O Level Islamic Studies by Ahsan Naqvi

Hadith 15                  life in the community Translation God will not show mercy to him who does not show mercy to others. Teachings (a)       Mercy is the attribute of Allah. He is ‘Rehman’ and ‘Rahim’. Since He is merciful to all his creation, we should also be merciful to all. This includes all human beings, Muslims or non-Muslims, even animals and plants. Therefore Allah expects that we should be merciful to His creation in every matter of life. However if we are cruel towards others or we are so insensitive that we are in a position to help others but we do not do so, we should not expect that God will still be happy with us. Allah may put us in a trouble where we need help of others and we do not find any. (b)       The Prophet (saw) was asked by his slave to curse the people of Taif but he said: “I have been sent as a mercy to mankind”. He forgave the prisoners of Badr and the people of Makkah when he conquered the city. He created brotherhood in Madina a

Hadith 6                    life in the community Translation Whosoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand, and if he is not able to do so then with his tongue, and if he is not able to do so then with his heart, and that is the weakest of faith.            [J-09] Teachings (a)       This Hadith teaches us a simple lesson that a Muslim should hate evil and he is responsible to stop it. The highest level of faith is to stop evil by force. If he cannot use force, then he should stop it verbally. Sometimes we are in a position that we see an evil but cannot do anything due to our weakness, then we must feel that the act is evil. This is the lowest level of faith. We see an evil and we do not even feel that it is wrong, we may even lose our faith. This Hadith asks a Muslim to consider a wrong as something unacceptable. It encourages Muslims to fight against evil and wrong. (b)       In Sura Ale Imran Ayat 110, Allah says: "You are the best

Q         Identify the ten blessed companions.                                          [8-N-05] ·         Abu bakr(ra) ·         Umar(ra) ·         Uthman (ra) ·         Ali (ra) ·         Talha (ra) ·         Zubair (ra) ·         Abu Ubaida Bin Jarrah (ra) ·         Saad Bin Abi Waqas (ra) ·         Abdur Rehman Bin Auf (ra) ·         Saeed Bin Zaid (ra) Q         Explain why they were known by this name?                           [2-N-05] They are known by this name because at one occasion when they all were together with the Prophet, he promised that they will go to paradise that is they were given the guarantee of paradise in their very lives and they were saved from the fire of hell. Besides that, these ten companions accepted Islam in early years and they went through severe persecution in Makkah. They also have a long record of services for Islam.

Q         What can the example of the Prophet (saw) in his relationship with his wives          teach Muslims today?[4-J-08] The family life of the Prophet (saw) is an example for the Muslims. One important quality we find in his character is justice. He had many wives but he always gave equal time to them. It never happened that he neglected any of his wives when it was her turn. This gives Muslims the lesson that in family life we should not differentiate between the family members. With his wives, he was very friendly. He would laugh with them. All wives would sit together and they used to enjoy a happy life with the Prophet (saw). The Prophet (saw) used to be in a good mood. We learn that in our house we should be frank with the family members and have fun with them. The prophet (saw) used to take one of his wives to the jourey and every wife would get a chance for that unless she herself sacrificed it fot the other. This gives us the lesson that on a journey, we shou

Q         How far do you think Islam teaches about equality between men and women?  [5-N-07] The first Ayat of Sura Al Nisa says: "O people, be careful about your duty to your Lord, who created you from a single being, and created its mate of the same kind and spread from these two, many men and women". This Ayat shows that men and wemen are equal in their social status. They have equal responsibility to create a family system and bring up children. Women have all rights what men possess. Women are entitled to their share in inheritance. They have a right of education, treated equally, run their finance and many other rights. However, the responsibilities of two of them are different. Man is responsible to go out of the house and earn for the family. Women are responsible to bring up children in a way that they should be responsible citizens of the society. However Islam stops women to work in places where they cannot protect their honour. The problem comes up

Q         Explain the teachings of Quran about the relationship between men and                   women.                      [5-J-98][5-J-02][5-J-05][5-N-08] Q         What do these teachings tell us about the relationship between men and women?                                                                                             [4-J-10] Sura Al Noor commands Muslim men and women to lower their gaze and protect their modesty . Islam encourages a legal relationship between a man and a woman that is to marry a woman and does not like unnecessary mingling of sexes. Relations before marriage or friendships are not encouraged in Islam. A wife should be the best friend of a husband. Relations between a man a woman before marriage or after marriage create major social problems. Prophet (saw) says that the Satan is between a man and a woman when they are alone. The girl's consent should be taken before marri

Muslim Society Q         Describe the teachings of Islam about the position of women as:             1          Wives             2          Mothers                    3          Daughters                                         [3+3+2-J-98][4+4+3-J-02][4+4+3-J-05][4+4+3-N-08][10-J-10][13-J-99] Respect of Mothers: Mothers deserve respect because they bore pains during our bringing up.  The Prophet (saw) says: “ Paradise lies at the feet of mothers”. Once a man asked the Prophet (saw): “Who deserves my best care”? Three times he said: “Your mother” and fourth time he said “Your father”. Once the Prophet (saw) advised one of his companions to treat his non-Muslim mother with kindness. Therefore mothers should be paid respect and treated with kindness. We must not be rude with them and we should not use taunting language. Even if, in our opinion, they are wrong, we should keep our temper in control. It is the duty of mothers to bring up children accordi

Events of the first year Q         Describe the events in Madina that immediately followed the Hijra, mentioning especially the Emigrants (Muhajrun) and helpers (Ansaar).     [10-N-02] Q         Write about the brotherhood that developed between the new community of Muslims in Madina.                     [10-N-13-2058/11] (Please choose the relevant part according to the need of the exam) In 622 , Mohammad (saw) arrived in Madina. He took the following important decisions immediately. Mosque of the Prophet (saw) was built immediately. The land was purchased from two orphans. Prophet (sw) and the companions took part in its building. In the beginning, it was a small mosque without any facilities. As soon as the mosque was ready, five times regular prayer and Juma prayer started at the mosque. Men and women used to come to mosque regularly and it also became the centre of education, social life and political life of Muslims. Abu Bakr (ra) paid for the price of land.

Event Of Mairaaj Q         Give an account of the events of the Prophet’s night journey and ascension [‘Isra wa-mi’raj]. [10-J-11] [10-N-13-2058/11] ‘Glory to Him who took His servant for a journey by night from the Sacred   mosque to the Farthest mosque -------    [Sura Al Isra:1] The event of Miraj took place in CE 621. It was the time when the Prophet’s wife Khadija (ra) and uncle, Abu Talib had died, visit to Taif had failed and the persecution of Makkans was on peak. One night the Prophet (sw) was awoken by Jabrail (as), and from Makkah (Masjid al Haram), he was taken to Jerusalem (Masjid Al Aqsa) on a white horse-like winged creature (Burraq) who could run extremely fast. There he met the prophets who came before him. He also led the prayer of these prophets. This is a clear indication that Mohammad (sw) is the leader of all prophets and he is also the last prophet of Allah. This event is called ‘Isra’. From Jerusalem, he was taken to heavens. In the heavens, he

God’s Relationship with Mankind Q         From the passages you have studied from the Qur’an, write about God’s            relationship with humankind.[10-J-12] The passages from the Quran very clearly define the relationship of God with the humankind. The purpose of the creation of human beings is well defined in passage six: “ O people! Adore your Guardian-Lord, who created you and    those who came before you, so that you may have the chance    to learn righteousness”.   [2:21-22] The passage shows that the real purpose of the creation was to follow the way of Allah in this world. The meaning of worship is to follow the way of Allah. That is the right and true path. Sura Al Fatihah says: “Show us the straight way. The way of those to whom You have given   your grace, not those who go astray”. For this purpose Allah has defined it very clearly in the holy Quran to believe in three concepts: 1: To believe in the Oneness of Allah. (passages 1 to 5) 2:

Translation God will not show mercy to him who does not show mercy to others. Teachings (a)       Mercy is the attribute of Allah. He is ‘Rehman’ and ‘Rahim’. Since He is merciful to all his creation, we should also be merciful to all. This includes all human beings, Muslims or non-Muslims, even animals and plants. Therefore Allah expects that we should be merciful to His creation in every matter of life. However if we are cruel towards others or we are so insensitive that we are in a position to help others but we do not do so, we should not expect that God will still be happy with us. Allah may put us in a trouble where we need help of others and we do not find any. (b)       The Prophet (saw) was asked by his slave to curse the people of Taif but he said: “I have been sent as a mercy to mankind”. He forgave the prisoners of Badr and the people of Makkah when he conquered the city. He created brotherhood in Madina and the people of Madina showed a real Islamic charac

Translation                                                                                      May God show mercy to a man who is kindly when he sells, when he buys, and when he demands his money back. Teachings (a)       The Prophet (saw) gives us a golden rule that we should behave kindly with the others in our financial dealings. Kindness in selling means that our profit should be reasonable. We should not take advantage of the problems of a buyer and we should not hide the faults of the goods. In buying we should not be obstinate. If we are satisfied that the seller is taking reasonable profit, we should have the spirit of helping our Muslim brother. This is particularly applicable where we deal with the common shopkeepers.  Most of the time, we show a harsh behaviour when we give some money on loan and when it is not paid on time, we lose our temper and do not care about some genuine problem of the borrower. We learn that we should be kind and soft in business d

Translation                                      He who studies the Quran is like the owner of tethered camels. If he attends to them he will keep hold of them, but if he lets them loose they will go away. Teachings (a)       In this example the prophet (saw) teaches us that reading, understanding, applying and giving the message of the Quran to others is important for Muslims. This is only possible when we take Quran seriously as a part of our life. If we are careless about the Quran, we will lose guidance for life and we will adopt the ways of Satan which will put us in trouble because Allah will be angry with us. Therefore studying and understanding Quran regularly and following its way is an essential part of a Muslim’s life. (b)       In a Hadith, the Prophet (saw) says that the one who does not remember any part of the Quran, his heart is like a deserted house. Quran is the book which gives us peace and keeps us out of frustrations. If we quit reading and understand

Translation                                                                                      The Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace) sent Abu Musa and Muadh Bin Jabl to Yemen, and he sent each of them to govern a part. Then he said: ' Be gentle and do not be hard, and cause rejoicing and do not alienate.'                       Teachings (a)       The Prophet (saw) gives us principles of good governance.  A ruler should be gentle and nice with the people and he should not be cruel. At the same time he should be firm in his governance and he must not compromise on principles. The A ruler should also adopt policies which should make the life of people simple and easy and avoid policies which create hatred among people. Since these were the instructions of the Prophet (saw) to the governors, it becomes obligatory for Muslim rulers to adopt the teachings and instructions given in this Hadith or they will be sinners. (b)       Muslim rulers o

Translation                                                                                      'I and the man who brings up an orphan will be in paradise like this' and he pointed with his two fingers, the index finger and the middle finger.                       Teachings                                                                                                                                 (a)      This Hadith teaches us humanity. We will be with the Prophet (saw) in the paradise and we will be in his company if we take care of an orphan. An orphan is a helpless child who is deprived of not only the love of his parents but most of the time, they are also poor. They cannot earn their income due to their young age. In this situation, Muslims should take their responsibility. We can manage their food, clothing, housing, education and even marriages. The reward for this is the company of the Pro

The position of women as wives Sura Al Baqarah Ayat 187 says: “They (your wives) are your garments and you are their garments”. Sura Al Rum Ayat 21 says that Allah has created mates so that they may live in peace, love and mercy with each other.  A Hadith says: “The best among you is the one who is the best towards his wife”. Last Sermon of the Prophet (saw) says: “Wives have rights over their husbands and husbands have rights over their wives.Treat them well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers”. Wives are equal to their husbands and they are partners to their husbands in family life. Mehr, the amount committed by the husband at the time of marriage, should be given to the wife at the time of Nikah. Dowry, given by the parents of the bride, is the right of the wife. She can own her property and her earning. She will receive inheritance from her relatives. Expenditure of the house is the responsibility of the husband. The husb

Q         Describe three events from the time of the Prophet (sw) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs that show how they conducted relations between the early Muslim community and other communities.                                    [3 x 4-J-07] Q         Describe four incidents that show how between 622 and 661, the Prophet (saw) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs conducted relations with other states.                                                                                                                      [4x3-N-06] Q         Describe three examples from the time of the Prophet (saw) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs that show the relations between the early Muslim state and other states.                                                                                               [3x4-N-04] 1     The Prophet (saw) signed a treaty in 622 with the Jews of Madina. It was settled in the Treaty that Jews would have religious independence. Both the communities would defend Madi

Q         Explain what Mulims mean when they say they should be modest Towards: 1          God 2          Members of the opposite sex 3          Friends at school or work.                       [5+6+5-N-02][5+6+5-N-05] Modesty towards God: Faith in one God means acknowledging His authority and associating no partners with Him. Sura Al Fatihah says: “Only You we worship and only Your aid we seek”. A Muslim should follow His guidance as given in Quran and given by the Prophet Muhammad (saw). Prophet (sw) says: “Say, I believe in God, then act uprightly”. Modesty towards God demands to worship Him by performing obligatory prayers, following His law regarding other human being and believing that Allah is watching us all the time. A Hadith from Tirmizi says: “Practice modesty towards Allah as it ought to be practiced towards Him” Members of the opposite sex For women, they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must appear. Sura Al Aaraaf say

Compilation of the Quran under the Rightly Guided Caliphs Q         Trace the main stages in the compilation of the Quran in the time of the Caliphs Abu bakr (ra) and Uthman (ra).                [2x5-N-06][12-N-03] Q         Give an account of how the Quran was compiled in the years following the Prophet’s death.                                                                         [10-J-10] Q         Write about the methods used to compile the Quran into a book after the death of the Prophet (sw).                                                   [10-N-14-2058/12] The work of Abu Bakr (ra) When Abu Bakr (ra) became the first Caliph of the Islamic Empire, he had to fight with the false prophets. In the fierce battle of Yamama, 70 companions of the Prophet who had the Quran in their memory were martyred. Until now, the holy Quran was in the scattered writing. Umar (ra) advised Abu Bakr (ra) to bring the Quran in the book form. First he hesitated because the Prophet had