Exemplar paragraph: Below is a full example of how to use the five-stage model to structure your paragraphs.

Research question (history) : How significant a role did the Prophet Muhammad’s military victories play to the rise of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula?

The paragraph

1. Thesis statement (or topic sentence) : Establishes what point or issue your paragraph is going to develop. This should be written in the form of a statement that is relevant to the overall l question or topic being addressed. For example: Muhammad’s string of early military victories, primarily against the Quresh, were a significant factor in the early development of Islam.

MAIN BODY

2. Elaboration (development) : Explains in greater detail what is meant by the thesis statement.

For example: During Muhammad’s prolonged exile in Yathrib (Medina) .rom 622 to 630, his position as the pre-eminent religious leader o. the nascent Islamic community (umma) was consolidated and secured by his abilities to defeat the enemies of Islam in accordance with practices the local Arabs (badw) would recognize as noteworthy. Muhammad, in true tribal chieftain form, was able to attract supporters to his fold through the pursuit of raids and campaigns which bolstered his reputation and standing among his fellow men.

3. Evidence, events, examples: Al l statements must be supported by one or more pieces o€ evidence.

For example: According to Armstrong, the Prophet Muhammad’s victory at Badr “impressed the Bedouin tribes, some of whom enjoyed seeing . . . the mighty Quraysh brought low.” (Armstrong, 2001 , p. 1 7) . In time, Muhammad’s victory at the Battle of the Trench where his force of 3,000 defeated a force three times larger” convinced the nomadic tribes that Muhammad was the coming man and made the Quraysh look decidedly passe.” (Armstrong, 2001 , p. 1 7) .

4. Balance: Offer an argument opposite to the one you are making to show you have looked at the issue €rom more than one angle, but make sure you counter-argue so that you have still made your point. - This could be a separate paragraph -

For example: However, despite the prestige gained from Muhammad’s victories, these alone would have been worth nothing had he not followed it up with a more localized campaign in Medina and its surrounds to root out his most dangerous ideological rivals, principal among those being the Jewish clans who had aligned themselves with the Meccans (Qaynuqah, Nadir and Qurayzah) . By crushing them, and in the case of the Qurayzah, massacring all 700 of their men and selling their women and children into slavery, he ensured that his military victories brought about more long-term benefits.

5. Analysis: The last few l lines o€ your paragraph should answer the following question:

What does all of the above have to do with the question?

OR

How does the above information link back to the question?

For example: It becomes increasingly clear, therefore, that Muhammad’s military victories significantly aided his reputation and prestige among the Arab tribes by playing on local sensitivities and traditions of ‘good’ leadership. However, these would not have translated into long-term benefits had it not been .or his parallel campaign against ideological and political rival bases.

(Armstrong, K., A Short History of Islam, 2002)