Outstanding Qualities of the Prophet (PBUH)

a) Write about events from the Prophet’s (pbuh) life that shows his qualities of
generosity, honesty and simplicity in action.[10]
Generosity is giving freely without expecting anything in return: Examples of the
Prophet’s generosity are, Abdullah ibn Ubayy, one of the hypocrites, was an enemy of
Islam, yet on his death the Prophet prayed for him and gave his own shirt to enshroud
Abdullah’s body. He would never refuse the beggar, would feed the poor and hungry, going
hungry himself. He would give away his possessions and money. He never turned down
anyone who asked him for something, and once a person asked for the clothes he was
wearing, the Prophet took off his garment and handed it to the man. Once, 70 000 dirhams
were brought to him and he laid them on the floor and gave them out until they were all
finished. He was most generous in Ramadan. When he returned a debt he gave more than
what he owed. He was generous with his prayers, praying for those who hurt him rather
than asking for their destruction, e.g. at Ta’if and Uhud.
Honesty is being truthful in all circumstances even when it is not to your benefit:
examples of the Prophet’s honesty are, that even before prophethood he was known for
being honest and trustworthy. Khadija married him due to his honesty in trade. The
Quryash would keep their belongings with him, even after they rejected his message.
When Abu Sufyan met the
Byzantine Emperor, he spoke highly of the Prophet saying he never lies or betrays other.
Also, after the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah, Abu Jandal was sent back to Makka.
Simplicity is living with few things and not being extravagant even when you have the
chance: the Prophet would do things with his own hands, rather than asking others to do
it for him, such as milking his goats, patching his clothes, mending his shoes. He worked on
the construction of the mosque and digging the trench at battle. He did not like the
companions to stand up for him when he entered. He would eat as others ate, and sit on
the floor as others sat. He would take his meals with slaves and people from any class of
society. He would eat very little. He would sleep on a simple mattress on the floor without
home comforts or decorations.
b) Can Muslims adopt a life of simplicity like the Prophet (pbuh) in current times?
Give reasons for your answer. [4]
Candidates could say yes, e.g. because people now have too many things and can live
without a lot of them. They could simplify their lives and get rid of a lot of the things they
have in their homes, as well as eating less food. They could also spend less and give away
more to charity. They could say no, e.g. because times have changed and it is difficult to
live without certain things, like electronics, cars, etc. and they have become so much part
of society that people feel they have a very low quality of life without them. Or, because
things are available they should be used.

a) The Prophet (pbuh) was generous and forgiving. Write about events from his life that
demonstrate these qualities in action. [10]
A comprehensive answer will provide an account of both qualities, giving details of
specific events that show those qualities in action. Candidates may include some of the
following points. All other relevant points must be credited. Generosity is given freely
without expecting anything in return. Some examples of the Prophet’s generosity are:
Muhammad (pbuh) would never refuse the beggar, would feed the poor and hungry, going
hungry himself. Muhammad (pbuh) would give away his possessions and money.
Muhammad (pbuh) never turned down anyone who asked him for something, and once a
person asked for the clothes he was wearing, he took off his garment and handed it to the
man. Once, 70,000 dirhams were brought to Muhammad (pbuh) and he laid them on the
floor and gave them out until they were all
finished. Muhammad (pbuh) was most generous in Ramadan. When Muhammad (pbuh)
returned a debt he gave more than he owed. Even when Muhammad (pbuh) asked for
water from a woman to drink, he gave the water skins back with more water in them as
well as some food. Muhammad (pbuh) was generous with his prayers, praying for those
who hurt him rather than asking for their destruction, e.g. at Ta’if and Uhud.
Forgiveness is to not have anger, or to show kindness to someone who has wronged
you. Examples of the Prophet’s forgiveness are many, some of which are: Muhammad’s
willingness to forgive the people of Ta’if after they pelted him with stones. Jibril came with
permission from God to crush the people of Ta’if, but the Prophet (pbuh) instead forgave
them saying he was sent as a mercy. Muhammad (pbuh) forgave the woman who used to
throw rubbish on him and went to visit her when she was unwell.
After the Conquest of Makka the Prophet (pbuh) forgave most of his enemies, even
those such as Abu Sufyan who had fought against him many times, and his wife Hinda, who
had Hamza killed and chewed on his liver. The Prophet (pbuh) never took revenge for
himself, preferring to forgive. He was willing to forgive Abdullah ibn Ubayy, until a verse
was revealed against him, and Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl amongst others. Candidates may give
other examples and any relevant ones should be credited.
b) How easy is it for Muslims in the present day to follow the Prophet’s generosity?
Give reasons for your answer. [4]
Candidates could say that it is easy, because the Prophet (pbuh) is a role model for
them and so it is easy to follow his example. They should give examples of the way they
are able to apply generosity in their lives. They could say that it is not easy, because the
Prophet (pbuh) was the best of creation and times are different now, and so it is hard to
be as generous as he was. Again, they should give reasons why it is not easy to be
generous if they choose to answer this way.

a) Giving at least four examples from his life, write about the ways in which the
Prophet Muhammad showed generosity and humility.[10]
Generosity is giving freely without expecting anything in return: examples of the
Prophet’s generosity are: He would never refuse the beggar, would feed the poor and
hungry, going hungry himself. He would give away his possessions and money. He never
turned down anyone who asked him for something, and once a person asked for the clothes
he was wearing, the Prophet took off his garment and handed it to the man. Once, 70 000
dirhams were brought to him and he laid them on the floor and gave them out until they
were all finished. He was most generous in Ramadan. When he returned a debt he gave
more than what he owed. Even when he asked for water from a woman to drink, he gave
the water skins back with more water in them as well as some food. He was generous with
his prayers, praying for those who hurt him rather than asking for their destruction, e.g. at
Ta’if and Uhud.
Humility is having a low/modest view of yourself: the Prophet would not think of
himself as above the Companions, like a king, and would take part in all the tasks the rest
of the community would, like digging the Trench in battle despite his hunger, or taking
part in the building of the mosque in Madina. He would take part in household chores,
like cleaning and mending his garments, milking the goats, etc., and would not expect
others to do it for him. He would sit on the floor and eat, saying, ‘I am only a servant, I
eat like a servant or a slave eats, and I sit as any servant sits.’ When the Prophet entered
Makka after the conquest, he did not enter with a big display of victory, rather he was
riding at the back of the army remembering and thanking God. He was so hunched over
that his beard was touching the back of his animal

b) Giving examples, write how Muslims can be generous with their neighbours.[4]
Examples could be that they can look out for the needs of people who live around
them, whether it be helping them with their shopping, giving them food from what they
have cooked for themselves, giving gifts, especially on days of celebration, or spending
time with them, e.g. if they live alone.

a) The Prophet was described as humble and just. Giving examples from his life, write
about events that describe these qualities. [10]
Humble: The Prophet would not think of himself as above the other companions, like a
king, and would take part in all the tasks the rest of the community would, like digging the
Trench in battle despite his hunger, or taking part in the building of the mosque in Madina.
He would take part in household chores, like cleaning and mending his garments, milking
the goats, etc., and would not expect others to do it for him. He would sit on the floor and
eat, saying, “I am only a servant, I eat like a servant or a slave eats, and I sit as any servant
sits.” When the Prophet entered Makka after the conquest, he did not enter with a big
display of victory; rather he was riding at the back of the army remembering and thanking
God. He was so hunched over that his beard was touching the back of his animal.
Just: He did not treat those he knew or was related to differently to those who were
strangers. Once, a noble woman of the Quraysh committed theft. Her relatives tried to
intercede on her behalf. The Prophet called the people saying: “What destroyed your
predecessors was just that when a person of rank among them committed a theft (or any
crime), they left him alone, but when a weak one of their number committed a theft (or
any crime), they inflicted the prescribed punishment on him. I swear by Allah that if
Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad, should steal, I would have her hand cut off.” Many Jews
of Madina brought their affairs and problems to him, knowing that he would always be fair.
In administering justice, he made no distinction between believers and nonbelievers,
friends and foes, high and low. When a Jewish man came to demand back the money the
Prophet owed him, he grabbed the Prophet by the collar. ‘Umar got angry at the Jew, but
the Prophet smiled. He asked for the debt to be repaid and extra given due to the harsh
treatment by ‘Umar. Candidates can give other examples but should give details of them.
b) How can Muslims today apply the Prophet’s example of humility when dealing with
either friends or strangers? [4]
Candidates could say, e.g. that Muslims can be humble by eating with their servants, or
the same food as their servants, or not treating them any differently to their own family;
they can take part in tasks to help the community such as looking after and cleaning the
mosque; they can help their family by doing chores and not thinking they are too busy for
it; if they are in positions of authority at work, they should not try to treat their workers
badly to show who is boss, but should treat them fairly and equally.

a) The Qur’an says the Prophet is of “great moral character” (68.4). Identify events from
his life that show a range of his moral characteristics. [10]
Candidates can offer a variety of answers, but they should identify an event in the life
of the Prophet and give details as to the character of the Prophet during that event.
Examples they could write about are:
Kind: at the time of the persecutions in Makka there was an old woman who threw
rubbish on the Prophet every day as he walked to the mosque; one day she was not there;
he asked her neighbour about her well-being and found out she was ill; he asked permission
to visit the woman; when he entered the house, the woman thought that he had come
there to take his revenge when she was unable to defend herself because of sickness; but
the Prophet assured her that he had come to her, not to take any revenge, but to see her
and to look after her needs, as it was the command of God that if anyone is sick a Muslim
should visit him/her and should help him/her if help is needed.
Merciful: the Prophet went to preach Islam to the people of Ta’if, who rejected him
and chased him away, throwing stones at him causing him to bleed. When the angel Jibril
came and said God has given permission to destroy the people of Ta’if upon the Prophet’s
command, the Prophet replied that he would rather have someone from their community
believe in and worship one God.
Trustworthy: the Makkans knew of the Prophet’s trustworthiness and called him
al- Amin; even after prophethood they continued to entrust their belongings to him
knowing that he would keep them safe; on migration to Madina he returned all their
belongings through ‘Ali. Truthful: He was known to the Quraysh as al-Sadiq; even after
prophethood they rejected his message but still believed he would not tell a lie;
Humble: despite the Prophet’s status, he never lived an extravagant life; his wife
Aisha related that at home he would sweep the house, stitch his own clothes, fix his own
sandals, help employees in their work and eat his meals with them. He did not think of
himself as better than the poor, and would accept invitations from slaves and the poor; he
also showed his humility at the Conquest of Makka.
b) Which of the Prophet’s characteristics you have written about in part (a) is the most
important in your opinion and why? [4]
Candidates here should take one of the examples they have written about and give reasons as to
why they think it is the most important of the Prophet’s characteristics. It is not enough to write
that e.g. his mercy was the most important because he forgave people which showed people he
was a great Prophet, but they need to show an understanding of why they think it was important,
whether they relate it to the events at the time of the Prophet, or whether they relate it to the
lives of Muslims now