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TOPICAL

O LEVEL

ISLAMIYAT

PREPARED BY: MUHAMMAD SHAMOEEL UL NAEEM

EDITION 2017

The MSUNA PROJECT


PAKISTAN

Contact 0343-5021543


CIE GCE O level Islamiyat (Code: 2058) THE MSUNA PROJECT

TOPICAL O LEVEL ISLAMIYAT 2017

ii

PROLOGUE

The Topical O level Islamiyat has been compiled from the marking

scheme and reformed to the students' grasp, which is worth

reading wholly and thoroughly, telling you before you give a

cold shoulder to it, until you realize after the exam, that this was

not worth paying no heed to, when it will be too late.

These short series can be read in a few days. This book aims to

motivate the student with content ever formulated to the point,

and push him into the studies which he might be mistaking as

arduous or somewhat difficult.

The series is especially devised for O level, though everyone can

benefit reviewing it.

And know that this all is the extract of what you're going to study

the whole year, or have studied. All the main points needed to

recall are collected. Go through them before and after you

complete your syllabus in school. This is wholly set up in

accordance with the CIE pattern, and all the irrelevant study

matter, with which the student has no concern, is totally ousted.

Based up on the marking scheme, these notes are one of the

best ones. Moreover you can find your preferred content

confidently; the contents and the chapters are laid in

concurrence with the original O level syllabus.

All the best!


iii

CONTENTS

The Glorious Quran.......................................................................................................................... 1

The revelation of the Qur‟an to the Prophet between the years 610 and 632 .................... 1

The account of the compilation of the Qur‟an under the Rightly Guided Caliphs ............ 2

The use of the Qur‟an in legal thinking, and its relationship with the Hadiths, consensus

(ijma„) and analogy (qiyas) ........................................................................................................... 3

Major themes of the Quran as contained both in the passages set for special study and

in other similar passages. ............................................................................................................... 6

The life and importance of the Prophet Muhammad ............................................................ 10

The main events of the Prophet‟s life from his birth to his call to prophethood ................. 10

The main events of his activities in Madina, his leadership of the community there and

his conflicts with the Makkans and others................................................................................. 15

Prophet‟s actions and character ............................................................................................... 23

The first Islamic community ......................................................................................................... 27

The Prophet‟s Wives ...................................................................................................................... 27

Descendants of Prophet (Peace be upon Him) ...................................................................... 29

Companions, Ten Blessed Companions, Scribes, the Emigrants and Helpers of Prophet

(SAW). .............................................................................................................................................. 32

The history and importance of the Hadiths ............................................................................... 38

The main musnad and musannaf collections .......................................................................... 38

The methods based on examination of the chain of transmitters (isnad) and the text

(matn) of a Hadith to test the reliability of the Hadith ............................................................ 38

The major themes of the Hadiths as these are contained both in the passages set for

special study and in other similar passages ............................................................................. 40

Use of Hadith in legal thinking, and their relationship with the Qur‟an, consensus (ijma„)

and analogy (qiyas) ..................................................................................................................... 41


iv

Significance of Hadith in thought and action in Islam. .......................................................... 44

The period of rule of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and their importance as leaders .......... 45

Abubakr (RA) ................................................................................................................................. 45

Umar (RA) ........................................................................................................................................ 47

Uthman (RA) ................................................................................................................................... 50

Ali (RA) ............................................................................................................................................. 53

Articles of Faith

God, including what Muslims believe about him ...................................................................... 2

Angels, their nature and duties ................................................................................................... 56

Books, their contents and purpose............................................................................................. 56

Prophets, their character and function ..................................................................................... 57

God‟s predestination and decree, its meaning and significance ....................................... 58

Resurrection, the Last Day and their significance. .................................................................. 59

The scope of Jihad ........................................................................................................................ 59

The Pillars of Islam .......................................................................................................................... 55

The declaration of faith, shahada, including the significance of what it contains ........... 55

Alms-giving, Zakat, how it is performed and its significance in the community ................ 58

Fasting ............................................................................................................................................. 59

Hajj ................................................................................................................................................... 60


1

The Glorious Quran

The revelation of the

Qur‟an to the Prophet

between the years 610

and 632

Q. Write an account of the ways in which the

Qur‟an was revealed to the Prophet between

the years 610 and 632. [10]

• *Muhammad was meditating in a cave

on Mount Hira. • This was when he was 40. •

*A being unknown to him but later identified

as Gabriel appeared. • *This being seized

him and crushed him, and gave him the

order 'Recite!' • *He could not, and the

crushing and order were repeated twice

(three times in all). • *Then the being itself

recited „Recite, in the name of your Lord

who created‟, •His wife Khadija (RA) took

him to her relative Waraqa lbn Nawfal for an

explanation of what had happened. • He

said the being was the Angel of the Law.)

Three years after the first revelation,

Muhammad (PBUH) received his second

revelation, signaling the start of public

preaching: “O you wrapped up in your

mantle: Arise and warn! And your Lord do

magnify.”

Last verse as revealed to Prophet

Muhammad (PBUH) during the Hujjat ul Wida

(the Last Sermon): “today have I (Allah)

perfected your religion for you, completed

my favor upon you and has chosen for you

Islam as your religion.”

Whenever the revelation used to come

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to perspire

even in cold. Revelation used to come with

Angel Gabriel appearing to Him (PBUH),

pronouncing the verses, or a bell would be

rung and verses were put to Prophet

Muhammad‟s memory.

(b) Why do you think the revelation was sent

to a person who could not read or write? [4]

It was important because being unable to

read or write shows that it would not have

been possible for the Prophet (pbuh) to have

composed the Qur‟an himself; the

implication is that not being able to

compose the Qur‟an himself, shows that the

Qur‟an is from God. God did not want

anyone else to be the Prophet‟s (pbuh)

teacher, as that would have meant

someone was superior to him in his


2

knowledge of God. It was a miracle of God.

It was not important that he was not able to

read/write because God will send the

revelation to whomever He wills.

Q). Give an account of the Prophet's first

experience of receiving revelation. [10]

• *Muhammad was meditating in a cave on

Mount Hira. • This was when he was 40. • *A

being unknown to him but later identified as

Gabriel appeared. • *This being seized him

and crushed him, and gave him the order

'Recite!' • *He could not, and the crushing

and order were repeated twice (three times

in all). • *Then the being itself recited

“Recite, in the name of your Lord who

created, created the man out of a clinging

substance, recite and your Lord is most

Bountiful, who taught with the pen, taught

man which he knew not”• Muhammad left

the cave and returned home. • On the way

he again saw the being as a giant figure

astride the horizon. • He went to his wife

Khadija in confusion; she consoled him and

said God won‟t harm him when he is caring

to the people. • She took him to her relative

Waraqa lbn Nawfal for an explanation of

what had happened. • He said the being

was the Angel of the Law.

(b) Explain the significance of the actions of

the angel and Waraqa lbn Nawfal in this

event. [4]

(b) • The angel was performing the duty he

had previously performed with other

messengers. • He was the first to alert the

Prophet to his new career. • His appearance

is a sign that the revelations were truly from

God. • Waraqa was the first to explain to the

Prophet the significance of his experience. •

He helped him realise that he had been

visited by the angel who had appeared to

other messengers. • This helped the Prophet

understand the responsibilities to which he

had been called.

The account of the

compilation of the

Qur‟an under the

Rightly Guided Caliphs

Q. Describe the ways in which Abu Bakr,

„Umar and „Uthman were involved in the

compilation of the Qur‟an. [10]

During the time of the Prophet, the Qur‟an

was written on pieces of animal skin and on

parts of bone but mainly was memorised by

the companions; during Abu Bakr‟s

caliphate, many memorizers of Qur‟an

(~700+) died at the Battle of Yamama;

„Umar, worried that the words of the Qur‟an

would be lost due to companions dying of

old age/in battle, suggested to Abu Bakr

that the Qur‟an should be compiled into one

book; Abu Bakr hesitated saying he could

not do something the Prophet had not done;

he eventually agreed and called Zayd bin

Thabit to collect all the verses that had been

written; Zayd was a hafiz himself, yet

he only included a verse into the master

copy once he had verified its authenticity; a

committee was set up, and „Umar was part

of this committee; the verses were written in

the order that the Prophet had given, but

the suras were written on separate sheets;


3

this copy was verified by the committee and

was kept with Abu Bakr during his lifetime,

after which it passed to „Umar, and then to

„Umar‟s daughter, Hafsa. During „Umar‟s

caliphate, he took steps to ensure the

Qur‟an was taught and memorized to ensure

it was not corrupted.

During „Uthman‟s time as caliph, Islamic

Empire expanded. Hudhaifa reported to

„Uthman that people were reciting the

Qur‟an in different dialects in different areas.

„Uthman ordered the companions to

compile one book in the Qurayshi dialect,

using the mushaf of Hafsa. „Uthman checked

and approved the final version. This new

copy was sent around the various provinces

of the expanding Muslim world. He ordered

any other copies to be collected and burnt.

For this he is known as „Jami al-Qur‟an‟.

(b) „The Qur‟an should not have been

compiled in written form because it did not

take place during the Prophet‟s lifetime.‟

Agree or disagree with this statement, giving

reasons for your answer. [4]

Some would say it shouldn‟t have been as

Muslims should not do something that the

Prophet had not done as it sets a precedent

for the future where Muslims can do things

that were not done at the time of the

Prophet. But nevertheless Muslims benefit

from the written Qur‟an as not everyone is

able to memorise it easily, or that Abu Bakr

was the rightly guided caliph and so his

decision is not against the teachings of the

Prophet. It was written, but was not against

the recited entity.

The use of the Qur‟an

in legal thinking, and its

relationship with the

Hadiths, consensus

(ijma„) and analogy

(qiyas)

Q. Describe how the two main sources of

Islamic legal thinking are related. [10]

• The Qur‟an is the major source of

instruction and thinking. • Its clear teachings

are never questioned. • It is always referred

to since no legal teaching ever contradicts

it. • The Sunna of the Prophet is an authority

next to the Qur‟an. • It gives fuller teachings

of what the Qur‟an states in brief. • It and

the Qur‟an always agree. • It is taken as an

authority where the Qur‟an is silent. • The

consensus of the community, ijma‟, is

referred to when the previous sources do not

offer clear guidance. • It is understood as

the agreement of believers on a point of

faith or action. • Some take it as the

consensus of the first generation of Muslims,

others as the consensus of legal experts. • It

never disagrees with the previous sources. •

The Prophet said, „My community will never

agree on error.‟ • Analogy, qiyas, is

employed when the previous sources do not

offer clear guidance. • It involves an

individual expert making a new decision on

the basis of known teachings. • He

compares the unknown with the known and

identifies the common points between them.


4

• Some Muslims distrust it because it involves

a lot of individual opinion. • It should never

disagree with the previous sources.)

Q (a) How are the Qur‟an and Hadiths used

together in Islamic legal thinking? [10]

The Quran is the basic source of Islamic Law

as it is the word of God. It is complete code

of life, as God say in it, “there is no wet or dry

but explained in this clear book”, yet it gives

brief details about obligations and law

making. The authority of Quran can‟t be

questioned as God himself has promised its

guarding in it “indeed we've sent down the

remembrance and indeed we‟re its

protectors”. The Hadith is in harmony with it

and gives explanations to where Quran is

silent. Quran itself says “what the Prophet

gives you, take it, and what He forbids you

from, leave it” and also says “and obey Allah

and obey the messenger…”. E.g. Quran says

“and establish prayers and give charity” but

it is Hadith which explains the prerequisites of

prayers and its procedures, and also that

how much charity to give (2.5% of wealth).

Quran says “indeed the prayers have been

prescribed upon the believers on time” but

Hadith explains what those timings are (i.e.

Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, „Isha). Regarding

inheritance laws Quran gives specific

examples and Hadith adds to that. Quran

prescribes punishments as amputation of

hand for theft, but what Quran means by

theft and conditions for that is explained in

the Hadith. Hadith never disagrees with the

Quran, but expands on it. The consensus of

scholars or using analogy also depends on

Quran and Hadith/Sunnah.

Q. Why do some legal scholars reject the use

of analogy (qiyas)? [4]

It is a source used when others do not offer

guidance, and compares an existing

accepted situation with a new one. There is

more individual thought that goes into the

decisions than with primary sources rather

than a consensus. It‟s rejected by some

scholars, due to the varying and conflicting

answers that can be given on based upon

individual ideas.

How are the Qur‟an and Hadith employed in

working out the Islamic law? [4]

• The Qur'an is the first source of law. • Its

clear teachings are followed without

question. • Where its teachings are

undetailed the Hadith are employed. • The

Hadith fill out the Qur'an and add teachings

where it is silent.

In what circumstances do Sunni Muslims

allow the use of qiyas (analogy)? [4]

• The Qur'an and Hadith are the primary

sources. • When they are silent the

consensus of believers is allowed. • When this

is silent individual analogy is allowed. • This

employs the method of comparing unknown

situations with known. •e.g. new depressant

drugs as marijuana, weed etc can be

declared taboo ( ) on the basis of a

Hadith: “every Khamr is intoxicant, so every

Khamr is taboo”.


5

What is the importance to Shi`i Muslims of

`aql (reason) in establishing the Islamic law?

[4]

• The Qur'an itself encourages Muslims to use

their minds. • The Imams set the example •

by applying reason to the teachings in the

Qur'an. • Reason helps Muslims to apply a

teaching in new circumstances.

The Qur‟an is the main source of Islamic Law.

Write an account of how it is used with each

of the other three sources. [10]

The Qur‟an is an authority in Islamic law; it is

the word of God; it is not questioned or

contradicted by the other sources; it is the

basis of legal rulings in Islamic Law; the sunna

is the Prophet‟s example and is recorded in

the hadith; these emphasise and expand on

verses in the Qur‟an, e.g. salat and zakat;

they are also used when the Qur‟an is silent

on a matter, e.g. inheritance given to

grandmother; hadith are important because

the Prophet was the final and perfect

messenger to follow; hadith of Mu‟adh ibn

Jabal gives a guide of what to follow; they

are interlinked, so are the two main (primary)

sources, the hadith never contradicting the

Qur‟an. Today ijma‟ and qiyas are used

mainly for issues that did not arise at the time

of the Prophet; ijma‟ is the consensus of

opinion of scholars; „my community will never

agree upon an error‟;

Some issues they have had to deal with have

been, at the time of the caliphs, the

compiling of the Qur‟an and more recently,

the permissibility of hair transplant. Those

knowledgeable about Islamic

Law, decide on new matters such as hair

transplant on what they know already from

the Qur‟an and hadith, and then agree on a

ruling. The rulings are based on existing

Qur‟anic rulings, so there is no contradiction

or disagreement with the Qur‟an. Qiyas is

analogy, when one Islamic ruling is

compared with another to derive a new

ruling for a new issue. Examples of this could

be the use of cocaine being prohibited on

the basis that intoxicants are prohibited.

Elements of qiyas are, asl (original case on

which a ruling has been given), far‟ (new

case on which ruling is required), „illa (the

cause, which is common in both) and hukm

(the ruling). The original case will have a

ruling based on the Qur‟an, and therefore

the ruling on the new case will have its basis

in Qur‟anic sources.

(b) Do you think that both ijma‟ and qiyas

are equally important for solving present day

issues? Give reasons for your answer. [4]

Yes, they are both equally important

because, e.g. they are sources that have

been used by previous generations and give

answers for different problems, or that one

may not resolve all new issues so the other

source is needed too. No new revelation is

going to come for new situations and some

situations arise for which there is no clear

answer in Quran or Hadith so these methods

must be employed.


6

Major themes of the

Quran as contained

both in the passages set

for special study and in

other similar passages.

(Q). From Qur‟an passages in the syllabus,

write about what lessons can be learnt from

God‟s relationship with TWO of his prophets

from Adam, Ibrahim and Jesus. [10]

(a) Adam (2.30–37): Adam was the first

human to be created by God. God had told

the angels He would place a representative

on earth, and the angels asked why, if he will

only make mischief unlike the angels who

only glorify God. When God spoke to Adam,

he taught Him and gave him knowledge of

things that the angels did not know. God

gives knowledge to whom He wills. It shows

the superiority of humans over angels due to

what they know, and so it stresses the

importance of gaining knowledge. God also

told Adam that he and his wife should live in

the Garden but they were not to touch a

specific tree. Satan, who was jealous of

Adam and had refused to bow to him, came

to tempt Adam and his wife into eating from

the tree. He is from the mischief makers who

whisper evil into the minds/hearts of humans.

God sent Adam and his wife to live on earth.

Adam realised his mistake and through this

event turned to God for forgiveness. And

God, because He is the most merciful, turned

towards Adam, meaning He forgave Him.

This passage tells Muslims about the favors

God gives his prophets. He gives them

knowledge for guidance, and He forgives

when people turn to Him in repentance.

Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) was one of the

greatest prophets. The importance of his

relationship with God is evident in his title that

'Khaleel Ullah' i.e. God's friend. The Quran

recites his name as ''and (remember) Ibrahim

who fullfilled (his duties)''. In Surah Baqarah it

comes: ''and (remember) when God tested

Ibrahim with words, so he fulfilled ''.

He was born in a nation of infidels that used

to worship cosmic bodies, stars etc. Due to

natural instinct he (pbuh) started to search

for the truth, and his heart was not satisfied

with the illogical worship of stars or idols

named after them, from his very childhood.

His story mentioned in Quran tells that he's

began observing the heavenly bodies that

whether they could be God, with the idea

that God should be something that is the

Greatest and consistently Greatest of all,

and something that transforms into

something inferior must not be God.

He saw the sun, followed by moon, followed

by stars and learnt that all of them have got

a cycle of splendor and lowliness, and

understood they're signs of God rather than

god themselves as God is always in majesty.

He began preaching his people, while they

rather than responding, went against him,

and plotted to burn him alive while God

gave him an utmost help. The Quran

describes it as such: ''we said unto the fire

become cold and calm on Ibrahim ''.

Such was God‟s help with Ibrahim .


7

Jesus (5.110): In Quran, Surah Maidah

Jesus/Isa was given special miracles which

helped him understand the power of God.

God asked Jesus to recount the blessings

that God had given him and his mother

(Maryam), showing that God gives his

prophets favours to help them in their lives.

God then gives a list of the things He has

given Jesus, and the benefits of those

favours: He was given the Holy Spirit which

allowed him to speak to the people as a

child and when he was older. He was also

taught the Law and the Gospel to teach the

people how to live their lives in accordance

to God‟s laws. He was also able to give life to

the dead and heal the sick, by the will of

God. He also protected Jesus from the

unbelievers who accused Jesus of magic

and did not believe His powers were a sign

of God‟s majesty. This all showed Jesus the

favours he was given by God which allowed

him to believe in Him and follow Him.

(b) As God‟s “representative (khalifa) on

Earth” say how men and women can serve

God, giving examples. [4]

(b) Muslims can serve God on earth by

understanding and fulfilling their obligation to

Him, primarily through praying and fulfilling

the five pillars, and by not disobeying His

commands. They should be grateful to Him

for what He has given them, food, shelter,

clothing, and thank Him. This can be done

by praying, reciting Qur‟an, being generous

to others, and helping that in need, e.g. by

feeding the poor, giving gifts and charity.

They should also look after the provisions

God has given them, whether it be the food

and the environment it grows in, the

knowledge He gives for guidance or the

people who are in a person‟s life for their

help and wellbeing, e.g. by not wasting food

or eating too much, by learning something

and teaching others.

Q. From passages you studied, describe

what he Quran teaches about the god‟s

responsibility to his creatures and their duties

towards him. [10]

God created the worlds and controls them

all alone. He guides his creation in there, has

mercy on them, forgives their wrongdoings

yet is the only worthy of worship. This is

because He alone provide the proper place

to live; the fertile earth, the protection of

skies, food and water so it a heinous crime to

ascribe partners to Him when He alone did

this for us all. God says in Quran: “prostrate

neither the Sun nor moon, but bow down

before the One who created them”. God

originated the man from despised liquid yet

made him intelligent and good-looking then

taught him and guided him how to live on

earth. God says about himself: “He taught

Adam the names of all (that is in earth)”. So

man must not be disgraceful and be

obedient to Allah.

God gives knowledge to human and judges

for their actions. Everybody is responsible to

God and fellow humans as Quran says in

Surah Zilzal: “so whoever acts an atom’s

weight of good shall see it, & whoever acts

an atom’s weight of bad shall see it”. This is

the reason they shall keep watch of his

deeds and abstain from all evils, acting

righteously as much as they can and should

be ready for accountability on the Day of

Judgment when there none would have


8

power except the Master of the universe, the

God.

God also reminds us that evil power shall not

be afraid of, and human beings must seek

Allah‟s protection from any evil whether it is

inner temptation, or a fear of harm from

other source. Evil powers can do nothing

without Allah‟s will and when God‟s

protection is there, so God‟s shelter shall be

sought. Surah Falaq and Surah Nas are best

to recite for this purpose.

Quran teaches Muslims should be

responsible towards the environment, give

reasons to agree or disagree. [4]

God has given the human being everything

it needs for its survival and comfort so he

shouldn‟t abuse this privilege by being

ungrateful, therefore should protect the

nature. Everything has been provided by

God for human use so they must take use of

them in a substantial way. The Prophet

prohibited washing body parts from streams

more than thrice to the companions.

Q. From the Quranic passages you‟ve

studied, write about the main teachings

about God. [10]

God is unique in his attributes. He created

and then is constantly guarding and

controlling the universe, yet does not get

tired as humans do. God tells humankind

about his oneness using word ahad, yet he is

one in having power over all things and has

no family like humans to share power with

and it is blasphemous to ascribe relationships

like father and son with God which are a

human‟s weaknesses like Christians believe

about Jesus. Further it is emphasized that

there is none like him, means that none can

compare what God looks like or what he is

capable of doing.

God tells humans about his knowledge

which encompasses all things, yet it is made

clear nothing can grasp his knowledge, and

He gives a portion of his knowledge to whom

he wills from his messengers. Quran says: “no

vision can grasp him but his grasp is over all

vision”.

God admonishes against ascribing partners

to Him. It is awkward to ascribe Him a son

when he is all alone, without family. God says

He originated everything and manages so

there is no justification for worshipping any

other being. He is the originator, the

sustainer, the living and self-subsisting while

every other creation depends on him. The

skies are about to tear apart due to His awe.

Nevertheless He is very merciful and oft-

forgiving, and listens to prayers when

anybody turns to Him. God provides the

creation its provisions, being a Creator.

The sun and the moon, for example, are a

creation of order and harmony that proves

an intelligent planned design, which is sign of

God‟s existence so we should see natural

things as signs and as a help to keep faith in

God, rather than worshipping nature itself,

which isn‟t rational. In Quran, Allah says:

“among his signs are the night and the day,

the sun and the moon, worship not the sun

and the moon but worship Allah, who

created them, if you're really serving Him

alone” (Surah Sajdah 41:37).


9

b). How might these teachings affect a

Muslim‟s life today? [4]

Today Muslims are busy in their lives and may

find it difficult to connect with God but God

reminds us of the harmonious creation and

other things that should revive our thinking

that someone is definitely controlling us. He is

all-powerful creator yet not detached from

humans as He asks them to seek forgiveness

from Him and is ready to forgive as seen in

verses of Surah Shura (42;4-5).

Q. From the Quranic passages you have

studied in the syllabus, describe how God

guided and reassured his Prophet

Muhammad . [10]

Muhammad had a gap in

revelations so he felt sad. Some of the

pagans made a mockery out of it and said

him that his Lord has forsaken him. The Surah

Duha was revealed to console him. The

Prophet Muhammad faced

hardships like other prophets but God

reminds him that he gave him blessings in this

life and the next, which relieved the Prophet

and gave him reassurance that God was

looking after him. God promises him good

here and hereafter then God recounts his

good upbringing despite being orphan,

giving guidance to him when confusion was

widespread, backing him financially when

he wasn‟t well-off; all these blessings were

recounted so he may not depress himself

express his gratitude through helping

orphans, beggars and praising God.

On other occasions when his last male hier

„Ibrahim‟ died, Abu Jahl and the pagan

Arabs mocked the Prophet that he is abtar

„cutoff‟ from male heir-ship so has no hope.

Again God consoled the Prophet and

reminds him the bounties of this world and of

hereafter given to him. God gave him

shelter, guidance and independence, and

also gave him blessings in the form of

Kauthar, a spring in paradise. So he is told it is

the enemies who are cutoff and have no

hope. So turn to God through prayer and

sacrifice that people may follow your

example.

Q. Why is it important that God sent

humankind messengers from amongst

themselves? [4]

Prophets amongst communities could

understand the needs and conditions of the

people and make it easier for them to teach

their people in a suitable way. The

community would see them one amongst

themselves so would easily follow their

teachings and example. If angels were sent

instead, people would argue how can

humans copy their actions or they would

start their worship.


10

The life and importance of the Prophet

Muhammad

The main events of the

Prophet‟s life from his

birth to his call to

prophethood

Q. Write about the life of the Prophet up until

the first revelation. [10]

He was born in the year of the elephant; his

parents were Amina and Abdullah; as with

the custom of the time, he was sent to the

desert with a wet nurse; Halima Sa‟adia

narrates that they had good fortune with the

arrival of the Prophet in their household, and

asked that he stay with them another two

years; during this time, the incident of the

angels coming to clean his heart happened;

Halima returned him to his mother; his mother

died when he was six on her way back from

Yathrib; his grandfather looked after him and

then Abu Talib when he was eight; he went

on trade journeys with Abu Talib and this is

where Bahira the monk saw him; he picked

up arrows in the sacrilegious wars, and was

present at the subsequent Fudul

confederacy; he was employed by Khadija

to go on a trade journey to Syria and on

account of his honesty she sent a marriage

proposal to him; he helped resolve the issue

of the fixing of the black stone; he spent

longer periods in the cave of Hira and, at the

age of 40, the angel Jibril came with the first

revelation.

(b) „The Prophet‟s family was important in

preparing him for prophethood.‟ Agree or

disagree, giving reasons for your answer. [4]

Yes his uncle was important for taking him on

trade journeys with him, which helped him to

learn the trade that would provide for his

family later on, and also because of what

Bahira told Abu Talib, he had a protector

when the Muslims went through difficult times

in Makka. Khadija helped to give him

financial independence which allowed him

more time for meditation.

But we can say the Prophet was protected

and guided by God, shown by the incident

of the two angels coming to wash his heart,

or that his parents and grandparents died

when he was young so they were not

important for his prophethood.


11

The main events of his

activities in Makka and

his experiences with his

opponents

Q. Describe the main difficulties encountered

by the Prophet himself during his time in

Makka after his call to prophethood. [10]

• The Quraysh rejected Muhammad when

he began his preaching, especially when he

called people at Mount Safa, Abu Lahab

insulted him causing people to disperse• an

old woman regularly pelted him with rubbish

on his way to prayer. •during a gap in

revelation, Um Jamil (wife of Abu Lahab)

mocked the Prophet that he's forsaken• He

was once nearly strangled while praying.

•another occasion rotten camel fetus was

put on him while prayers by Utba, Mughira

and other torturers, until his daughter Hazrat

Fatima came to remove the dirt• The

Quraysh subjected him to temptation, insults

and verbal abuse• The death of his uncle

Abu Talib deprived him of protection. • He

was rejected and assaulted when he

preached at al-Ta‟if. • He and his family

were boycotted and forced to live in a

narrow valley outside Makkah where the

condition severed so much that leaves and

leather was the only food• The death of

Khadija discouraged him.

Write an account of the major difficulties

encountered by the Prophet, and his

followers in Makkah [10]

• The Quraysh rejected Muhammad when

he began his preaching • An old woman

regularly pelted him with rubbish on his way

to prayer. • He was once nearly strangled

while praying. • The Quraysh subjected him

to temptation, insults and verbal abuse • The

death of his uncle Abu Talib deprived him of

protection. • He was rejected and assaulted

when he preached at al-Ta‟if. • He and his

family were boycotted and forced to live in

a narrow valley outside Makkah. • The death

of Hazrat Khadija discouraged him. • Many

of his followers were subjected to torture eg

Bilal (RA) was beaten by his master, yet

Hazrat Sumayya(RA) was lanced to death•

Some followers were forced to flee to

Abyssinia to the protection of the king whom

the Quraish pursued yet failed to get them

back• Muslims were boycotted and forced

to live in a narrow valley outside Makkah. •

They were prevented from worshipping at

the ka`ba. • Their means of livelihood were

taken away.

Explain how their reaction to these difficulties

can set an example for Muslims today. [4]

• Muhammad was not deflected from

preaching even when offered bribes. • He

retained dignity and patience at all times. •

His followers preferred to undergo hardships

and death rather than give up their faith. •

Muhammad showed concern for his

persecutors and forgiveness towards them. •

Muslims under persecution should remain

loyal to one another.


12

Trace the events that led up to the Prophet‟s

migration (hijra). [10]

As Islam grew, Makkan pagans increased

persecution of the Muslims. Those who had

no protection were easy targets of

persecution. Bilal was severely beaten by his

master Umayah bin Khalaf; „Ammar bin Yasir,

and his parents, were made to lie on the

burning sand – both his parents were

martyred (Hazrat Sumayya was lanced);

„Uthman in Affan was wrapped in palm

leaves and set fire to by his uncle; Khabab

bin al-Arat was made to lie on burning coal

with a rock on his chest; eventually, the

Prophet allowed some followers to go to

Abyssinia to seek protection from its king,

Negus, in the 5th year of prophethood

(614/615); „Uthman and Ruqayya went in the

first migration of 12 men and 4 women; later

the second delegation, of 83 men and 19

women, was led by Ja‟far Ibn Abi Talib;

Quraish followed them and asked the king to

return the Muslims; the Negus called the

Muslims to give their account; Ja‟far told him

of the way they lived before Islam, and also

recited verses from Sura Maryam; this moved

the Negus to tears and he allowed the

Muslims to stay in Abyssinia in peace and

freedom; the Quraysh envoys were sent

back.

The boycott of the Banu Hashim clan by the

Qur‟aysh severed the condition of Prophet

and his clan until 8th year of Prophethood.

This followed by the deaths of Abu Talib and

Hazrat Khadija who were only protection for

the Prophet. Hoping well, he moved towards

Taif to spread Islam but there people

rejected the message and pelted stones at

him injuring him.

Then Prophet Muhammad met six men in

Makka, who had come from Yathrib for the

annual pilgrimage. They became Muslim

and returned to Makka the following year, 12

people came who took an oath at „Aqaba

in 621 that they‟ll protect Prophet and his

companions. The following year 73 men

came to take the oath with the Prophet.

They invited the prophet to come to Yathrib

as their leader.

How does his conduct in one of these

difficulties provide an example for Muslims

today? [4]

Pagans threw intestines on Prophet, choked

him, insulted him yet he remained patient

and did not respond angrily but stayed calm

and so set a perfect example of tolerance.

While preaching at Ta‟if, he was bled to feet,

and then Angel Gabriel offered him to crush

the town between mounds yet he forgave

the town people and prayed for them. Since

the Prophet is the best example for Muslims,

they must show tolerance when suffering

and forgiveness when they come into any

conflict or are harmed, let alone petty

arguments.

The Prophet allowed some of the early

Muslims to move to Abyssinia. Write about

the events of this migration. [10]

The Muslims in Makka, mainly those without

tribal protection and slaves, were being

persecuted by the Quraysh; an ayat was

revealed about the earth being spacious for

believers (39.10); the Prophet allowed some

followers to go to Abyssinia to seek

protection from its king, Negus, in the 5th

year of prophethood (614/615); „Uthman


13

and Ruqayya went in the first migration of 12

men and 4 women, whereupon the Quraysh

chased them but the migrants managed to

board a boat before the Quraysh got to

them; some came back from Abyssinia when

they falsely heard that the Quraysh had

accepted Islam; the persecutions

increased and later the second delegation,

of 83 men and 19 women, was led by the

Prophet‟s cousin, Ja‟far Ibn Abi Talib; „Amr

ibn al-„As and „Abdullah bin Abi Rabi‟a

followed them and asked the king to return

the Muslims; the Negus called the Muslims to

give their account; Ja‟far told him of the way

they lived before Islam, and also recited

verses from Sura Maryam; this moved the

Negus to tears and he allowed the Muslims

to stay in Abyssinia in peace and freedom;

the Quraysh envoys were given their gifts

back and sent away. The Muslims lived here

in peace until they moved to Madina.

Can this migration be compared to the

migration of some Muslims today? Give

reasons for your answer. [4]

Muslims around the world are facing

persecution, such as in Syria, and are

migrating to other countries like Jordan and

Turkey, where they are being allowed to live

in freedom. However, it is not like the

migration to Abyssinia as the current

migrants usually live in refugee camps,

where resources are limited. The migration to

Abyssinia can also be compared to Muslims

migrating to non-Muslim countries, where

they are given freedom to live and work, but

sometimes not everyone welcomes them. It

may be not comparable to migration of

Muslims now, e.g. economic migration. Many

Muslims now move for work and financial

reasons, so it is not similar.

Why did the people of Makka pursue these

Muslims? [4]

The Makkans wanted to destroy the new

faith, as it threatened their own religious and

economic stability. They therefore didn‟t

want the Muslims to escape and for Islam to

flourish, as Islam would curb their lifestyle of

evil desires. Muslims were already growing in

number within Makkah, they then feared

Muslims would go elsewhere to plan invasion

of Makkah to takeover so they felt a need to

stop Muslims to come to power.

Why was his relationship with his wife Khadija

important for him? [4]

Khadija supported the Prophet, financially

and spiritually. Her support allowed him to

spend time in seclusion and that his seclusion

prepared him for receiving revelation. Her

maturity allowed her to console and believe

in the Prophet when he received revelation

(O! thou wrapped up in a mantle. . .)[ Sura

93:8]. Khadija (RA) became the first Muslim

and increased the morale of Prophet

Muhammad (p.b.u.h.). She took Prophet

Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) to Warqa bin Nawfal

who explained that Muhammad (p.b.u.h.)

received revelation from the archangel

Gabriel.


14

Describe the events that immediately led up

to the Prophet‟s migration, the hijra. [10]

• Muhammad had incurred the enmity of

Quraysh by his preaching.

• His wife Khadija and Uncle Abu Talib died

in 619 leaving him defenceless. • He sought

acceptance by preaching at fairs in Mecca

and elsewhere. • A small group from Yathrib

(later renamed Medina) listened and

accepted his preaching. • The next year

they swore allegiance to him (the first pact

of al-Àqaba, the oath of women, not

involving fighting for him). • The following

year 73 men from Yathrib swore to defend

him (the second Pact of al-Àqaba).

• Muhammad gradually sent Meccan

Muslims north to Yathrib. • He himself went

on the same night when the Quraysh

planned to murder him. • He departed with

Abu Bakr. • He left Àli in his bed as a decoy,

and in order to return items people had left

with him. • The Prophet received a divine

instruction to migrate.

Suggest reasons why he decided to move

from Mecca to Medina. [4]

• He was defenseless at Mecca, because

Abu Lahab the head of his clan after Abu

Talib's death was his enemy. • His attempts

at persuading the people of Mecca to

accept his teachings had met with little

success, • except for a small group of

followers. • These followers were under

threat, and some had experienced long

persecution. • The people of Medina

appeared to welcome him. • They

recognized his mission and accepted him as

a religious leader. • They also offered him

and his followers‟ protection.

(a) Write brief account of attempt of the

Prophet to preach to the people of al-Ta‟if;

[10]

• Muhammad went to al-Ta‟if when the

persecution at Mecca was intense. • He was

looking for a new place where his teachings

would be accepted. • The townspeople

rejected his message and the elders sent a

mob of boys before the Prophet • Boys

pelted him with stones as he left. • He was

badly injured, so much that his feet were full

of blood. •it is said that his adopted son Zaid

was along with him, who was also injured

trying to protect the Prophet from stones.

•he moved off the town until came across a

garden, that belonged to Utba, a pagan,

where he rested •out of compassion, Utba

sent his servant with some fruit to console the

Prophet• Angels offered to destroy the town

for him, but he forgave the people. • yet he

said that he was sent as a blessing to the

world and rather prayed to God to bring

about believers amongst the descendants of

the people of Taif.

Q (a) Give an account of the difficulties

experienced by the early Muslim community

in Makka. [10]

For the first few years the Prophet (pbuh)

preached the message in secret. Initially only

a handful of Muslims accepted Islam, the

main ones being Khadija, Zaid, „Ali and Abu

Bakr, who in turn brought many people to

Islam including, „Uthman, Zubair ibn Awwam,

and Talha. Other early converts were Bilal,

Abu „Ubaida, Abu Salamah. Prayer was


15

established morning and evening. They

would pray and practise their faith in secret,

often praying in the mountains. After the

revelation to warn his nearest relatives

(26.214), the Prophet (pbuh) took to Mount

Safa and invited the Quraysh to follow Islam

publicly. They rejected him and feeling

threatened by the new message, because

they could not dissuade the Prophet (pbuh)

from preaching it, they started to persecute

the Muslims. Those who had no protection

were easy targets and felt the worst of the

persecution. Bilal was severely beaten by his

master Umayah bin Khalaf; „Ammar bin Yasir,

and his parents, were made to lie on the

burning sand – both his parents were

martyred; „Uthman in Affan was wrapped in

palm leaves and set fire to by his uncle;

Khabab bin al-Arat was made to lie on

burning coal with a rock on his chest. Due to

the severity of the persecutions, the Prophet

(pbuh) told the believers to meet secretly at

Dar al-Arqam, where they would learn about

their new faith.

Also because of the persecutions, the

Prophet (pbuh) allowed some people to

migrate to Abyssinia. Later a social and

economic boycott was imposed on the

Muslims and they were to live in Shib-i-Abi

Talib, where they faced great hardships for

many years.

(b) Drawing from this account, what advice

could be given to Muslims now living in fear

of persecution? [4]

Living in a situation where their family may

not want them to practice their faith, to

pray, fast or wear hijab, they can try to

conceal their faith and practise it where they

can and in secret, if they are being

persecuted by the wider community for their

beliefs.

They could migrate to a safer place where

they would be accepted and allowed to live

in freedom. It is not going to be an easy

journey, but the early Muslims did not go

back on their decision.

The main events of his

activities in Madina, his

leadership of the

community there and

his conflicts with the

Makkans and others

Describe the main events of the Prophet‟s

migration from Makka to Madina. [10]

• Either Muhammad had incurred the enmity

of Quraysh by his preaching Or A small group

from Yathrib (later renamed Madina)

listened to his preaching and invited him to

their town• He departed from Makka on the

same night that the Quraysh planned to

murder him • He departed with Abu Bakr •

He left `Ali in his bed as a decoy/in order to

return items people had left with him • The

Makkans sent riders to pursue the two

migrants • They took refuge in the Cave of

Thawr • The Prophet reassured Abu Bakr who

was frightened • Abu Bakr allowed himself to

be bitten rather than shout and wake the

sleeping Prophet • A spider wove a web/two


16

birds built a nest over the entrance, which

showed there was no-one inside • The two

made their way to Madina when they knew

they were safe • They stayed at Quba on

the way to Medina and established the first

mosque/`Ali joined them there • The people

of Medina welcomed the Prophet publicly •

The Prophet was given a revelation to leave

Makka

Explain why he thought it important to make

this journey. [4]

• He was in danger of his life in Makka • He

had no clan protection • His preaching met

with little success • He was assured of

acceptance at Madina • Here he might put

the teachings he was receiving into effect •

His migration was in order to save Islam.

Describe the events of „two‟ of the battles

fought by the Prophet while he was leader of

the community at Madina. [10]

Battle of Badr (2AH)

•It was fought in 2AH (624); • the Prophet

(pbuh) and a group of around 300 men set

off to intercept a caravan led by Abu

Sufyan; • they had 2 horses and 70 camels

•Abu Sufyan sent word to the Quraysh and

an army of 1300 men was gathered • Abu

Sufyan slipped past the ambush and sent

word to the Quraysh to go back but Abu

Jahl insisted they continue• some left leaving

1000 soldiers• the Prophet (pbuh) consulted

his companions and they went to meet the

Quraysh army at Badr • it rained heavily that

night• the Muslims camped near a water

well; the next day the battle started and „Ali,

Hamza and „Ubaidah went out to fight and

won their duels• the Prophet (pbuh) prayed

continuously for the success of the believers

• God sent down angels to help (3:123–125)

•the Prophet(pbuh) threw some dust which

caused a sandstorm (sura 8:17). •the

Makkans saw the Muslims as few in number

while the Quraysh looked few in number to

the Muslims; eventually the Makkans ran off;

Abu Jahl was killed •fourteen Muslims were

killed and 70 from the Quraysh while 70 were

taken prisoner •the prisoners were treated

well, and some paid a ransom for their

freedom, by either paying money or

teaching ten people how to read and write;

•Bilal is said to have killed his former master.

Battle of Uhud (3 AH)

• Uhud occurred in 625. (3rd Hijri) • An army

of 3000 from Makkah came to destroy the

Muslims. • The Prophet‟s army was smaller i.e.

1000 and was decreased further by the

desertion of some 300 Madinans who were

obedient to Abdullah bin Ubay, the

hypocrite. •before fight the Prophet had

positioned some archers on the mountain

pass and ordered not to move whatever

may come• In the fighting the Muslims

gained the upper hand. • But then some

Muslims who had been ordered to guard a

pass left their posts for spoils. • Khalid bin

Walid, who wasn‟t a Muslim by then, saw an

advantage and attacked from behind. •

The Muslims were nearly defeated and some

leading men killed. • The Prophet himself was

injured. • The Muslims realised they should

obey the Prophet.

Note that you have to write about two of the

following battles in such questions


17

Battle of Ditch (Khandaq) (5AH)

•occurred in 5 Hijri. • The exiled Jewish tribe

of Banu Nazir, settled in Khyber, allied with

the Quraish. • With the help of the Jews, the

Quraish succeeded in forming alliances. The

Allied armies were almost 10,000 in number,

commanded by Abu Sufyan. • The total

strength of the Muslim army was 3,000 men

and 50 cavalry. • The eastern and western

sides of Madina were inapt for fighting since

the surface of the land consisted mainly of

volcanic, stony rocks. • The southern Madina

was also ill-suited for fighting for the land was

filled with date trees. • Hazrat Salman Farsi

suggested: “O Messenger of Allah (PBUH),

when we were attacked in the land of Faris

and we feared the approach of horses, and

when we were surrounded, we would build

trenches around us (i.e. to prevent the

horsemen from being able to attack).” • So,

the Muslims dug trenches along the northern

part of Madina, a laborious task that they

completed in 9 to 10 days. • When the

enemy soldiers saw the trench, they were

puzzled and surprised.• When they taunted

the Muslims, a hail of stones and arrows met

them rather than words. • Thus began the

siege of Madina, which lasted for about 30

days. • The Bedouins, who had expected a

quick victory and bountiful plunder, were not

used to this situation, which disheartened

them. • Abu Sufyan sought help of Bani

Qurayza, who were within Medina • Hazrat

Saad bin Muaz reminded Bani Qurayza of

the Charter of Madina. The Jews replied that

they did not know of any prophet or any

charter. • As a precautionary measure,

Muhammad (PBUH) posted a small

detachment to keep watch on the Jewish

movements.• The Allies tried to cross at

times, but were always repelled by the

vigilant Muslim guard.• When about 30 days

of the siege had passed, one night a fierce

windstorm blew into the Quraishite camp

and threw the allied army into tumult. • That

night, they quietly broke camp and went

back to their pastures and cities.

Battle of Khayber (7AH)

The Jews of Khyber, for fighting the Muslims,

offered a percentage of their yearly

produce of fruits and dates to tribes. • They

also entered into alliances with the tribes,

together they were to launch a surprise

attack on Madina. • They sent special

messengers to the Quraish of Makkah and

other tribes asking them to prepare for a full-

fledged attack on Medina and provided

financial support for this purpose. • They held

secret negotiations with Abdullah bin Ubbay,

the leader of the hypocrites, against the

Muslims. • The Battle of Khandaq, when hosts

of the enemies from all parts of the country

besieged Madina, was mainly caused by the

intrigues and financial assistance of the Jews

of Khayber. • Having been informed of their

secret plan, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) traveled

to Khyber two months after treaty of

Hudaibiya with 1600 men and 200 cavalry

and laid siege to different fortresses. • Out of

a number of forts which were spread over

Khyber in clusters, Na‟im was the first fortress

to be over taken by Muslims, while Al-Qamus

was the greatest and most formidable of

Khyber‟s fortresses which was conquered

under the command of Hazrat Ali who killed

the famous Jewish warrior, Marhab, in this

battle. • As for other fortresses such as Al-

Watih and As-Sulalim, they were surrendered


18

peacefully. • During this entire period, no

one came to the help of the Jews of Khyber.

• According to the pact which was agreed

upon, Khyber was allowed to remain in the

hands of the local inhabitants, on the

condition that half of the annual harvest of

all planting and date trees would be paid as

Jizya. • All other Jewish settlements and cities

around Khyber also agreed to the same

terms.

Battle of Mut‟a (8AH)

•This battle was fought in 629 (8th Hijri). •The

Prophet sent Al Harith bin Umair with a letter

to Basra; • he was captured and killed by

Balqa‟s governor. •So the Prophet mobilized

an army of 3000. •people would be invited

to Islam before and no battle would follow if

they accepted Islam. •Zayd bin Harith was

given command • and according to the

Prophet‟s order, he would be replaced by

Jafar bin Abu Talib and Jafar by Abdullah

bin Rawaha on martyrdom. •The Romans

had 100000 men with another 100000 from

tribal alliances. •On martyrdom of all the

commaders, Khalid bin Walid stepped up to

lead strategically, allowing Muslims to retreat

with minimum loss. • This was most violent

battle in the Prophet‟s life.

Battle of Hunain (8AH)

•After conquest of Makkah most people

accepted Islam •but tribes of Hawazin and

Thaqif did not submit to it and planned to

fight the Muslims. •The Prophet marched to

meet them with 12000 men. • As they

reached the site, the enemy hurled stones

and arrows at Muslims, hiding behind the

mountains. • Muslims panicked and almost

retreated •but Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

called them back, raised their confidence

allowing them to defeat the enemy. •The

enemy leader had told everyone to carry

their belongings so Muslims captured huge

spoils of war. •Quran (Surah Tawbah 9:25-26)

mentions this battle.

Tabuk Expedition (9AH)

•It happened so in 9th Hijri •that the

Byzantines feared the growing power of

Muslims and wanted to defeat them before

they became too strong. •The Nabataeans

(people at the border) informed Medina of a

big army that Heraclius was preparing, •so

the Prophet decided to face the Byzantines

at border. •They marched to Tabuk with

30,000 men. •Muslims donated generously,

especially Abu Bakr (full of his house wealth) ,

Umar(half of his house wealth), for this

expedition. •They faced many hardships on

the way. •They stayed some days at Tabuk

yet there was no sign of the army coming.

•The Prophet took control of the border

tribes and returned. •People from far and

wide acknowledged the powerful status of

the Muslims and many delegations came to

visit him after this event.

Q. How does his conduct in one of these

battles provide a model for Muslims today

when they face difficulties? [4]

Like Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), his

followers should be vigilantly well prepared

for defending their cause, which is keeping

the banner of truth high. Muslims should

resort to new technologies and acquire new

tactics like Prophet (pbuh) made use of the

Persian technique of digging a moat.


19

Muslims should not give up and keep their

faith in God even if the enemy seems strong

as any time God send his help, better late

than never. But they should also be

practically active and keep watch of the

suspicious internal elements.

Explain why the people of Makka fought

against the Muslims of Madina. [4]

• They could see that the Muslims were a

threat. • They threatened their livelihood

since they might attack their caravans. •

They also threatened their religion with their

belief in only one God. • They saw Islam as a

threat to their leadership in Arabia.

4 (a) Write about the events surrounding the

Treaty of Hudaybiyya and the main terms in

it. [10]

The Prophet had a dream where he entered

Makka and did tawaf around the Ka‟ba. In

628, he and a group of 1,400 Muslims

marched peacefully towards Makka, in an

attempt to perform umrah. The Muslims had

left Madina in a state of ihram, so were

prohibited from fighting. The group camped

outside of Makka, and the Prophet tried to

negotiate entry to the Ka‟ba with the

Quraysh, through intermediaries. The

Quraysh were unwilling to let the Prophet

enter. Bait al-Ridwan influenced the Quraysh

into negotiating a treaty. They sent Suhayl

ibn „Amr to negotiate a peace treaty,

whereby the Muslims would go back to

Makka and not return for the pilgrimage until

the next year. The treaty was for ten years;

each party was to be secure from the other;

if a person from the Quraysh was to migrate

to Madina, he would be sent back to Makka;

however, if a person from the Prophet‟s side

went to the Quraysh, they did not have to

hand him back; the Muslims were to go back

to Madina without performing umrah and

return the next year for three days. „Umar

asked why the Muslims were demeaning

their religion, and was reassured by Abu Bakr

and the Prophet. „Ali was chosen to write the

treaty. When the Prophet asked him to write

„In the name of Allah, the merciful, the

compassionate‟ or that the Prophet was the

„Messenger of Allah‟, Suhayl objected and

instead the Prophet erased it and had „Ali

write, „In your name, O God‟ and

„Muhammad, son of „Abd Allah‟, to which

the Muslims protested. The Khuza‟a tribe

made a pact with the Muslims and the Banu

Bakr made a pact with the Quraysh. At that

point, Abu Jandal came to the Prophet

asking to be freed, but the Prophet kept to

the terms of the treaty and told him to be

patient. Once they completed the

document, the Prophet asked the Muslims to

sacrifice their animals and shave their heads.

The Prophet said that Muslims had been

victorious and was supported in this by new

revelation: „Verily we have granted thee a

manifest victory‟. (48:1)

(b) From this event, what can Muslims learn

about the importance of keeping their word?

[4]

The Prophet kept his word to the Quraysh for

the duration of the treaty. Even before the

treaty was finished being written, he sent

Abu Jandal back to the Quraysh, on

account of an agreement having been

made verbally. This shows the importance of

promising to do something, then fulfilling that


20

action, even if it has not been put into

writing. As all actions and agreements are

recorded by angels, God knows what has

been promised and by fulfilling promises, no

matter how hard it is, and then God will

reward you accordingly. So, e.g. politicians

should not go back on the things they

promise when they want to be elected, or

people should not take back something that

they have promised to give a friend.

Q. The Prophet Muhammad was taken on a

night journey and ascent to the heavens (al-

„isra wa-l-mi‟raj). Write an account of this

journey. [10]

In the year before migration the Prophet

(pbuh) was taken on a journey, “from the

sacred mosque to the farthest mosque”

(17.1). The Prophet (pbuh) was woken from

his sleep and his heart was washed with

zamzam. He was asked to choose between

milk and wine and he chose the milk, to

which Jibril said, “You have been guided on

the fitra.” He was then taken on al- Buraq

from Makka to Jerusalem by the angel Jibril.

There the Prophet (pbuh) led all the previous

prophets (pbuh) in prayer. After that, Jibril

took him to the heavens. He met Adam at

the door to heaven, and thereafter he

ascended and met various other prophets.

He was led to the Lote Tree, past which Jibril

could not go, and then met with his Lord. He

was given prayers and the last 2 verses of

Sura Baqara. On his way down he met Musa

who suggested the Prophet (pbuh) ask God

to reduce the number of prayers given to his

people. The Prophet (pbuh) did this a

number of times, then at five he stopped,

saying he was too embarrassed to ask for

further reduction. He saw some of the

inhabitants of Heaven and Hell.

Miraculously this all took place in one night,

and when the Prophet (pbuh) told the

people, the Quraysh laughed at him. Abu

Bakr believed in the event straight away.

(b) What was the significance of this journey

to the Prophet? [4]

The Prophet (pbuh) had been through a

period of difficulty and this event made him

realize that God had not left him. It allowed

him to see what he, and all Muslims, should

be striving for which gave him renewed

strength.

He realised his status amongst prophets (as

seal of the prophets), he led them in prayer),

and realised the blessings God had given his

community (by giving the five prayers),

which gave him renewed hope in his

message and he began to work towards

better prospects for him and his community.

It was one of the main miracles other than

the Qur‟an.

(a) Write about the way in which the Prophet

interacted with non-Muslims after his move to

Madina. [10]

Prophet (pbuh) made a constitution for the

citizens of Madina (Charter of Madina),

including non-Muslims, about their rights and

responsibilities as part of the community.

Non-Muslims had equal political and cultural

rights, autonomy and freedom of religion;

they would fight with the Muslims against the

enemy of the community and have the

same responsibilities in war as others. The

Prophet (pbuh) engaged in commercial


21

dealings with them and gave and received

help from them. He sometimes borrowed

money from Jews and also arranged for

loans from them for some of his companions:

one day a Jew caught hold of the cloth the

Prophet (pbuh) was wearing and

demanded that he repay the loan he had

taken from him. „Umar, got angry with the

Jew and scolded him. The Prophet (pbuh)

then ordered that the loan be repaid to the

Jew, and because „Umar had scolded him

the Prophet (pbuh) insisted that he be given

more money than what he had actually

been owed.

Not everyone was happy with the Prophet‟s

(pbuh) leadership of Madina and individuals

from among the non-Muslim clans plotted to

take the Prophet‟s (pbuh) life. Two of the

tribes – the Banu Nadir and the Banu

Qaynuqa - were eventually exiled for

breaking the treaty and for the consequent

danger they posed to the new Muslim

community. The Banu Qurayza also broke

their treaty by siding with the Quraysh at the

Battle of the Trench. They were dealt with in

accordance to their own laws, which meant

that many of them were put to death.

Moreover Prophet (pbuh) sent letters to

various non-Muslim rulers inviting them to

Islam. The Christians of Najran visited the

Prophet (pbuh) in Madina to talk to him and

ask questions. They then signed a peace

treaty. The Prophet (pbuh) allowed them to

pray their prayers in the mosque.

At Conquest of Makkah his attitude towards

the pagans was remarkably merciful.

(b) How can Muslims now apply the lessons

learnt from the Prophet‟s interaction with

non-Muslims? [4]

Non-Muslims were respected by the Prophet

(pbuh) and invited to Islam. If they did not

accept it they were left to live their lives

freely under their own faith.

Muslims now can learn from this by inviting

non-Muslims to Islam by teaching them

about the essentials of faith. If they do not

want to accept Islam then they should not

be harassed or hurt, but rather respected

and looked after. Muslims, who kill people

from other faiths because they do not

believe in Islam, are going against the

example of the Prophet (pbuh).

Muslims should also enter into agreements

with non-Muslims to ensure both sides live

kindly and do not have their freedoms taken

away by the other side. This allows both

parties to know where they stand and do not

have to live in fear.

(a) With reference to the conduct of the

Muslims, describe the events of the Conquest

of Makka. [10]

The Quraysh had broken the terms of the

Treaty of Hudaybiyya, by their allies Banu

Bakr attacking Banu Khuza‟ah who had

allied with the Muslims. Realising the

seriousness of the situation the Quraysh sent

Abu Sufyan to ensure the treaty was intact,

but he left Madina without doing so. After

making preparations for war, the Prophet

(pbuh) set out with 10 000 soliders. It was

8AH. The Prophet‟s (pbuh) army stopped

outside Makka and it was here that Abu

Sufyan became Muslim and his house was


22

made a place of safety. Abu Sufyan

returned to Makka and warned the Quraysh

not to resist the Muslim army; most put down

their arms, but a few (Safwan, Ikrimah,

Suhayl) swore to block the Muslim army from

entering Makka. There were 4 groups, one

led by Khalid bin Walid that faced

resistance, leading to some deaths. The

Prophet (pbuh) knocked down the 360 idols

in the Ka‟ba. The keys to the Ka‟ba were

given to „Uthman bin Talha, and at the time

of prayer, Bilal ascended the Ka‟ba and

gave the adhan. Apart from nine people,

the Quraysh were pardoned, including

Wahshi and Hind. “You have been my very

unreasonable countrymen. You refuted my

prophethood and turned me out of my

house. And when I took refuge in a far-off

place, you rose to fight against me.

However, inspite of all these crimes of yours, I

forgive all of you and make you free and

declare that you may go after the pursuits of

your life." Some Qur‟anic verses related to

the incident are 17.81 and 34.49

(b) Can Muslims today learn from the

Prophet‟s treatment of his former enemies?

Give reasons for your answer. [4]

Yes they can learn from his treatment of his

former enemies because the Prophet (pbuh)

forgave those who had shown a lot of

enmity towards him, such as Abu Sufyan. In

following this example, Muslims can forgive

those in their life who call them names,

abuse them, or try to stop them from doing

good, especially if they are sorry for what

they have done. A grudge should not be

held against them. In Makka the Prophet

(pbuh) forgave everyone except a handful

of people, including those who had killed his

family members such as Wahshi and Hind.

Muslims should realise that forgiveness is

always a better option than revenge.

Q (a) The Prophet died in 632. Write about

the events of the final year of his life. [10]

The Prophet received many delegations in

the final year of his life. In 631/10AH, the

Prophet performed his final pilgrimage; at

„Arafah he addressed the people gathered

there; this is considered his farewell speech,

in which he indicated he may not be there

the following year; he also gave instructions

for unlawful shedding of blood; usury was

forbidden; the obligation towards looking

after wives was emphasized as well as the

kind treatment of women; sticking faithfully

to the pillars of Islam was emphasised;

equality of humankind was emphasized

saying no Arab has superiority over a non-

Arab and vice versa; brotherhood was

established; he told them the Qur‟an and

Sunnah were left for them and reminded

them they would have to answer for their

deeds; then the verses 5.3 were revealed

(today your religion has been perfected);

the Prophet completed his pilgrimage and

returned to Madina; he increased his

seclusion; Jibril reviewed the Qur‟an twice

with him; his illness began 13 days before his

death; he moved into A‟isha‟s apartment for

the last week; he continued leading the

prayers and would give the congregation

advice; he called for Fatima, Hassan and

Hussain and his wives; Abu Bakr led prayers in

the last days; the Prophet passed away on

12th Rabi al-Awwal, 11AH.


23

(b) The Farewell Sermon given by the Prophet

contains teachings for Muslims of all times.

Explain how two of these teachings can be

applied today. [4]

The last sermon is considered a summary of

the main elements of faith, as it includes the

five pillars, equality of humankind, ethics and

morality. It can be used in many recent issues

such as racism, inequality of women, rights of

women and men to each other, the

financial structure (dealing in interest),

adultery, responsibility of actions (particularly

in crimes), treating other Muslims as brothers,

treating slaves/servants well, and

worshipping God. In fact, this sermon can

best serve as universal charter of human

rights. If they are followed even this day,

there would peace in home and all around

the whole world.

Prophet‟s actions and

character

(a) The Prophet was described as humble

and just. Giving examples from his life, write

about events that describe these qualities.

[10]

(a)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 eats 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.


24

Q. The Quran says the Prophet is of “great

moral character” (68.4). identify events from

his life that show a range of his moral

characters. [10]

Kind: At the time of persecution in Mecca,

there was an old woman who used to throw

rubbish every time the Prophet went to the

mosque. One day she was not there so He

asked her neighbor about her well-being

and found out she was ill. He asked

permission to enter her house and the

woman thought he had come to avenge

her when she was sick and vulnerable, but

the Prophet assured her he had come to see

her and look after her needs as per God‟s

commandment of visiting and helping the ill.

Merciful: He went to preach Islam to Taif,

who rejected his message, chased him

away, and threw stones at him causing him

to bleed. Angel Gabriel came and told him

God has given permission to destroy the Taif

people upon your command but the

Prophet replied that he would expect their

progeny to become believers in one God.

Trustworthy: the Meccans knew of the

trustworthiness of the Prophet 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 Madinah he returned all their

belongings through Ali.

Truthful: he was known to the Quraish as al-

Sadiq. Even after the prophethood they

rejected his message but still believe he

would not tell a lie.

Humble: despite the Prophet‟s status, he

never lived an extravagant life. Hazrat Aisha

reported he would stitch his clothes, sweep

the house, fix his own sandals help

employees in their work and eat 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 humility

at Conquest of Makkah.

How can Muslims today apply the Prophet‟s

example of humility when dealing with either

friends or strangers? [4]

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.

Briefly describe four actions or qualities of the

Prophet Muhammad that would make clear

to the people who lived with him that he was

the Messenger of God. [10]

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had a constant

smile on his face despite being tortured and

agonized by the pagan and he would never

reply wickedness with harshness but forgave

others, one example being a jew who

demand his money from the Prophet pulling

his collar, yet he remained patient and gave

him some extra. Before his prophethood he

was known as honest and trustworthy, and

even after that, nonbelievers couldn‟t deny

this fact.


25

He received interrupted revelations

according to new situations and would also

receive predictions of victory (as in treaty of

Hudaybiyyah, and defeat of the Persians by

Romans) which came true.

He had significant amount of patience.

When the torturers of Makkah insulted him,

threw dead fetus on him at prayers, put

thorns in his way, threw rubbish on him

continuously, he (pbuh) kept himself calm

and never reacted to such vices angrily.

He had a very forgiving mind-set which can

be noticed at his Conquest of Makkah

where he declared safety of those who

entered Abu Sufyan‟s house or closed his

house door or did not offer resistance, where

he made a general pardon of torturers,

where he entered as a remarkably peaceful

conqueror while not being boastful, keeping

his head low being thankful to Allah.

Explain what Muslims mean by the title „Seal

of the Prophets‟. [4]

• This is a title of the Prophet found in the

Qur‟an. • It means he completes the line of

prophets that stretched up to him. • Just as a

wax seal closes a letter, so his prophethood

closes the line. • It also means he is a

prophet for all times and places unlike the

local prophets before him.

How does his conduct in one of these

difficulties provide an example for Muslims

today? [4]

Pagans threw intestines on Prophet

Muhammad (pbuh), hurled stones at him

until he bled when he was preaching at Ta‟if,

the Prophet reacted with patience,

tolerance, forgiveness. Today Muslims unity

depends on tolerance and they can take

lesson from the Prophet who tolerated even

the disbelievers. If Muslims living in non-

Muslim countries are mocked or insulted,

they should act wisely and follow the

example of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Describe the teachings of Islam about the

position of women as wives, mothers and

daughters. [10]

Wives, Islamically, shall be loyal to their

husbands and take care of his household,

and honor, raise the children morally upright.

They have rights over husbands such as

provision of proper food, shelter, clothing

and other rational needs. Husbands should

take care of their wives as the Prophet said

“the best amongst you are those who are

best to their wives”. The Prophet never acted

harshly with his wives, but treated them with

love and kindness. He would have a

constant smile and the only admonition

when he disliked anything was just that he

would pause smiling.

Mothers are granted very high status in Islam.

Hadith says: “paradise lays under the feet of

the mothers” meaning that one should be

loving, kind and obedient towards his mother

to attain paradise. Mothers‟ duty is to raise

children with high morals and Quran

repeatedly asserts among the qualities of

believers “those who are nice to their

parents”. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

himself revered even the nursing mother; he

would lay his cloak for her to sit on.


26

Before Islam, daughters were considered a

menace to the family, yet Islam considered

them as a mercy and blessing to their

parents. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had

said that whoever raises at least two

daughters with kindness, looks after their

needs, gives them education, organize their

marriage, will find them as a shield from

hellfire.

What do these teachings tell us about the

relationship between men and women? [4]

Men and women should respect each other,

as the structure of a family depends on their

cooperation, and if they are not, there

would be a bad impact on children. They

are equal before God but with different

roles. Quran says “for men is their share of

what they earned (of good deeds), and for

women is their share from what they earned

(of good deeds)”. If men and women are

not related to each other in family, while

communication they should act modestly,

keeping their gaze controlled as this would

keep the society safe from the evil of

immorality.

Outline the changes in the Prophet's relations

with the Jewish tribes and the „hypocrites' in

Medina in the years between 622 and 632.

[10]

• At first the Prophet treated all parts of

Medinan society equally. • He devised the

Covenant of Medina as an agreement in

which all in Medina, Muslims, non-Muslim

Arabs and Jews, were given privileges and

responsibilities. • Gradually the Jews

distanced themselves from him: they

persistently mocked the revelations, and

doubted his claims to prophethood. •

Muhammad expelled the three major tribes

in three stages after they showed treachery

in fighting and sided with the Quraysh. •

These tribes were Qaynuqa', Nadir and

Qurayza. • He punished them for their

treachery.

Banu Qaynuqa‟ had insulted a Muslim

woman, who came to them for goldsmith

deal, thereafter they were sieged and

exiled.(2 AH)

Banu Nazir refused to give bloodmoney,

against the ruling of charter, and plotted

against Muhammad‟s (PBUH) murder, hence

were exiled in (3AH)

Banu Qurayza, in 5AH, were captured,

looted and slaughtered too due to treachery

in Battle of Khandaq.

• There remained Medinans who did not

become sincere Muslims or acknowledge

Muhammad. • They showed their disloyalty

most strongly in withdrawing when the

Quraysh attack led to the battle of Uhud. •

They remained persistent opponents of

Muhammad. • The Muslims later attacked

the banished Jews in their fortress at

Khaybar.

b) Suggest reasons why his relations with the

Jewish tribes changed. [4]

(b) • He gradually became aware that the

Jews did not respect his position. • They

refused to acknowledge that he was a

Prophet like the one in their scriptures. • They

openly made fun of him, especially when the

qibla was changed. • An important turning

point was when they subjected a Muslim


27

woman to public humiliation. • They broke

the Covenant by not defending Medina. •

Their treachery in conspiring with the Quraysh

threatened the security of Medina. • This was

also a threat to the survival of Islam.

What lessons can Muslims today learn from

the Prophet‟s conduct in each of these

incidents (Conquest of Makkah and

Preaching at Taif)? [4]

• Muhammad attempted to find a realistic

solution to his difficulties in Mecca. • He did

not try to resist the people of al-Ta‟if when

they rejected him. • He responded to cruelty

with forgiveness. • He attempted to

understand the people‟s ignorance of who

he was and what he said, and thus his

follower Muslims must act in accordance

with him in such a situation.

Suggest ways in which Charter of Medina

can provide a model for relations between

states today. [4]

The Prophet decided that peaceful relations

in Medina were important even though not

all the people there were Muslim.

Peaceful relations between Pakistan and

India are very important for the well-being of

both countries.

A treaty of cooperation between the two

countries, like the Covenant of Medina,

would be for the good of all.

In this treaty the privileges and responsibilities

of both sides could be clearly expressed.

The first Islamic

community

The Prophet‟s Wives

(a) Write short accounts of the lives of: (i)

Khadija, and (ii) 'A'isha (10)

• Khadija was a widow who conducted

business in Mecca. • She employed the

Prophet because she had heard of his

honesty. • When this was proved after a

business trip she proposed marriage to him. •

She was the first to accept Islam. • She bore

him four daughters and two sons. • She gave

him financial security. • She reassured him

after his traumatic experience of the first

revelation. • She endured the Quraysh

persecutions with him, including their

boycott. • She supported him morally and

materially until her death in 619.

• 'A'isha was the daughter of Abu Bakr. •

She was about 9 at the time of her marriage

to Muhammad. • She was always a strong

personality. • She caused scandal in Medina

when she was lost in the desert and brought

home by a young Arab. • She supported the

Muslims in the battle of Uhud. • The Prophet

died in her lap, • and was buried in her

apartment. • She remained a leading figure

in the community after the Prophet's death.

• When she disagreed with 'Ali she sided with

Talha and Zubayr. • Her disagreement with

'Ali over the punishment of 'Uthman's killers

led to discord. • Some would say that her

part in the revolt of Zubayr and Talha caused

the first serious split in the community. • After

they were killed at the Battle of the Camel


28

she retired and lived quietly in Medina. • She

was known as an expert in matters of faith

and law. • She narrated more than 2000

Hadiths.

Write an account of Hazrat Aisha in the years

following the Prophet's death. [5]

• `Aisha heard and remembered more than

2,000 Hadith from the Prophet. • She was

recognised as an important source of

teachings from him. • His burial in her

apartment increased the respect in which

she was held. • She played a significant part

in important decisions made in the early

years after his death. • She was influential ind

ebates about the government of the

community. • Her disagreement with 'Ali over

the punishment of 'Uthman's killers led to

discord. • Some would say that her part in

the revolt of Zubayr and Talha caused the

first serious split in the community. • After

they were killed at the Battle of the Camel

she retired and lived quietly in Medina. • She

was known as an expert in matters of faith

and law. • She narrated more than 2000

Hadiths.

Write about the lives of TWO of the Prophet‟s

wives whom he married after the death of

Hazrat Khadija. [10]

Sawdah bint Zam‟a: is Prophet‟s second

wife. She was one of the first women to

migrate to Abyssinia. Her husband had died

and she lived with her elderly father. She was

middle-aged and had children from her

previous husband. She was widowed and

was older than the Prophet. Prophet married

her one month after the death of Hazrat

Khadija when help was needed to look after

the children of Prophet Muhammad

(p.b.u.h). her house was the first to be built in

Madinah where she welcomed other wives

in her household. She was close to Aisha and

in the end, gave up her time with the

Prophet to Aisha. She was known for her

generosity. She died ten years after

Prophet‟s death.

Hafsa: was daughter of Hazrat Umar and

was widowed at young age. She memorized

Quran. She lived with the Prophet for 8 years.

Mushaf (copy) of the Quran was kept with

her which Abu Bakr compiled. She was

narrator of many Hadiths. She was quick-

tempered like her father. Revelation came

after honey incident where she told the

Prophet his mouth didn‟t smell good after

eating honey so the Prophet made it

unlawful for himself. She died almost 60 years

old.

Zaynab bint Khuzaimah: had her husband

martyred in the Battle of Badr. She is known

for her generosity. She died after being

married to Prophet for 8 months.

Umm Salama (Hind bint Umayya): Her

husband died being injured at battle of

Uhud. She was amongst the first migrants to

Abyssinia. She rejected the proposal of Abu

Bakr and Umar then accepted proposal by

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and married

him in 4 AH. She also memorized Quran. She

took part in many expeditions and was the

most intellectual of the wives. At

Hudaybiyyah the Prophet told the

companion to sacrifice but they didn‟t, so

she suggested the Prophet to do himself so

that the companions may follow him. She


29

outlived all other wives of the Prophet and

died aged 84.

Zaynab bint Jahsh: was the Prophet‟s

cousin. She married to Zayd first but that

ended in divorce. The she married Prophet

Muhammad (p.b.u.h). She used to take a lot

care of the poor.

Jawayriyyah bint Harith: was the daughter

of chief of Banu Mustaliq. She was taken

captive after campaign against that tribe.

The Prophet proposed her. Due to her

marriage to Prophet, people freed the

captives of her tribe. She married the

Prophet for 6 years. She died 39 years after

his death.

Umm Habiba (Ramla bint Abu Sufyan): is

one of the early Muslims who migrated to

Abyssinia with her husband who then

became Christian. She couldn‟t live with him

yet she stayed in Abyssinia. Prophet sent her

proposal and her marriage was conducted

by Najashi. She went to Madinah after 6

years and lived with Prophet Muhammad

(pbuh) for 4 years before he died.

Safiyyah bint Huyayy: was brought to the

Prophet after Muslim victory at Khyber. She

was the daughter of chief of Banu Nadhir.

Prophet invited her to Islam then proposed

her. Other wives did not favor her often but

the Prophet always defended her.

Maymunah bint Harith: was a relative of

the Prophet and had always wanted to

marry him. She sent him proposal through her

previous brother-in-law. The Prophet (p.b.u.h)

accepted and they married when the

Muslims performed Umra after the treaty of

Hudaybiyyah. After their marriage the verse

was revealed: “it is not lawful to you to marry

women after that” (33.52).

Maria Qibtiyyah: was sent as a gift from the

ruler of Egypt. She was a slave-girl. She was

accepted into the household of the Prophet

after the treaty of Hudaybiyyah. She gave

birth to Prophet‟s son Ibrahim, who died

when he was 8 months old. A solar eclipse

coincided with his death and the Prophet

made it clear that eclipses don‟t happen

due to someone‟s death.

Descendants of Prophet

(Peace be upon Him)

Write an account of the live of Hazrat Fatima

(RA) [10]

• Fatima was the youngest daughter of

Muhammad and Khadija. • She was born a

few years before prophethood and was the

only daughter to outlive the Prophet. • She

was upset over the tortures faced by the

Prophet by the Quraish• She was married to

'Ali • She gave birth to Hasan and Husayn, •

so she was the mother of the Prophet's only

surviving descendants. • The Prophet always

showed her great respect. • She was stricken

by her father's last illness. • He predicted that

she would soon follow him. • She sided with

her husband after the Prophet's death. • So

she at first refused to recognise Abu Bakr as

Caliph.

Give an account of the lives of the Prophet‟s

3 daughters. [10]


30

Zaynab: was the eldest. She was born in the

5th year of Prophet‟s marriage when he was

30. She married Abu al-Aas bin Rabi. She had

two children Ali and Umaymah. She became

Muslim, but her husband initially did not. She

stayed behind with him when the other

Muslims migrated to Madinah. Her husband

fought against Muslims at Badr and was

captured. She sent her mother‟s necklace

for his ransom. She returned to her father in

Madinah while her husband was freed and

returned to Makkah. Upon returning money

to the Makkans, her husband became

Muslim and asked the Prophet to allow him

to go back to Zaynab. She died a year later.

Ruqayyah: was 3 years younger than

Zaynab. She married Utba (son of Abu

Lahab) yet wasn‟t living with him when Surah

Lahab was revealed so she was divorced by

Utba at Abu Lahab‟s order. Then she married

Uthman. They migrated twice to Abyssinia,

and migrated to Madinah before the

Prophet. She had a son who died at 6 (after

her death). She was ill at the battle of Badr

and Uthman was told to take her care.

Umm Kulthum: was the 3rd daughter of the

Prophet and was married to Utaibah, Abu

Lahab‟s son. Like Ruqayya she was divorced

by her husband before she went to live with

him. She was married to Uthman after

Ruqayya‟s death. She suffered the boycott

to stay Shib-i-Abi Talib. She stayed behind in

Makkah when her father migrated. She had

no children.

Explain the significance of two figures during

the LIFETIME of the Prophet. [4]

• Khadija gave him moral support that

encouraged him and strengthened his

resolve. • She gave him financial support

that allowed him time for thought. • She

always had full belief in him that

encouraged him when he met opposition. •

'A'isha was the Prophet's favourite wife. • She

gave him care and support in his later years.

• Fatima was his only daughter who gave

him descendants. • His respect for her

became a model for the treatment by

fathers of daughters. • She remembered

prayers that have been used by some

Muslims ever since.

Q (a) Write accounts of the lives of the

Prophet‟s two grandsons al-Hasan and al-

Husayn. [10]

Al-Hasan was involved with his father in the

battle of Siffin and the battle with Aisha. He

became Caliph but gave it up after a year

due to heavy opposition from Mu‟awiya. He

was poisoned and died in the year 670. Al-

Husayn rejected the Umayyads and refused

to accept Yazid as caliph after Mu‟awiya.

AlHusayn‟s supporters in Kufa were killed. In

680AD, returning from Hajj, he camped at

Karbala and Umayyad troops surrounded

the camp. There was a battle between his 72

supporters and a 4000 strong army. They put

up resistance but eventually al-Husayn was

surrounded and killed. His head was taken to

the Caliph.


31

DETAILS

Hazrat Imam Hassan: born 3 AH • Named

“Hassan” by the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He

shared life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) for

over seven years. • Hazrat Muhammad

(PBUH) and Hazrat Ali were his only teachers.

• He learnt newly revealed verses by heart

as Muhammad (PBUH) recited them to him.

• He was 8 years old when Muhammad

(PBUH) passed away. His mother also died a

few months later. He was thus under the

guidance of Hazrat Ali for the remaining

years of his boyhood. • During Hazrat Ali‟s

Caliphate, Imam Hassan took part in all

battles. • On Hazrat Ali‟s death, he

ascended to the office of Caliphate,

supported by 40,000 people • Hazrat Ameer

Muawiya was found amassing his forces on

the Iraq-Syria border. • When Hazrat Imam

Hassan attempted to rally his Iraqi troops for

battle with Ameer Muawiya on the Iraq- Syria

border, it became evident they had turned

away from him. • Deserted by most of his

supporters, Hazrat Imam Hassan signed a

peace treaty with Hazrat Ameer Muawiya to

prevent bloodshed of the Muslims in two

opposing camps. • Thus, Hazrat Imam

Hassan announced his abdication in the

Masjid-e-Nabwi and retired in Madina.• His

wife, Joda bint Ash‟as‟s father had Hazrat

Ali‟s enemy. On the 3rd attempt his wife

managed to kill him with poison • Hazrat

Imam Hassan was buried in Jannat-ul-Baqih.

• During his Imamat, He lived in condition of

extreme hardship, with no security even in his

own house. • In human perfection, Hazrat

Imam Hasan was a reminiscent of his father

and a perfect example of his noble

grandfather, The Holy Prophet (PBUH) used

to say about him and his younger brother

Hazrat Imam Hussain: “These two children of

mine are Imams whether they stand up or

side down.”

Hazrat Imam Hussain: • Younger son of

Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Bibi Fatima. • Born on 3

Sha‟aban, 4 AH.• Hazrat Imam Hussain most

resembled the Holy Prophet (PBUH). • On his

deathbed, Hazrat Imam Hassan handed

over the charge of Imamat to his brother. •

Hazrat Ameer Muawiyah‟s son, Yazid,

succeeded to his father in the office of

Caliphate in 60 AH, at Damascus. • Hazrat

Imam Hussain did not swear allegiance to

Yazid. He then left for Makkah, as he did not

want Yazid to cause bloodshed in Madina. •

A deputation of the people of Kufa asked

Hazrat Imam Hussain to come to the rescue

of the faith. • Hazrat Imam Hussain sent his

cousin, Muslim, to Kufa to assess the situation.

For nearly four months Hazrat Imam Hussain

stayed in Makkah in refuge. • In Kufa,

thousands paid homage to Hazrat Imam

Hussain. Only when Muslim had dispatched

the letter asking Hazrat Imam Hussain to

come over to Kufa, did he (Muslim bin

Aqeel) see the treachery. • As almost all the

leaders of Kufa had been bribed, the

Governor of Kufa (deputy of Yazid) made

the people desert Muslim and ultimately kill

him. • On his way to Kufa, Hazrat Imam

Hussain heard the news of Muslim‟s

assassination. • At this stage, large numbers

of his companions began to desert him. •

However, Hazrat Imam Hussain proceeded

towards Kufa as before. • Yazid‟s army

surrounded the Imam‟s camp at Karbala,

near the River Euphrates. Soon all water

supplies to the camp of the Imam were cut.


32

• When the Imam decided to fight the

enemy‟s army and announced that the

ultimate end was near, many people

deserted. Soon, he was left with only 72

faithful companions. • By 10 Muharram, all of

the Imam‟s companions were slain. Giving

the charge of Imamat to his sick son, Zain-ul-

Abideen, he went back to the battlefield. He

was wounded from head to feet. When he

died, his head was cut off and taken to

Yazid‟s court. • Thus, Hazrat Imam Hussain

won an everlasting victory against the forces

of evil.

Explain why they each died in the way they

did. [4]

Al-Hasan died because of the constant

threat from the Umayyads to secure power,

and they always viewed al-Hasan as an

obstacle due to his support and his being the

grandson of the Prophet. His poisoning

reflects the treachery of the Umayyads. Al-

Husayn died because he resisted the

Umayyads as he saw them as corrupt. He

never gave up on his principles even for his

own safety, and so he was seen as an

upholder of right against wrong.

Companions, Ten

Blessed Companions,

Scribes, the Emigrants

and Helpers of Prophet

(SAW).

Explain the significance of (i) Abu Bakr, and

either (ii) Umar during the lifetime of the

Prophet. [10]

• Abu Bakr was the first adult male to accept

Islam. • He brought other prominent

Meccans to Islam. • He accompanied the

Prophet on the hijra. • During that journey he

was reassured by the Prophet and is referred

to in the Qur'an. • He gave his daughter in

marriage to Muhammad. • He readily

accepted the truth of the Prophet's account

of the mir'aj. • He remained close to the

Prophet during the battles fought by the

Muslims. • He gave all his possessions to

support the Tabuk expedition. • He led the

prayers during the Prophet's illness. • He led

the first pilgrimage to Mecca. (No marks for

his activities after the Prophet's death.)

• Umar accepted Islam at the age of 27.

Before his conversion he had gone to kill the

Prophet yet in the way he was told that his

own sister and brother in law had converted

to Islam, he rushed towards her house. He

found them reciting verses from Surah Taha.

At first Umar was angry with them, later he

asked to see the writing which they were

reading, but his sister said only those who

have been purified can read it, and so Umar

made wuzu before being given the Quran.


33

After his conversion Umar refused to keep

Islam a secret and so Muslims he didn‟t

emigrate secretly and fought in all the

battles. He gave half of his wealth for the

Tabuk expedition and is one of the ten

promised paradise. He witnessed for the

treaty of Hudaybiyyah although he was

initially not satisfied with the terms. On the

Prophet‟s death, he was so much grieved he

said he would kill anyone who declared the

Prophet had died.

Ten Blessed Companions ( )

Hazrat Talha Belonged to the Banu Taim clan

of the Quraish. • He had been at the market

of Sauq-Basri when the hermit named

Buhaira predicted the signs of prophethood

in Muhammad (PBUH). • When Muhammad

(PBUH) proclaimed his mission, Hazrat Talha

immediately accepted Islam. •

Grandnephew of Hazrat Abu Bakr. • Piety. •

Bravery. • Charity. • Intense devotion to

Muhammad (PBUH) and his cause were his

character • Hazrat Talha was a very wealthy

and generous man. • For many acts of

generosity, he earned the titles of „Talhatul

Khair‟ (Benevolent) and „Talhatul Fayyaz‟

(Generous) from the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He

migrated to Abyssinia, and later Madina. At

Battle of Badr, he inspected the movements

of Makkan caravans. • At Uhad, he placed

himself in front of Muhammad (PBUH) as a

human shield. He received 24 wounds and

lost two fingers of his hand. • Participated in

all expeditions after Uhad. • Died in the

Battle of Jamal in 36 A.H. at age of 62.

Hadith “If anyone finds pleasure in looking at

a martyr walking on the face of the earth, let

him look at Talha bin Ubaidullah.”

Hazrat Zubair bin al-Awwam was Nephew of

Hazrat Khadija. • Cousin of the Prophet

(PBUH). • Accepted Islam at age of 15 or 16.

• Migrated to Madina. • Fought in all of

Muhammad (PBUH)‟s campaigns. • Led

expeditions for Hazrat Umar. •

Recommended by Hazrat Umar as a possible

candidate for the Caliphate. • Died during

Battle of Jamal at the age of 64. • Killed by

one of Hazrat Ali‟s partisans. Ahadis: “Behold,

for every prophet there is a helper, and my

helper is Zubair.”

Hazrat Abdullah bin Masud • The Holy

Prophet (PBUH) said about Hazrat Abdullah

bin Masud “Whoever likes to recite the

Quran as fresh (i.e., accurately) as it was

revealed, let him recite it the way it is recited

by the son of Umm `Abd.” had deep

knowledge of the Holy Quran. • first Muslim

who openly recited Sura Al-Rehman before

the pagans of Makkah, withstood their

beating and did not care for the tortures

which the Quraish inflicted upon him for such

a daring act. • After conversion to Islam, he

hardly ever missed an opportunity of

accompanying the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to

learn every possible thing he could from him,

to the extent that some people mistakenly

thought that he was the member of the Holy

Prophet (PBUH)‟s family. • His enthusiasm for

learning made the former shepherd a

leading authority on the Quranic Recitation

as well as other matters of the faith. Hazrat

Umar Khattab said of him: “He is full of

knowledge”• He migrated twice to Abyssinia

and then to Madina, took part in the battle

of Badr and killed Abu Jahal. • He was sent

to Kufa as an administrator by Hazrat Umar

who always held him in high esteem


34

because of his knowledge, commitment to

the cause of Islam.• He is reported to be the

authority on some 800 traditions.

Hazrat Zaid bin Sabit : • was a principal

scribe of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). •

belonged to the Khazraj tribe of Madina, •

accepted Islam at the age of 11 before the

Muslims moved to this city from Makkah. • As

he was only 13 years old, inspite of his

persistent pleas, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) did

not allow him to participate in the Battles of

Badr and Uhad. However, subsequently, he

took part in the battle of Khandaq and in the

Tabuk Expedition. • On the directions of the

Holy Prophet (PBUH), he learnt Hebrew and

Syriac Languages and became an official

interpreter and translator for him. • His deep

knowledge of the Holy Quran made even

the great Companions of the Holy Prophet

(PBUH) resort to him and show special

respect to him, despite the fact that he was

much younger than most of them• He was

the first Ansar to severe allegiance to Hazrat

Abu Bakr as the Caliph participated in the

battle of Yamama and fought the apostasy

war against Musailma, the liar. • After the

battle of Yamama, he was chosen as the

Head of the Committee which was given the

task of compiling the Holy Quran in book

form which job he did commendably well. •

During Usman‟s Caliphate, it was he who

prepared standard version of the Quran,

working diligently. It is this standard copy

(known to be Usmani Script) prepared by

Hazrat Zaid bin Sabit which is recited as such

till this time in the entire Muslim world.

Describe the work carried out by the Scribes

of the Prophet in writing down the

revelations. [10]

(a) •Quran was entirely written in the

Prophet‟s lifetime even though not compiled

as book form then. • They included his

closest Companions. • including Ubbay bin

Ka‟b, Uthman, Zaid bin Thabit, Muawiyah

and Ali • He dictated the revelations

to them. •once the scribes wrote them, they

read it out loud for verification. • They re-

ordered the revelations and inserted new

ones as the Prophet directed them to. •

There was always a scribe on hand to take

down a revelation from the Prophet.

•Abdullah bin Amr bin Aas is reported to

have asked the Prophet (p.b.u.h) should I

write down your sayings even when you're

angry, he replied “yes, for I speak nothing

but truth” •Zayd reported that whenever

verse was being revealed, the Prophet felt

intense heat and perspiration so Zayd used

to fetch something to write on, then the

Prophet dictated and he used to write, and

this was very heavy task for him • The Scribes

wrote down portions on various materials. •

These included animal skins, bones and palm

leaves. Some companions had memorized

the Quran who couldn‟t write and their

versions were used for verification during

compilation in Abu Bakr‟s time.

(b) Why was the task they performed

significant? [4]

(b) • They ensured there was a written

record of the revelations. • The Prophet

could not read or write. • This assisted the

memories of those who memorized the

Qur‟an. • Without their written records the

Qur‟an may have been lost after the

Prophet‟s time. • The written passages they

produced formed the basis of the standard


35

collection of the Qur‟an made under Abu

Bakr and „Uthman.

(c) What was the part played by Zayd Ibn

Thabit in compiling the revelations? [4]

(c) • He was one of the chief Scribes. • He

was asked by Abu Bakr to make a first

collection. • This was after many memorisers,

huffaz, had been killed in Yamama. •

„Uthman asked him to make a final

collection. • He was assisted by a group of

senior Muslims. • He took trouble to collect all

the fragments he could. • These included

the mushaf which were kept by Hafsa. • He

consulted other Muslims about the

correctness of his collection.

5 Explain the importance of the Abu Talib

and Bilal during the lifetime of the Prophet.

[10]

Abu Talib: • He trained the Prophet as a

merchant. • He brought him up after his

grandfather‟s death. • He protected him

against his enemies in Mecca. • The Prophet

was given tribal protection by Abu Talib as

he was the head of his clan at that time• He

shared in many of the Prophet‟s hardships. •

•Pagan Makkans resorted to Abu Talib to

stop Muhammad (صلی ہللا علیہ و سلم) from

preaching Islam but Abu Talib readily sided

with the Prophet when he refused to stop.

Bilal: •was originally from Ethiopia. • He was

a slave who became one of the first Muslims.

• He was tortured mercilessly (put on hot

sand, was put on rocks on his chest in heat

so he couldn‟t move) by his master Umayya

bin Khalf to give up Islam. • he used to reply

for each blow “one!, one!”(meaning God is

One) but he never gave up his faith. •he was

freed by Abu Bakr. •he migrated to Madinah

and fought in all battles and said to have

killed his previous master in that battle. • He

was appointed as the first muezzin in Islam. •

at Conquest of Makkah he gave Adhan on

top of the Ka‟abah. •At Prophet‟s death, he

was so much grieve-stricken that he refused

to give azan again and left Madinah. • He

spent last days in Damascus and died there.

the Ansar. [4]

• They were people of Medina who

accepted Islam. • They helped the Muslim

emigrants (muhajirun) when they came

north. • They shared their possessions with

them. • They took them as brothers. • They

helped the Prophet against unbelievers in

Medina.

5 (a) Write about the lives of the Prophet‟s

uncles: Hamza and Abu Sufyan. [10]

(a) Hamza: he was an uncle and foster-

brother of the Prophet; he was a warrior and

sportsman and had little interest in the issues

of Makkah; he hit Abu Jahl when he heard

Abu Jahl had assaulted the Prophet; after

that he became Muslim; it gave the Muslims

a lot of strength and they were able to pray

in public; in the battle of Badr, he killed

leading men of the Quraysh including Hind‟s

father Utbah; she vowed revenge and hired

Washi to kill Hamza which he did at the

battle of Uhud; he was given the title „chief

of Martyrs‟, and the Prophet led his funeral

prayer.

Abu Sufyan: he was a merchant,

prominent and powerful figure among the

Quraysh, and a staunch opponent of the


36

Prophet and the Muslims. It was his caravan

returning from Syria that was the basis for the

battle of Badr, where he summoned

Quraishites for protecting his caravan as he

feared the Muslims at the border of

Madinah. After the loss at Badr, revenge was

sought and Abu Sufyan led the Quraysh

army to Uhud. His wife Hind also went

seeking revenge for the death of her father.

After Uhud, Abu Sufyan vowed to fight again

and the next time they met was at the Battle

of the Trench. After the Quraysh broke the

treaty of Hudaybiyya, Abu Sufyan went to

Madina to attempt to restore the treaty, but

without success; he subsequently converted

when the Prophet marched towards

Makkah, and the Prophet honoured him

despite his fierce opposition for many years.

At Ta‟if, Abu Sufyan lost an eye, and at

Yarmouk he lost the other; he was made

governor of Najran; he died aged 90 in

Madinah.

(b) Many of the people who had been

enemies of the Prophet accepted Islam.

What lessons can Muslims learn from this? [4]

b) Their conversions show the importance of

forgiveness in Islam, and that anyone, even if

once an enemy of Islam, can become one

of God‟s servants. This means that people

should not judge others, or be cruel to them,

as it is just as possible for them to become

Muslim as anyone else.

Or, that people should know that no matter

what they have done in their lives, if they are

sorry for what they have done then they can

be forgiven by God. Wahshi and Hind are

good examples of those who became

Muslim.

Q(a) Give an account of the lives of „Uthman

and „Ali during the lifetime of the Prophet.

[10]

„Uthman ibn Affan: accepted Islam

through Abu Bakr. He married the Prophet‟s

(pbuh) daughter Ruqayyah. He was wealthy

in Makka, but still tortured by his relatives

after conversion, and was amongst those

who migrated to Abyssinia. Ruqayyah fell ill

before the Battle of Badr and so he was

excused from participating; she died while

the Prophet (pbuh) was at battle.

„Uthman later married the Prophet‟s (pbuh)

other daughter, Umm Kulthum, and was

given the name “possessor of the two lights”.

He went to Makka as the Prophet‟s (pbuh)

emissary to allow the Muslims to perform the

pilgrimage, and was detained by the

Makkans; this led to the signing of the Treaty

of Hudaybiyya; he took part in the battle of

Uhud and at Tabuk „Uthman supplied the

army with nine hundred and forty camels,

and sixty horses; he also brought ten

thousand dinars to equip the army; he

bought a well and donated it to be used by

the rich, poor and travellers; he was

considered to be the most shy/modest

among the Muslims.

„Ali ibn Abi Talib: the Prophet‟s (pbuh)

cousin, went to live with the Prophet (pbuh)

at a young age to alleviate the hardship on

his father; he was one of the first to accept

the message of Islam at the age of ten;

when the Prophet (pbuh) started open

preaching, he called his clansmen to Islam

and it was only Ali who stepped forward to

take accept it; the Quraysh laughed at „Ali


37

being made an emir that they should obey;

he stood by the Prophet (pbuh) during the

persecutions and the boycott in Makka; he

was entrusted with the Quraysh‟s belonging

to be returned to them when the

Prophet(pbuh) migrated to Madina, and he

met the Prophet (pbuh) and Abu Bakr at

Quba; in Madina „Ali was made the brother

of the Prophet(pbuh); he married the

Prophet‟s (pbuh) daughter Fatima and they

had four children; „Ali was a prominent

fighter in all the battles (except Tabuk),

commanding the Muslim army at Khaybar;

he was one of the scribes of the Prophet

(pbuh), writing down the Qur‟an as well as

the Treaty of Hudaybiyya; „Ali rode next to

the Prophet (pbuh) on the final pilgrimage;

„Ali and Abbas washed the body of the

Prophet (pbuh) when he died.

(b) „„Uthman was known to be generous with

his wealth.‟ How can Muslims now apply the

trait of generosity? [4]

Muslims who have money should ensure they

spend their wealth for good/betterment of

their community: they can give to mosques

to expand them, or hospitals or provide

healthcare for those who can‟t afford it.

They could provide the basic necessities for

people, like „Uthman provided the water well

for free.

Even if they do not have much money,

Muslims can be generous with what they

have by giving a meal to someone else, or

giving some of their clothes to those in more

need.

Generosity does not have to be about

money, but can be giving advice, time or

support.

Give an account of the life of Prophet‟s

adopted son Zaid bin Harith. [10]

Zaid bin Harith was 8 when captured then

sold as slave, then bought by Hazrat

Khadija‟s nephew and given to her. The she

gave him to Prophet (p.b.u.h) who freed

him. Zaid‟s parents were always in search of

him. Once they learnt he was in Makkah,

they came with ransom to free him. The

Prophet gave him choice to go with his

father or to remain with him; Zaid chose to

remain with the Prophet and hence was

declared Prophet‟s son. He was called Zaid

bin Muhammad until revelation came

“Muhammad has not been a father of any

men of you ...” (Sura 33:5), after which he

was called Zaid bin Harith. He was third to

accept Islam. He accompanied the Prophet

when he tried to preach to the people of Taif

and was also injured. He was with those who

accompanied the remaining Muslims in

Mecca to Medina. He married several times;

once to Prophet‟s cousin Zainab that ended

in divorce. He was close to the Prophet and

fought many battles including Badr, Uhud,

Khandaq and Khaybar. He commanded 7

military expeditions. At Mu‟ta, he was

standard bearer and martyred in the

battlefield.


38

The history and importance of the Hadiths

•The main musnad and

musannaf collections

Outline the major differences between the

musnad and musannaf collections of Hadith.

[4]

• The musnad collections gather Hadiths

together according to the name of the first

transmitter. • They are useful for detecting

Hadiths attributed to a particular

Companion. • The best known musnad

collection is Ibn Hanbal‟s Musnad.

• The musannaf collections gather Hadiths

according to their subject matter. • They are

useful for understanding the Prophet‟s

teachings on a particular point of belief or

practice. • They are particularly useful in

establishing matters of law. • The six books of

Sunni sahih Hadith are the best known

musannaf collections.

The methods based on

examination of the

chain of transmitters

(isnad) and the text

(matn) of a Hadith to

test the reliability of the

Hadith

Q. Explain the importance of the isnad (chain

of transmitters) and of the matn (body of

text) in assisting scholars to check the

authenticity of a Hadith. [10]

• The isnad guarantees that the Hadith

originated with the Prophet. • Each

transmitter (rawi) must be honest and

upright. • He must be a strong Muslim. • He

must have a good memory. • Each

transmitter must have known the transmitter

before him, and also the transmitter after. •

The first transmitter in the chain must be a

Companion of the Prophet. • There must be

no gaps or weaknesses in the chain.

• The matn must agree with the teachings

of the Qur‟an. • It must also agree with the

main body of reliable Hadiths. • It must also

agree with common sense and what is

reasonable. • It should not praise any

individual or place. • It should not give

precise details of events that occurred after


39

the Prophet‟s time. • It should not contain

expressions uncharacteristic of the Prophet.

Q. Write a detailed account of the parts of a

Hadith and say how these parts help in

determining the different categories of

Hadiths, namely: sahih; hasan; da‟if and

mawdu‟. [10]

A hadith consists of two parts: the Sanad

(isnad/chain of narrators) and Matn (text)..

Isnad, it could be said, means support as it is

the authority for establishing the genuineness

of a hadith. The transmitters of hadiths had to

have met each other with the line ending

with the Prophet (pbuh).They had to have a

flawless character and sharp memory, etc.

Whereas for validating the matn, the

compilers had to make sure that the text was

not against the Qur‟an or other authentic

Hadith and did not give high rewards for

small deeds or vice versa, etc. The principles

used for establishing the genuineness of

isnad and matn, which helped to

categorically determine the category of a

Hadith. The categories are:

Sahih ( Authentic): Hadith are which

totally pass the test of isnad and matn, with

totally unbroken chain, transmitted through

highly righteous people, and transmitted

through various chains and never disagrees

with Quran and already authenticated

Hadiths.

Hasan ( fine): this type is almost equal to

the Sahih except that one or some of its

transmitters are said to be weak in memory,

yet the hadith agrees with Quran.

Da‟if( weak): these hadiths are weak

due to broken chain(missing links between

chain of transmitters). And they have less or

one line of transmitters, or transmitters in the

chain were known to be liars or with weak

memories or haven‟t met whom they were

supposed to be narrating from.

Mawdu‟( ): means fabricated, and

refers to the type of Hadiths attribute to the

Prophet which he never said. This type has

no or totally unlinked chain of transmitters.

(b) Why do you think the Prophet practised

and encouraged the use of ijma‟? [4]

The use of ijma‟ in legal thinking is based on

a number of verses in the Qur‟an which

indicate that the community has been given

authority because it is upright and follows the

guidance of God and the example of the

Prophet (pbuh). Ijma‟ was encouraged as it

was safeguarded by the agreement of

leading Muslims/experts who could say

whether or not a principle was in harmony

with the Qur‟an and Sunnah.

The Prophet was ordered by God in Quran:

“and consult them in subject matters”

He himself said: “my community can never

agree upon an error”, which indicates what

they agree upon must be right and thus their

agreement must be sought through

consultations.


40

The major themes of the

Hadiths as these are

contained both in the

passages set for special

study and in other similar

passages

Q. Outline the main teachings of the Hadiths

you have studied about the importance of

Muslim communal life. [10]

''Muslim ummah is like a single body. If a part

of the body is harmed, whole body is

affected''. This hadith signifies a sense of

sympathy amongst people. It puts emphasis

on the point that a community can lead as

an exemplary society if steps and

precautions to keep it intact are taken. That

if a house amid a neighborhood is poor, or in

bad financial condition, or in any problem

such as disease, death, or security, the

people surrounding them are obliged to help

them, or at least sympathize with them in

words if they can‟t afford it financially.

And this is emphasized in another place, “he

is not a believer whose neighbor sleeps

hungry while he’s full”. Another hadith goes

on “whoever believes in Allah and the last

day must be kind to his neighbor and his

guest”. That means that one cannot claim

his faith unless he is supportive to his brothers

in faith. This thing will benefit to the one in

suffering, and the helper too, since he is

being rewarded for every good deed, even

though it be minor.

As a hadith declares '' removing an obstacle

from a way is a charity, helping someone lift

something is a charity, saying good words is

a charity''. Charity is an obligation and even

if one cannot give financial aid to the

deprived he has other means to perform it as

in this Hadith and one should not demean a

minor good.

Special importance is also given to the very

weak individuals of the society; the helpless

ones, such as widows and orphans, since

they can‟t be self subsisting and the Prophet

ensured their helpers will be closed to the

Prophet in paradise. This will ensure that all of

the society is given importance without any

discrimination, and will demonstrate the ''true

sincerity with the common people of the

society'' as Islam stressed always.

The Prophet also instructed Maaz ( ) to

be rejoicing and soft to his people being

governor in Yemen. So governments should

follow providing its people good

employments, education and welfare to

keep them happy.

(b) How can the teachings of the Prophet

concerning care in the community be

applied today? [4]

The community can put into practice the

Prophet‟s (pbuh) teaching about care in the

community in their everyday lives by

enquiring about the health of an ill relative or

neighbor, helping to educate and care for

an orphan child in the community are just

some simple examples that could be cited.

Muslims in a community should rally together

when there is a natural disaster in the country

and help collect funds and supplies that

could be sent to the affected areas or offer

their services as voluntary workers to ease a

crisis.


41

Q. Outline the main teachings in the Hadiths

you have studied for the passages set for

special study about the responsibilities of

individual Muslims. [10]

Success in here and the hereafter depends

on a Muslim‟s individual struggle. A man

inquired from the prophet that if he performs

obligations like prayers, fasting in Ramadan

and treat lawful as it is and prohibited as it is

so will he enter paradise, he replied yes. So

judgment between good and bad should

be clear and then the bad thing must be

avoided.

A man who strives hard to make himself a

good person is observing jihad bil nafs. His

action is considered as the best when he

puts himself and his wealth in the cause of

Allah, as he is declared excellent of men by

the Prophet ( ).

The Prophet also emphasized the

importance of halal and independent

earning saying “none eats better food than

which he eats out of the work of his hand” as

putting strains on other and begging is an

unfair means of living. The Prophet also

stressed on a regular recitation of Quran.

Learning Quran is obviously a part of Islam,

but continuous reminder of it is necessary to

keep it in your mind being a memorizer and

to keep your life in accordance with the

God‟s mandate, by constant recital,

otherwise we will let it go away out like a

“tethered camel loosened” as in Hadith.

Muslims are also said to be modest as it will

keep him totally disconnected from all evils

that spoils his character and will make him a

good person. The Prophet said “who has no

modesty, has no faith”.

The prophet also made it clear that a bit of

arrogance in heart will lead to hell and a bit

of faith will lead to heaven. It is clear that

even if a person is a sinner, that bit of faith

will alarm him of his wickedness so he will

correct himself, but if he is proud of whatever

evil he is doing, he may stick to that until

death, and will enter hellfire.

If a man sticks to his worldly desires he lives

his life upon them without caring anything

and tries to take its pleasures as if in

paradise. But the Prophet explained that for

a believer, this world is a prison where certain

rules are to be followed, it is a disbeliever‟s

paradise, and believers will get all in the

hereafter.

Use of Hadith in legal

thinking, and their

relationship with the

Qur‟an, consensus

(ijma„) and analogy

(qiyas) How are the Qur‟an and Hadith employed in

working out Islamic law? [4]

The Qur‟an is the first source of Islamic law. Its

teachings are followed without question and

where they contain no detail the Hadiths are

employed. Quran says “Obey Allah and

obey the messenger” indicating that Quran

should be employed along with the

Prophet‟s teachings. The Hadith fill out the

Qur'an and add teachings where it is silent.

Quran commands various obligations briefly

yet Hadith is what gives complete procedure


42

of the commandments like Zakat, Prayers,

and Hajj etc.

What part do Hadiths play in Islamic legal

thinking? [10]

Hadiths of the Prophet are the second most

important source of Islamic law next to the

Qur‟an and that they also give fuller

teachings of what the Qur‟an states in brief.

Quran says “establish prayers and give

charity” and the Hadith will explain what are

the prerequisites of prayers, how to perform

it, what are the exceptions etc and how

much charity to give, whom to give etc.

Zakat is calculated in the light of the

Prophet‟s Hadiths. Where the Qur‟an is

completely silent his Hadiths are the sole

basis of legislation e.g. donkey, desert lizard

is declared forbidden for consumption, yet

Quran declares animals with sharp canines

and birds with sharp claws forbidden to eat.

Quran also outlaws dead animal for eating

yet Hadith makes marine dead an

exception.

The punishment of theft is cutting of hand in

Quran. Hadith defines the theft that makes

this punishment applicable i.e. when it‟s a

major theft, thief is adult etc.

The immediate Caliphs formed a new law

only when it would harmonize with the

Prophet‟s teachings. Once Hazrat Umar (RA)

decided to put a limit on dowry, a woman

objected to that and said that “when the

Prophet gave this right to us who are you to

take it” so he retracted.

Ijma (consensus) and qiyas(analogy) also

depend on Hadith as scholars look at

different hadiths to make sure the rulings

they give after consensus doesn‟t contradict

any of the Hadith. Qiyas is applied indivually

on the basis of Hadith for a new situation

similar to something in the teaching of the

Prophet, if nothing similar is there, this

method is not easy.

What is the importance of consensus (ijma)

in Islam? [4]

Scholars have to judge an issue which is not

clear in Quran/Hadith e.g. acceptability of

smoking, hair transplant, IVF, insurance etc.

The use of ijma‟ in legal thinking is based on

a number of verses in the Qur‟an. Ijma‟ was

encouraged as it was safeguarded by the

agreement of leading Muslims/experts who

could say whether or not a principle was in

harmony with the Qur‟an and Sunnah.

The Prophet was ordered by God in Quran:

“and consult them in subject matters”

He himself said: “my community can never

agree upon an error”, which indicates what

they disagree upon must be incorrect and

thus their agreement must be sought through

consultations when ruling on permissibility of

new things is to be made.

In what circumstances do Sunni Muslims

allow the use of qiyas (analogy)? [4]

• The Qur'an and Hadith are the primary

sources. • When they are silent the

consensus of believers is allowed. • When this

is silent individual analogy is allowed. • This

employs the method of comparing unknown

situations with known.


43

2 (a) Describe the relationship of Hadiths with

the Qur‟an, giving examples of how Hadiths

are used in understanding God‟s words. [10]

The Prophet‟s (pbuh) hadiths play a very

important role in Islam and are second only

to the Qur‟an in formulating laws. God has

given Muslims many injunctions in the Qur‟an

but it is the hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh)

that explain them. Explaining the divine book

was one of the functions of the Messenger of

God (pbuh). „We have merely revealed this

book to you so that you may explain to them

where they are differing over (and so it

stands out) as a guidance and mercy for a

people who believe.‟ (Al-Qur‟an, 16:64) The

above and other verses clearly establish the

fact that the teachings of the Qur‟an cannot

be put into practice without seeking

guidance from the Prophet‟s (pbuh) hadiths.

Some examples to show how the two are

used together could be given by candidates

e.g. they can say that hadiths explain

Qur‟anic verses e.g. God says in the Qur‟an:

„So be obedient to your Lord, O Mary.

Prostrate (to Him) and bow down alongside

those who bow down.‟ (Al-Qur‟an 3:43) The

Prophet‟s (pbuh) hadiths expand on how to

put the injunction from God into action,

„Pray as you see me praying‟. Hadiths also

restrict the meaning of a verse e.g. in the

case of theft the command is to cut off their

hands. How much of the hand is to be cut

off? Which hand is to be cut off? The Prophet

(pbuh) educated the companions on both

issues by stating that in the case of theft the

right hand up to the wrist is to be cut off.

Explanation of technical issues like those

concerning fasting in the month of

Ramadan, for which the Qur‟an says: „And

eat and drink until the white thread

becomes distinct to you from the black

thread of dawn.‟ The Prophet (pbuh)

interpreted the verse by saying that the

white thread refers to day and the black

thread refers to the night. Quran enjoins

Charity on Muslims yet Hadith explains how

much to give (2.5% of wealth, 1/10th of the

land produce and different injunctions on

cattle) and who are exempted.

(b) „By using the principle of analogy (qiyas)

the basic laws of Islam can be applied at

any time and in any case.‟ Do you agree? [4]

AGREEMENT: New rulings can be formed for

any new circumstance, based on their basic

similarity with the basic laws of the Qur‟an

and Sunnah. In this way the divine laws,

revealed in the Qur‟an and Sunnah, remain

unchanged without becoming outdated.

The fundamental laws were made by God

who created man and knows what‟s best for

him at all times. For changing aspects of

human life, the Qur‟an and Sunnah provide

basic principles which may be applied by

analogy whenever the need arises e.g. the

issue of drugs could be cited, cocaine was

not present in the Prophet‟s (pbuh) time so is

its use allowed? The Prophet (pbuh) had

said, „Every intoxicant is khamr, and every

khamr is haram‟ so every intoxicant is

unlawful is a conclusion that could be

derived at by the use of analogy.

DISAGREEMENT: Qiyas depends very much

on the ability of a legal expert to find

comparisons between two principles, and

because it is practised by individuals it

causes unease to some Muslims as it does


44

not have the same broad support, as the

other three sources.

Significance of Hadith in

thought and action in

Islam.

How have the Hadiths of the Prophet been

used as a source of guidance by Muslims?

[10]

A basic response to this question would be to

say that Hadiths are the words of the Prophet

which teach us the way of Allah. Better

answers would give an elaboration and state

that Hadiths explain the teachings of the

Qur‟an, e.g. the Qur‟an says to pay zakat, it

is however the Hadith of the Prophet which

fills out the details about how much and

whom to pay etc. Other examples could be

given to explain the answer. Good answers

could also say that whenever the Qur‟an is

silent on a subject, the Hadith of the Prophet

is taken as an authority. This is because the

Qur‟an and the Hadith always agree with

one another and that authoritative

collections of Hadiths contain tafsir which are

invaluable guides to key verses in the

Qur‟an.

„Truly, My mercy overcomes My wrath‟. This is

a Hadith Qudsi. What is special about Hadiths

of this kind? [4]

Hadith Qudsi, is a divine Hadith. They are

sayings from Allah himself. Hadith Qudsi does

not form part of the Qur‟an but is recognised

as the sayings of the Prophet which were

related to him by Allah. Allah says in the

words of the Prophet in a Hadith: “if you

come to me walking, I will come towards you

running”. Prophet (p.b.u.h) also said “Allah

says: if my slave sins so much that they reach

the top of the skies and then repents

sincerely, I will forgive him”.

Q) What is the role of Hadiths as a source of

guidance in the lives of Muslims? [10]

Hadiths play a very important role in the lives

of Muslims and are a source of guidance to

them in all aspects of life. What the Prophet

(pbuh) said, did and what he approved of is

second in importance to the Qur‟an; God

has Himself told Muslims in the Qur‟an „Obey

Allah and obey the Prophet‟ [64:12]; Prophet

(pbuh) said, „I leave with you two things. If

you hold fast to them both you will never be

misguided: the Book of Allah and my sunna.‟

Hadiths are important to explain the

teachings of the Qur‟an; details of hajj,

zakat, fasting are all given to Muslims from

the hadith and sunna of the Prophet (pbuh);

the Prophet (pbuh) laid down principles

(shariah) regarding every aspect of life:

buying, selling, contracts, inheritance which

are all part of his sunna; in the Farewell

Address he clearly stated: „He who is present

here shall carry this message to the one who

is absent.‟ Muslims turn to his actions to

emulate him in the hope that their actions

will please the Almighty and be acceptable

to him.


45

(b) How are Muslims obeying God when they

obey the Prophet? [4]

By following the Prophet‟s (pbuh) example,

for instance in how to perform prayers,

Muslims are not only following his instruction

but also fulfilling their obligation to God by

completing the second Pillar of Islam. So in

this way they are obeying both the Prophet

(pbuh) and God. Since his guidance is

actually guidance from God, they obey

both in this case. Quran says about the

Prophet: “and he does not speak from his

thoughts; that is nothing but the revelation

being revealed”,(Surah Najm). Muslims are

told by God to obey the Prophet, so they are

obeying God by obeying him.

The period of rule of the

Rightly Guided Caliphs

and their importance

as leaders

Abubakr (RA)

Q) Write an account of the major

contributions made to Islam by Abu Bakr

during Prophet‟s life and then caliphate. [10]

(i) during the Prophet‟s lifetime;

• He was the Prophet‟s friend from

childhood. • He was one of the first to

accept Islam. • He brought others to accept

Islam. • He remained loyal to the Prophet at

all times, good and bad. • He expressed

belief in the Prophet‟s Night Journey. • He

bought slaves who were Muslim and freed

them. • He accompanied the Prophet on

the hijra. • He gave his daughter `A‟isha to

be the Prophet‟s wife. • He made a financial

contribution to the expedition to Tabuk.

(ii) during his caliphate.

• He steadied the mourning community after

the Prophet‟s death. • He continued the

Prophet‟s intention to send expeditions to the

north towards Syrian border despite some

companions objected to. • He fought

against the tribes who withheld zakat. • He

fought against the false prophets. • These

were Musaylima, Tulayha, Aswad al-Ansi and

Sajjah. • He arranged to have the first

collection of the Qur‟an made.

Explain why he was known as the Honest

One (al-Siddiq), and the Saviour of Islam. [4]

• He was given the title of al-Siddiq after he

declared without hesitation that he believed

the Prophet had been taken to Jerusalem on

the Night Journey. • It also suits his conduct

of showing complete loyalty towards

Muhammad. • He was acknowledged as

the Saviour of Islam because of his efforts to

keep the community united, to resist the

threat from tribes withdrawing from Islam,

and to destroy the false prophets.

Describe Abu Bakr's activities against the

false prophets and apostate tribes. [10]

Answers could have basic references to the

false prophets, the tribes withholding zakat

and the apostate tribes. Some could go on

to give fuller accounts of these challenges,


46

faced by Abu Bakr. In the answers it could

be described that at the time of Abu Bakr's

caliphate there were a number of people in

Arabia who claimed to be prophets like

Muhammad. The main ones were Musaylima

among the Hanifa tribes in Yamama, Tulayha

among the tribes of Asad and Ghatafan, al-

Aswad in the Yemen and Sajjah among the

Tamim tribe. Answers could give accounts of

how Abu Bakr sent forces against all of them

and write about the fighting against

Musaylima in the battle of Yamama, which

was the most fierce, and one in which many

memorizers of the Qur'an were killed. The

revolt against Islam by tribes that had

pledged loyalty to the Prophet and the

refusal of some tribes to send taxes to

Medina could also be described. Excellent

answers will give a full account.

Q. Write a detailed account of the battle of

Yamama, and of the compilation of the

Qur‟an during the caliphate of Abu Bakr. [10]

Battle of Yamama was fought against the

false prophet Musaylimah, who belonged to

a central Arabian tribe of Banu Hanifa and

had claimed prophethood during the

Prophet‟s (pbuh) lifetime and had been

accepted as one by his tribe.

In December 632, he was in command of 40

000 Bedouin, some of whom did not believe

his claims but had joined forces with him to

support their tribe. Abu Bakr first sent

Shurhbeel bin Hasanah and „Ikrimah to crush

the rebellion and instructed them to wait for

each other to launch a combined attack on

Musaylimah. They disobeyed him and hence

were defeated. Abu Bakr then sent a larger

force under the command of Khalid bin

Waleed to Yamama. The Muslims, numbering

13 000, fought a long drawn out battle with

many casualties as they met with a strong

resistance. Eventually Musaylimah was killed

by Wahashi. In this battle, many hundreds of

Muslims were martyred; amongst them were

360 huffaz. „Umar therefore advised Abu Bakr

to take the necessary steps needed to

preserve the Qur‟an lest it be lost, forgotten

or corrupted. Abu Bakr, though hesitant at

first, finally saw the importance of carrying

out this task and appointed Zayd ibn Thabit

along with a group to collect the texts of all

the verses from the surviving huffaz and

companions of the Prophet (pbuh). These

were then compared, authenticated and

compiled into a single volume.

(b) The Prophet called Abu Bakr „al-Siddiq‟

(Testifier of the Truth). How did Abu Bakr live

up to his title during his caliphate? [4]

During his caliphate, Abu Bakr fought to

uphold the finality of the Prophet (pbuh) in

the wars against the false prophets; he

refused to give in to the demands of those

who wanted to be exempted from paying

zakat and fought battles with them, and he

preserved the word of Go by having the

Qur‟an compiled. One or more of these

events could be given by candidates as

examples of how Abu Bakr always stood by

the truth and fought to maintain it, by which

he lived up to the title of „al-Siddiq‟ (Testifier

of the Truth) which the Prophet (pbuh) had

given him when he was the first to believe

the Prophet‟s (pbuh) account of mi‟raj.


47

Write a detailed account on the four fasle

prophets and how the caliph Abu Bakr

defeated them. [10]

Aswad Ansi: was the leader of Ans tribe in

Yemen. He had dark complexion and veiled

his face to create mystery around him. He

did magic tricks to convince people of his

claim of prophethood. He gathered large

army using deception and invaded Najran.

He was killed by Firuz ul Dhulaymi, a Persian

Muslim.

Tulayha bin Khuwaylid: was a wealthy

leader of Asad and Ghatafan tribe in North

Arabia who initially opposed Islam but

embraced it 630. Later he proclaimed

himself Prophet and raised strong force of

those tribes who accepted him. Abu Bakr

sent Khalid bin Walid against his force who

defeated them in Battle of Buzakha 632.

Tulayha escaped to Syria and after Muslims

conquered Syria, he accepted Islam and

fought as Muslim in many battles (Jalula,

Qadisiyah and Nihawand).

Sajjah: was an Arab Christian from Taghlib

tribe (Iraq), who claimed prophethood after

the demise of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h)

when her tribesmen rejected Islam. She

marched with 4000‟s army against Madinah

but dropped her plan learning Tulayha‟s

defeat. Then she allied with another false

prophet Musaylmah and married him,

accepting his prophethood. Then she

attacked Muslims but was defeated by

Khalid‟s army, and upon killing and defeat of

Musaylma, she embraced Islam.

Musaylmah the Liar: was wealthy and

powerful man belonged to the large and

influential tribe of Banu Hanifa in Yamama

and used his influence to misguide people

and accept him as prophet. He distorted

Quranic verses and invented new ones

legalizing what was forbidden, and gained

many followers. He even wrote to Prophet

Muhammad that he has been given share in

his prophethood; the Prophet called him „al

Kadhzaab (the arch-liar). After prophet‟s

death he challenged Caliphate so Abu Bakr

sent Ikramah and Shuraybil to march to

Yamama and wait for Khalid, but they

started fight before waiting hence were

defeated. A 3rd force under Khalid arrived

and defeated him; Wahshi killed Musaylma.

Umar (RA)

Write a detailed account of the

administrative measures put in place by

„Umar during his caliphate. [10]

The Islamic empire expanded rapidly during

his caliphate and he undertook many

administrative measures to manage the

affairs of the state in an effective manner: •

he divided the state into several provinces

and appointed qualified governors called

Wali; •provinces were further divided into

districts under Ameer (leader) chosen by the

caliph or Wali. •He separated the judiciary

from the executive to make it completely

impartial and none was above law. •The

Qadhi was the head of the judiciary; he

established a department of finance under

the name of Dewan. •He established the

police department to keep peace in the

state. •He made an intelligence unit for

accountability of the officials. •He

introduced pensions for the old. Bait ul Maal


48

was established in his period from which the

poor(whether Muslim or non-Muslim)

benefited. •He created cantonments

separate from the cities (i.e. Basra, Kufa),

and built canals for irrigation and drinking.

•In his era, there was drought & a great

famine during which he arranged timely

food supply from Iraq and Syria, and saved

hundreds of thousands from starvation. •He

used to walk in streets every night to help the

hungry, poor or needy. • In that plight

Madinah had free lines of food every day.

“„Umar‟s caliphate is regarded as the golden

period of early Islamic history.” Discuss. [4]

This period witnessed a lasting process of

internal consolidation, peace and stability as

well as prosperity as a direct result of a

comprehensive and well built infrastructure

and at the same time how the borders of the

empire were hugely expanded and made

secure. Hazrat Umar ensured no poverty is

left in his caliphate and nipped corruption in

the bud.

Write an account of the main activities of

Hazrat `Umar

i) during the lifetime of the Prophet, and

ii) during his caliphate. [10]

(i) • He converted to Islam when he heard a

passage of the Qur‟an being recited, he was

on his way to kill the Prophet; that he

surprised his sister and her husband hearing

the Qur‟an recited; that he was going to

destroy this passage, but relented when he

read it. • In Makka he had a reputation as a

fierce and strong fighter. • His conversion

gave courage to the Muslims in Makkah. • In

Makka he proved a great help because he

was able to protect the Prophet from

attacks. • He made the Hijra to Madinah

with the other Muslims. • There he was

always close to the Prophet in battles .he

topped the mountain to protect the Prophet

at Uhud, and his dug the trench before

Battle of Khandaq. • His ties with the Prophet

were strengthened when the Prophet

married his daughter Hafsa. • He objected to

the terms of the Treaty of al-Hudaybiya

because they disadvantaged the Prophet. •

He took part in the expeditions to the north

that were organised towards the end of the

Prophet‟s life.

(ii) • He oversaw the expansion of the empire

into Syria, Persia, Iraq and Egypt. • He

personally accepted the surrender of

Jerusalem after Amr bin al Aas laid siege on

it. • The agreements he made with

conquered non-Muslims formed the basis of

later legislation about Dhimmis. • He oversaw

many important administrative measures

such as the diwan which listed those entitled

to pensions from the state, the institution of

the position of judge, he introduced police

department.

Trace the expansion of the Islamic empire

under the rule of the caliph „Umar. [10]

Battle of Yarmuk (636AD/15AH): 260000

men‟s army was prepared against Muslims

by Heraclius. Khalid bin Walid amassed his

forces along the river Yarmuk. Negotiations

between the two armies were held. The

Romans tried to turn Muslims back with large

wealth if they left Syria, but they refused and

gave options: Islam, jizya or war. So the 3rd

option was chosen. The battle lasted until 6


49

days when 1/3rd of the Byzantium army

remained only. Victory in this battle crushed

Byzantium power. Constantinople was made

capital by Heraclius and Jerusalem was

besieged by Amr bin Aas.

Battle of al-Qadisiyya (638AD/17AH): The

Persian emperor Yezdgird assembled a large

force under Rustum. The Muslim army was

led by Sa‟d bin Abi Waqas who offered the

Persians three options: accept Islam, pay jizya or fight. They opted to fight. A fierce

battle was fought in 637. The battle lasted for

three days and a Muslim force of 28 000 men

defeated a Persian force of 120 000. Rustum

was killed in this battle and the Persians were

defeated. After Qadisiya, Sa‟d, with the

permission of the Khalifa, occupied Madain,

bringing the whole territory from the

Euphrates to the Tigris under the banner of

Islam. Again, Sa‟d‟s army met the Persians at

Jalula and defeated them.

What does the way he died tell us about his

character? [4]

It was „Umar‟s scrupulous sense of fairness

that was the reason for his refusal to give

preferential treatment to his slave despite his

relationship with him which led to his

assassination. He was killed by a Persian

slave, Firoz, who was owned by Mughira bin

Shuba. Firoz wanted a reduction in the daily

payment he made to his master. „Umar

rejected his claim and so in anger Firoz

stabbed him at dawn prayers the next day.

He was buried near the Prophet, which

shows he was held in high honour.

Write an account of the Battle of Yarmouk

[10]

636AD/15AH, Damascus, Fihl and Hims fell at

the hands of the Muslims and this enraged

Heraclius who determined to recover

Palestine for Christian rule. 260000 men‟s

army was prepared against Muslims. Khalid

bin Walid amassed his forces along the river

Yarmuk. Negotiations between the two

armies were held. The Romans tried to turn

Muslims back with large wealth if they left

Syria, but they refused and gave options:

Islam, jizya or war. So the 3rd option was

chosen. The battle lasted until 6 days when

1/3rd of the Byzantium army remained only.

Victory in this battle crushed Byzantium

power. Constantinople was made capital by

Heraclius and Jerusalem was besieged by

Amr bin Aas. Knowing that Muslim

reinforcement would arrive, the besieged

ones agreed to surrender but on the arrival

of Caliph himself. Umar (RA) arrived with a

slave, unarmed without security. Seeing his

simplicity they handed the key over to him.

Q. The conquest of Persia was one of „Umar‟s

great achievements. Write an account of

any two battles fought with the Persians

during his caliphate. [10]

Battle of Namrak:The Persians were furious

at the fall of Hira. They sent a large army

under Rustum. Muthanna bin Harith asked

the caliph for reinforcements and the battle

of Namrak was fought by Muthanna and

Khalid bin Waleed in 634. The Persians were

defeated.

Battle of Jasr (Bridge):Rustum assembled

a huge army at the bank of the Euphrates.

The Muslims crossed the bridge under the


50

command of Abu „Ubaid ath-Thaqafi in 634.

Fierce fighting broke out; Abu Ubaida was

martyred and the Muslims were in chaos.

Someone cut the bridge to encourage them

to fight but it had the opposite effect. The

Muslims lost the battle.

Battle of Buwaib: Shocked at the defeat,

„Umar sent reinforcements to Muthanna‟s

army. A large Persian force of 200 000 men

under Mehran met the Muslim army at

Buwaib; a fierce battle was fought, the

Persian commander was killed and 100 000

of their men lost their lives. The battle was

won by the Muslims.

Battle of Qadisiya: The Persian emperor

Yezdgird assembled a large force under

Rustum. The Muslim army was led by Sa‟d bin

Abi Waqas who offered the Persians three

options: accept Islam, pay jizya or fight. They

opted to fight. A fierce battle was fought in

637. The battle lasted for three days and a

Muslim force of 28 000 men defeated a

Persian force of 120 000. Rustum was killed in

this battle and the Persians were defeated.

After Qadisiya, Sa‟d, with the permission of

the Khalifa, occupied Madain, bringing the

whole territory from the Euphrates to the Tigris

under the banner of Islam. Again, Sa‟d‟s

army met the Persians at Jalula and

defeated them.

Battle of Nihawand (642AD/21AH): After

the surrender of Jalula, there was peace for

some time but then the Persians united against the Muslims. They were 60 000 in

number and the Muslim forces were 30 000.

Both armies met at Nahawand and there

was a fierce battle for two days. On the third

day, the Persians took refuge in the forts but

by using a clever strategy the Muslims got

them out and defeated them. Thus, in 642

the Persians were completely defeated at

Nahawand.

(b) Say which in your opinion was the most

significant of the battles fought under „Umar

against the Persians and why. [4]

Battle of Qadisiya could be the most

significant battle as a large Persian army was

defeated by comparatively less numbered

Muslim army, and this was the battle which

weakened the Persian army and made them

realize that Muslims were not a small power

to deal with. Already Persians lost a lot of

men at Buwaib, this time their important

general Rustum was killed, their army

disheveled and most of Persia came under

Islam. Finally, for Muslims, Nahawand was a

small situation to tackle with.

Uthman (RA)

3 (a) Give an account of the election of the

caliph „Uthman.[10]

Before the death of „Umar he had

appointed a panel of six men to choose a

caliph from amongst them and then their

choice was to be confirmed through bay‟a

by the Muslim population. The panel, which

was instructed to make the choice in three

days included „Uthman, „Ali, Sa‟d bin Abi

Waqas, Talha, Zubayr and Abdul Rahman

bin „Auf. Despite long meetings the panel

could not arrive at a decision, Abdur

Rahman than withdrew his name and it was

decided that he would make the final

decision regarding the selection. He

consulted each member separately with the


51

exception of Talha who was not in Madina at

the time. „Uthman and „Ali proposed each

other‟s name whereas Zubayr and Sa‟d put

forward „Uthmans name. After more

consultation Abdur Rahman gave his

decision in favour of „Uthman and was the

first to take bay‟a on his hand and was

followed by all the other Muslims in the

mosque

(a) Write in detail about the policy followed

by „Uthman as caliph in expanding and

maintaining the state. [10]

During his twelve year caliphate „Uthman, to

begin with followed, in the footsteps of the

first two caliphs.

He did a lot for the consolidation and

establishment of the military on firm grounds

and went on to expand on the territory that

was left to him by Umar by conquering North

Africa, Barqa and Marakish completely and

adjacent countries of Persia namely

Afghanistan and Khurasan.

Armenia and Azerbaijan also came under

Muslim control.

With the advancement in naval warfare he

even conquered Cyprus. He answered the

naval attack of the Romans with a fleet of

500 ships.

He brought about administrative changes in

some areas e.g. Jordan and Palestine were

united into one province Syria. To improve

administration he divided the power and set

up a new department of police. He did keep

a strict watch on governors and other

administrators, e.g. Saad bin Abi Waqas

drew money from the bait ul maal and did

not return it for which he was deposed by

„Uthman. However he overlooked simple

mistakes of his governors. He not only

increased the income of the public treasury

but spent more generously on the masses.

He also started welfare projects for the

masses as well as the state, new buildings in

provinces, bridges, roads and highways etc.

were built. He not only sent religious teachers

to different tribes and cities but himself

preached to the prisoners of war. The

greatest service he performed during his

caliphate was the compilation of the

Qur‟an.

(b) How justified were the criticisms against

„Uthman for burning the copies of the

Qur‟an? Give reasons for your answer. [4]

Allegations against „Uthman for burning the

copies were unjustified as he was trying to

save the Qur‟an from corruption. A word

wrongly pronounced in Arabic can change

the meaning of the word totally hence it was

important that only those copies were

transmitted that were accurate. But the

problem at the time was that some people

did criticize „Uthman for burning the copies

of the Qur‟an as they felt that it did contain

the words of God and hence should be

respected others may have deemed it as a

rash action.


52

Q). Describe the event of compilation of

Quran during caliph Uthman. [10]

It was found that with the expansion of the

empire there was a difference in the

pronunciation in the recitation of the Qur‟an

amongst the non-Arabs. Hudaifa bin Yaman

brought this matter to the caliph‟s attention

and after consultation with the other

companions of the Prophet (pbuh) and with

their consent he sent for the Qur‟an that was

compiled during the period of Abu Bakr and

was now in the custody of Hafsa, the wife of

the Prophet (pbuh) and the daughter of

„Umar. He then asked Zayd ibn Thabit,

Abdullah ibn Zubayr, Sa‟ad ibn Al-Aas and

Abdul Rahman ibn Harith to make several

copies of the Qur‟an with the inclusion of the

accents to aid in the correct pronunciation

of the Qur‟an and sent these copies to all

the provinces. He also sent to the various

provinces strong reciters of the Qur‟an in

order for them to teach the non-arab

speakers and new converts of Islam the

correct way to read the holy book. He

ordered all the other copies to be burnt and

destroyed throughout the caliphate and for

this service he is known as the Jame-al-

Qur‟an.

(b) Three of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs

were martyred for the decisions they made.

Can Muslim leaders today learn anything

from this? Give reasons for your answer. [4]

Muslim leaders today can learn from the

example of the caliphs in how they fulfilled

their responsibilities. They remained steadfast

and true to their convictions and what they

believed to be just and right at the cost of

their lives. It shows that they were strong

leaders who believed in their principles and

were not ready to compromise them. „Umar

refused to give in to the unjust demand of

Abu Lulu and was fatally wounded by him.

„Uthman and „Ali both stood by their

decisions which they thought were just. Also,

lessons can be learnt by present day Muslim

leaders from the strength of faith that the

caliphs displayed, they were powerful men

yet they remained humble and kept their

faith in God rather than increasing their

personal security or using the state resources

to protect themselves.

(b) Explain the significance of 'Uthman,

during the lifetime of the Prophet. [ 6]

• 'Uthman became a Muslim at an early

stage. • He gave his wealth to help Islam,

e.g. by buying a well near Medina for the

Muslims/He made a contribution towards the

costs of the Tabuk expedition • He married

the Prophet's daughter Ruqayya. • He took

part in the emigration to Abyssinia with her. •

When Ruqayya died he married the

Prophet's daughter Umm Kulthum. • He was

a scribe for the Prophet. • He acted as the

Prophet's ambassador to Mecca when the

Muslims first approached the city. • He was

chosen to escort the Prophet's wives at the

farewell pilgrimage

• He was one of the first converts. • He

experienced persecution for his faith. • He

married the Prophet‟s daughter Ruqayya. •

With her he migrated to Abyssinia. • He

migrated to Madina. • He did not take part

in the Battle of Badr because of his sick wife.

• When Ruqayya died, he was given her

sister Umm Kulthum as wife. • He acted as

the Prophet‟s ambassador to Quraysh when

the Muslims neared Makka. • He contributed


53

his wealth to pay for expeditions, particularly

Tabuk.

Q). Explain why Hazrat `Uthman encountered

difficulties in the latter years of his caliphate

and was assassinated. [4]

• His appointment of family members was

seen as favoritism/nepotism • His destruction

of the Qur‟an was seen by some as

destroying God‟s Word. • Some Muslims

questioned his ability to rule. • He pacified a

force from Egypt by making concessions, but

sent word to have them killed on their return

home. • They returned to Madinah and killed

him.

Q). Explain why the caliph thought it was

important to take these actions. [4]

If variant readings were allowed the

message of the Qur‟an might be obscured.

These readings threatened the purity of

God‟s instructions. If they were allowed to

continue, the community might be split over

different teachings. The meaning would

totally change with very different dialects.

Outline charges leveled against Uthman by

his opponents and describe main events of

the revolt against them. [10]

He was alleged he has appointed inefficient

relatives as governors in four provinces.

Others charged that he had burned copies

of the Quran, the word of God, and that he

spent on his relatives from Bait ul Maal. His

soft nature was taken advantage of the fact

that he sometimes he overlooked the faults

of his governors made them bold and as a

result caused unrest in the provincial

capitals, which grew to engulf the entire

Islamic State. Abdullah bin Saba, a

Yemenite Jew who outwardly accepted

Islam, began a clever campaign of creating

dispute amongst the Muslims and Uthman

did not take immediate action. Rivalry

between the houses of Hashim and Umayya

also contributed to this revolt. Some rebels

from Egypt laid siege to Uthman‟s house to

change the Egyptian governor which

Uthman agreed to. When they went back,

an invented letter with the name of Uthman

was sent to Egyptian authority to kill the

governor as he is changed. People thought it

was from Uthman and so came back to

Madinah and killed Uthman.

Ali (RA)

What were the main events of the caliphate

of „Ali? [10]

Battle of Camel ( ):„Ali became caliph

after the murder of „Uthman. He started

dismissing governors set by Uthman. He did

not immediately take steps to punish

„Uthmans killers for which he was opposed by

Talha and Zubayr.

Both of them initially sided with Ali turned

against him and raised the cry for

vengeance of Uthman‟s murder. Hazrat

Aisha, the Prophet‟s widow, joined them.

They raised army and marched to Basra.

Hazrat Ali went with 10,000 soldiers to meet

them. The two sides met and almost

successfully negotiated but the

troublemakers in the camp began fight.

Talha and Zubair were killed trying to leave

the battlefield. Aisha personally participated

the battle who fell off her camel and was


54

injured hence the battle stopped. Ali won

the battle and Aisha was sent back to

Medina respectfully.

Battle of Siffin: Ali was forced to raise

80,000 men against Muawiyah and marched

to Syria. Both armies met at Siffin in

Muharram 37 AH. For several days fight

continued and both sides lost men. As the

battle favored Ali, Muawiyah ordered his

men to tie Quranic manuscripts on lances to

stop the war and refer to the Quran for

decision. Thus Ali was force to agree on a

truce in which one mediator each from both

sides were to discuss the dispute of caliphate

after a few months.

After the battle of Siffin proved indecisive,

arbitration was agreed to and so some of

„Ali‟s supporters deserted him as they

disagreed with his decision to arbitrate with

whom they believed were sinners. He

defeated the deserters at the battle of

Nahrawan and was killed by one of them

while at prayer.

Explain why you think Mu‟awiya refused to

accept „Ali? [4]

•He wanted „Ali to take immediate steps to

punish the killers of „Uthman or he had

personal ambition for justice. •Uthman was

also his close relative and they both

belonged to Umayyad family. •Moreover he

argued Ali was selected by the rebels who

killed Uthman so Ali wasn‟t a justified caliph.

•He said Ali was unjustly removing him from

office when Umar appointed him and

Uthman did not remove him.

Describe the main activities of 'Ali during the

lifetime of the Prophet and as caliph. [10]

• He was brought up in the Prophet‟s house.

• He was among the first converts to

Islam/the first child to become a Muslim. •

He lay in the Prophet‟s bed on the night of

the hijra/He was entrusted by the Prophet to

return the belongings of the Makkans. • He

married the Prophet‟s daughter Fatima. • He

fought in single combat before the battle of

Badr. •He fought fiercely during the capture

of Khaybar. • He wrote down the text of the

Treaty of Hudaybiya. • During the Tabuk

expedition Ali was the Prophet‟s deputy in

Madina and did not participate in the battle.

• He was confronted with the decision of

how to treat the assassins of 'Uthman. • Talha

and Zubayr, with the support of 'A‟isha,

opposed him. • He defeated them at the

battle of the Camel. • Mu'awiya refused to

give him allegiance or vacate his position as

Governor of Syria. • The armies led by the

two met at Siffin. • The battle proved

indecisive. • 'Ali agreed to arbitration. •

Some of his supporters deserted him.

Explain why close Companions of the

Prophet opposed 'Ali, and why his supporters

deserted him towards the end of his life. [4]

• Talha and Zubayr thought he should punish

'Uthman‟s assassins as soon as possible. • This

was the just action and they thought `Ali was

wrong not to do it. • 'Ali‟s supporters at Siffin

thought he was the leader of the community

and those who opposed him were wrong. •

So they thought he was wrong to arbitrate

with sinners.


55

Q. Write an account of the events that

resulted from the opposition of Talha and

Zubayr to „Ali. [10]

Talha and Zubayr were amongst the first

people to do bay‟a on „Ali‟s hand and,

because of his delay in punishing the

assassins of „Uthman, they turned against

him. They asked Ayesha to join forces with

them and raised a force of their own. „Ali

also raised an army of 10 000 and marched

to Basra to face them.

Negotiations were held between the two

sides and were almost successful, but the

mischief mongers attacked both sides at

night, as peace would not have been in their

interests, and this finally led to the war. Talha

and Zubayr left the battlefield as per the

terms of the treaty but were killed and

Ayesha fought the battle seated on her

camel. This is how the battle got its name, i.e.

battle of camel. „Ali won this battle and

Ayesha was sent back to Madina with due

respect. This was the first civil war of Islam in

which 10 000 Muslims lost their lives and after

which „Ali moved his capital to Kufa from

Madina. On account of this battle „Ali was

prevented from dealing effectively with

Mu‟awiya earlier and the battle caused a

deep divide amongst the umma. The above

were some of the immediate challenges that

„Ali faced due to the opposition of Talha and

Zubayr. The long term effects of this

opposition, however, were felt till Hazrat Ali‟s

martyrdom.


2

The Six Articles of Faith

God, including what

Muslims believe about

him

Q (a) Muslims believe that God alone is Lord,

that He alone should be worshipped and that

His names and attributes are unique to Him.

Outline Muslim beliefs in the oneness of God.

[10]

Muslims believe in one God, Allah. This belief

in the oneness of God is known as tawhid.

This belief is the core of Islam and all creation

has to recognise the Creator, which is God,

and submit to his will. Tawhid has three

aspects: Oneness of the Lordship of God;

Oneness in Worship of God; and Oneness in

the names and qualities of God.

Oneness of the Lordship of God:

There is only one Lord for the entire universe,

which is God. He is the Creator, Sustainer,

Lawgiver and Master of the universe. He is

neither the father nor the son of anyone. The

main statement that every Muslim makes is

„la ilaha illa Allah‟, „there is no God but

Allah‟.

Oneness in Worship of God: Since God is

the Creator, he is the only one worthy of

worship. It is man‟s primary duty and

obligation to worship none other than him.

Muslims must only pray, invoke, and ask him

for help. „You alone we worship and You

alone we ask help from.‟ (Quran, Surah1:4)

Oneness in the Names and Qualities

of God: We must not name or qualify God

except with what he and his Messenger

have named or qualified him with. None can

be named or qualified with the names or

qualifications of God. Muslims must believe in

all the qualities of God which he has stated

in his Book or mentioned through his

Messenger; Muslims believe in the divine

attributes of God; these attributes are only

inherent in God and this belief is integral to

Islam. Muslims are unable to describe God;

however, the existence of God can be

realized through his manifestations and

through his attributes as told by his

messengers.

Why has God repeatedly warned Muslims

against committing shirk? [4]

God has warned Muslims against committing

shirk as it signifies ascribing partners to him or

suggesting that another could share his

divine attributes. It has been termed as the

most unforgivable of sins for which one will

not be forgiven by God if he dies in the state

of committing shirk.

Explain what Muslims mean when they say

they should be modest towards God [4]

Muslims should have faith in God alone. •

This means acknowledging his authority and

associating nothing with him. • They should

follow his guidance as it is given in the

Qur'an. • They should worship him by offering

the prayers and other acts. • They should be

prepared to put God before all other beings.

• Quran says: ''Allah forgives not that He is


56

associated partners with and but pardons

anyone He wants besides that’’)

Angels, their nature and

duties

Write a descriptive account of the Muslim

belief in angels [10]

• Angels are entirely obedient to God,

worship Him and have no freewill like human

beings have. • They are created out of light

by Allah. • They have particular tasks like

conveying God‟s message to Prophets and

are incharge of many other things. •The

major ones are Jibrail, Mikail, Izrail and Israfil

( ). •Jibrail had the duty of of

conveying revelations to Prophets, and given

the might of controlling mountains. Israfil is

having a horn in his hand which will be blown

to bring about the Day of Judgment. Mikail is

incharge of rizq (provisions) and rain. • Izrail is

the angel of death. • Besides them are

others with duties like Kiram Katibeen( ),

who are assigned to record the good and

bad deeds of an individual. • Munkar and

Nakeer ( ) are two angels who would

inquire man in grave. • The gate keepers of

heaven and hell, the punishers in the hellfire

and the aides in the battles are other types.

•Belief in angels is elemental in Islam as it

strengthens belief in God.

Discuss the importance of Jibra‟il in

comparison to other angels. [4]

Angels have a particular job to do which is

assigned to them by Allah. Jibra‟il is the arch

angel who had the all important duty of

bringing the word of Allah to his chosen

messengers. He was sent by Allah to

announce the birth of Hazrat Issa to Hazrat

Maryam, to deliver the Qur‟an to the

Prophet Muhammad and also to conduct

him on the mi‟raj.

Books, their contents

and purpose

Describe the Muslim belief in Books [10]

• All the revealed books contain God's will

and guidance for humankind. • They were

given from God to humans by a succession

of prophetic messengers and •all were

revealed to prophets through Archangel

Jibrail . •They include the Suhuf of

Ibrahim , the Tawrat of Musa , the

Zubur of Daud , the Injil of Isa , Qur'an

revealed to Hazrat Muhammad . •Their

basic message of One God was the same

but only the laws and rituals changed• Books

were the chief way in which humans know

Allah‟s will for them and they were meant for

different communities in their particular

language.• Qur'an is meant for the whole

world as is the final book so it must be

followed without doubt. • All previous books

have been corrupted except the Qur‟an

which has been protected as God himself

promised in the Quran: “indeed we sent

down the remembrance and indeed we are

its protectors”.

Why Allah revealed different books time to

time [4]

Different books with different laws according

to peoples‟ need were sent to different

communities, basic message of God‟s


57

oneness being the same. Overtime the

books were distorted with peoples‟ false

ideas so a pure message from God was

needed again to guide the people. Finally

the last code of life, the Quran, came as

guidance for whole humanity.

Prophets, their character

and function

What are the main features of the belief in

the line of messengers (rusul) who were sent

before the time of the Prophet Muhammad?

[10]

• Messengers were sent throughout history. •

They had the task of giving messages

revealed to them by God. • They are all

chosen by God. • They were all human

beings. • They were guided by the angel

Jibril. • They were sent to particular

communities. • Their messages were for the

guidance of their people. • Their messages

contained the same teachings of worship of

One God yet some laws changed according

to community‟s benefit. • These were later

lost or changed by their communities. • The

Prophet Muhammad said that the line

numbered maybe 124,000. • According to

the Qur'an major individuals include

Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus, yet

totally 26 prophets are mentioned in it. •

Among the revelations they brought are the

Tawrat/Torah, Zubur/Psalms and Injil/Gospel

• All messengers are equal in status. • All

messengers are innocent and morally

upright. While Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h)

is the final messenger and no more

revelation is to come after him as he is sent

for all of mankind. All messengers were

humans as only like that they could be a

good role model for their people.

(b) How is the message brought by these

prophets important for Muslims today? [4]

The message brought by all the prophets

was of belief in the one God, good conduct

and belief in resurrection and the Day of

Judgment. This message is important to

Muslims today just as it was important to

Muslims of the past ages and will be to those

of the future because it reiterates tawhid

and accountability which if a person bears in

mind will lead to good conduct and

prosperity in this world and the next. It

teaches Muslims tolerance for other revealed

faiths and makes them realise that Islam is a

continuation and culmination of the other

revealed faiths. The unity of the message will

foster better relations between Muslims and

other believers etc.

What does a Muslim believe by the words

„And Muhammad is the messenger of God‟?

[4]

• Muhammad was the last in the line of

prophetic messengers. • His message was

the same as previous ones, • but it was for all

humankind. • God has protected this

message from change and corruption. • So

Muhammad and his message sum up every

preceding prophet and their message. •

Muhammad is the perfect example of

human conduct.

What does the Prophet‟s first experience of

revelation tell us about the nature of

prophethood in Islam? [4]


58

Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) was surprised

and confused the moment when Angel

Jibrail brought him revelation the first time.

This shows that God chooses prophets with

good characters, often without warning, and

caused miraculous events at the time of

calling. All the prophets were sinless and

decent even before their prophethood e.g.

Muhammad p.b.u.h was known as „Honest

and trustworthy‟ by the pagan Arabs before

and after his prophethood.

Explain how belief in Prophets influences the

daily living of a Muslim. [4]

Muslims must respect all prophets and take

lessons from their lives to apply on

themselves. For e.g. Ibrahim (AS) was ready

to give up everything for Allah and earned

the name „God’s friend‟. Prophets were said

to be „awwab‟(of- returning (to God) ) in the

Quran and belief in that will necessitate the

Muslim to try to come closer to Allah. The

virtues of the prophets were a reason of their

high esteem and a Muslims struggles to get

those qualities. Infact prophets are role

models for Muslims, expecially Muhammad

p.b.u.h, as Quran says “indeed for you in the

messenger of Allah is a best example”.

God‟s predestination

and decree, its meaning

and significance

Write a descriptive account of the Muslim

belief in predestination and decree [4]

• God is powerful over everything. • He

knows everything that happens. • He has

planned all that happens to people. •

Nevertheless, people have responsibility for

what they do.

What does the statement „There is no ability

or power except through Allah‟ tell you

about Muslim belief in Allah‟s predestination

and decree? [10]

Belief in divine decree and predestination is

mentioned in the Iman-e Mufassal. •This

belief is an article of faith without which a

Muslim‟s faith is incomplete. This statement

strengthens this belief. • God is powerful over

everything. • He knows everything that

happens. • He has planned all that happens

to people. • Nevertheless, people have

responsibility for what they do. • All good

things happen from God but the bad things

happen due to man‟s own faults. • For doing

good deeds one would enter paradise as a

reward while doing bad will put him in hellfire

as Quran mentions several times. • This world

is a seedbed where we sow our actions for

the hereafter where we will reap our reward,

as in Hadith. • Another Hadith says that the

first thing God created was a pen to which

God commanded to write all that was going

to happen and it wrote. • So everything was

predestined in light of this Hadith and

Muslims must pass their tests of hardships with

patience and prayers.

To what extent does this belief affect the

daily living of Muslims? [4]

By making Muslims realize that Allah is the

most supreme this belief makes them humble

and makes them turn to Allah at all times.

They know all things in life happen at the will

of Allah and He only can be resorted to in


59

times of hardships as he is the One who can

bring about good. This will keep a good

hope and peace in a Muslim‟s heart. Muslims

will make du‟a (prayers). As a Hadith says

“nothing can change destiny except dua”.

Resurrection, the Last

Day and their

significance.

Outline the stages of last days in a Muslim‟s

belief. [10]

The concept of the Last Day is repeatedly

mentioned in the Quran, starting with the

Surah Fatihah as „the Day of Reckoning‟

[1:3]. Four of its stages are:

1. destruction; the whole world will be

shaken and destroyed with stars, sun and the

moon as Surah Zilzal, Qyamah etc mention,

2. resurrection; people will be brought

back to life as Surah Abas, Zilzal mention,

3. judgment; Surah Zilzal mentions in the

last verses “whoever acts an atom’s weight

of piety, shall see it, and whovever acts an

atom’s weight of evil, shall see it” that means

people‟s actions would be judged that day,

and

4. final abode; then upon their actions,

people will enter heaven or hell.

A person believing in the Last Day develops

a sense of responsibility of his actions & so

keeps watch of them. He fears Allah and

shuns evil, tyranny and rebellion. This world

would be nothing except a test for him. He

will start to value virtues as assets for the

hereafter, as food and money are to this

world. Believer in the Last Day won‟t desire

worldly benefits. This belief protects one from

anarchy and will make one enduring

enough to deal with hardships. One would

be ready to sacrifice for good due to

recognition of judgment at the Last Day, and

will produce a pious and peaceful society.

Why is the belief in resurrection important to

Muslims in their daily living? [4]

Muslims believe in life after death, which is

known as the Hereafter, al-Akhira. If Muslims

are obedient to Allah they will be rewarded

and if they go against his teachings they will

be punished. This belief guides them to live

their lives righteously. Muslims keep watch on

their deeds due to questioning in the grave

and the fact that on the Day of Resurrection

they will be brought before Allah to be

judged and according to their deeds

receive heaven or hell. This world then is seen

by Muslims as a temporary place where their

actions and behaviour will determine what

will become of them in their next life.

The scope of Jihad

Q. Explain all forms of jihad which are

physical, internal, intellectual [10]

Jihad literally means „to strive‟. Goal of Jihad

is to establish the Truth of Allah for all of

mankind and to keep check and balance in

the society. Through Jihad or otherwise, Islam

cannot be forced on anybody.•The Holy

Quran tells us to restrain each other from evil

deeds. •Answering arguments raised by

unbelievers is intellectual jihad. • Example of


60

this is the Makkan period of Muhammad

(PBUH)‟s life. • Intellectual struggle for Islam

attains level of Jihad when it is maintained

against a storm of opposition.

Physical Jihad is to be waged when spread

of the Message of Islam is obstructed. •

When people are kept from worshipping

Allah, their lives of this world and of the

Hereafter are destroyed. • Quran says that

“had Allah not made His believers wage

Jihad for him, people would have certainly

destroyed churches, mosques and cloisters.”

The greatest jihad is jihad against evils of

oneself according to Hadith when qital

(physical jihad) is considered lesser jihad in it.

So we must strive against our evil desires. This

is an effort of acting good and seeking

Allah‟s forgiveness. Helping the needy,

standing for the weak‟s right, to speak for

justice in front of a cruel king is actually

striving in Allah‟s cause. Similarly abstaining

from stealing, immorality, cheating and other

evils is jihad.

Q. What is the importance of jihad for a

Muslim being? [4]

• A strenuous effort to remove all obstacles

in the way of Islam and the Truth of Allah is

called Jihad. • Jihad is the collective duty of

the Muslim society• Its goal is not to enslave

others or to establish supremacy of Muslims

over others• Goal of Jihad is to establish the

Truth of Allah for all of mankind. “Anyone

whose both feet get covered with dust in

Allah’s Cause will not be touched by the

Hell-fire.” (Al-Bukhari) • Prophet (pbuh) said

“That all their sins and faults are forgiven.” •

“That he can intercede with Allah for seventy

(70) of his family members.” • “That he will

not feel the agonies and distress of death.” (b) In your opinion, what is the importance of

following the rules of armed jihad in modern

times? [4]

Islam teaches mercy, compassion, fair play

and justice. If the rules of jihad as taught by

the Prophet (pbuh) were followed, the world

today would become a safer place to live in

for everyone of God‟s creation etc.

Sanctuaries and worshippers therein would

be safe, general innocent people who have

nothing to do with war would be protected.

Moreover the environment (trees and

waterways) would remain clean and

untouched and only the aggressors would

be countered.


55

The Pillars of Islam

The declaration of faith,

shahada, including the

significance of what it contains

3 Explain what Muslims mean when they say

they should be modest towards God [4]

Muslims should have faith in God alone. •

This means acknowledging his authority and

associating nothing with him. • They should

follow his guidance as it is given in the

Qur'an. • They should worship him by offering

the prayers and other acts. • They should be

prepared to put God before all other beings.

(Surah Ikhlas, ''Allah forgiveth not that He is

associated partners with and but pardons

anyone He wants besides that''

Q .„There is no God but Allah, and

Muhammad is the messenger of Allah‟.

Describe the Muslim beliefs summarized in

the declaration of faith. (shahadah) [10]

Shahadah is the first pillar of Islam and a

person becomes a Muslim upon proclaiming

it sincerely. This is testimony of admitting faith,

involving knowledge, commitment and

declaration. The first part of shahadah deals

with Allah‟s unity. The first statement of

tawhid (oneness of God) includes the

understanding that Allah is beyond

comprehension. Muslims confess with their

hearts that He is the creator of all things

including the universe, the heaven, the earth

and everything in it. Everything is in Allah‟s

control and he is the sustainer and protector

as well as giver and taker of life. Only He is

worthy of worship and Muslims pray to him

only and seek Allah‟s help in times of

hardship. He is All-powerful and all-knowing.

The second part of the shahadah confirms

the risalah (prophethood) of Muhammad

. This means he is the messenger of Allah

and Muslims must follow God‟s orders

through Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. This

also entails that he is the last prophet in the

line of prophetic messengers and yet his

universal message about oneness of God is

the same as that of the previous prophets.

The last message will be protected by Allah

from all corruptions as is promised in the

Quran.

Prayers, congregational

prayers on Fridays and

festivals, times of prayer,

the place of prayer,

private prayer, delayed

prayer

(i) Outline the main teachings in the Qur‟an

and Prophetic Hadiths about prayer (salat)

as the foundation of Islam.

(ii) Describe how Muslims prepare

themselves for prayer. [10]

i) What makes salat the foundation of Islam is

that it is the second most important Pillar of


56

Islam, that it has to be performed by all

Muslims five times a day and that it is the first

act of worship that was made obligatory by

God. In many verses of the Qur‟an God

follows up prayer with remembrance of God,

„Lo! Worship preserves (one) from lewdness

and iniquity, but verily, remembrance of

Allah is more important‟ (Al-Ankabut 29:45).

Again, in An Nisa 4:103 God says, „prayer at

fixed hours has been enjoined upon the

believers‟. Such is its importance that the

Prophet (pbuh) has said that the dividing line

between belief and disbelief is salat. It gives

structure to a day enabling Muslims to

remember God and marks the whole day

with a spiritual stamp. It strengthens belief in

God and gives spiritual strength to a Muslim

to better himself. It purifies the heart, gives a

Muslim a chance to thank their Creator for

all the blessings granted to them, provides

inner peace and is said to be the key to

paradise.

ii) The place of prayer should be clean,

clothes need to be clean, sattar needs to be

observed, wudu/tayyamum needs to be

done, qibla needs to be faced, and one

should wait for azan, and have the niyyah

(intention) of Prayers.

(b) Why should meeting for congregational

prayers be more advantageous than

performing prayer alone? [4]

The Prophet (pbuh) has said: „Prayer in

congregation is better than the prayer of a

man by himself by twenty seven times‟

(Agreed). It is in the Sunnah of the Prophet

(pbuh) to pray in congregation, that it

promotes brotherhood, equality and unity

amongst Muslims. It gives Muslims a chance

to meet other Muslims and perhaps be able

to help those who are in need and hence

has a lot of social importance. It requires

more effort to leave what one is doing to get

to the mosque in time for the salat.

Explain the importance to Muslims of

Mosques .[Remember this asks for

explanations not descriptions. It concerns the

communal aspects of faith] [4]

• They are centres especially dedicated for

collective worship. • They enable the

community to meet together. • They provide

facilities for education and joint learning. •

Their presence symbolises the community‟s

unity and strength. • Muslims sometimes

withdraw to mosques for the conclusion of

Ramadan. Mosques are centres dedicated

to special worship. They are also places

where the community meets and solves its

problems via discussions, celebrates its

special events and acts as a sanctuary.

Mosques also provide facilities for education

(madrassas). A mosque is a place which

unites all Muslims and where equality is

practiced.

Describe the main characteristics of the

congregational prayers on Friday. [10]

• All Muslim men in a community should try

to gather for this prayer. • In some

communities women are also encouraged

to attend. • They should try to bath and put

on fresh clothes / they perform ablutions

before worship (purification). • There are two

adhaans for the congregational prayer. •

They should say the prayer together behind


57

the Imam / the prayer can‟t be prayer

alone. • The Imam preaches a sermon,

which is compulsory to hear (there are 2

sermons). • After a pause he preaches a

second sermon. • These sermons always

consist of advice based on the Qur'an and

Hadith about living a Muslim life. • People

should not speak or use mobiles during the

sermon, and listen attentively. • The fard are

prayed in two rakats, not four. • The prayer

cannot be prayed kaza, or after the set time.

• Some people are exempt from Friday

prayers, e.g. travellers, the sick, women and

children. • Quran in Surah Juma says: „O

believers, when the prayers are called for on

Friday, the run towards God’s remembrance

and leave the transaction‟.

(b) Explain the main differences between

regular daily prayer (salat) and personal

prayer (duà'). [4]

(b) • Regular prayer is always performed

according to the pattern set by Qur'an and

Sunna. • It is obligatory, whereas personal

prayers are voluntary. • It has set timings,

whereas duà' prayers can be performed at

any time. • It is directed towards the Ka`ba,

• It consists of set formulas and actions, but

duà‟ prayers are not necessarily said

according to a pattern. • It is always in

Arabic, but Duà' prayers can be offered in

any language. • For regular prayers you

need purification, but it is not obligatory for

duà‟ prayers. • Regular prayer is worship to

God but duà‟ prayers comprise requests for

oneself or others. • They (personal prayers)

are free, in that anyone or anything can be

mentioned. • They often consist of prayers

spoken by the Prophet or, for Shiìs, Imams.

5 (a) Describe the particular features of and

the main features of the Friday sermon. [10]

The sermon is a very important feature of this

prayer and is compulsory to listen to. While

listening to it it isn‟t even allowed to quiet

somebody. The Imam gives the sermon

facing the congregation; the sermon is

divided into two parts with a brief interval of

about a minute between the two parts. The

Friday sermon includes glorification and

praise of God, confirming the aspect of

tawhid. The praise and blessings are sent on

the Prophet (pbuh) as the greatest example

to follow.

Then the imam reflects on one of the

Quranic verses that have been selected for

the particular sermon. He refers to an

authentic hadith to elaborate the topic and

demonstrate the implementation of the

injunction by the Prophet (pbuh). The imam

reminds the whole congregation about their

duties towards God and their fellow beings,

he warns the people against the

consequence of doing evil and reminds

them of the hereafter and prays for the

welfare of the community.

b) Explain how this event upholds the unity of

the Muslim community [4]

Candidates could say that as missing these

prayers without a valid reason for men is

considered a sin, the Friday prayers are

attended in very large numbers and creates

a greater sense of unity amongst Muslims. It

could also be said that meeting fellow

Muslims, discussing the issues facing the

umma at home and in the wider Muslim

world all go to foster close ties amongst


58

Muslims. Some answers could say that

people tend to go to the Jamia mosque on

Fridays whereas they may say their salat at

their local mosque daily and this creates

greater unity.

Q. Give an account of the conditions,

requisites and method of performing wudu

(ablution). [10]

Wudu is the primary requirement before

prayers and the Sunnah (the Prophetic way)

gives us the most apt method to perform it.

First intention of cleaning oneself should be

made; the ablution should be without breaks

and no part shall be dry before the other is

washed. Prescribed order should be

observed, with washing right parts before

left. No part of hands, face, feet, and

forearms shall remain dry, with nose clearly

blown, mouth thoroughly washed and head

together with neck rubbed by wet hands.

Teeth brush before is recommended.

The order is to wash both hands till wrist first.

Gargle thrice then sniff water in nostrils using

left hand to clean the nose. Wash the whole

face (forehead to chin, ear to ear). Wash the

right arm till elbow thrice then the left one.

Wet the hand for masah (rubbing head and

nape of neck). Lastly both the feet are

washed up to the ankles.

Q. Why is ablution so much importance? [4]

Purity is a part of faith (half of faith according

to Hadith) so it‟s given utmost importance in

Islam. God says again and again in Quran

that he loves those who repent and purify

themselves. Prophet Muhammad also

said that wudu removes the sins of person.

Purity allows one to focus while praying.

Alms-giving, Zakat, how

it is performed and its

significance in the

community

Q. Outline the practice of almsgiving in

Islam. [10]

Zakat (almsgiving) is the 4th pillar in Islam that

became obligatory in 2nd AH. It‟s an act of

worship that helps people. Quran mentions it

32 times showing its high importance. Often

in Quran it‟s said “and establish (regular)

prayers and give (regular) charity”. Any

Muslim having certain minimum amount of

property is obliged to give a portion the poor

and deserved ones. Zakat is payable on

wealth which remains in the hands of the

Muslim uninterrupted, whose value reaches

the nisab (minimum value). It is calculated to

2.5% and is not levied on buildings, shops or

total capital but on savings of the income

that may have been generated from them.

it is not payable on immobile objects,

machinery or precious stones. If anyone has

reached the nisab of 7 tola (87.48 g) of gold

minimum, zakat is levied at 2.5% of it. if one

has 30 to 39 cattle, his zakat is 1 goat of a

year old. For mines it is 1/5th of the produce

and for farms it is 1/10th.

According to Quran (Surah Taubah: verse

60), It is payable to the poor, the needy, the

employers for fund management, the new


59

converts, to free the slaves, to indebts and to

needy travelers.

Explain the importance to the community of

Muslims of almsgiving. [4]

• This helps to reduce inequalities in wealth. •

It reminds givers and receivers of their ties to

each other. • It makes those ties stronger. • It

reminds all Muslims that they are responsible

for others besides themselves.

Fasting

Describe how a Muslim fasts during a day in

Ramadan and outline the kinds of Muslims

who are excused from fasting during this

month. [10]

• They have breakfast, sehri, before dawn. •

They state the formal intention to fast. • They

abstain from food and drink. • This is during

daylight hours, which means starting from

early dawn till the sunset. • They also abstain

from smoking, marital relations and

medicines. • They break their fast at sunset,

often with a date and water, and then pray.

• They follow this with a meal often eaten

with friends. • They often try to be present at

recitations of the Qur'an, tarawih prayers, in

the evening. • They should live their lives as

normal, making no concessions to lack of

food, means that they should work normally,

prayer more often and not just pass the fast

sleeping whole day.

• Pregnant women, Mothers with new

babies, Travellers, The sick, Children, The very

old, People in danger and menstruating

women are all excused from fasting during

this month.

(b) Explain why the Ramadan fast is

important to Muslims. [4]

(b) • Fasting is a Pillar of Islam. • It is called a

„gift‟ which the believer gives to God. • It

increases self-control. • It helps Muslims to

remember the poor in their community. • It

increases obedience towards God. • The

Qur'an was first revealed in Ramadan. •

Ramadan is a clear expression of fellowship

among believers. Quote (''the month of

Ramadan is the one in which Quran was

revealed, a guidance for the human being

and clear sign from the guide and the

criterion, so whoever witnesses amongst you

the month, shall fast'')(Surah al Baqarah)

Q) What are the benefits to individuals and

the community of fasting in the month of

Ramadan? [10]

Fasting in the month of Ramadan has several

benefits both to individuals and the

community at large. When a Muslim abstains

from food, drink, foul talk etc. to earn the

pleasure of God it builds his moral character

and he learns self-restrain and self-control

which is an individual benefit but also

impacts upon the community, e.g. if a man

was to lose his temper and in a state of

anger was going to abuse or hit someone on

the street they will, having learnt self-control

whilst fasting be able to control their anger

and not hit out leading to a more peaceful

society. When Muslims fast and experience

hunger they realize the sufferings of the poor

and feel sympathy for them which not only

makes them kinder people but earns them

the pleasure of God and when they try to

help the needy it improves social relations

between them which in turn will have a


60

positive impact on the community. Fasting

brings a man closer to his creator and makes

him grateful for his daily sustenance thus less

arrogant and more humble which will lead

him/her to help those less fortunate. There

are economic benefits as well. People spend

more generously on the poor to seek Allah‟s

pleasure so they have money to spend

which is good for the economy etc.

Q) Are „Id al-Fitr and „Id al-Adha more than

just religious celebrations? Give reasons for

your answer [4]

Both the „Id‟s, „Id al-Fitr and „Id al-Adha are

religious celebrations but that their

significance is that they mark the end of two

important events in the Islamic calendar i.e.

end of the month of fasting, Ramadan and

the completion of the annual pilgrimage,

hajj. Foster care and brotherhood in the

community, remind Muslims of the spirit of

sacrifice that they need to make in order to

please their Lord, it brings to their minds the

sacrifice of Ibrahim and makes them realise

that no sacrifice is too big in the way of

Allah.

Hajj

Give a brief explanation of the importance of

each of the following in Muslim beliefs and

practices in relation to the hajj:

(a) the Ka‟ba; [4] (b) ihram; [4]

(c) „Arafat; [4] (d) „Id al-Adha. [4]

(a) • The Ka‟ba was built by Adam, and later

restored by Ibrahim and Isma‟il, and again in

the time of the Prophet. • It was the first

sanctuary in which God was worshipped. • It

is the focus of Muslim prayer from all parts of

the world. • It is the first point in Makka that

most pilgrims make for. • During pilgrimage

Muslims circumambulate it seven times. •

They try to kiss the Black Stone as they pass it

following the Prophet‟s example.

(b) • Ihram is the state of purity which

Muslims enter when beginning the

pilgrimage. • The chief sign is for men two

pieces of white cloth worn around them. •

For women it is normal clothes covering the

whole body except face and hands. • It

removes signs of distinction and makes all

pilgrims appear equal. • In the state of ihram

the pilgrim comes under particular

restrictions of conduct, such as no cutting of

hair or nails.

(c) • „Arafat is the plain outside Makka

where all pilgrims gather during the annual

pilgrimage. • Here they perform the wuquf,

standing between noon and dusk in order to

obtain God‟s forgiveness. • This is the high

point of the pilgrimage, without which it is

not valid. • Adam and his wife were reunited

here after being expelled from the garden. •

The last judgement will take place here.

(d) • Muslims celebrate this by slaughtering

an animal. • They do this in order to

remember Ibrahim‟s sacrifice of his son. •

Ibrahim was instructed to make this sacrifice

as a sign of obedience. • The „Id is

celebrated at the high point of the annual

pilgrimage. • All over the world families

celebrate this feast by making a sacrifice.


61

(a) Write an account of the annual

pilgrimage to Makka, the hajj, describing the

main observances made by the pilgrims. [10]

(a) • after ghusl (clean bath), Pilgrims

change into the ihram garment before

entering Makka (on 7 Dhu al-hijja), should

start reciting talbiyah, and avoid forbidden

acts. • They make the first circumambulation

of the ka`ba (tawaf) 7 times, offer 2 rakat

prayers behind maqaam Ibrahim, and drink

zam zam water.• They run between Marwa

and Safa (sa‟y) • They spend the night at

Mina (on 8) • The travel to the plain of

`Arafat outside Makka (on 9) • They stand

there through the afternoon offering zuhr

and asr prayers shortened combined • At

sunset they make for Muzdalifa and there

they perform maghrib and „isha prayers

shortened and combined.• Here they spend

the night and gather pebbles • The next day

they throw the pebbles at three pillars at

Mina (rami) (on 10th ) • They sacrifice an

animal at Mina (on 10) • They cut their hair

and change back into normal clothes • They

perform a further circumambulation of the

ka`ba, the Tawaf e Ziarat, and run between

the hills. • Pilgrims return back to mina to

complete the rami(devil-stoning) (11th /12th).

• Finally perform tawaf al wida’ (farewell

circumambulation). •before leaving for

home, visiting the Prophet‟s mosque

in Madinah is recommended.

(b) In what ways are the prophet Ibrahim

and his family important to the annual

pilgrimage? [4]

(b) • The Qur‟an says Ibrahim built or rebuilt

the ka`ba • His family lived in Makka • Hajar

ran between Marwa and Safa searching for

water (sa‟y) • Isma‟il uncovered the well of

Zamzam by scraping his heel on the earth •

Ibrahim rejected the devil three times when

taking his son for sacrifice (rami) • An animal

was provided for Ibrahim to sacrifice in place

of his son (sacrifice)

What beliefs and practices are involved in:

(i) stoning the Jamarat (ii) performing

sa‟y (iii) assembling at Arafat [10]

i. Muslims believe that satan tried to mislead

Ibrahim at the three places where the

Jamarat are situated in Mina when he was

on his way to sacrifice his son in Allah‟s way

and he in turn stoned the devil thrice at

three places. In memory of this act the three

pillars/Jamarat are stoned by the pilgrims

during hajj.

ii. Hazrat Hajra ran several times between the

hills of Safa and Marwa in search of water for

her infant son, sa‟y is performed in memory

of this act in which pilgrims run between the

two hills during hajj.

iii. According to Muslim belief Adam and Eve

were reunited at Arafat; on the day of


62

judgement humankind will assemble at

Arafat. Staying at Arafat is a compulsory

component of hajj without which hajj is void.

Pilgrims offer their combined zuhr and asr

prayers at Arafat and listen to the sermon of

the Imam.

Explain the main differences between hajj

and umrah. [4]

Umrah means a minor pilgrimage, like hajj it

begins with the pilgrims putting on the ihram

at Miqat. Although some acts of the hajj and

umrah are the same there are some

fundamental differences between the two.

Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam and is

compulsory on all healthy Muslims who have

the means to perform it whereas umrah is

not, though it is recommended. In Quran,

Allah referred to both hajj and umrah. „And

complete the hajj or umrah in the service of

Allah‟ (Al-Baqarah 2:196)

Q. „And complete the hajj or umra in the

service of God‟ (al-Baqara 2:196). What

observances does a pilgrim complete in the

performance of umra and how is umra

different to hajj? [10]

Many acts of umra are similar to hajj but

there are some fundamental differences. In

umra the pilgrim puts on the ihram at

meeqat, recites the talbiya, then goes for

tawaf of the Ka‟ba, then performs two rakah

at the station of Ibrahim, then performs sa‟y,

after which men shave their head or cut their

hair while the women cut a lock of their hair.

Umra is different to hajj. Hajj is obligatory and

umra is not; unlike hajj, which is performed

during the prescribed month, umra can be

performed at any time of the year; there is

no wuquf Arafah, no wuquf Muzdalifa in

umra. When performing umra talbiya is

stopped upon arriving at the Haram, whilst

on hajj talbiya is said till the rammi on 10th

Dhu al-hijja. There is also no stay at Mina and

sacrifice is not offered in umra.

Explain how the outward actions performed

during umra improve a pilgrim‟s inner

spirituality. [4]

Fulfilling the different observances of umra

helps a pilgrim to develop their inner

spirituality in a number of ways. Donning the

ihram a pilgrim is reminded of the equality of

all men before God and this makes him/her

feel humbled. The recitation of the talbiya

focusses the mind of the pilgrims on the fact

that they have come in response to the call

of their Creator, that they are obedient to

him and acknowledge that no one is worthy

of worship besides God. With the tawaf,

each pilgrim is glorifying God, praising him,

seeking forgiveness and acknowledging his

greatness and superiority. Just to look upon

the Ka‟ba is a spiritual experience of

immense magnitude for every Muslim.

two rakah at the station of Ibrahim reminds

us of relationship with God, the sa‟y reminds

us the struggle and importance of Ibrahim‟s

family and the shaving/cutting of hair at the

end of the umra improve the inner spirituality

of the pilgrim by showing that everyone is

humble in the sight of God.

The MSUNA PROJECT


PAKISTAN

Contact 0343-5021543


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