(a) God sent prophets throughout the ages to guide mankind. Write an account of Muslim belief in prophets. (b) Why were prophets chosen from within their own communities? Give reasons to support your answer.

Mark scheme

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

1. A straightforward answer about Muslim belief in prophets needs to be given here. Candidates could say that all the revealed faiths of God have a belief in prophets: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. God has chosen at least one prophet from every nation to convey his message of guidance to humanity.
2. Prophethood is a gift from God, He bestows it on whomsoever He chooses to. Candidates can go on to write about some of the features that were possessed by all prophets and say that they were human, male, morally and intellectually superior to the rest in their community, were granted miracles and they spoke the language of their people.
3. The number of prophets sent throughout history is thought to be approximately 124 000 and Muslims should have faith in all the prophets sent by God and make no distinction between them. The belief and respect due to all prophets is critical as is the belief in the finality of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
4. Candidates can go on to say that prophets not only conveyed God's message to humanity but educated humanity on how to run societies in accordance with God's will and were role models to their communities in their personal and communal conduct.
5. All prophets were rejected by their communities and faced hardship and trials but remained steadfast and never despaired as they believed that God's help would always come. God granted miracles to help the prophets with their missions and students may mention some of them.
6. It could be said belief in prophets is an Article of Faith and without it a person cannot be a Muslim. The names of some of the prophets and the books that were revealed to them could be given in the answer.
7. God chose prophets from within their own communities because then they would be known to their people and the likelihood of them being accepted and heard by their people would be greater. The prophets chosen, spoke the same language and understood the needs of their community.
8. When the prophets faced hardships and trials, they could have the support from some members of their community because they belonged to it.
9. Communities who were sent prophets were at a low ebb and needed guidance and a moral pathway to lead their lives. Being from the community prophets could act as role models.
10. Some candidates might say that this was also a test for the communities to accept God's message brought by the prophet.