GCSE RS Year 9

Week 9 Answers

Starter: Recap 1. What is meant by the concept of Tawhid in ? The one-ness of Allah 2. Name 2 of the major prophets. Adam, Ibrahim, Dawud, Musa, Isa. 3. By what name is known in Islam? Isa 4. What is a hanif? A person with knowledge that there is only one God. A person who believed in before the Prophet . 5. What were the Sahifah? The scrolls revealed to the Prophet Ibrahim, they were the recorded word of Allah but they were lost.

Task One: Timeline of the life of the Prophet Muhammad

570CE – Born in Makkah. His Father died before he was born.

576CE – Muhammad’s mother died. He was sent to live with his grandfather, when his grandfather died he was sent to live with his Uncle – Abu Talib.

580-590CE – Muhammad’s Uncle was a trader and brought Muhammad up to trade too, during his teenage years Muhammad gained a reputation for honesty and intelligence – he was called al-Amin meaning ‘the trustworthy one’.

595CE - In his twenties he began working for a wealthy merchant and widow named Khadijah, he impressed her so much she proposed marriage. Muhammad and Khadijah marry.

596CE – 610CE – Muhammad and Khadijah have four daughters and two sons (who sadly died when they were young). Following his marriage Muhammad began to feel troubled by the corruption and cruelty in Makkah. He became interested in the monotheistic religions of Christianity and Judaism. He began to believe there was only one God.

610CE - Muhammad began to spend more and more time by himself praying. One night, whilst praying in a cave on Mount Hira near Makkah, the Angel Jibril appeared to Muhammad and ordered him to recite the words that had appeared on a burning scroll in front of him. Despite being illiterate Muhammad found that he knew the words off by heart. This event is called Laylat-ul-Qadr – The Night of Power. It is still remembered today on the 27th day of Ramadan and is one of the holiest days in the Muslim calendar.

610-632CE - Muhammad’s message was that there was only one true God, humans should thank God through worship and there will be a day of judgement. His wife Khadijah immediately believed his message and began to follow him. Others who chose to follow became known as Muslims. Many in Makkah rejected this message and insulted Muhammad and his followers. The revelations continued for the next 23 years until Muhammad’s death in 632CE. He did not always see the Angel Jibril – sometimes he heard a voice speaking to him; sometimes he received revelations whilst praying but he also received them in everyday life too.

Task Two: a. Why was the Prophet’s message rejected in Makkah initially? Give examples of some of the persecution his followers faced.

Makkah was a pagan city, most people believed in many Gods. When Prophet Muhammad began teaching that there was only one God many people did not want to listen. The rulers of the city were worried that if Muhammad’s message became popular the pilgrims who visited Makkah to go to the Ka’bah would stop visiting and the city would lose money. Some of Muhammad’s followers like Bilal were murdered for their faith – Bilal was left in the desert heat with a rock on his chest. b. Which city did Muhammad move to in order to escape the persecution in Makkah? How did he escape the city of Makkah?

The city of Yathrib (which later became known as Madinah). Prophet Muhammad escaped Makkah with the support of his followers – his cousin Ali remained in Makkah and acted as a decoy whilst Prophet Muhammad escaped at night. Soldiers chased him – he had to hide in a cave from the soldiers and was saved by a spider spinning a web over the entrance to the cave. c. What is meant by the term ‘the Hijrah’? Why is it important in Islam today? Hijrah means ‘migration’. It is important in Islam today because it marks the start of the Islamic calendar. d. What happened when the Prophet Muhammad arrived in Yathrib? Describe the roles that he took on after his arrival. Prophet Muhammad became a political and military leader, he became the town’s ruler and worked to unite the Jewish and Muslim communities. e. What happened in 630CE?

In 630CE Prophet Muhammad and his followers returned to Makkah and establish Islam as the religion of the city. f. What did the Prophet Muhammad say he was leaving behind him in his final sermon in 632CE?

The Qur’an and the Sunnah (the example of the Prophet’s life).

Task Three:

Prophet Muhammad is known as the seal of the prophets because he was the final prophet. He revealed accurately the word of Allah and the words were written in the Qur’an exactly as they were revealed therefore no further prophets are needed. Muslims believed that Prophet Muhammad restored Islam to exactly what it was supposed to be and no further guidance is needed – the Qur’an and the Sunnah give Muslims everything they need in order to be a Muslim.

Task Four: As this is an assessed task you should hand this in either on Teams or via email for feedback and advice on how to improve.