OR 4

Mark scheme

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

1. [10] (a) The Mu'tazilah believe in divine justice ('adl), which is one of their five principles, and refers to God's justice which is set out in balance over the worldly life and in the afterlife.
2. [10] (a) In the earthly life, the Mu'tazilah position is that humans have free will so are responsible themselves for being just and handling their fellow human beings with justice. Life is a test, and all will be judged according to their beliefs and their actions.
3. [10] (a) The Qur'an makes clear that God is good: “And ye have no good thing But is from God." (Qur'an 16:53). This leaves the problem of explaining why there is evil in the world, especially if God is all-powerful and God is transcendent and everywhere. God's justice is therefore somewhat apart from worldly suffering. The Mu'tazilah say that things which are not good must be from human errors.
4. [10] (a) Justice is formed based on life's test. The Mu'tazilah see life as a fair test according to how far each soul can manage. “On no soul doth God place a burden greater than it can bear." (Qur'an 2:286) God, who is compassionate, will put no blame on children or those who did not know or understand Islam.
5. [10] (a) God can make things fair for people, even if they suffer in their worldly life, by balancing things out with rewards in the afterlife. So, accepting suffering may bring reward later. It may even be a good thing, because life for ever in paradise is a reward worth paying the price of some suffering in the world, according to the Mu'tazilah.
6. [10] (a) Mu'tazilah believe that humans have a natural need to submit to a system of right and wrong. God promises paradise and warns of hell after judgement - this informs Muslims they need to submit to God's will and encourages them to do so.
7. [10] (a) Mu'tazilah believe that serious sinners are in an 'intermediate' position after they die. They are not unbelievers because they have not denied God. But they are also not believers because they have sinned against God's commands and not repented. Those who committed major sins are expected to go to hell, where there are many different layers of punishment depending on the seriousness of the crime.
8. [15] (b) Definitions: Rationalism might be defined as using human reasoning, making sense by argument, in preference to following revelation whether or not it made sense. The two can go together with varying degrees of priority and being used together in different ways.
9. [15] (b) Mu'tazilah: The Mu'tazilah were known as rationalists. They used rationalism in their five principles.
10. [15] (b) Mu'tazilah: For belief in God, they thought people had a duty to work this out rationally. They also used the Qur'an but said that verses such as the "hand of God" could only be interpreted metaphorically, because this did not make rational sense for an unseen God who does not have human features.
11. [15] (b) Mu'tazilah: The Qur'an itself was regarded as created by people, as God cannot work in human language.
12. [15] (b) Mu'tazilah: To the Mu'tazilah, God's justice had to be worked out rationally, with everything in complete balance.
13. [15] (b) Comparison: Another theological group such as the Ash'ari might be chosen. Ash'ari scholars used rationalism in discussion but used revelation first and foremost and thought that the Qur'an could be interpreted literally, at least in part.
14. [15] (b) Comparison: Scripture should always be taken as the first source of knowledge, and it is not essential to use rationalism. The Qur'an itself was taken as uncreated, a divine revelation, and the first source of knowledge.
15. [15] (b) Comparison: The Ash'ari took a middle position between the Mu'tazilah and another group, called the Athari, who took a literalist position about the Qur'an and revelation, and were supported by many Hanbali scholars.
16. [15] (b) Comparison: To the Ash'ari, God's justice did not have to be understood rationally, because God could work in ways unknown to Muslims at the present time, and their suffering might be for a greater good in the future.
17. [15] (b) Conclusion: A balanced conclusion should be made at the end with a judgement about the extent of the differences and similarities between the Mu'tazilah and the other group chosen for comparison.