islam exam question 2 Flashcards
Which one of the following is one of the five roots of Usul ad-Din? A Being resurrected B Giving Charity C Praying Sala D Visiting the Ka’abah
A Being resurrected
Give two reasons why the prophet Ibrahim is important in Islam.
Re-established Tawhid and key beliefs
passed on the scripture to his followers
warned them about the Akhirah
Explain two ways in which the authority of the Qur’an influences Muslims today
It teaches them how to live a good life and so Muslims will abide by this. This includes doing
good actions and carrying out their duty to God by praying and completing the Five Pillars, etc.
• They will not commit shirk as this is a grave sin. Examples of this are also creditworthy, eg
idolising, drawing pictures, bowing to idols
It will stop them from committing evil deeds, eg killing, lying, stealing as the Qur’an warns of the
punishment for such action / ‘A life for a life.’ (5:45), etc.
• They will read it daily as it brings reward and blessing
Explain two Muslim beliefs about the nature of God.
Refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief and teaching in
your answer.
Muslims believe Allah is one, unique and eternal – Surah 112.
• Muslims believe Allah is transcendent and he is a being outside of time which means he can
never be fully understood, ‘The transcendent, the superior.’ (59:23).
• He has 99 names / qualities, some of which are mentioned in the Qur’an “The most beautiful
names belong to Allah: so call on Him by them.” (Quran, 7:180).
• These included Al-Ghaffar (the most forgiving), Muslims will thus turn to Allah to ask forgiveness
after the daily prayers or when they have committed a sin.
‘For Muslims, this life is more important than life after death.’
Evaluate this statement.12 marker
Arguments for support
This life will determine what happens in the next as Muslims will be judged on their actions.
• This life is all that they have control over.
• After people die, their book of deeds is closed / and so their future is decided, making this life
more important.
• This is the only real life that people have and it is more important because people can unite to
make the world a better place, eg helping others, removing injustice, etc.
• Both this life and the afterlife are equally important as the Qur’an teaches Muslims to pray for
good in both. ‘Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and save us from
the chastisement of the fire.’ ), etc.
other views
The afterlife is more important as it is eternal. ‘And the Hereafter is better for you than the first
life.’ (93:4).
• The prophet Muhammad emphasised the importance of the afterlife over this life in numerous
hadith / ‘This world is a prison for the believer.’
• This life is a test and so the reward is the afterlife, making it more important.
• The afterlife and reaching paradise is the ultimate goal for many Muslims making it more
important.
• All injustices will be resolved in the afterlife / as Allah will judge everyone for their deeds.
• People will be reunited with family and loved ones in the afterlife, making it more important.
• The afterlife gives this life more focus / and ensures Muslims live a good life on earth, etc.
Which one of the following is not part of the Five Roots of Usul ad-Din in Shi’a Islam?
[1 mark]
A Tawhid (the Oneness of God)
B Giving charity
C Prophethood
D Day of resurrection
B: Giving charity
Give two Muslim beliefs about heaven.
Heaven is a peaceful place for those who have been good (Muslims) / avoided evil/sin.
• It is described as a beautiful garden/ jannah / paradise where people will go when they die.
• It happens after death / on the day of judgement.
• All luxuries will be available in heaven.
Explain two ways in which belief in God’s justice (Adalat) influences Muslims today.
They treat people fairly as they know that Allah will judge them on the day of judgement and bring
people to justice / ‘Whomsoever does an atom weight of good will finds its reward’.
• They fulfil the rights of others and try to become good Muslims.
• They obey God by not committing sin in order to avoid punishment.
• They carry out their duty to God by praying and completing the Five Pillars.
• They help the oppressed and those in need / as the Prophet Muhammad did.
• Muslims will speak out against injustices in the world / ‘eye for an eye’.
• It helps people to cope with the trials as they know that Allah will ensure justice prevails.
Explain two Muslim beliefs about the Imamate in Shi’a Islam.
Refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief and teaching in your
answe
Shi’as believe that Muhammad named Ali as his successor ; ‘There is no God but Allah. the
prophet Muhammad is his messenger and Ali is the friend of Allah / and so Ali became the
first imam.
• The prophet appointed him by divine instruction / ‘And nor does he (Muhammad) speak from
his own desires, it is not but a revelation revealed’ (53:3–4).
• Imams are descendants of the prophet Muhammad and part of the Ahl al Bayt.
• After Ali his son became the imam / each imam that followed was the son of the previous
imam (except Husayn ibn Ali who was the brother of Hasan).
• Some Shi’as believe there have been twelve imams/ others believe there have been seven /
‘Islam will continue to prevail through twelve caliphs.’ (hadith) / the last of these is
Muhammad-al-Mahdi who will return before the day of judgement with Jesus to bring justice
and equality (hadith)
• Belief in the imamate is one of the five roots of Usul ad-Din
Belief in angels is no longer relevant for Muslims in the modern world.’
Evaluate this statement.
Arguments in support
• Angels cannot be seen / so that makes it difficult to accept that they exist.
• Scientifically there is no evidence to support their existence / modern advancements have not
shown any evidence of their existence so they cannot be real or relevant.
• According to many scientists creatures cannot be created of light and nourished by light.
• The angels associated with the Day of Judgement were made to scare and control people.
• The idea of angels is the product of fear / when people are scared of what might happen to
themselves or their families, they invent angels as guardian figures.
• It is not part of the five roots of Usul ad-Din.
• As some Muslims believe there are no further prophets to come, angels may not be relevant
today.
Arguments in support of other views
• The Qur’an talks about the creation of angels before Adam.
• ‘Praise be to Allah, who created (out of nothing) the heavens and the earth, who made the angels,
messengers with wings’ (35:1).
• Belief in angels is one of the 6 articles of faith.
• Without this belief one cannot be classed as a Muslim.
• Without angels, how was the Qur’an revealed to Muhammad? / without angels there would be no
Islam, so it remains appropriate to believe in them.
• Many aspects of faith involve belief in things that cannot be verified / belief in angels is one of
those.
• Each person has two angels recording their deeds and so this is a vital part for Muslims even
today.
• ‘There are two scribes, one each sitting on the right and the left, recording everything’ (50:17) / in
the grave people will be questioned by two angels, etc.
Which one of the following describes Muslim beliefs about life after death? A Tawhid B Akhirah C Shahadah D Adalat
B: Akhirah
Name two articles of faith in Sunni Islam.
Belief in Allah (Tawhid) / Belief in the Angels (Malaikah) /
Explain two ways in which belief in predestination influences Muslims today.
[4 marks]
Muslims believe they have free will and will choose their actions accordingly- examples of
good actions are creditworthy.
It makes Muslims more God conscious and they will try their best to live good lives.
They will take comfort in the fact that all good and bad comes from Allah / it gives them
hope knowing that the outcome of any action (good or bad) happens only by the will of God
/ ‘God says be, and it is’ suggests that Allah has power over all things and as such humans
are limited in their control in what they can do.
Muslims believe that they will be compensated for the hardships that they endure and as
such this life is a test.
Some may lose hope when things don’t go well / it could lead to giving up in life if things are
already pre-determined / may make someone too reliant on God rather than taking
responsibility for their own actions, etc.
Muslims may not be afraid of death as the outcome is determined.
Explain two Muslim beliefs about the role of prophets.
Refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief and teaching in
your answer
Sunnah, bring Allah’s law, morality.
Prophet’s primary role is to establish monotheistic beliefs: ‘Say He is Allah the One, the
only’ 112:1-3) / example of the work of Ibrahim and Muhammed to establish the oneness of
Allah on earth.
And remember Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House (With this
prayer): ‘Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For Thou art the All-Hearing, the Allknowing’ (2:127).
Ibrahim broke the idols to reinforce the message of tawhid / to remove injustice from the
world / to create a harmonious society where people get along / to pass on Allah’s divine
message to the people / to warn people about the afterlife and the consequences of living a
life of sin / ‘We have sent you as a bearer of glad news and a warner to the whole of
mankind, but most people do not know’ (34:28)’, etc.
To be role models for future generations.
The Qur’an is the only authority a Muslim needs in life.’
Evaluate this statement. 12 marks
Arguments in support
The Qur’an is the direct word of Allah and cannot be distorted.
The Qur’an covers all aspects of human life and is a comprehensive code of life.
Some Hadith are open to change and alterations whereas God has vowed to protect the
Qur’an ‘Verily we have revealed it (the Qur’an) and we are the protectors of it’.
The Qur’an is a divine revelation and as such is God talking to humans which is sufficient to
live a good life.
The Qur’an is the main source of Shari’ah Law
Arguments in support of other views
The Qur’an was revealed over 1400 years ago and the world has advanced since then /
new technologies and advancement in technology means that there are many aspects of
daily life that are not covered in the Qur’an e.g IVF, genetic engineering, mobile phones and
the internet.
The Qur’an does not include details of how to compete certain rituals like Salah and Zakah,
the Hadith is needed to show how these rituals are to be performed.
Other authorities exist which help to guide people / parents help to nurture and guide their
children / youth workers, councillors, friends are all other forms of guidance that are needed
/ they understand who we are and are able to guide us personally.
Some may be unsure about the religious meaning of the Qur’an, in which case they might
need the support of the mosque and the imam.
Within Shia Islam the imam has greater/equal authority.
The Shari’ah also consists of hadith and scholarly opinion which is deemed as an authority.
etc
