Islamiyat · May / June 2020 · Paper 11 · Question 3

The Prophet (pbuh) went to spread Islam in Ta’if. Write about the background and details of this event.

Use the AO1 Mark Grid

Candidates may include some of the following points. All other relevant points must be credited.

The Prophet (pbuh) had been preaching to the people of Makka for ten years and they had faced many hardships. The number of Muslims was relatively small and his greatest supporters Khadija and Abu Talib had passed away. He looked out of Makka to preach his message.

He went to Ta’if with Zayd bin Haritha as he thought people there would be favourable to his message but they were hostile towards him.

He stayed several days there delivering the message to the people, but he was abused and jeered, eventually they were chased out by being pelted with stones till blood flowed down the Prophet’s legs. Zayd was injured too. They took refuge in an orchard a few miles away; seeing his condition, ‘Utbah and Shaybah sent their servant with a tray of grapes; their servant saw true prophethood in him.

Jibril later appeared with another angel and asked the Prophet (pbuh) for permission to bury the city; the Prophet (pbuh) refused and instead prayed for believers to be born from their progeny.

Further development, such as the name of the tribe in Ta’if, the conversation with the servant Addas, and Jibril and the Angel of the Mountain, details of the incident in which some jinn came to the Prophet (pbuh) and accepted Islam, as well as the Prophet (pbuh) gaining protection from Mut’im ibn Adi, are all important developments that will take the answer to a higher level.

Giving examples, show how Muslims can practise forgiveness in their lives.

Candidates should be able to draw examples from their own lives, or from current affairs, to show how forgiveness can be practically applied. Relevant answers should be credited with better answers being able to show a sense of the importance of forgiveness in those situations.