The Prophet died in 632. Write about the events of the final year of his life.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2016). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] (a) The Prophet received many delegations in the final year of his life. In 631/10AH, the Prophet performed his final pilgrimage; at 'Arafah he addressed the people gathered there; this is considered his farewell speech, in which he indicated he may not be there the following year; he also gave instructions for unlawful shedding of blood; usury was forbidden; the obligation towards looking after wives was emphasised as well as the kind treatment of women; sticking faithfully to the pillars of Islam was emphasised; equality of humankind was emphasised saying no Arab has superiority over a non-Arab and vice versa; brotherhood was established; he told them the Qur'an and sunna were left for them and reminded them they would have to answer for their deeds; then the verses 5.3 were revealed (today your religion has been perfected); the Prophet completed his pilgrimage and returned to Madina; he increased his seclusion; Jibril reviewed the Qur'an twice with him; his illness began 13 days before his death; he moved into A'isha's apartment for the last week; he continued leading the prayers and would give the congregation advice; he called for Fatima, Hassan and Hussain and his wives; Abu Bakr led prayers in the last days; the Prophet passed away on 12th Rabi al-Awwal, 11AH. Shi'a candidates may say that on the way back from Makka the Prophet chose 'Ali as his successor. Candidates could go on to mention the grief of the Companions and the speech that Abu Bakr gave them to remind them about worshipping God, but it is not necessary for a full answer.
2. [4] (b) The last sermon is considered a summary of the main elements of faith, as it includes the five pillars, equality of humankind, ethics and morality. It can be used in many modern day issues such as racism, inequality of women, the financial structure (dealing in interest), adultery, responsibility of actions (particularly in crimes), treating other Muslims as brothers, treating slaves/servants well, and worshipping God. Candidates can choose any two of these to write about but should elaborate on how these points in the sermon can be applied in life today.