Describe the ways in which the clans in Makka treated the Prophet (pbuh) before and after he received revelation.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2022). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. Candidates should write about the Prophet's status in the community prior to him becoming a prophet. He was known as ‘Al-Amin' or the trustworthy.
2. Prior to his prophethood, the Quraysh trusted him to look after their goods, used to consult him in important matters, and looked to him for advice.
3. When the Prophet was younger he was chosen by the Quraysh to settle the dispute of who should replace the sacred black stone to its position at the Ka'ba. They were happy when the Prophet (pbuh) entered the Haram as they knew that he would judge fairly and offer a solution that was fair to each tribe.
4. Answers should also mention that after revelation, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was rejected when he invited the Quraysh to Islam on Mount Safa.
5. They still trusted him but did not want to believe in his message. Before that he faced rejection when he invited his own family to dinner and asked them to join him in spreading the faith.
6. Once open preaching began, was taunted, mocked and openly humiliated by different members of the Quraysh. He was called a mad man, or possessed by jinn [15.6, 68.51]. They laughed and mocked him after his son's death, calling him "abtar”, cut off.
7. Abu Jahl had the foetus of a she-camel placed on the Prophet's back while he was praying at the Ka'ba, which was removed by Fatima. Rubbish and thorny bushes were thrown at him/in his path. Poets were commissioned to write abusive poems about him. He was often taunted, for example when there was a delay in revelations.
8. The Prophet (pbuh) and Banu Hashim were boycotted and were not allowed business dealings or social contact with the Makkans; they stayed in Shib i Abi Talib for three years, where they had little food or water.
9. Candidates should give examples of how the Prophet (pbuh) was treated/ interacted with before and after revelation.
10. They could say that despite the message he was preaching, they still knew that his character would not have changed because they had never found any discrepancies in his character.
11. Despite not liking what the Prophet was saying they still valued their belongings and wanted to keep them where they knew they would get them back.
12. The reasons the Quraysh changed were political and social, not because the Prophet had changed, or because they felt he was lying/spreading falsehood.
13. It was also a testimony of truthfulness of his message as a trustworthy/honest person could not profess something that was not right.