Islamiyat · May / June 2021 · Paper 11 · Question 4

Write about the events of the Battle of Khaybar and the Battle of Hunain. Use the AO1 Marking Grid

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

The Battle of Khaybar was fought against the Jews who had broken their agreements with the Muslims. The tribes in Khaybar had tried to instigate other tribes in the area to attack the Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) eventually decided to try to put a stop to these attacks and raised an army to march to Khaybar.

The Muslim army of 1400 caught the city by surprise. There were eight forts in total. The Muslims attacked the first fort of Naim and then took over the other numerous strongholds, except al-Qamus which was considered impenetrable. The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Tomorrow I shall give the banner of Islam to a man who loves God and His Apostle...and he will conquer Khyber.’ The banner was given to ‘Ali, and he went to fight the Jewish leader, Marhab, who was killed.

The Jews requested they stay in the oasis on the basis that they were better farmers and knew the land. The Prophet (pbuh) agreed and in return the Jews would give half their produce to the Muslims. The battle strengthened the Muslims’ and the Prophet’s leadership.

In the Battle of Hunain the sects of Hawazin and Thaqif did not want to submit to Islam so they decided to fight against the Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) marched to meet them with 12 000 men.

The enemy were already waiting for the Muslim army, hiding and waiting to hurl stones and arrows at them. When this happened, the enemy attack became fierce, and the Muslims started to retreat. The Prophet (pbuh) called out: ‘Come on, people! I am the Messenger of Allah. I am Muhammad, the son of Abdullah.’ Eventually the Prophet’s troops returned, and they went on to defeat the army.

Because the enemy’s leader Malik bin ‘Awf had told everyone to take their families and belongings with them, the Muslims captured huge spoils of war. This battle is mentioned in Sura Tawba, (25–26).

In your opinion, which of these two battles was the most significant for Muslims?

Use the AO2 Marking Grid

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

Candidates should choose the battle they consider to be more important and give their reasons for their choice.

Candidates might say that the Battle of Khyber was the most significant because it stopped some of the conspiracies against the Prophet (pbuh) and the Muslims. Furthermore, the Muslims made financial gains and it led to them becoming more confident.

Candidates who choose the Battle of Hunain as the most significant could say that the Muslims learned many valuable lessons from this battle such as the lesson to follow their leaders and not be overconfident. Also, strength can come from strong faith and not from large numbers, as success comes from God. It also taught Muslims to have determination in the face of adversity.