The Muslims in Makka faced a lot of hostility after the Prophet began preaching openly. Describe the persecutions against the followers of the Prophet at this time.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2017). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] (a) The Muslims in Makka faced a lot of hostility after the Prophet began preaching openly. Describe the persecutions against the followers of the Prophet at this time.
2. The Quraysh rejected the Prophet's message after open preaching, and being threatened by the new message, started to persecute the Muslims.
3. Those who had no protection were easy targets and felt the worst of the persecution.
4. Bilal was severely beaten by his master Umayah bin Khalaf; 'Ammar bin Yasir, and his parents, were made to lie on the burning sand – both his parents were martyred; 'Uthman in Affan was wrapped in palm leaves and set fire to by his uncle; Khabab bin al-Arat was made to lie on burning coal with a rock on his chest. It was not just the poor who were persecuted.
5. Due to the severity of the persecutions, the Prophet told the believers to meet secretly at Dar al-Arqam, where they would learn about their new faith. Also because of the persecutions, the Prophet allowed some people to migrate to Abyssinia. Later a social and economic boycott was imposed on the Muslims and they were to live in Shib-i-Abi Talib, where they faced great hardships for many years.
6. [4] (b) In today's world how practical are the reactions of the Prophet's followers to these persecutions?
7. Candidates can offer a variety of answers, but must give reasons for their answer.
8. They could say that the reactions are practical because e.g. people, in the face of persecution, can migrate and so change their situation, or they can have patience and ultimately God will grant them ease, whether in this life or the next. They could say that the reactions are not practical, e.g., because people now have too much invested in a country / community to be able to leave it. Also, many people are too poor to leave their homes and set up new homes elsewhere. They may feel they would not be welcomed in any other country, or that the journey is too difficult to make.