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Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2024). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. A01 - Knowledge and understanding
2. Mark according to the AO1 – 10-mark levels of response marking grid for knowledge and understanding.
3. Answers may include some of the following ideas, but all valid material must be credited.
4. Belief in the afterlife implies belief in everything that the Qur'an or the Prophet (pbuh) has stated about what happens to a human after their death.
5. Islam teaches that there is life after death, and this is known as 'akhirah. In Islam, it is God who decides when a person dies and most Muslims believe that when they die, they will stay in their graves until the Day of Judgement.
6. Muslims believe that when a person dies, their soul is taken by Izra'il, the angel of death. The dead are then buried under the earth and once in their graves, God sends two angels to question the waiting souls. The souls then remain in an intermediary world between life on earth and the afterlife, known as barzakh. ‘O my Lord! send me back (to life), In order that I may work righteousness in the things I neglected.' 'By no means! It is but a word he says. Before them is a Partition Till the Day they are Raised up.' (Qur'an 23.99-100)
7. While in the grave, the deceased souls that deserve to go to hell will experience some suffering whereas the deceased souls that are bound for paradise will experience peace while they wait for the day of resurrection.
8. Muslims believe that on the Day of Judgement, the dead will be resurrected, and a judgement will be pronounced on every person in accordance with their deeds.
9. Those who followed God's guidance will be rewarded with paradise; those who rejected God's guidance will be punished with hellfire. ‘There will every soul prove (the fruits of) the deeds It sent before: they will Be brought back to God Their rightful Lord, And their invented falsehoods Will leave them in the lurch.' (Qur'an 10.30)
10. Belief in the Day of Judgement also includes belief in the signs that will appear before the last day, some major signs, such as the rising of the sun from the east, the coming of Dajjal, the descent of Prophet 'Isa.
11. Some of the minor signs could be mentioned, such as the decline of knowledge, the spread of ignorance, drinking of wine or alcohol, and adultery.
12. AO2 - Analysis and evaluation
13. Mark according to the AO2 – 15-mark levels of response marking grid for analysis and evaluation. Answers may refer to any Islamic religious theory or teaching. Candidates may propose, analyse and evaluate some of the following arguments. All relevant arguments must be credited.
14. Agree
15. From both the Qur'an and Hadith, Muslims learn that the reward for good deeds is paradise (Jannah). Candidates could quote verses and Hadith to support their argument.
16. 'But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness that their portion is Gardens beneath which rivers flow.' (Qur'an 2.25)
17. 'But those who have faith and work righteousness they are Companions of the Garden therein shall they abide (for ever) ...' (Qur'an 2.82)
18. A man questioned the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and said: 'Do you think that if I perform the obligatory prayers, fast in Ramadan, treat as lawful that which is halal, and treat as forbidden that which is haram, and do not increase upon that [in voluntary good deeds], then I shall enter Paradise?' He replied, 'Yes.'
19. Disagree
20. Candidates could disagree and explain that there are other reasons why Muslims do good deeds. Some Muslims do good deeds in order to escape the punishment in the hereafter. The Qur'an has many verses warning humans not to disobey God, which leads to hellfire. '...He will say: "The fire be your dwelling-place you will dwell therein for ever except as God willeth." For thy Lord is full of wisdom and knowledge.' (Qur'an 6.128)
21. Other Muslims do good deeds not solely to attain paradise (Jannah) but in order to be able to see God in paradise (Jannah), as has been promised in the Qur'an. 'Some faces that Day shall be shining and radiant. Looking at their Lord (Allah).' (Qur'an: 22-23)
22. Others do good because it is moral to do so and as each individual is endowed with a moral compass, they have a natural inclination towards doing good deeds and this can apply to both Muslims and non-Muslims.
23. Some Sufis, like Rabia al-Adawiyya, do good deeds for the sole love of God. They believe that God should be worshipped for his own sake and not out of desire of reward or for fear of punishment.
24. Conclusion
25. An overall judgement in conclusion might refer to the reasons Muslims do good deeds and the extent to which earning paradise (Jannah) is the main reason.