Give an account of the way in which the Prophet started to preach Islam in the first few years after he first received the revelation.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2015). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. (a) Answers should focus on the Prophet's deliverance of the message, and not the events of the revelation itself, although brief mention of it is fine.
2. After the Prophet received his first revelation in the cave of Hira, he only told his wife Khadija and her cousin Waraqa bin Nawfal, about the event. Khadija was the first to accept the message. Waraqa confirmed the prophethood, and for some days there was a break in revelation. After verses from sura Mudaththir were revealed to him, the revelation came frequently and regularly. The main message at this point was to reject idols and believe in one God.
3. For three years the Prophet taught and practised in secret. The first converts were those who were close to him in his household, such as Khadija, Zayd bin Harith and 'Ali ibn Abu Talib. After this Abu Bakr the Prophet's close friend, converted. Abu Bakr invited many people to Islam, and many prominent companions became Muslim through him.
4. The Prophet would meet and teach these new converts in secret from the revelations he was continuing to receive. The Muslims prayed twice a day and would retreat to the mountains to do so.
5. After there were more than 40 or so converts it could not be kept a secret any more. Then sura 26:214 was revealed to preach the message openly. He called his own clan to dinner; Abu Lahab rejected the message while Abu Talib promised protection. Then the Prophet called the people of Makka to the mount of Safa and told them about the new faith and believing in one God. His message was rejected. After this persecutions started on the early converts but Makkans continued to convert to Islam.
6. Candidates should give details in their answer and need to avoid giving a narrative about the persecutions.
7. (b) Candidates could say that it was significant because the message was new and so the Prophet and his closest followers needed time to get used to it. Also, they did not know how the Quraysh would react so it was better to wait until they had some strength in numbers before openly preaching. It was also better to wait until they were guided by God to preach Islam openly.
8. Candidates could also say that it was not significant, for example, because they were only preaching in secret because they were unsure about the message, or had very little to tell people in terms of what had been revealed.
9. Candidates can offer their own answers but need to give reasons.