Choose any two of the following passages from the Qur'an. (i) وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ لا تَسْجُدُوا لِلشَّمْسِ وَلا لِلقَمَرِ وَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُنَّ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ Sura 41.37 37. Among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Adore not the sun and the moon, but adore Allah, who created them, if it is Him you wish to serve. (ii) لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِن فَوْقِهِنَّ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِمَن فِي الْأَرْضِ أَلَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ Sura 42.4-5 4. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: and He is most high, most great. 5. The heavens are almost rent asunder from above them, and the angels celebrate the praises of their Lord, and pray for forgiveness for beings on earth: Behold! Verily Allah is He, the oft-forgiving, the most merciful. (iii) وَكَذَلِكَ نُرِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلُ رَأَى كَوْكَبًا قَالَ هَذَا رَبِّي فَلمَّا أَفَلَ قَالَ لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ فَلَمَّا رَأَى الْقَمَرَ بَازِعًا قَالَ هَذَا رَبِّي فَلمَّا أقلَ قالَ لَئِن لَّمْ يَهْدِنِي رَبِّي لأكونَنَّ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الضَّالِّينَ فَلَمَّا رَأَى الشَّمْسَ بَازِغَهُ قَالَ هَذا رَبِّي هَذا أَكْبَرُ فَلَمَّا أَفَلتْ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ إِنِّي وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ Sura 6.75-79 75. So also did We show Abraham the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth, so that he might have certainty. 76. When the night covered him over, he saw a star: He said: 'This is my Lord.' But when it set, he said: 'I do not love things that set.' 77. When he saw the moon rising in splendour, he said: 'This is my Lord.' But when the moon set, he said: 'Unless my Lord guides me, I will surely be among those who go astray.' 78. When he saw the sun rising in splendour, he said: 'This is my Lord; this is the greatest.' But when the sun set, he said: 'O my people! I am indeed free from your giving partners to Allah.' 79. 'For me, I have set my face firmly and truly towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah.'

Mark scheme

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

1. [4] Sura 41.37: God creates and controls everything, in this verse specifically the sun and the moon.
2. [4] Sura 41.37: The order and cycle of the sun and the moon are God's signs for humankind of His power.
3. [4] Sura 41.37: As the Creator only He should be worshipped (tawhid).
4. [4] Sura 41.37: It is a negation of paganism – the sun and moon are not to be worshipped.
5. [4] Sura 42.4-5: God is the owner of everything because He created everything.
6. [4] Sura 42.4-5: His greatness is such that it has the power to tear the heavens apart.
7. [4] Sura 42.4-5: The angels praise God and pray for forgiveness of humans on earth as part of their duties.
8. [4] Sura 42.4-5: Humans are reliant on God's mercy as He is the most forgiving, the most merciful.
9. [4] Sura 6.75-79: God's power is shown through His ability to control the sun and the moon, His signs are in creation, and the sign of His power is that He does not fade or die away, whilst things in creation do.
10. [4] Sura 6.75-79: The passage also shows His relationship with His prophets, as Ibrahim was searching for God, and that He uses these signs to guide them.
11. [4] Sura 6.75-79: Ibrahim, like all other prophets believed in and professed tawhid.
12. [4] Sura 6.75-79: His Oneness is pointed to through these signs and His power and so these verses tell Muslims to worship God alone.
13. [4] Sura 41.37: The importance of these verses is that believers should acknowledge and reflect on the fact that created things are not permanent.
14. [4] Sura 41.37: They should realise they need to look to one God for their answers, rather than looking to created things for guidance.
15. [4] Sura 41.37: They should ponder on His signs, the perfection of His creations and nature in order to strengthen their faith.
16. [4] Sura 42.4-5: The importance here is that God tells humankind of His power and control over all things so they should remember that they do not have any power in comparison.
17. [4] Sura 42.4-5: God is Merciful, even when Muslims have committed wrong actions, so Muslims have someone to turn to in times of need.
18. [4] Sura 42.4-5: As God is merciful to humankind, they in turn should be grateful and also try to be forgiving of others, even if they have been hurt or injured.
19. [4] Sura 42.4-5: Humans should not despair of Him or give up on His mercy – even if they have sinned, they should turn back to Him and He will forgive.
20. [4] Sura 42.4-5: The obedience of angels to God can encourage humans to be obedient to God too.
21. [4] Sura 6.75-79: The importance is that it creates a strong link with God and strengthens belief in His Oneness, so Muslims should not look up to anything or anyone else, to help them in their lives and solve their problems.
22. [4] Sura 6.75-79: It shows Muslims how God guided His messengers, in this case Ibrahim.
23. [4] Sura 6.75-79: Humans should use their minds to ponder upon God.
24. [4] Sura 6.75-79: God's signs invite Muslims to observe their environment. It creates awe and wonder to help get closer to Him.
25. [4] Sura 6.75-79: It reminds humankind that He is the creator of all things, and this realisation helps them turn to Him only in times of need.