Unit 1 — Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) the Model of Tolerance

Complete Solved Exercises

Textbook: English 9, KP Textbook Board — Unit 1, pp.1–11
Theme: Tolerance
Grammar: Noun — countable & uncountable, collective, material & abstract, number of noun
Writing: Paragraph writing, summary of lesson, translation

COMPREHENSION (pp.6–7)

A. Answer the following questions

1. What does the Quran say about tolerance?
The Holy Quran teaches us to be patient and tolerant. It says: "O you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient." (Al-Baqarah 2:153). The Quran also describes the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) as Rahmatul-lil-Alameen, that is, a mercy unto the whole of mankind and the universe. Allah has further guaranteed those who are patient that He will give them reward without measure.

2. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was a man of extraordinary endurance. Explain.
The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) bore the greatest hardships with patience and calmness. While he was preaching Islam in Makkah, the Quraish ostracised him and his family, Banu Hashim. They had to live in a valley called Shab-Abi-Talib, where there was a great scarcity of food and water. The believers had no means of income and led a very tough life for a period of three years. In spite of all this suffering, the Prophet (S.A.W) remained calm and tolerant and never thought of taking any sort of revenge. This shows that he was a man of extraordinary endurance.

3. How did the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) treat the people of Makkah after victory?
After the conquest of Makkah, the Muslim army entered the city humbly and peacefully. No house was robbed and no man or woman was insulted. The Prophet (S.A.W) granted a general amnesty to the entire population of Makkah. When everybody gathered in the Khana-e-Kaaba, he asked the Quraish, "What do you expect at my hands?" They all shouted in one voice, "Kindness and pity, gracious brother, gracious nephew." They were not disappointed. He said the same forgiving words that Prophet Yousuf (A.S) had said to his brothers: "Have no fear this day, may Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful to those who show mercy." He even forgave Abu Sufyan and his wife, who had been the worst enemies of Islam.

4. Why was the Rabbi asking for the repayment days before the loan was due?
The Rabbi, Zaid ibn Sanah, was asking for the repayment days before the loan was actually due because he wanted to test the tolerance of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W). He had read in his scriptures about the qualities of the last Prophet, and he wished to see for himself whether the Prophet's tolerance and forbearance would take precedence over his anger when he was treated harshly.

5. What does the tolerance of Hazrat Mohammad (S.A.W) teach us?
The tolerance of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) teaches us that we should always treat people with kindness and compassion. It teaches us to forgive even our worst enemies, to control our anger, and to remain calm and patient in the face of adversity. It teaches us that violence, anger and rudeness should never be part of our personality, and that harsh treatment should be repaid with kindness. Above all, it teaches us that tolerance and perseverance are far greater than revenge.

6. What was the effect of Hazrat Mohammad's (S.A.W) kindness on the Rabbi?
The kindness of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) had a deep effect on the Rabbi. He found that tolerance and perseverance took precedence over anger, and that harsh treatment was repaid with kindness. The Prophet (S.A.W) not only ordered his loan to be repaid but also gave him twenty Sa'a of dates extra because Hazrat Umar (R.A) had frightened him. Seeing this, the Rabbi Zaid immediately renounced his religion and testified before the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) that there was none worthy of worship but Allah alone and that Muhammad (S.A.W) was His messenger.

7. What is the main idea of the lesson?
The main idea of the lesson is that the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) is a perfect and superb example of tolerance, forgiveness, patience and compassion. His tolerance knew no bounds and was not confined to Muslims alone; he showed kindness even to his worst enemies. The lesson teaches us that we should follow his example and adopt tolerance in our own lives, showing patience in the face of adversity and kindness in the face of harsh treatment.

B. Choose the correct answer

VOCABULARY (p.7)

A. Find the meaning of the following words in the dictionary and identify the part of speech through the abbreviation used

Dictionary abbreviations: n. = noun, v. = verb, adj. = adjective, adv. = adverb, prep. = preposition, conj. = conjunction, pron. = pronoun.

B. Consult a thesaurus and find out the synonyms of the following words

WRITING (p.8)

A. Write a paragraph on 'The Patience of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)'

The Patience of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was a matchless model of patience and endurance. Throughout his mission he faced bitter opposition, yet he never lost his calmness. When the Quraish ostracised him and his family in the valley of Shab-Abi-Talib, he patiently bore three long years of hunger and hardship without complaining. Moreover, when the people of Taif stoned him and drove him out of their city, he did not curse them but prayed for their guidance instead. Even after the conquest of Makkah, when he had complete power over his enemies, he calmly forgave them all and granted a general amnesty. Furthermore, when the Rabbi Zaid seized his cloak and spoke to him harshly, he neither grew angry nor rebuked him, but gently ordered that the loan be repaid with an extra amount. Thus the whole life of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) shines as a bright example of patience, and it teaches us to remain steady and calm in the face of every difficulty.

(Topic sentence is in bold in your notebook; note the transitional devices — moreover, even after, furthermore, thus.)

B. Analyse the first paragraph in the text to identify the theme

The first paragraph opens with a Quranic verse commanding patience and prayer, and then defines tolerance as "a fair and objective attitude towards those whose lifestyle differs from ours." It goes on to say that the life of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) is a superb example of tolerance and that he is an epitome of tolerance, forgiveness, patience and compassion.

Theme identified: the theme of the paragraph — and of the whole lesson — is tolerance, presented through the personality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) as the model that every Muslim should follow.

C. Discuss tolerance with reference to the current world scenario (at least 100 words)

Tolerance is the most urgent need of the present-day world. Today mankind is divided by religion, race, colour, language and politics, and this division has produced hatred, terrorism and endless wars. Millions of innocent people have lost their homes and lives simply because others could not accept a way of life different from their own. Modern media and social networks often spread anger and prejudice faster than understanding. In such a scenario the example of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) is a guiding light for the whole of humanity. He forgave his bitterest enemies at the conquest of Makkah and repaid harshness with kindness. If nations today adopted the same spirit — respecting the beliefs of others, settling disputes through dialogue instead of weapons, and showing compassion to the weak — the world could become a place of peace and harmony. Tolerance, therefore, is not a weakness but the greatest strength of a civilised society.

D. Write down the summary of the lesson

Summary

Tolerance means a fair and objective attitude towards those whose way of life differs from our own. It is the virtue that enables a person to bear negative remarks and behaviour with patience and calmness. The life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) is a superb example of this virtue, and the Holy Quran calls him Rahmatul-lil-Alameen, a mercy unto all mankind. While preaching Islam in Makkah, he and his family were ostracised and had to spend three years of hunger in the valley of Shab-Abi-Talib, yet he never thought of revenge. After the conquest of Makkah his army entered the city peacefully, and he granted a general amnesty to all, forgiving even Abu Sufyan and his wife. When the Jewish Rabbi Zaid ibn Sanah grabbed his cloak and demanded his loan harshly, the Prophet (S.A.W) calmly ordered Hazrat Umar (R.A) to repay it with twenty Sa'a extra for having frightened him. Seeing such tolerance, the Rabbi at once embraced Islam. The tolerance of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) knew no bounds; he always showed kindness in the face of harsh treatment.

(Remember the rules given in the book: do not rewrite the original, keep it short, use your own wording, refer to the central idea, and do not give your own opinion.)

E. Translate the following passage from English into Urdu (p.9)

English: "Tolerance means the ability or willingness to endure the existence of opinions or behaviour that one dislikes or disagrees with. People who have less of this ability easily fall prey to aggression, haste reactions, anger and all other negative attitudes. Tolerance is one of the paths of winning Allah's will and happiness. In the Holy Quran, Allah has guaranteed those who are patient that He will give them reward without measure."

Urdu translation:

رواداری کا مطلب ہے ایسی آراء یا رویّوں کے وجود کو برداشت کرنے کی صلاحیت یا آمادگی جو انسان کو ناپسند ہوں یا جن سے وہ اتفاق نہ کرتا ہو۔ جن لوگوں میں یہ صلاحیت کم ہوتی ہے وہ آسانی سے جارحیت، جلد بازی کے ردِعمل، غصے اور دیگر تمام منفی رویّوں کا شکار ہو جاتے ہیں۔ رواداری اللہ کی رضا اور خوشنودی حاصل کرنے کے راستوں میں سے ایک راستہ ہے۔ قرآنِ مجید میں اللہ تعالیٰ نے صبر کرنے والوں سے وعدہ فرمایا ہے کہ وہ اُنہیں بے حساب اجر عطا فرمائے گا۔

Teacher's guideline reminder: use knowledge of literal and figurative meaning, grammatical gender and syntax. Urdu has only two genders — masculine and feminine — and most phrases and idioms do not translate literally.

LISTENING & SPEAKING (p.9)

Task: Share with the class an act of tolerance you have performed recently.

Model response for students:

Last week my younger brother accidentally broke my new mobile phone while playing with it. At first I felt very angry and was about to shout at him. Then I remembered the tolerance of our Holy Prophet (S.A.W), who forgave even those who had harmed him greatly. So I controlled my anger and told my brother calmly that he should be more careful in future. He said sorry and hugged me. I felt much happier than if I had scolded him, and my brother and I are on better terms than ever. This taught me that patience keeps relationships strong.

GRAMMAR — NOUN (pp.9–11)

A. Change the following sentences from singular to plural or from plural to singular

B. Choose whether the following nouns are concrete or abstract

Rule: a concrete noun names something we can perceive with our five senses; an abstract noun names an idea, quality or feeling that cannot be touched or seen.

C. Choose whether the following nouns are countable or uncountable, and use the words in sentences of your own

Note: "coffee" and "tea" become countable when we mean cups or varieties — "Two teas, please."

D. Fill in the blanks with a noun (use each noun only one time)

Word bank: chairs, information, hair, luggage, furniture

E. Complete the following sentences by using the collective nouns

Word bank: flock, herd, swarm, bouquet, gang

⚠ Correction note for the class: a group of locusts is a swarm, never a herd. A swarm is used for insects (bees, locusts, flies), a flock for birds and sheep, and a herd for large four-footed animals such as cattle, buffaloes, elephants and deer.

F. Nouns that change meaning in the plural form — Activity

Use the words in sentences to make their meanings clear in singular and plural form.

G. Pick out noun phrases from the following sentences

Definition: a noun phrase is a group of words which functions as a noun in a sentence.

GLOSSARY (p.5 — as given in the book)

LIKELY EXAM QUESTIONS

1. What does the Quran say about tolerance?
2. How did the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) treat the people of Makkah after the conquest?
3. Narrate the incident of Rabbi Zaid ibn Sanah. What effect did the Prophet's kindness have on him?
4. Why was the Rabbi asking for repayment before the loan was due?
5. What does the tolerance of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) teach us?
6. Write the summary of the lesson "Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) the Model of Tolerance."
7. Write a paragraph on the patience of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W).
8. Translate the given passage into Urdu.
9. Define a noun. Write its kinds with examples.
10. Distinguish between countable and uncountable nouns; between concrete and abstract nouns.