Sir Muzamil Notes o Level Islamia
Sir Muzamil Notes o Level Islamia
Sir Muzamil Notes o Level Islamia
• The two categories mention specifically in the Hadith is the widows and the poor but the teachings can
be applied to all vulnerable people in the community.
• Worship is not restricted to just prayers and fasting but cover every good deed. Believers who are
mindful of the needs of other are said to be as if they were engaged in constant worship of Allah. The
Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) once said to his wife, “O Aisha love the poor and let them come to you for
help. Allah will then surely take you near Him on the day of Judgment”
(b) Action: [2] marks
• The way to fulfill the instructions given in the Hadith is to live one’s life in the world with consciousness
of the needs and plight of fellow beings.
• Allah wants believers to worship Him by not just fulfilling the obligations of prayers and fasting but also
by being generous helpful and considerate towards His creations.
• They can do this by providing resources for the poor by helping in the establishment of social housing
for the homeless, providing healthcare to those who do not have access to it and supporting the
widows and orphans etc. so that no one is left behind and all get a fair chance in life.
• Even small tasks to assist another are considered as Ibadah in Islam and are rewarded. It has been said
that Hazrat Abu Bakr used to milk the goats of an old widow who lived at a distance from Madina to
help her with her chores.
M/J 2018 (21)
2(a) Outline the relationship between the Hadith and the Qur’an as sources of Islamic
law. Give examples to support your answer. [10]
Marking scheme:
In this answer, candidates need to reflect upon the services rendered by Abu Bakr during his caliphate which,
though brief, was packed with significant achievements. It could be said that he laid the foundations of a
truly democratic state, by running the affairs of the caliphate in consultation with the Majlis e Shura. He
administered in accordance with the practice of the Prophet (pbuh) and set the precedent of maintaining
strict standards of accounting for public finances.
Apart from his administration, he united the umma at a critical time after the death of the Prophet (pbuh).
He dealt firmly with the apostate tribes who left Islam or refused to pay zakat, and fought the false prophets.
The compilation of the Qur’an in a single volume can be counted as one of his greatest services to Islam as
Caliph.
Development of these points will determine the final mark a candidate receives.
How to answer:
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3(b) What was the significance of his actions in dealing firmly with the apostate tribes?
[4]
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• by taking action against the apostate tribes and defeating them he maintained unity and made
clear that deviations from the faith like non-payment of zakat, challenging the finality of the
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), etc., would not be tolerated. The apostasy wars confirmed that the
Muslim state was one under the leadership of one Caliph. what could have happened if Abu Bakr
had not taken firm action.
4(a)List the Six Articles of Faith and give an account of what any two of them teach.[10]
Marking scheme:
A straightforward question to which a descriptive response is needed. Candidates need to list the Six Articles
of Faith namely: Belief in God; angels; revealed books; prophets; life after death and Day of Judgment; and
divine decree. From the Six Articles of Faith they need to choose any two and write an account of what
belief in them contains.
O/N 2010
4 (a) Write a descriptive account of the Muslim belief in revealed books. [10]
O/N 2014
5 (a) Name the revealed books mentioned in the Qur’an, giving the names of the messengers they were
revealed to and the message they contained. [10]
O/N 2013
4 (a) Give an account of Muslim belief in prophets and the messages they preached. [10]
O/N 2016
4 (a) Belief in all the prophets is one of the articles of faith in Islam. Write about this Muslim belief in
detail. [10]
How to answer:
contained belief in prophethood, the day of judgment and the concept of reward and punishment, and
they also contained a code of morality and justice, but were not comprehensive enough to contain a
complete code of life.
• The Quran does not mention all the prophets nor all the books ,however it mentions that revelations
were sent to Nuh, Ibrahim, Isma’il, Is-haq,Yaqub,Musa and Isa (peace be upon them),Allah says, “Say (O
Muslims):We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto
Abraham and Ismael and Is-haq ,and Jacob,and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received,
and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them,
and unto him we have surrendered.”(Al-Baqarah2:136)
Quran mentions the Suhuf (scrolls) of Hazrat Ibrahim which was lost.
The revealed books mentioned in the Qur’an are:-
1.The Torah was revealed to Musa for the guidance of Bani Israel.
It contained Allah’s command, light, admonition, mercy, and a clear explanation of things.
The original book was changed ;its followers distorted it and perverted words of Allah and changed its
meaning. Allah says, “They change the words from their(right)places and forget agood part of the
message that was sent.”(Al-Maidah 5:13)
2. The Zabur according to Islam, the holy book of David, one of the holy books revealed by God before the Quran.
The Arabic word zabūr means "book", "inscription", or "writing." In the Qur'an, the Zabur is mentioned by
name three times. The Qur'an itself says nothing about the Zabur specifically, except that it was revealed to
Hazrat Daud (A.S). “And your Lord is most knowing of whoever is in the heavens and the earth. And We have
made some of the prophets exceed others [in various ways], and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].”
[Qur'an 17:55]
3.The Injil (bible) was sent to Hazrat Isa (A.S). The Christians distorted Bible and introduced the doctrine of
“trinity”[father, son, Holy spirit] and redemption through crucifixion, although Isa (A.S) had clearly told
his followers that Allah was his Lord and their lord and that they should worship Allah alone. According
to the Quran Injil confirms the Torah. The prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) is mentioned in both the Injil
and the Torah. Allah says, “And remember Jesus the son of Mary said: O children of Israel I am the
prophet of Allah (sent)to you confirming the Law(which came)before me and giving glad tidings of a
prophet to come after me whose name shall be Ahmad.” (As-Saff 61:6)
4.The Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad(P.B.U.H). It is the last and the most perfect Book of
Allah.It is a comprehensive book. It deals with every aspect of human life, e.g social, economic, legal,
moral and political etc. None of the revealed Books except the Qur’an exists in its original form today.
The Suhaf of Ibrahim was lost .Some of the books were changed and modified such as Torah and Injil.
God’s words have been blended with those of man,thus it is difficult to establish the authenticity of
various parts of these Books.The languages of these books are dead languages. They were revealed to
a particular nation for a particular period of time.
The Qu’ran is the only book which universal and for all times till the day of judgment. It is unchanged, Allah
promised to safeguard it, “We have, without; doubt revealed the reminder and we will guard it(from
corruption)”(Al Hijr 15:9) The Qur’an is a universal book, sent to the entire mankind for all ages. God
says, ‘This day I have perfected your religion for you and completed my favours upon you and chosen
for you Islam as your religion’. (Al Maidah 5:3).
relation with God. The Holy Quran condemns the Christian belief that Prophet Isa was the son of the
God.
• All the messengers conveyed the same teachings that are belief in oneness of Allah and in the life
hereafter but with the exception of Quran all previous messages were either lost or corrupted.
• They were sent to particular communities and their messages were only for the guidance of those
communities for example, Prophet Musa and Prophet Isa were sent for the guidance of Bani Israel.
• Some of these messengers were given the miracles as a reflection of God’s power. The miracles
granted to the prophets were usually in the field in which their nations excelled for example Prophet
Musa was given the miracle of the staff which turned into a snake because his nation excelled in
magic. Similarly, Prophet Isa could cure the blind and even brought forth the dead as he was sent to
skilled physicians Prophet Muhammad pbuh was given the miracle of Quran because Quraish were
known for their eloquence. Miracles given to previous prophets were for that time only whereas the
Quran is immortal and universal.
• All the messengers were to be obeyed as the Quran says, “We did not send any messenger but to be
obeyed in accordance to God’s will.” [Ch4:V64]
• According to Muslim belief the line of prophets started from Hazrat Adam. According to a Prophet’s
hadith, the line numbered 1, 24,000 approximately. The Quran mentions only 25 of them by name.
major individuals include Hazrat Ibrahim (Suhuf), Hazrat Musa (Torah), Hazrat Daud (Zaboor), and
Hazrat Isa (Injil) and Prophet Muhammad pbuh (the Holy Quran).
• Muslims believe that all the messengers were morally perfect which means that they were honest
upright and truthful and they did not make any addition or omission in Divine revelations.
• All the messengers should be respected equally without any distinction because they were divinely
appointed for the same purpose. The Quran says, “And We make no distinction between one and
other of His messengers.” [Ch2:V285]
• Prophet Muhammad pbuh was the last in the line of prophetic messengers, therefore, he is also
known as “Seal of the Prophets”. The Holy Quran says, “Muhammad is not the father of any of your
men but the Messenger of Allah and the seal of prophets.” [Ch33:V40]. Prophet pbuh himself said,
“I am the seal of prophets and there will be no prophet after me.” His message was the same as the
previous ones but it was sent for all mankind and for all times to come (Universal and Eternal). God
himself has taken the responsibility of protecting His message from any change or corruption. God
says, “We have, without; doubt revealed the reminder and we will guard it(from corruption)”(Al
Hijr 15:9)
(b) The Qur’an describes itself as a confirmation of earlier revelations. Does the Qur’an
differ in any significant way from earlier revealed books? [4]
Yes, the Holy Qura’n differs from previous revealed books in a number of significant ways, e.g Quran is
universal whereas previous revealed books were sent to particular communities. Similarly, Quran is eternal
whereas previous divine books were sent for a specific time period. Moreover, Allah Himself has taken the
responsibility of protecting Quran till the day of Judgment whereas previous books were lost or corrupted.
The language of Quran i.e Arabic is spoken and understood by millions of people today whereas the
languages of previous divine books are not spoken anywhere.
5(a) Write about the moral, social and economic benefits of a Muslim fasting. [10]
O/N 2014
5 (a) What are the moral, spiritual and other benefits of fasting in Ramadan? [10]
O/N 2016
4 (a) What are the benefits to individuals and the community of fasting in the month of Ramadan? [10]
M/J 2021
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4(a) Fasting in Ramadan benefits Muslims in many ways. Write about the major benefits of fasting in
Ramadan.[10]
Marking scheme:
Fasting is an obligation upon Muslims that needs to be fulfilled and, in turn, has several benefits. It builds
taqwa in a Muslim. It does so by teaching sincerity to a Muslim and helps a person live by the rules of his/her
faith; fasting teaches individuals to control and discipline their primal desires and morally strengthens them;
it teaches self-control, enabling individuals to resist temptations, thus strengthening the moral core of a
Muslim. Fasting creates a sense of awareness to the plight of others and takes away selfishness, and thereby
improves social relations, building an atmosphere of virtue, peace and brotherhood. Many people give zakat
in the month of Ramadan and a lot of sadaqa is given in this month as well, which improves the economic
fibre of the community. Candidates could give other benefits than those given. All valid responses to be
credited.
How to answer:
Muslims often invite one another, friends and guests, Muslims and non-Muslims, in particular neighbors,
regardless of creed, to share the evening meal and exchange gifts and best wishes.
• Fasting brings economic benefits for the Muslim community. During the month of Ramadan the rich
people spend generously on the poor to seek the blessing of Allah. These enable the poor to fulfill their
needs. The old and the permanently sick people also feed the poor and the needy generously during the
month of Ramadan, Allah says. “For those who can do it (with hardship) is a ransom the feeding of one
that is indigent. But he that will give more of his own free, it is better for him.” (Al-Baqarah 2:184) The
Prophet (p.b.u.h) said; “During Ramadan, the provisions of the believers are increased.”
• Abstention from food and drink for a full month is beneficial for a person’s health as it gives rest to
stomach, the whole system is cleansed of undesirable material, and the body gets rid of fat, cholesterol
and other toxic matters.
• Fasting brings a man closer to Allah, Allah says, “. Fasting is like a shield, and he who fasts has two joys:
a joy when he breaks his fast and a joy when he meets his Lord.” (Hadis Qudsi) Believers are ordered
to observe fast to be near Allah and gain piety. Fasting strengthens the spiritual powers of the believer;
it protects man from all kinds of temptations. The reward of all good deeds are multiplied by ten times
to seven hundred times, the Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, “Allah said, “All the deeds of Adam’s sons (people)
are for them, except fasting which is for me, and I will give the reward for it. The reward of good deeds
is multiplied ten times to seven hundred times.”
The previous sins of a person are forgiven, the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, “Whoever fasts in the month
of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be
forgiven.” He also said, “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and
the gates of hell are closed and the devil are chained.” (Trimidhi)
5(b) What, in your opinion, is the greatest reward of fasting? Support your answer by
giving reasons for your choice. [4]
The greatest benefit of fasting is that it protects us from the materialism and arrogance by keeping us
grounded and reminding us that all the worldly possessions that we have can be taken away because nothing
here is truluy ours, so we should never be haughty or arrogant. Therefore, we should not be materialistic or
self centered, instead we should share our belongings with the vulnerable and the less fortunate ones. In
this way, it saves us by shifting our focus from materialism to spiritualism and care for humanity. It drives us
away from uncertinity by helping us seeing clearer and further which means the afterlife.
• Islamic jurisprudence was developing rapidly and needed a compiled collection of authentic Hadiths as source
material.
• In order to eliminate genuine errors in Hadiths on account of verbal narrations, faulty memories,
forgetfulness, etc., Hadiths needed to be compiled.
For all these reasons, it was felt that it was crucial to preserve and compile the Hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh) for all
generations to follow. Candidates can refer to other reasons apart from the ones given above and, if valid, marks
should be credited.
How to answer:
2.(b) In your opinion, can Islam be practised without the Hadiths? [4]
• In my opinion Islam can not be practiced without the hadiths of the Prophet pbuh due to following
reasons:
• the most fundamental belief in Islam is tawhid which one can know from the Qur’an but to reflect
this belief from one’s actions, guidance from hadith is mandatory. Quran says, “He who obeys the
messenger, obey Allah.”
• Similarly, to practise the Pillars of Islam, guidance is needed from the Hadiths. For example, the
instruction for prayer, fasting, zakat and hajj is given in the Qur’an but performance of these pillars is
taught by the Prophet (pbuh) and without his Hadiths, Muslims would not be able to offer their five daily
prayers in the prescribed manner.