Islamiyat · Oct / Nov 2024 · Paper 11 · Question 5

Write about the lives of the following Companions during the lifetime of the Prophet:

Use AO1 Levels of Response.

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

Ja’far ibn Abi Talib: he was the son of Abu Talib and so the cousin of the Prophet (pbuh) and was raised in the household of his uncle Abbas. He was an early convert to Islam and went in the second delegation that migrated to Abyssinia, with his wife Asma bint Umays. There he was chosen as a spokesperson for the Muslims and spoke to the Negus when the Quraysh accused the Muslims of abandoning their people and asked the Negus to return them to Makka.

The Negus asked the Muslims about the religion they had entered into. Ja’far replied saying that before Islam they were ignorant and immoral and Islam called them to One God, to speak the truth and to refrain from bloodshed. Ja’far then recited a portion of Sura Maryam.

He lived with his family in Abyssinia for 10–12 years and then migrated to Madina when the Prophet (pbuh) was at the battle of Khaybar. He was generous and considerate of the welfare of others and became known as ‘the father of the poor’. The following year he was sent to fight at the Battle of Mut’a and was martyred there. It is said his arms were cut off and in martyrdom, God replaced his arms with wings.

Zayd ibn Thabit: He was around eleven years old when he became Muslim and was one of the Ansar. When the Prophet (pbuh) migrated to Madina, Zayd had already memorised all the suras that had been revealed by that time. He had a desire to be close to the Prophet (pbuh) and to fight in the battles, but at the battle of Badr he was sent away by the Prophet (pbuh) for being too young to participate.

The Prophet (pbuh) asked Zayd to learn Hebrew and Coptic so he could respond on the Prophet’s behalf to the Jews and the Christians who wrote to him.

Zayd became the Prophet’s interpreter and was one of the most prominent scribes of the revelation, writing the revelation while the Prophet (pbuh) was alive. He himself had most of the Qur’an in written form. Zayd ibn Thabit reported, ‘We used to record the Qur’an from parchments in the presence of the Messenger of God.’

Due to the time he spent with the Prophet (pbuh) and his understanding of the Qur’an, he became one of the leading scholars from the Companions. He had the honour to witness the Prophet (pbuh) recite the whole Qur’an in Ramadan before he passed away.

Zayd was the prominent scribe who oversaw the compilation of the Qur’an in the time of the Caliphs.

How important is it today for Muslims to seek out scholars to learn about Islam?

Use the AO2 Levels of Response.

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

It could be said it is very important as scholars are considered to be the ‘heirs of the prophets’ due to their knowledge of God and the faith. Also, as they have dedicated a great deal of time to learning the details of the faith, it is important to learn from them, so you know you are getting accurate knowledge. It is important though, to know who you are learning from and where they have studied – traditionally those with a chain (ijaza) of transmission in their learning are the ones with the most authentic knowledge. However, some may say that there is so much information available online and in books that it is easy to learn about Islam without having to go to scholars. This is especially useful for those who live in places where there is no access to Islamic scholars or teachers.

It may be said that this can come with drawbacks as there is not always a way of knowing if the books or information you are finding online are authentic.