Write a detailed account of the false prophets that Abu Bakr dealt with during his caliphate.

Mark scheme

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

1. [10] (General Guidance for part (a)) Mark according to the marking grid for AO1 – Knowledge, given on page 4. Answers may include some of the following ideas, but all valid material must be credited. For this answer candidates have to write a detailed account of all the four false prophets. A brief account of each of them is given below.
2. Aswad al Ansi belonged to the 'Ans tribe in Yemen. His dark complexion earned him the name of al Aswad. An expedition against him was sent in the Prophet's lifetime, news of his death reached Madina a day or so before the Prophet's death. His followers regrouped and revolted and were defeated by Firuz who was sent by Abu Bakr to subdue them.
3. Tulayha belonged to the Banu Asad tribe in north Arabia. He was a wealthy leader and a renowned warrior. He briefly embraced Islam in 630 but soon rebelled and claimed prophethood. He raised a formidable force against Islam. He was defeated by Khalid ibn Walid and escaped to Syria whilst his followers accepted Islam. He later converted to Islam and fought in many significant battles.
4. Sajah was a Christian soothsayer with a strong following. She belonged to the tribe of Banu Tamim. She declared herself as a prophet on hearing about the Prophet's death and marched to Madina with a force of 40 000. On hearing the news of Tulayha's defeat she joined forces with Musaylima and married him. After his defeat she converted to Islam.
5. Musaylima ibn al- Kadhdhab was the most dangerous of the four false prophets. He was extremely wealthy and influential. Soon after visiting the Prophet (pbuh) in his lifetime he declared himself a prophet and claimed to receive divine revelations. He founded a new creed. Musaylima asked the Prophet (pbuh) to divide the Muslim empire into two parts, one for the Muslims and the other for his followers. The Prophet (pbuh) called him Musaylima the Liar. The Battle of Yamama was fought against him in 632 in which Musaylima was defeated. Details of this battle need to be covered to some extent (see guidance).
6. [4] (General Guidance for part (b)) Mark according to the marking grid for AO2 – Understanding, given on page 5. Answers may include some of the following ideas, but all valid material must be credited.
7. Candidates can choose either of the two views given in the question and say why they think the view they have selected was the more dangerous one for Islam and had to be overcome.
8. If they choose defeating the false prophets as more important they need to say why. It could be said that the false prophets were challenging the finality of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) so had to be defeated as they were corrupting the faith and cardinal belief of Islam.
9. For those who present the view that defeating the tribes refusing to pay zakat was the bigger challenge to Islam they also need to say why. It could be said here that zakat is a Pillar of Islam instituted by God Himself. If one refuted one Pillar what was there in stopping others from changing other Pillars and thus changing the laws and creed set by God.
10. The above are suggested arguments that can be presented. However, some candidates may argue that both were equally important.