Islamiyat · May / June 2024 · Paper 11 · Question 5

Describe the conversion to Islam of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman and ‘Ali. Use AO1 Levels of Response.

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

Abu Bakr: He was a close friend of the Prophet (pbuh) from childhood, and he was the first outside the Prophet’s household to be told of the new faith. Abu Bakr believed in the new message straight away. The Prophet (pbuh) held out his hand and Abu Bakr took it in allegiance and testified to the new faith. He became Muslim without hesitation and was open about calling others to the new faith and persuaded many to accept Islam.

‘Umar: He was initially angry at the Prophet (pbuh) and the new message of Islam, and openly opposed it. One day he set out to kill the Prophet (pbuh). On his way he was told his own sister and brother-in-law had converted and so went there to confront them. He heard them reading the Qur’an which Fatima hid when she saw him. He demanded to see it, to which she said he would have to purify himself before touching it. He did so and then read the verses from sura Taha that were written on the leaf. Reading the words he felt they were written for him. He said to his sister that he came as an enemy of Islam and he was leaving as a friend. He then went to offer the Prophet (pbuh) allegiance. He had a reputation of being the fiercest man in Makka and so his conversion provided Muslims some protection.

‘Uthman: As a merchant, ‘Uthman was also out of Makka when the revelation came. While he was travelling, he thought he heard a voice saying that a new prophet had come. When he returned to Makka, he heard the Prophet (pbuh) had declared his mission. ‘Uthman went to see Abu Bakr who told ‘Uthman to take an oath of allegiance to the Prophet (pbuh) as he had. ‘Uthman was the second person outside of the prophet’s household to convert. His family deserted him after his conversion.

‘Ali: He was a cousin of the prophet who had been taken into the prophet’s household to alleviate the financial burden on the Prophet’s uncle. After Khadija he was next to profess his faith in Islam when he was only ten and was inspired to observe secret prayer of Khadija and the Prophet (pbuh).

What do the conversions of the Companions tell Muslims about the challenges faced by converts to Islam?

Use the AO2 Levels of Response.

Candidates can give other examples and all relevant answers should be credited.

These can help Muslims understand that becoming Muslim is easy for some and not for others.

That it is important to have some support so that you are not alone when trying to learn the new faith.

That for some their families will not be supportive and may oppose them, and for this they will need support from Muslims.

It also helps Muslims understand that not everyone, even those who will become strong in faith, will convert easily, or find Islam easy to adapt to. For this there should be patience with those people who find it hard to adopt all the principles of Islam straight away.