Explain the Muslim belief in God.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2022). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. Muslims believe in the oneness and unity of Allah (tawhid) as expressed in the first of the Five Pillars of Islam, the statement of faith (shahadah).
2. Muslims also acknowledge God as Supreme Lord and Master of all Creation, the Maker of the Heaven and Earth. Belief in God's lordship and supremacy means that both heaven and earth and all that is in between them and beyond belongs to God.
3. He alone is the master who created everything that exists from nothingness, and everything is dependent on him for its existence and continuation. He alone has the power to bring them all to an end and to bring them to life again. He is not only the creator but also the sustainer of all creation on earth and in heaven and therefore he is the sole provider/carer (Rabb) of the entire world.
4. Muslims believe that belief in God's lordship leads to the belief in his worship. Since he is the one who created them and provided for them, therefore no one deserves to be worshipped except for him alone and no one should be put on a par with God. In Qur'an 13.16 God says: 'Say: 'Who is the Lord and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth?' Say: '(It is) Allah.' Say: 'Do ye then take (for worship) protectors other than Him, such as have no power either for good or for harm to themselves?'
5. Islam stresses the need to have firm belief in various attributes of God, the Creator and the controller of the universe. He is the Lord of all the worlds. He is gracious and merciful. He is master of the Day of Judgement (1.1–4). God's attribute of Samad (Sura 112) means that he is the Supreme Being who exists independently of everything else. He does not need anyone whereas the whole universe is in need of him.
6. Contrarily to humans, God does not have children nor is he the parent of anyone (12.2–5). He does not have any human quality nor any human needs, such as hunger and thirst (35.15). He does not fall asleep (2.255). He is unique in his qualities (112.4).
7. Candidates could give a brief introduction on what the oneness of God means to a Muslim and then evaluate the statement.
8. Agree: For a Muslim, the most important belief is the belief in the oneness of God (tawhid) as it is the first requirement for a person to enter the fold of Islam. It is also the first Pillar of Islam and the first Article of Faith. Without believing in it a person is not considered a Muslim.
9. Agree: If this belief is absent, or associates are given to God, this is considered as shirk, the greatest sin of all, which is not forgiven. Qur'an 4.116 ‘Allah forgiveth not (The sin of) joining other gods with Him; but He forgiveth whom He pleaseth other sins than this: one who joins other gods with Allah, Hath strayed far, far away (from the right).'
10. Agree: In a Hadith the Prophet (pbuh) said: 'He who has in his heart as much faith as a grain of mustard seed will not enter hell, and he who has in his heart as much pride as a grain of mustard seed will not enter paradise.' This was referring to belief in God, which guarantees paradise to the person having it.
11. Disagree: Candidates can argue that though belief in God's oneness is enough to attain salvation in the hereafter, it is not enough to lead a good life on earth.
12. Disagree: Muslims also need to believe in the other Articles of Faith in order for their faith to be complete.
13. Disagree: Muslims' belief in angels, books and prophets are also important as they are the means through which humans get to know about God's message about how to lead a righteous life. The prophets all conveyed the message of God to humans, through the books which were revealed through Angel Jibreel.
14. Disagree: Belief in the Day of Judgment is also essential as humans will be judged for their actions in this life and will be rewarded by paradise or punished by hell. It will lead them to follow God's guidance.
15. Disagree: Belief in the divine decree also is imperative for a Muslim as it addresses the question of God's will. It is the belief that everything is governed by divine decree, and that whatever happens in one's life it is preordained, and that believers should respond to the good or bad that befalls them with thankfulness or patience.
16. Conclusion: Candidates could make an overall judgment about whether belief in God is the most essential of all beliefs or whether all the beliefs are needed to be a good Muslim.