Choose any two of the following Hadiths, and: (i) مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَومِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْراً أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ، وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيُكْرِمْ جَارَهُ، وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَومِ الآخِرِ فَلْيُكْرِمْ ضَيْفَهُ. Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day either speak good or keep silent, and let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his neighbour, and let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his guest. (ii) قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلِيهِ وسَلَّمَ : مَا تَعُدُّهْنَ الشَّهِيدَ فِيْكُمْ ؟ قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَنْ قُتِلَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ فَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ. قَالَ: إِنَّ شُهَدَاءَ أُمَّتِي إِذا لَقِلِيلٌ ! مَنْ قُتِلَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ، وَمَنْ مَاتَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ فَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ، وَمَنْ مَاتَ فِي الطَّاعُوْن فَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ، وَمَنْ مَاتَ فِي الْبَطْنِ فَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said: 'Whom do you count to be a martyr among you?' They said: O Messenger of Allah, whoever is killed in the way of Allah is a martyr. He said: 'In that case the martyrs of my community will be very few! He who is killed in the way of Allah is a martyr, he who dies a natural death in the way of Allah is a martyr, he who dies in the plague in the way of Allah is a martyr, he who dies of cholera in the way of Allah is a martyr.' (iii) أَنَا وَكَافِلُ الْيَتِيمِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ هَكَذَا ، وَقَالَ بِأَصْبَعَيْهِ السَّبَّابَةِ وَالوُسْطَى. 'I and the man who brings up an orphan will be in paradise like this.' And he pointed with his two fingers, the index finger and the middle finger. (iv) الحَيَاءُ لَا يُأْتِي إِلَّا بِخَيرٍ. Modesty produces nothing but good.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2017). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. 1(a) (i) The teaching of the Hadith stresses upon how belief in God and the last day are the hallmarks of being a Muslim and once faith is established focuses on the need to being good and kind to fellow beings, speaking good of others, showing generosity to neighbours and guests are given as examples of being a good Muslim. Islam places a great deal of emphasis on the rights of fellow beings upon Muslims and says that huquq al ibad are just as important as huquq Allah.
2. 1(a) (ii) The teaching in this Hadith is for Muslims to live righteous lives at all times. A Muslim who is God conscious will always remember his/her accountability to his Creator and thus will be always engaged in acts that are pleasing to God. This Hadith brings the good news to Muslims that all those Muslims who die living righteous lives are given the status of a martyr and this noble status is not reserved for only those who die fighting in wars for the sake of God and Islam. Dying of the plague or cholera are specifically mentioned as those were the types of diseases people in the days of the Prophet (pbuh) died of, the wider meaning can be seen as dying of any grave illness.
3. 1(a) (iii) One of the most repeated messages in the Hadiths is about the care of the vulnerable in society. In this Hadith too, the Prophet (pbuh) is emphasising to his umma to look after the most vulnerable members of the community, the orphans, he promises his close company in the akhira to those who fulfil this obligation. The wider teaching of the Hadith is that there should be unity amongst Muslims and no member of the community should be left behind.
4. 1(a) (iv) Modesty is a quality which puts a Muslim on the path chosen by the Prophet (pbuh) and takes a Muslim away from all kinds of ill doings. It is a quality of a true believer as it inculcates noble values, piety, God consciousness (taqwa), morality... the list is endless. Modesty can simply be linked to faith, other hadiths could be cited in support of the answer e.g. every religion has a distinctive quality and in Islam it is modesty.
5. 1(b) (i) After confirming their belief in God and the Last Day Muslims must follow the will of God and be generous and kind to people around them. Muslims should hold their fellow beings in high regard irrespective of their creed or faith. There is a clear reference to refraining from idle talk in the given Hadith and some candidates may well pick up this point and say that the responsibility of a Muslim regarding what he says is clearly stated in the Qur'an, ‘Not a word does he utter but there is a watcher by him to record it' (Al Qaf). Reference to other relevant Hadiths highlighting the practice of showing care to fellow beings can also be given.
6. 1(b) (ii) The teaching of this Hadith can be practised by a Muslim always living his/her life as recommended by the Prophet (pbuh). Following the sunna of the Prophet (pbuh), being punctual in fulfilling one's obligations to God and humanity are ways to live righteously with the intent that when death comes to a Muslim he is ready to meet his Creator. Answers could say that if a Muslim is active in the way of God than it does not matter how he/she dies.
7. 1(b) (iii) Every Muslim must do what they can to ease the burden of those in need. Organising Muslim charities to provide for refugees in war torn areas of the world, giving a home to an orphan, even supporting an orphan or any vulnerable person emotionally is a way in which this Hadith can be practised. Examples from the time of the Prophet (pbuh) or present day could be given here.
8. 1(b) (iv) Modesty must be practised in all the actions of a Muslim. A modest person is one who is humble and hence puts others needs before his/her own, concern for others springs from modesty and eliminates many social evils. Examples will substantiate the answer.