The Prophet (pbuh) was generous and forgiving. Write about events from his life that demonstrate these qualities in action.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2019). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] A comprehensive answer will provide an account of both qualities, giving details of specific events that show those qualities in action.
2. Candidates may include some of the following points. All other relevant points must be credited.
3. Generosity is given freely without expecting anything in return. Some examples of the Prophet's generosity are:
4. Muhammad (pbuh) would never refuse the beggar, would feed the poor and hungry, going hungry himself.
5. Muhammad (pbuh) would give away his possessions and money.
6. Muhammad (pbuh) never turned down anyone who asked him for something, and once a person asked for the clothes he was wearing, he took off his garment and handed it to the man.
7. Once, 70,000 dirhams were brought to Muhammad (pbuh) and he laid them on the floor and gave them out until they were all finished.
8. Muhammad (pbuh) was most generous in Ramadan.
9. When Muhammad (pbuh) returned a debt he gave more than he owed.
10. Even when Muhammad (pbuh) asked for water from a woman to drink, he gave the water skins back with more water in them as well as some food.
11. Muhammad (pbuh) was generous with his prayers, praying for those who hurt him rather than asking for their destruction, e.g. at Ta'if and Uhud.
12. Forgiveness is to not have anger, or to show kindness to someone who has wronged you. Examples of the Prophet's forgiveness are many, some of which are:
13. Muhammad's willingness to forgive the people of Ta'if after they pelted him with stones. Jibril came with permission from God to crush the people of Ta'if, but the Prophet (pbuh) instead forgave them saying he was sent as a mercy.
14. Muhammad (pbuh) forgave the woman who used to throw rubbish on him and went to visit her when she was unwell.
15. After the Conquest of Makka the Prophet (pbuh) forgave most of his enemies, even those such as Abu Sufyan who had fought against him many times, and his wife Hinda, who had Hamza killed and chewed on his liver.
16. The Prophet (pbuh) never took revenge for himself, preferring to forgive. He was willing to forgive Abdullah ibn Ubayy, until a verse was revealed against him, and Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl amongst others.
17. Candidates may give other examples and any relevant ones should be credited.
18. [4] Candidates could say that it is easy, because the Prophet (pbuh) is a role model for them and so it is easy to follow his example. They should give examples of the way they are able to apply generosity in their lives.
19. They could say that it is not easy, because the Prophet (pbuh) was the best of creation and times are different now, and so it is hard to be as generous as he was. Again, they should give reasons why it is not easy to be generous if they choose to answer this way.