O Level Islamic Studies by Ahsan Naqvi

Q         Discuss the importance of Jibra’il in comparison to other angels. [4-N-10] Jibrail (AS) is the chief of all angels. He has the honour that he brought the messages of Allah and the Books of Allah to the prophets. In that way he was the means of communication between the prophets and Allah. He is superior to all angels because Allah Himself has described his respect. In Sura Al Qadr, Allah says: “In this Night, the angels and Rooh descend with the permission of their Lord”. In this Ayat, Rooh is angel Jibrael. Jibril (as) is a very huge figure. When the Prophet (sw) saw him in original form, he had covered the entire horizon. Jibril (as) was also chosen for very special tasks too. He brought the message to Maryam (as) of the birth of Essa (as). He also came to the Prophet (sw) in the form of a human and talked to him in the presence of other companions. In many respects he is different from other angels.

Q         What lessons can Muslim learn from these stories? [4-N-13-2058/11] From Ibraheem (as): ·         The lesson of Tauheed or oneness of Allah ·         Use of our sense to distinguish between right and wrong ·         To find truth from the signs of nature. ·         To be brave and firm when we are sure of a truth From Essa (as) ·         To believe that like other human beings, Essa (as) was only a human being. He has got nothing to do with the powers of Allah ·         To believe in the miracles given by Allah to the prophets. ·         To believe that every miracle is due to the power of Allah and not because of the personal power of prophets. ·         To believe that allah saves us from all problems. When we see the truth and the right, we should accept it.

Q         Write about the experiences of the two prophets you have studied in the Quran (not including the Prophet Mohammad (sw)). [10-N-13-2058/11] Ibrahim (as) was sent about 2500 years before Mohammad (saw). He was given a very high place as prophet by Allah. From him, two major races emerged; Bani Israel and Bani Ismail. The passage shows that he was a strong believer in oneness of Allah and he never committed Shirk. We also come to know that he used his common sense in order to recognize Allah and ultimately he concluded that Allah is Al Mighty and All Powerful. We also see the same signs around us but we do not think. So also did we show Abraham the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth, so that he might have certainty. [6:75] We also learn that when Ibrahim (as) came to his final decision that everything in this universe is controlled by Allah, he declared it clearly to his people that he was ready to worship anything but one Allah. From the holy Quran,

Q         Briefly explain why Allah revealed different books from time to time.                                                                [4-N-11] Allah created man and spread the mankind on this earth with the purpose that they should obey Allah. The earth for the human kind is a testing ground and all human beings die after the completion of a fixed time of their life. In the beginning of humanity, there was the worship of one Allah and there was no shirk but gradually Satan put the human beings on to his path and involved them in shirk and other sins. Now it became important that they should be guided to the right path. For this purpose, Allah appointed prophets among them who taught them the right path. When humanity further developed and formed into nations, it became important to give them a certain law regarding the pattern of life they should have on the earth. For this purpose, Allah gave His books to mankind through His prophets. The initial books were the script

Q         Explain what Muslims mean by the title “Seal of the Prophets”.    [4-N-08][4-J-02] “Mohammad (saw) is not the father of any of your men, but he is the   messenger of Allah and the last of the prophets -----”(Al Ahzab-40) The word “seal” or the Arabic word “Khatim” is used to close something. Here it means that the chapter of prophethood has been closed and after Mohammad (saw), no prophet will come until the Day of Judgment. Mohammad (saw) says: “The building of Islam was complete but there was space for one last brick.   That brick is me”. Mohammad (saw) has delivered the final message of Islam to humanity. Quran is the Book of Allah which is well preserved and safe from any corruption or change. The teachings of Mohammad (saw) are also safe and a part of Muslims’ lives since the very beginning of Islam. The teachings of Islam are applicable to every society and every period of time. Due to these reasons there is no need for any prophets. In his last s

Q         What does a Muslim believe by the words 'And Muhammad is the messenger of God'?                                   [6-J-07][6-J-03][6-J-00] Mohammad (saw) is the last messenger (Rusul) in the line of prophets which started from Adam (as). He gave the same message which was given by the other prophets. It is to believe in one God without any partnership. It is to believe in the Resurrection and the Day of Judgment in order to correct attitude according to the will of Allah and believing that whatever the Prophet (saw) is saying is right as he has no personal interest in giving this message. However Mohammad (saw) is for the entire humanity and for every period of time until the Day of Judgment. The worships in Islam and the social laws are applicable to every society and they are not concentrated to a particular nation. Mohammad (saw) was given the holy Quran which is the last Book of Allah. Allah has preserved the holy Quran from corruption and change. He has

Q         Explain how this belief influences the daily living of a Muslim. [4-J-09] Q         How are these prophets and their messages important for Muslims?                                                             [4-N-13-2058/22] The prophets of Allah were the representatives of Allah on this earth. Allah wants every human being to be good to each other. This is only possible when the concept of Tauheed and the Day of Judgment is clear in our mind. A Muslim believes in all the prophets of Allah and the prophets gave the concept of loving humanity. The prophets also asked the human beings to serve others in the best possible way. The teachings of Mohammad (saw) are not different from the other prophets. His Ahadith are full of commands relating to human rights. Prophets also asked us to believe in one Allah, follow His way and not to make partners with Him. This concept of Tauheed takes us out of the slavery of other human beings. The prophets told us about the Day o

Belief in the Prophets   -   Rusul & Nabi Q         Outline the most important features of the Quran teachings about prophethood.                      [4-N-03][4-N-05][4-J-04] Q         What are the main features of the belief in the line of messengers (Rusul) who were sent before the time of the Prophet Mohammad (saw)?     10-J-03][10-J-07][10-J-00] Q         Write about Muslim belief in prophets.                         [10-J-09] Q         Give a full account of the Muslim belief in prophets.             [10-N-11] Q         Give an account of Muslim belief in the following: (i) angels; and   (ii) prophets.                                                       [10-N-12-paper 21] Q         Give an account of Muslim belief in prophets and the messages they preached.                              [10-N-13-2058/22] Prophets or the Messengers of Allah were all chosen by Allah. They were all human beings who were sent to particular nations and communities. They

Q         To what extent does this belief affect the daily living of Muslims?  [4-J-11] Belief in the predestination and decree of God (Qaza and Qadr) plays a very important role in a Muslim’s daily life. It is very important to understand the concept correctly. The right concept demands that we should plan and work hard on that plan. Our planning should be based on the will of Allah. It means that if we plan something which is against the Quran and Sunnah, we will face the anger of Allah in this life. When we make a good plan and put our hard work in it, we should leave the result to Allah. The misunderstanding of this concept is harmful to us. This is wrong that we quit planning and hard work because whatever is in our destiny will happen automatically. At the same time, this is also wrong that we should believe that the result of our planning will come out in our favour without the help of Allah. Those who believe in Allah are peaceful people because if they suffer any los

God's Predestination and Decree—Qaza and Qadr Q         Write short accounts of Muslim belief about God’s Predestination and Decree. [4-J-05]5-specimen paper 09] Q         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-J-11] Meaning and significance Predestination is Qadr which is derived from the word Qadir, which is an attribute of Allah meaning all powerful. Allah is the creator of everything and He is the also the creator of human beings. “To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the on earth and He is    most High, most Great”.   [42:4] Allah knows it very well what is good for us and what is bad. He has complete control over His creation. However, Allah has given us a choice of selecting right (Halaal) or selecting wrong (Haraam) and for this, He has provided us guidance in His Book Quran and in the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammad (saw). The purpose of