The Prophet had different experiences in the caves of Hira and Thawr. Give an account of his experiences in both caves.

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Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2018). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] Cave Hira is where the Prophet received the first revelation, when he was 40. He had been spending longer periods of time there. One night, an angel appeared in the form of a man and said 'Iqra' (read/recite). The Prophet replied, I cannot recite. This happened three times, the third time the Angel Jibril squeezed the Prophet and recited the words of sura Alaq, verses 1–5. The Prophet felt the words were imprinted on his heart. He ran out the cave and could see the Angel on the horizon. He ran home and asked his wife to cover him and narrated what had happened.
2. [10] Cave Thawr is where the Prophet hid with his companion Abu Bakr when they left Makka on the migration to Madina. They stayed in the cave for three days. Abu Bakr entered to clear the cave for the Prophet; while the Prophet slept on his lap, something stung Abu Bakr but he did not cry out. A spider wove its web at the entrance, and birds made a nest, so when the Quraysh got to the cave they did not go in. Abu Bakr was scared and the Prophet reassured him that God was with them (9.40). After three days they left the cave for Madina. Abu Bakr's son would come to give them news of Makka and his daughter brought them food for their journey.
3. [4] The events gave the Prophet reassurance that God was looking after him, as the web that was spun on the cave saved his life, so Islam was spread. It also confirmed the loyalty of Abu Bakr to the Prophet, as Abu Bakr was afraid but did not give himself or the Prophet away to the Quraysh. This reassured the Prophet that God gave him the best companions for his mission.
4. [4] It also reassured the Prophet that God will always be with him in difficulty, and that he has a plan for his benefit, such as covering the opening with a spider's web.