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: