Describe in detail the roles of Halima and Abu Talib in the early years of the Prophet's life.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2018). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] Halima Sa'adia: she was the Prophet's wet nurse.
2. [10] She had decided to take the baby Muhammad (pbuh) when no one else wanted to, as she did not want to go back to her home in the desert without a baby.
3. [10] Her and her family's fortunes changed whilst the Prophet (pbuh) lived with them.
4. [10] She asked to keep the Prophet (pbuh) for longer than the initial two year period because she felt a close bond to him.
5. [10] She was shaken by the story of the two angels who came to clean the Prophet's heart, after which she returned the Prophet (pbuh) to his mother.
6. [10] The Prophet (pbuh) was known to call Halima 'my mother'.
7. [10] Abu Talib: he became the guardian of the Prophet (pbuh) after the death of the Prophet's grandfather and he loved the Prophet (pbuh) like his own son, often preferring Muhammad (pbuh) over his own children.
8. [10] When in financial difficulty, Abu Talib's son Ali went to live with the Prophet (pbuh).
9. [10] Abu Talib took the Prophet (pbuh) on trade journeys with him, and on one particular journey the monk, Bahira, told Abu Talib that his nephew would be the final prophet.
10. [10] Abu Talib quickly sold his goods and returned to Makka.
11. [10] When the Prophet (pbuh) openly announced Islam, Abu Talib is generally thought not to have become Muslim, but he did promise to protect the Prophet (pbuh).
12. [4] Candidates can give their own lessons, but they could say that as in the case of Halima, blood relations are not the only ones that have to be given love and time, as the Prophet (pbuh) always respected and visited Halima.
13. [4] Also, non-Muslim relations should not be severed, but given the same respect as you would other relatives, as the Prophet (pbuh) showed in the case of Abu Talib.