Islamiyat · May / June 2023 · Paper 11 · Question 2

The Prophet (pbuh) received revelation from God when he was 40 years old. Write about this experience of the first revelation.

Mark according to the marking grid for AO1 – Knowledge on page 4. Answers may include some of the following ideas, but all valid material 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 anymore’). He repeated the command and squeezed the Prophet (pbuh) again, then after a third time the angel squeezed him, released him then the Prophet (pbuh) recited the first few verses of Sura Alaq (96.1–5), saying it was as though they were imprinted on his heart.

The first verses of Sura Alaq are:

‘1. 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 ibn Nawfal, who confirmed his prophethood.

Explain the importance of the revelation being sent to a prophet who could not read or write.

Mark according to the marking grid for AO2 – Understanding on

page 5.

Answers may include some of the following ideas, but all valid material must be credited.

It was important because being unable to read or write shows that it would not have been possible for the Prophet (pbuh) to have composed the Qur’an himself; the implication is that not being able to compose the Qur’an himself, shows that the Qur’an is from God.

God did not want anyone else to be the Prophet’s teacher, as that would have meant someone was superior to him in his knowledge of God. It was a miracle of God.

The Arabs had a strong oral tradition which allowed the Qur’an to be preserved through memory alone, which again allowed for accuracy in preserving the revelation.

As he could not read or write himself, the Prophet (pbuh) showed his faith in his companions when he allowed them to write down the verses revealed to him.