proclaim! And your Lord is most bountiful, 4. He who taught by the pen, 5. Taught man what he did not know.”
The Prophet (pbuh) came out of the cave and saw the angel on the horizon. The Angel told him, “You are the Messenger of Allah and I am Jibril.” He was confused and shaken and he ran home and asked his wife to cover him.
She consoled him, saying God would not disgrace him, and went to see her cousin, Waraqa bin Nawfal, who confirmed his prophethood.
2(b)[4]
What can Muslims today learn from the first revelation about the importance of reading and understanding the Qur’an?
Candidates could say that the first word, Iqra, is a command to read or learn.
The Qur’an is the final revelation from God, and in it contains the guidance for humankind for all time. It is an opportunity for Muslims to know what it is that God wants from them so they can act on what will be pleasing to God. For this it would be important to learn the meaning of the Qur’an although there is also reward in reading it without knowing the meaning. Reading it with understanding could lead a person so have a deeper connection with God.
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