Write about when the Prophet (pbuh) showed patience and self-restraint while living in Makka.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2023). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] The quality of patience is the ability to wait, or to continue to do something despite difficulties, or to suffer without complaining or becoming annoyed.
2. [10] Self-restraint is controlling your emotions and actions, in the face of temptations and impulses.
3. [10] Both traits may overlap, and the response given may explicitly speak of one or other, or may conflate the two. Either approach is fine as long as both patience and self-restraint are covered.
4. [10] From childhood, the Prophet (pbuh) showed the qualities of patience and self-restraint. For example, when his mother passed away, he bore the grief patiently. He also showed self-restraint by not partaking in the vices that were common in Makka at the time such as drinking and gambling.
5. [10] 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. When the persecutions started, he bore them patiently.
6. [10] His patience was shown when the people used to throw rubbish on him and he never retaliated nor did he get angry at them, showing self-restraint.
7. [10] 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.
8. [10] The Prophet (pbuh) also demonstrated patience during the social boycott imposed by the Makkans. This included a lack of food and water and being cut off from social and economic relations.
9. [10] His patience was also shown when 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.
10. [10] He showed self-restraint when he went to preach his message at Ta'if: instead of getting angry he left the town and took refuge in an orchard.
11. [10] Childhood example should be credited.
12. [4] Candidates could offer examples from their daily routine, or common events in their lives, where patience and self-restraint is required, to show how it is being applied.
13. [4] They could say that generally people are required to have patience as daily life has become very busy and everyone wants things to be done quickly – people should try to be patient and do things in their own time without feeling pressured, when things cannot be done instantly.
14. [4] They may also need to be patient when they want to buy something new because they or their parents may not be able to provide it straight away. This also shows self-restraint, to be able to wait for something that you really want.
15. [4] Self-restraint can also be shown if there is a lot of traffic when driving and not to get angry.
16. [4] Patience and self-restraint can also be shown in the event of tragedies for example, the death of a family member or a serious illness.