Islamiyat · May / June 2025 · Paper 11 · Question 5

Write about the lives of Bilal ibn Rabah and Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib. Use the AO1 Levels of Response.

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

Bilal ibn Rabah: Bilal’s family was originally from Ethiopia/Abyssinia, and he was born into slavery. His master was Umayya ibn Khalf. After conversion he suffered harsh persecution at the hands of his master, being laid on the hot sand for days and tortured in various ways. Despite this he did not give up his faith. He was one of the slaves freed by Abu Bakr and eventually he migrated to Madina.

In Madina he was appointed as the first muezzin – ʿAbdullah ibn Zayd had a dream that he narrated to the Prophet (pbuh), and the Prophet (pbuh) asked ʿAbdullah to narrate it to Bilal and asked Bilal to give the call to prayer because he had a beautiful voice. He was also placed over the treasury (bayt al-mal) and aided the Prophet (pbuh) in securing daily sustenance and clothes.

Bilal fought in all the battles, and at the Battle of Badr he killed his former master. He gave the adhan after the Conquest of Makka, and after the death of the Prophet (pbuh) he was so grief stricken he refused to call the adhan again and left Madina. He went to Damascus. Years later, he visited Madina and gave adhan. The people in Madina were overwhelmed with emotion: many cried. Bilal died in Damascus.

Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib: he was an uncle and foster-brother of the Prophet (pbuh), and only two years older than the Prophet (pbuh). He was a warrior and sportsman and had little interest the issues of Makka. When Hamza heard Abu Jahl had assaulted the Prophet (pbuh), he hit Abu Jahl on the head. Hamza then asked Abu Jahl to hit him back if he was brave enough. Hamza then declared that he had become Muslim. It gave the Muslims a lot of strength and they were able to pray in public. In the Battle of Badr, he killed leading men of the Quraysh including Hind’s father Utbah; Hind vowed revenge and hired Wahshi to kill Hamza which he did at the Battle of Uhud. Hamza was given the title ‘Chief of Martyrs’, and the Prophet (pbuh) led his funeral prayer.

How do the stories of Bilal ibn Rabah and Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib help Muslims understand and accept the death of a loved one? Use the AO2 Levels of Response.

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

Both the stories of Bilal and Hamza relate to grief and the loss of loved ones, as well as reactions of people.

Bilal was grief stricken after the Prophet (pbuh) passed away and found it hard to accept the loss. He carried on with life, as Islam teaches Muslims to, but he was not able to carry on giving the adhan which reminded him too much of the Prophet (pbuh). This tells Muslims that changing things to lessen the pain felt by a loss can help to deal with it. It also indicates that pain of loss is a natural emotion. Once a person accepts that, coping with that pain becomes possible.

With Hamza’s death it was the Prophet (pbuh) who was most upset, not just because he was a relative of the Prophet (pbuh) but also because of the way Hamza’s body was mutilated. Although he forgave Wahshi and Hind, he couldn’t bring himself to look at them, showing that grief can stay with a person and it is reasonable to feel pained by a loved one’s loss, even many years later.