theme 1 - religious figures and sacred texts

Question 1

pre- islamic arabia

Answer 1

-also called jahilliya
-which refers to any society in which there is religious, social & moral chaos.
-such a society is characterised by human rule and not one characterised by submission to god

Question 2

religion in pre- islamic arabia

Answer 2

-was polytheistic, animistic, and driven by human greed
-idols were sold that they believed would cause their enemies to fear them and served to deliver protection to individual tribes.
-religion was practical and through sacrifice and ritual it served the needs of the ignorant public.

Question 3

moral features of pre- islamic arabia

Answer 3

-society was rife with immorality
-the tip of this was the feudal system in which
>life was cheap
>there was nothing immoral about killing
>trading only for profit
>raiding other tribes
>robbery not considered immoral unless you stole the goods of kinsmen

Question 4

political organisation in pre- islamic arabia

Answer 4

-in political terms there was no overall system of government .
-rules were not written or firmly established and were variable and inconsistent

Question 5

social organisation in pre islamic arabia

Answer 5

-arab culture was grounded in a complex tribal system that was built upon extended families and clans, each tribe being led by a sheikh or cheif.

-the strong ruled and the weak were oppressed & exploited
-poverty was ignored and charity a rarity
-population control was often by female infanticide and the life of a women had little value.
-women & slaves were not treated well and had no
specific rights, human or legal

Question 6

good about pre- islamic arabia

Answer 6

there were some good qualities of tribal society, such as:
-honour
-bravery
-hospitality
-generosity

Question 7

pre- islamic arabia key quote by islamweb

Answer 7

with respect to the pre- islamic parent-child relationship, we see that life in arabia was paradoxical and presented a gloomy picture of contrast.
while some arabs held their children dear to their hearts and cherished them greatly, others buried their female infants alive because fear of poverty and shame weighed them down

Question 8

why the revelation was needed

Answer 8

-religion was varied, unfocused, idolutrous and full of human influence
-human beings were in a desperate moral state
-society was chaotic
-politically there was no stability
-overall there was no unity or identity amongst people

Question 9

how prophet muhammad was influenced by pre-islamic arabia

Answer 9

-absolute monotheism
-the existing tribal moral codes and social value
-support for the weak in society

Question 10

what prophet muhammad clearly rejected from pre-islamic arabia

Answer 10

-anything short of absolute monotheism
-immorality
-cruelty and neglect of the weak in society

Question 11

what happened on the night of power

Answer 11

-laylat ul- qadr is the night towards the end of ramadan when the prophet was given the quran

-muhammad (s.a.w) received the first revelation of the quran by the angel jibril on this night, and here muhammad is regarded as the seal of the prophets .

-it is one of the most significant events in the history of the muslim religion.

-during the time leading up to the night of power muslims remember the giving of the quran to muhammad through increased religious devotion.

Question 12

the night of power and the makkans reaction

Answer 12

-when revealing early revelations, the makkans accused him of being inspired by spirits rather than god.

Question 13

themes of early revelations

Answer 13

-shirk
-judgement day
-bodily resurrection
-prophethood
-divine utility
-good news & warnings
-revelations and proclamation of the message of islam
-muhammad should be recognised as seal of the prophets

Question 14

why the makkan leaders began to feel threatened as the number of muslims grew

Answer 14

-the call to serve one god and reject all idols threatened their business
-their power over the city was under challenge as islam was against social injustice and corruption
-their popularity as leading figures in the community faltered as prophet muhammad’s grew.

Question 15

the prophets message to the makkans

Answer 15

-he called for uncompromising monotheism and so directly challenged and criticised polytheistic practices associated with the kabah

-he spoke of judgement and personal responsibility for actions

-social injustices were challenged- highlighted the corruption in society as a whole

Question 16

ways in which muhammad (s.a.w) and his followers were persecuted in makkah

Answer 16

-muhammad (s.a.w) was mocked
-he was accused of sorcery and stealing ideas from past religions
-there was a boycott in force for three years
-humiliation- they would tie muhammads neck to a rope and drag him on the floor whilst he worshipped. throw rubbish at him whilst he worked
-assassination attempts
-torture of muslims

Question 17

the first people to accept the message

Answer 17

-khadija
-ali
-zayd
-abu bakhr

Question 18

quran 26:214

Answer 18

warn your closest kindred

Question 19

what did the quraish do

Answer 19

tried to blackmail and bribe muhammad (s.a.w) inorder for him to stop preaching and spreading the news of this new religion

Question 20

what did the boycott consist of

Answer 20

-no business/trade with supporters of muhammad
-no marriges with supporters of muhammad
-support opponents of muhammad

Question 21

further details on the persecution of muhammad (s.a.w) in makkah

Answer 21

-there was a more intense period of persecution.
the weakest of his followers such as the slaves were targeted for persecution, torture and death for their allegiance to muhammad (s.a.w)

Question 22

who was the prophet protected by

Answer 22

-his uncles abu-talib and hamza

Question 23

key factors leading to hijra

Answer 23

1.persecution
2.threats on life
3.inability to practise islam freely
4.lack of influence and spread of islam
5.continued growing opposition from leading makkans
6.attempts to migrate to taif had failed so muhammad (s.a.w) migrated to medinah

Question 24

hijrah

Answer 24

it means to cease and stop associating themselves with a certain group, body, individual.

with the migration to medinah the muslims stopped associating with the people of makkah

Question 25

why the hijrah took place

Answer 25

-prophet muhammad and his followers were in a desperate situation. they feared for their lives. the only solution was to flee for safety to a place beyond the reach of persecution and oppression

Question 26

why the hijrah took place (2)

Answer 26

prophet muhammad escaped a final murder plot. where ali took muhammad (s.a.w) place in bed, whilst the prophet and abu bakar escaped.
they spent three nights in a cave and through various miraculous events, were protected from qurayshi pursuers

the whole patterns of events for muslims indicated that not only was the hijrah the will of god but it was also guided by god in protecting muhammad and his followers.

Question 27

disadvantages of the hijrah

Answer 27

-the person and message of the prophet was seen as a threat to ancestral traditions

-muhammad and his followers were verbally insulted and intimidated

-escaped from being murdered

Question 28

advantages of the hijrah

Answer 28

-muhammad was desired as an arbitrator because of his reputation

-could practise religion freely

-the people in medinah wanted to know more about islam

-it is believed that it was the will of allah

Question 29

the hijrah and its impacts

Answer 29

> practise religions freely
identified as one ummah
opportunity establish divine law
peace and harmony to yathrib
promote and call islam

Question 30

practise religion freely

Answer 30

after 13 years of hardship, suffering and oppression the muslims can now practice their religion freely, they can read the quran openly without anyone bothering them and they can declare with no fear that they are followers of muhammad

Question 31

identified as one ummah

Answer 31

the hijrah gave muslims their identity as one ummah. the muslims had their own homeland and their own identity

Question 32

opportunity establish divine law

Answer 32

the hijrah established them their own state governed by allahs laws and the prophets teachings.

it is after the hijrah that allah gave them permission to fight back those who oppressed them in their belief and forced them to leave their beloved town and confiscated their properties, houses and wealth

Question 33

peace and harmony to yathrib

Answer 33

after years of war, killing and hatred, yathrib and its people became one unity and one brotherhood as islam has touched their hearts and made them one group called (al-ansar- the helpers) for their support and loyalty to the prophet (PBUH).
islam, in a short period of time, converted their hatred to love and compassionate and their selfishness to self-sacrifice and selflessness

Question 34

promote and call to islam

Answer 34

hijrah is a major inspiration and motivation for us to carry on the dawah of the prophet(PBUH).
prior to the hijrah, although the early muslims did preach openly, there was fear of revenge. this was not the case in medinah

Question 35

benefits from the teachings and character of the prophet

Answer 35

-people now had the opportunity to meeting the prophet(PBUH)
-learning their religion from him
-emulating his noble character
-preserving his sunnah
-learning about his public and private life
the hijrah had a great impact on islam and the muslims because allah bestowed alot of his blessings on them.

Question 36

makkan stage

Answer 36

introducing allah

Question 37

medinese stage

Answer 37

introducing allahs law

Question 38

muhammad as a leader in medinah

Answer 38

-they adopted many different roles and developed new skills beyond those of a messenger. he did not only operate as a religious and moral leader, but also developed political and military skills

Question 39

muhammad (s.a.w) first piece of political tact

Answer 39

-upon his arrival in madinah, he was to choose a place for his headquarters. to choose wrongly would have been a disaster and would have caused internal conflicts between tribes, because of implied favouritism.
-instead he let his camel decide where the first mosque would be built. he announced that wherever the camel sat down would be the site.

Question 40

the first mosque in medinah

Answer 40

after the kaba, this was the foremost mosque of islam.
it was here that he organised and directed the affairs of the infant islamic state. the mosque became the centre of all religious teaching, practice and development of the muslim community as a social hub, creating the early muslim ummah

Question 41

the quraysh in makkah after the hijrah

Answer 41

-their power was being lost and they felt humiliated. they even seized the belongings of the makkans who migrated to medina. they were preparing to attack the muslims

Question 42

quran 22:39-40

Answer 42

“permission to fight has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged and indeed allah is competent to give them victory. (they are) those who have been evicted from their homes without right only because they say, “our lord is allah”

Question 43

quran 9:101

Answer 43

“and among those around you of the bedouins are hypocrites, and also from the people of madinah. they have become accustomed to hypocrisy. you, o muhammad do not know them but we know them”