Describe the roles played by Abu Talib and Hamza in the life of the Prophet.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2014). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] (a) Both men were uncles of the Prophet, one who accepted Islam and the other did not. Abu Talib: he was the brother of the Prophet's father, and the leader of the Banu Hashim clan, making a respected leader amongst the Quraysh; the Prophet came into his care after the death of the Prophet's mother and then grandfather; the Prophet worked for him and went on trade journeys with him; the Prophet chose 'Ali to adopt and look after when Abu Talib faced financial difficulty; after prophethood, the Quraysh would try to get Abu Talib to stop his nephew from his mission, but he remained in support of him; his support of the Prophet provided him with protection from the Quraysh hostilities; Abu Talib died after the boycott, and the Prophet was greatly saddened by his death. Hamza: he was an uncle and foster-brother of the Prophet; he was a warrior and sportsman and had little interest the issues of Makkah; he hit Abu Jahl when he heard Abu Jahl had assaulted the Prophet; after that he became Muslim; it gave the Muslims a lot of strength and they were able to pray in public; in the battle of Badr he killed leading men of he Quraysh including Hind's father Utbah; she vowed revenge and hired Washi to kill Hamza which he did at the battle of Uhud; he was given the title "chief of Martyrs".
2. [4] (b) Candidates can give a yes or a no answer but they have to give reasons. Other reasons can be given but they have to be relevant to the question. Yes: he allowed the boycotted Muslims to stay at Shib-i-Abi Talib, which gave them a place to stay in a time of difficulty; he supported the Prophet at all times, which in turn supported the followers of the Prophet and this would have helped them carry on in their mission; when the Quraysh offered the Prophet bribes and the Prophet refused, Abu Talib said he would not ask him again, which again helped strengthen the support given to the Prophet and his community. No: he did not become Muslim – if he had, more people may have converted; his remaining non-Muslim gave the Quraysh continued reason to oppress the Muslims. Candidates could give any relevant example of why the Prophet should have had that quality but the development of the answer is what will give the candidate higher marks.