(a) Write an account of the following two Articles of Faith: • belief in prophets • belief in God's predestination and decree. (b) How might the belief in God's divine decree influence the everyday life of a Muslim?

Mark scheme

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

1. [10] (a) Mark according to the marking grid for AO1 – Knowledge, given on page 4. Answers may include some of the following ideas, but all valid material must be credited. For this answer candidates need to give an account of the Muslim belief in prophets and God's predestination and decree. They could say that prophets were sent as a guidance to humankind and in turn were guided by God Himself. The number of prophets sent throughout history is thought to be approximately 124 000 and Muslims should have faith in all the prophets sent by God and make no distinction between them.
2. The prophetic line starts with Adam and ends with the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The belief and respect due to all prophets is critical as is the belief in the finality of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). That all prophets preached Islam, spoke the language of their people, were normal human men chosen by God and endowed by books and miracles are points that could be given in the answer and developed.
3. The names of some of the prophets and the books that were revealed to them could be given in the answer.
4. Candidates can go on to say that prophets not only conveyed God's message to humanity but educated humanity on how to run societies in accordance with God's will and were role models to their communities in their personal and communal conduct.
5. All prophets were rejected by their communities and faced hardship and trials but remained steadfast and never despaired as they believed that God's help would always come. God granted miracles to help the prophets with their missions and students may mention some of them.
6. For the second part of the answer, they could say that the fifth article of Islamic faith is belief in God's predestination and divine decree, which means that everything, good or bad, all moments of happiness and sorrow, pleasure and pain, come from God.
7. Muslims are aware that God alone controls everything, so they trust and rely on Him. Nothing happens without a purpose. Even if a person tries his best, he relies on God for the outcome, but that does not mean they do not take any responsibility for their actions.
8. Life spans of humans and their sustenance are all apportioned by God. When you believe in Qadr the world becomes a much easier place to live. God has recorded everything in the Preserved Tablet, Loh e Mahfuz, until the Day of Judgment.
9. [4] (b) Mark according to the marking grid for AO2 – Understanding, given on page 5. Answers may include some of the following ideas, but all valid material must be credited. Belief in divine decree strengthens one's belief in God. A person realises that God alone controls everything, so he trusts and relies on Him. Even though a person tries their best, at the same time they rely on God for the outcome.
10. A person's hard work or intelligence does not make them arrogant, for they realise that God is the source of all that comes their way.
11. Finally, a person attains peace of mind in the realisation that God is 'the Wise' and His actions are dictated by wisdom. Things happen for a purpose. If something reached a person, they realise it could never have escaped them. If something misses them, they realise it was never meant to be. A person achieves an inner peace and is inwardly at rest with this realisation.
12. This is how belief in God's divine decree positively influences the everyday lives of Muslims.