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Week 02
Day 01 [Paper 02]
1 Choose any two of the following Hadiths, and:
• (a) Describe their teachings about what Muslims believe; [4]
• (b) Explain how Muslims can put these teachings into action. [4]

Main Teachings : [2] marks

• The all-important teaching given in this Hadith is for Muslims to show compassion and care in society
and to perform acts of charity. In this Hadith the Prophet has given Muslims a few examples of act of
charity (sadaqa) that they should perform on a daily basis.
• Charity here does not refer only to the act of giving money in the Allah’s way but in fact any act or
gesture that would help the community.
• Islam teaches Muslims to reflect upon even the smallest of Allah’s favors such as the smooth and proper
functioning of our joints and organs in the body. In return it asks believers to be helpful and charitable
towards others in the society. Prophet (pbuh) said, “The best amongst people is the one who is a source
of benefit for the people.”
• An important teaching of this Hadith is that worship of God is not restricted to fulfilling the Pillars of,
say, salat or fasting but everyday acts of kindness also come under worship when they are performed
with the intention of pleasing God.
Action : [2] marks
• This Hadith can be acted upon by fulfilling one’s role in society responsibly. Social responsibility is the
essence of this Hadith and Muslims can practise it by greeting others with a smile, giving correct advice
when asked, feeding the hungry etc.
• In social life, a positive role can be played in different ways e.g by Settling disputes between friends
with justice, helping people mount on their conveyance or carrying their belonging, removing any
hindrance from the road, helping the blind to cross the road.
• Prophet (pbuh) was kind and helpful even to his enemies as he helped and served the old woman who
regularly pelted him with rubbish on his way to prayer. He used to share his meals with guests,
supported orphans and helped poor.
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(a)Main Teachings : [2] marks

• The teaching of this Hadith clearly states that removing or wanting to remove evil wherever one may
find it is a fundamental characteristic of a true believer.
• It teaches not only to abstain from evil but also to prevent others from unrighteous deeds. It is
unworthy of a believer to ignore any evil practice in his presence.
• It emphasizes that evil should be discouraged at every level. Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) said, “The best
type of jihad is speaking a true words in front of a tyrant ruler.”
• This is obligatory for all but especially for those who have authority such as the ruler or governor of a
place, the police or the local judiciary the media. Distancing oneself from evil and being quiet “is the
weakest response.”
(b)Action: [2] marks
• Every Muslim can implement the teachings of this Hadith in their lives. The scale of their influence
may vary but everyone is required to play their part in bringing about a positive change.
• correcting social evils like preventing or reporting electricity theft or tackling corruption in an
institution by taking strong action against any member of the workforce found to be taking bribes etc.
• Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) prevented Meccans from idol worship and other social evils and even faced
persecutions for that. He advised his followers to not only help to one who is a victim of injustice but
also to stop the one who is unjust.
Tauheed, the belief in Oneness of Allah
M/J 2013
4 (a) Outline the Muslim teaching about the belief in the oneness of God (tawhid). [10]
M/J 2016
5 (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]
O/N 2020
4 (a) Write a detailed account of belief in:
• God as the Supreme Lord and Master of all creation;
• God alone is entitled to worship; and
• God is known by His most beautiful names and attributes. [10]
Answer(Learn and write):
It is an article of faith without which a Muslim’s faith is incomplete. It is mentioned in the Imaan-e-Mufassal,
which is: “I believe in Allah, in His angels, in His books, in His messengers, in the last day and in the fact that
everything good or bad is decided by Allah, the Almighty, and in life after death”.
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At the heart of Islam lies belief in Allah as the only deity worthy of worship by his creation. The essence of
Islam is bearing witness to the phrase, ‘There is no god but Allah’. The testimony to this belief, called
tauheed, is the axis around which Islam revolves. Tauheed requires belief in Allah’s existence which is
reflected in His creation. Allah’s presence can be perceived by His answer to our prayers, the miracles gave
some of his Prophets, and the teachings in the revealed books. In fact, every human is born with an
instinctive belief in Allah. The Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said, “Every child is born in a state of fitrah
(a natural belief in Allah) then his parents make him a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian.”
Belief in Allah, In Islam, consists of following aspects:
1. Belief in Allah’s Lordship
Belief in the supremacy of Allah means that both heaven and earth, and all that lies beyond them, unknown
to humans, belongs to Allah. He alone is the most supreme the exclusive lord and master of all His creation.
He created them out of non-existence and they are dependent upon Him for their conversation and
continuation and He alone has the power to bring them all to an end or bring them to life again.
Furthermore, He did not create the universe without purpose and leave it to run is own course. In fact, His
power is what sustains this universe and all known and unknown life within it. Quran says, ‘Praise be to
Allah, the Lord of the worlds.”
Belief in Allah as the supreme Lord also means to acknowledge Him as the Supreme lawgiver, the absolute
judge and legislators, who alone distinguishes right from wrong. Just as the physical world submits to His
supremacy, human beings must submit to the moral and religious teaching of their Lord.
In other words, Allah alone has the authority to make law, determine acts of worship, decide morals, and
set standards of human interaction and behavior.
2. Allah alone is entitled to be worshiped
In Islam, Allah’s right to be worshipped cannot be questioned. Allah has the exclusive right to be worshipped
inwardly, and outwardly, by one’s heart, body and soul.
No one should be worshipped other than Him and no one can be worshipped along with Him. He has no
partners and no associates in worship. Worship for Him alone. The Quran says, “And your God is the one
and only Allah; there is no God but He, most gracious, most merciful.” (2:163)
The central messages of all Prophets and messengers sent by Allah, such as Hazrat Ibrahim, Hazrat Ishaq,
Hazrat Ismail, Hazrat Musa, Hazrat Isa and Hazrat Muhammad (P.B.U.H), is to urge humanity to surrender
to Allah’s will and His Worship. The Quran says, “And we never sent any messenger before you (O
Muhammad (P.B.U.H) without having revealed to him that there is no God but I, therefore worship and
serve Me (alone).” (21:25)
3. Allah’s names and attributes
The names of God reflect His majesty, power and perfection. His attributes are unique and all-
encompassing. Amongst his 99 names are: Al-Qawee[The Almighty], Al-Ahad [The
Incomparable] , Al-Aleem [ the All knowing], Ar-Rahman [The Compassionate] etc. Muslim start
their day and tasks with the name of Allah and remind themselves of His compassion and mercy
every time they eat, drink, or do anything of importance.
As only Allah is perfect, no one else should be named or qualified with His names or
qualifications. Muslims must believe in all the qualities of Allah stated in the Quran and as
mentioned by His Prophet (P.B.U.H); this belief forms an integral part of faith.
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Forgiveness too is an important dimension of human relationship with Allah. Human beings are weak and
prone to sin, but Allah in His mercy is willing to forgive those who repent. He is the Forgiver, Al-Ghafur and
Oft-forgiving, Al-Ghaffar.
Attributing any of Allah’s qualities to another deity or human is known as shirk and this is an
unforgivable sin in Islam as it goes against the primary belief in Tauheed. The Quran says, “There
is nothing like Him, and He sees and hears all things.” (Quran 42:11)

5(b) Why has God repeatedly warned Muslims against committing shirk? [4]
All three kinds of shirk should never be committed . The severity of shirk can be understood through the
following :
• Shirk makes the Creator like His creation, Therefore, Allah declares shirk to be the greatest wrong,
“Indeed to ascribe partners (unto Him) is a tremendous wrong.” (Quran 31:13)
• Allah has forbidden Paradise to those who do not repent from committing shirk, condemning him to
Hell for eternity,
“Surely whoever associates (others) with Allah, Allah has forbidden to him Paradise and his
abode is the Fire.” (Quran 5:72)
• All the good works a person may have done are lost, become worthless, and are rendered vain if a
person dies unrepentant of shirk.

Shirk
M/J 2017[22]
4(a) Associating partners (shirk) is opposed to believing in the oneness of God (tawhid) and
can be divided into three main categories. Write about each category. [10]
Answer (Learn and write):
There is no issue upon which Islam is so strict as the one
of tawheed (monotheism). Therefore, shirk is considered the greatest violation with which
the Lord of the heavens and the earth is defied. All three kinds of shirk should never be
committed “Surely whoever associates (others) with Allah, Allah has forbidden to him
Paradise and his abode is the Fire.” (Quran 5:72)
Three main kinds of shirk are:
1. Shirk in the existence of God would constitute assigning partners to God or saying that there is more
than one Creator or that there are more gods than one. It could also be committed by declaring God to be the
father or son of someone. An example is Christians who believe that Allah is God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit, all at the same time. Quran rejects it by saying,
‘He does not beget, nor is He begotten.’
This is the most unforgivable sin and should never be committed as God has said in several places in the Qur’an
e.g. ‘Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him, but He forgives anything else to whom He
pleases.’ (AlNisa 4:48)
This category also includes Atheism (the belief that human beings have no Lord).
Pharaoh denied the existence of Allah and claimed his own self to be the Lord over Moses and the people
of Egypt. He announced to people: “I am your Lord, Most High.” (Quran 79:24). Also, the idea that nature
itself is God, or that God dwells within His creation is also shirk.
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2. Shirk in the worship of God can be committed by praying invoking or asking for help from any other than
God and by offering sacrifice or slaughtering in the name of any other than God. Muslims should therefore only
ask God for the fulfilment of their wishes or needs as that power lies only with him. Only He should be invoked.
“You alone we worship and your aid we seek.”
Example of this shirk is held by people who pray to the dead. They believe the souls of the saints and other
people can meddle in the affairs of mortal men, that somehow the departed souls can cause change in the life
of men and women by answering their prayers or in other ways. The truth is that the dead have no power over
the lives of the living; they cannot answer anyone’s prayers, nor protect them, nor grant their wishes.
3. Shirk in God’s attributes means to ascribe qualities which are unique to God to some other being. It
means to believe that some being other than God has the power to create, or make something perish or has
the same knowledge as God or the same divine power. It can be further classified into two types:
(i) Humanizing Allah by giving Him attributes similar to humans is shirk. Depictions of God in paintings and
sculpture are of this type. Christianity, the major religion of the West, views God in human terms, as Jesus
is considered God incarnate by them. On the contrary, the Muslim tradition has been clear on this point
because of the Quran’s clear teachings,
“There is nothing like Him, and He sees and hears all things.” (Quran 42:11)
(ii) Another form of this type of shirk is when human beings are deified by giving them divine names or
qualities. For example, the Christians raise Mary, the mother of Jesus, to a divine status by giving her some
of Allah’s attributes, such as the Merciful. They also call Mary the mother of God, ‘God’ being a reference
to her son Jesus.
4(b) Does belief in angels make a Muslim’s faith stronger? Give reasons for your answer. [4]
• belief in angels does make a Muslim’s faith stronger.
• By believing in them, even though they cannot be seen, a Muslim is confirming his/her firm belief in all
that the Qur’an says about them and what the Prophet (pbuh) has said about them.
• the revealed faiths prior to Islam also believe in angels and this belief confirms the Muslim belief that
Islam is a continuation and culmination of the previous faiths revealed by God hence making their faith
even stronger.
• by believing in angels e.g. Jibra’il being the angel who brought revelations to the Prophet (pbuh)
Muslims are convinced of the Qur’an being sent by God which in turn makes their faith stronger.
Importance of Tauheed
M/J 2017 (21)
3(a) Belief in the oneness of God (tawhid) is a fundamental aspect of faith. State how
tawhid benefits Muslims in their everyday life. [10]
Answer (Learn and write):
It is an article of faith without which a Muslim’s faith is incomplete. It is mentioned in the Imaan-e-Mufassal,
which is: “I believe in Allah, in His angels, in His books, in His messengers, in the last day and in the fact that
everything good or bad is decided by Allah, the Almighty, and in life after death”.
The Belief of Tawheed is the profound base of Islam, yet it is the core of all the Divine messages . There is One
God Who has created everything, and He is the Lord of everything, to Him creations and matter recur, and to
Him are all destinies, He is The Lord in heaven and earth, and it is only Him Who deserves to be worshiped.
Allah says in the Qur’an: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”
The benefits of tawhid in the life of a Muslim are several.
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• It liberates human from all kind of slavery, except for being slave to One God, Who has created and
honored mankind.
• The faithful believer doesn’t fear but Allah, and because of that, he is secured when people are
frightened, calm when people are worried, and tranquil when people are confused. Tawhid also gives
a Muslim courage as they know that only God is the giver or taker of life so in turn this belief makes
them brave.
• This belief makes a person virtuous and upright. He has the conviction that there is no other means of
success and salvation for him except purity of soul and righteousness of behavior. He has perfect faith
in God Who is above all need, is related to none and is absolutely just. This belief creates in him the
consciousness that, unless he lives rightly and acts justly, he cannot succeed. No influence or underhand
activity can save him from ruin. Thus, a Muslim surrenders completely to the will of God and becomes
obedient to Him.
• This belief produces the highest degree of self-respect and self esteem. The believer knows that Allah
alone is the Possessor of all power, and that none besides Him can benefit or harm a person, or provide
for his needs, or give and take away life or wield authority or influence. This conviction makes him
indifferent to, and independent and fearless of, all powers other than those of God. He never bows his
head in homage to any of God's creatures, nor does he stretch out his hand before anyone else. He is
not overawed by anybody's greatness.
• This belief also generates a sense of modesty and humbleness. It makes him unostentatious and
unpretending. A believer never becomes proud, haughty or arrogant because he knows that whatever
he possesses has been given to him by God, and that God can take away just as He can give. In contrast
to this, an unbeliever, when he achieves some worldly merit, becomes proud and conceited because he
believes that his merit is due to his own worth.
• Tawheed is all about freeing mind from delusions and myths, freeing conscious from giving up and
humiliation, and freeing life from the domination of people.
• it stimulates unity and brotherhood and broadens the outlook of a believer as they realise that God’s
love and sympathy is not confined to any one group of people but to His entire creation.
• It also creates an attitude of peace and contentment and frees one from jealousy and envy and greed.
Muslims believe that Allah alone is the giver and taker of everything, Therefore, a believer never
becomes jealous of others.
3(b) Give reasons to support the statement that without tawhid there is no faith. [4]
▪ belief in the oneness of God is the first article of Islam and all forms of ibadah revolve around it.
▪ because Muslims believe in the one God they offer salat five times a day to glorify Him and seek His
aid;
▪ they fast in the month of Ramadan, give zakat and perform hajj which are all actions to glorify God, to
follow His commands, to please Him and to seek His mercy.
▪ If the belief in tawhid was absent there would be no need to act upon the Pillars of faith or the
teachings of Islam as they are all done to please the one God.