EITHER

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2023). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. Candidates could explain what intention (niyyah) in Islam means – the intention in one's heart to do an act for God or follow God's commands and, thus, seek his pleasure.
2. It is important for Muslims to make the intention before doing any good deed, because no action is acceptable before God without having pure intention. There are many verses in the Qur'an and Hadith which show that all deeds and actions depend upon the intention.
3. Umar narrated the following Hadith which shows that if a good action is done with any other intention than to please God then the person loses the reward for that action: 'Verily actions are by intentions, and for every person is what he intended. So, the one whose hijrah (migration from Mecca to Medina) was to Allah and His Messenger, then his hijrah was to Allah and His Messenger. And the one whose hijrah was for the world to gain from it, or a woman to marry him, then his hijrah was to what he made hijrah for.'
4. Qur'an 6.162 – ‘Say: “Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the worlds.” This shows that the essence of a Muslim's action should be for the sole purpose of pleasing God.
5. Sincerity (ikhlas) is to purify something, not to mix it with anything else. Sincerity of intention in matters of obedience is to seek only God as a witness for the actions or as a compensator for them, and not people.
6. Some scholars divide intention (niyyah) into 2 categories, the obligatory intention (niyyah), which is required for doing some major deeds e.g. giving charity, fasting and Hajj. This intention (niyyah) is how you differentiate one act of worship from another, e.g. Fajr prayer from Maghrib prayer. The second one is a recommended intention (niyyah), i.e. to keep the intention in mind when doing deliberate mundane motion, so for example, make the intention of eating to keep healthy in order to be capable of doing good deeds.
7. Candidates can also explain that a single action can be done with many intentions e.g. when you are going to university, the intention can be to please your parents (which is a duty in Islam), but also to be able to access a career which will allow you to earn permissible (halal) earnings. Multiple intentions will lead to God's pleasure.
8. Any other relevant point that candidates make to show why making intention (niyyah) is important should be credited.
9. Candidates may begin by explaining what the statement means and then evaluate the statement, coming to a conclusion as to whether they agree with the statement or not, supporting their argument. The best answers will focus on the word 'most' in their evaluation.
10. Agree Candidates could agree by saying that among all the acts of worship, fasting is considered as the most private.
11. According to a Hadith qudsi, God says, 'The fasting (sawm) is for Me and I will reward it.' [Bukhari and Muslim]. This Hadith shows that fasting is a private decision of the individual and this act is between them and God, whether they want to do it or not. No one should coerce anyone to fast.
12. Fasting is also considered as private as it is a secret and hidden action and unless the person mentions it to others, no one apart from God knows about it.
13. When a person fasts without anyone being aware about it, the element of showing off (riya) is erased from this act and they earn more reward because of its pure sincerity. Thus, it is not only very private but also the most sincere action.
14. Disagree Candidates could disagree with the statement arguing that fasting is not so private as people around you can see that you are abstaining from food and drink. There are other deeds that can be more private for example, charity and prayer.
15. In a Hadith the Prophet (pbuh) mentioned those who will be shaded by God's shade on the Day of Judgement and among them is 'a person who gives charity and conceals it (to such an extent) that the right hand does not know what the left has given.'
16. Also, Qur'an 2:271 mentions that the best charity is that which is done in secret.
17. Praying at night (tahajjud) when everyone is sleeping can be very private too. It is an act of worship which has great virtue in Islam as shown by this Hadith: 'Every night Allah descends (to the heavens of the world) when it is the third of the last night. He said: 'Whoever calls me, I will allow his appeal. Whoever asks me, I allow his request. And whoever asks forgiveness of Me, I forgive him.' (Bukhari and Muslim)
18. Performing prayer (salah) with contemplation (khushu') can be a very private experience between God and the person praying, and no one can come in between.
19. Candidates could disagree partially saying that it is true that fasting is private, but so can any other act of worship, if done with sincerity (ikhlas) and without boasting about it to others.
20. Another way to disagree with the statement could be to argue whether fasting is more a private act of worship or a public one.
21. Candidates should arrive at a conclusion whether fasting is the most private act or not, and if not why not. Or they can conclude that there are other act(s) of worship that can be said to be more private.