Give an account of the significance of the following: • Day of 'Arafah • Eid-ul Adha.

Mark scheme

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

1. [10] (a) Day of 'Arafah is on the ninth day of Dhul Hijja and is the climax of Hajj and hence significant in Islam and to Muslims. 'Arafah is a vast empty plain, and it was here on the Mount of Mercy (Jabl-al-Rahmah) where the Prophet (pbuh) gave the Last Sermon and received the last revelation before his passing.
2. [10] (a) Wuqoof-al-'Arafah is one of the greatest worships. It is the day of forgiveness of sins, the Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Hajj is halting at ‘Arafah'. On this day the gathering of people here from all corners of the world shows that social origin, race, ethnic orientation, wealth and profession have no bearing on the basic spiritual and human qualities. Pilgrims gather at 'Arafah where they offer shortened and combined Zuhr and Asr prayers with one adhan and two iqamats and stay within the boundaries of 'Arafah till sunset.
3. [10] (a) This scene is also a reminder of the Day of Judgment where all humanity will assemble to account for their deeds before God, and where the final judgment will take place.
4. [10] (a) Eid-ul-Adha is celebrated all over the Muslim world on the 10th of Dhul Hijja to mark the completion of Hajj and to remember the sacrifice prophet Ibrahim was willing to make at the command of God. His son, Ismail, was also ready to submit to the will of God.
5. [10] (a) Muslims all over the world offer an animal sacrifice in God's name to show their obedience to Him. It is not the blood or flesh of the sacrificed animal that reaches God, but the piety (taqwa) of the believer that reaches him.
6. [10] (a) To mark the significance of Eid-ul-Adha special Salat ul Eid is offered and Muslims celebrate this day with joy and festivities.
7. [10] (a) Candidates could further develop their answer by writing about how Eid-ul-Adha is important in bringing families and communities together.
8. [4] (b) Candidates could give a range of answers to this question. It could be said by candidates that Hajj is an obligation to God that a Muslim must fulfil if he has the means and health to do so and as God does not overburden his creation, he has made Hajj obligatory once in a Muslim's lifetime.
9. [4] (b) The Prophet (pbuh) performed Hajj just once in his lifetime so that Muslims trying to follow his Sunna don't struggle with the performance of this Pillar as it is expensive to perform Hajj and requires the pilgrim to be in good health to perform all the rituals involved.
10. [4] (b) Spiritual maturity can be another factor. The Prophet (pbuh) performed Hajj in the last year of his life.