Giving examples from the Prophet's life, write about how he showed both the qualities of patience and forgiveness.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. The quality of patience is the quality of waiting calmly without complaining.
2. From the beginning the Prophet (pbuh) was patient in that he waited for guidance from God before teaching others or preaching openly. He did not try to rush the message to hurry people into accepting Islam.
3. His patience was shown when the people used to throw rubbish on him, call him names or commit other atrocities. He never retaliated, nor did he get angry at them.
4. His enemies would often come when he was praying and try to disturb his prayer by whistling and clapping, but the Prophet (pbuh) would not say anything or confront them. When the intestines of a camel were put on his back while prostrating, he did not react or get angry but stayed in that position until his daughter came and took it off his back.
5. He also showed patience while preaching Islam in Makka. Despite his best efforts, only a handful of people accepted Islam, most of whom were poor or slaves but that did not deter him from believing in his mission and continuing to strive patiently.
6. His patience was also shown when he, along with his whole clan, were put under boycott by the Makkans and at the end of it he lost those closest to him in a short period of time, namely Khadija and Abu Talib. Instead of despairing, he sought the reward of God by praying to Him. He waited for God to allow him to migrate, despite the risk to his life.
7. The Prophet (pbuh) showed immense patience throughout his life in Madina where he had to suffer the conspiracies and treacheries of Jewish tribes as well as the hypocrisies of the leaders in Madina. This included the actions of Abdullah bin Ubayy who often used to misbehave with the Prophet (pbuh) and betrayed him on several occasions but he never retaliated.
8. The quality of forgiveness is to not want to punish someone when they have wronged you, to not seek revenge.
9. Aisha said that the Prophet (pbuh) never took revenge on anyone for himself. At the time of his visit to Ta'if, the Angel Jibril came to say that he can crush the people between the two mountains, but the Prophet (pbuh) refused, and prayed for their guidance instead.
10. When returning to Makka, the Prophet (pbuh) forgave many people who had been prominent in persecuting him and his companions, e.g. Abu Sufyan. He also gave a general pardon to the Makkans, despite their actions against him.
11. He also forgave Wahshi who killed his uncle Hamza as well as Hind who chewed on Hamza's liver.
12. Abdullah ibn Ubayy was one of the hypocrites who opposed the Prophet (pbuh) whilst outwardly saying he supported him. Despite this the Prophet (pbuh) seemed to show no animosity for Abdullah when he died, attending his funeral and praying at his grave.
13. Candidates can offer other examples of forgiveness, especially for development of the answer, such as the Prophet's forgiveness of Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl, Sufwan ibn Umayyah and Habbar ibn al-Aswad.
14. Candidates might say it is one of God's names (as-Sabbur), and He says that He loves those who are patient (Sura 2.153, Sura 39.10) hence it is one of the main teachings of the Qur'an.
15. It shows tolerance if a person does not react negatively to others. It can help change people's attitude for the better.
16. It can lead to a more peaceful society if people continue to strive to do good and stop themselves from doing bad, even when the result/benefit does not come immediately.
17. The Prophet (pbuh) showed patience throughout his life, as a Muslim one is bound to follow the Seerah of the Prophet (pbuh).