OxfordAQA IGCSE Islamiyat: Life and Teachings of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) — Revision Notes

These notes condense topic 3.2.1 of OxfordAQA International GCSE Islamiat 9237, Life and Teachings of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), examined in Paper 2 Section A. A timeline fixes the order of events, a people table records who did what, and short lists give the reasons, events and lessons that 4-, 6- and 12-mark questions ask for.

Syllabus coverage

9237 topic 3.2.1 (Version 1.1): 3.2.1.1 pre-Islamic Arabia; 3.2.1.2 early life; 3.2.1.3 call to prophethood; 3.2.1.4 early preaching; 3.2.1.5 opposition; 3.2.1.6 Isra wal Mi’raj; 3.2.1.7 Hijrah and early Madinah; 3.2.1.8 supporters; 3.2.1.9 battles, Hudaibiyah, conquest of Makkah, Farewell Pilgrimage; 3.2.1.10 legacy and lessons.

Timeline

Date (CE, approx.)	Event
c. 570	Birth in Makka, the Year of the Elephant; father Abdullah already dead
c. 576	Death of mother Amina; care of grandfather Abdul Muttalib
c. 578	Abdul Muttalib dies; uncle Abu Talib takes over
c. 582	Journey to Syria; meeting with Bahira
c. 595	Marriage to Hazrat Khadija (RA)
610	First revelation in the Cave of Hira
c. 613	Public preaching begins
c. 615	Some Muslims migrate to Abyssinia
c. 616–619	Boycott of Banu Hashim
619	Year of Sorrow: deaths of Khadija and Abu Talib; visit to Ta’if
c. 620–621	Isra wal Mi’raj; first pledge of Aqaba
622	Second pledge of Aqaba; plot to kill the Prophet; Hijrah to Madinah
624	Battle of Badr
625	Battle of Uhud
627	Battle of the Trench
628	Treaty of Hudaibiyah; Khaibar
630	Conquest of Makkah; Battle of Hunayn
630–631	Aam ul Wufood (Year of Delegations)
632	Farewell Pilgrimage and Sermon; death in Madinah

Key people

Person	Role
Abdullah and Amina	Parents
Halima Sa’diya	Wet nurse in the desert
Abdul Muttalib	Grandfather and guardian
Abu Talib	Uncle and protector until 619
Bahira	Monk who recognised signs of prophethood
Hazrat Khadija (RA)	Wife; first believer; comfort at the first revelation
Waraqa ibn Nawfal	Scholar who confirmed the angel was the one sent to Musa (AS)
Jibril (AS)	Angel who brought revelation
Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA)	Early convert; companion on the Hijrah; al-Siddiq
Hazrat Ali (RA)	Early convert; slept in the Prophet’s bed on the night of the Hijrah
Hazrat Abu Ayyub Ansari (RA)	Host in Madinah
Hazrat Hamza (RA)	Uncle; defender; martyred at Uhud
Hazrat Talha (RA)	Shielded the Prophet at Uhud
Hazrat Zubair (RA)	Cousin; early Muslim and loyal fighter
Salman al-Farsi	Suggested the trench

Pre-Islamic Arabia (Jahiliya)

• Religious: idol worship at the Ka’ba; some Jews, Christians and hanifs.
• Political: tribes, no state; Quraysh controlled Makka.
• Moral: alcohol, gambling, interest, blood feuds.
• Social: female infanticide; few rights for women and slaves.

Qualities of the Prophet (pbuh)

Honesty (al-Amin, al-Sadiq); courage; kindness to the poor and orphans; earning an honest living as a shepherd and trader; fair dealing; forgiveness.

Reasons for Makkan opposition

1. Threat to idol-based trade and pilgrimage income.
2. Threat to leaders’ status; teaching of equality.
3. Rejection of ancestral religion.
4. Disbelief in resurrection.

Forms of opposition: mockery; torture of weaker Muslims; boycott of Banu Hashim; rejection at Ta’if; plot to kill.

Isra wal Mi’raj: importance

• Comfort after the Year of Sorrow.
• Five daily prayers ordained.
• Link between Makka and Jerusalem; the Prophet leads earlier prophets in prayer.
• Test of faith; Abu Bakr named al-Siddiq.

Madinah: first steps

• Mosque at Quba, then the Prophet’s Mosque.
• Brotherhood between Muhajirun and Ansar.
• Charter of Madinah: one community; mutual defence; religious freedom; the Prophet as arbiter.

Hudaibiyah terms

• Ten-year truce.
• Muslims return the following year for umrah.
• Makkans joining the Muslims returned; not the reverse.
• Tribes free to ally with either side.

Farewell Sermon: key teachings

• Sanctity of life, property and honour.
• Equality: no Arab superior to a non-Arab except by piety.
• Rights and kind treatment of women.
• Interest abolished; blood feuds ended.
• Hold fast to the Qur’an.

Worked example

Question: Explain two reasons why the Treaty of Hudaibiyah was important. [4]

Model answer: The truce ended fighting, so Muslims could travel and preach freely, and many tribes accepted Islam in the next two years [2]. It also meant the Quraysh formally recognised the Muslims as an equal party, which raised their standing across Arabia, and the Qur’an called it a “clear victory” (Sura 48) [2].

Common mistakes and exam traps

• Mixing up Aqaba and Hudaibiyah. Aqaba = pledges before the Hijrah; Hudaibiyah = treaty in 628.
• Uhud as a defeat only. Explain its lesson about obedience.
• Forgetting honorifics. Use (pbuh) for the Prophet and (RA) or (AS) as the specification does.
• No link to lessons today. 12-mark answers should connect events to Muslim life now.

How is this topic examined?

The life and teachings of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) is examined in OxfordAQA 9237 Paper 2, Section A (25 marks). Each section has short questions worth 1, 2, 4 and 6 marks, building to an extended response worth 12 marks that is linked to a set passage. Learn the Arabic terms and their meanings for the short items, and for the 12-mark answer plan two or three developed points that quote or refer to the passage and reach a judgement.

Frequently asked questions

Who was the first person to accept Islam? Hazrat Khadija (RA).

Why is 622 CE important? The Hijrah marks the start of the Islamic calendar.

Related pages

• Life and Teachings of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) study guide
• Life and Teachings of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) practice questions
• Sources of Authority in Islam revision notes

Source: OxfordAQA, International GCSE Islamiat (9237) specification, Version 1.1, topic 3.2.1.