Write a detailed account of the following: • ihram; • tawaf; and • sa'i

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2018). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. 5(a) Before reaching miqat pilgrims must be in ihram which is to be in a state of ritual purity. It is for men dressing in two pieces of white seamless garments and for women it is their ordinary daily clothes which cover them completely, besides their faces and hands that constitutes their ihram. Before donning the ihram pilgrims need to bathe, remove unwanted hair, trim their nails, and perform wudu. Men's heads should be uncovered and their footwear should not cover the ankle bone. Development of ihram would constitute candidates writing about some or many of its restrictions.
2. 5(a) Tawaf means going around the Ka'ba anti clockwise seven times. It starts from the Hajr al Aswad, a pilgrim walks keeping the Ka'ba to his/her left. During tawaf one should be engaged in the dhikr of God, to recite the third kalima is recommended. Candidates could also say that from the Yamani Gate the pilgrim should recite Rabbana atina fid duniya.... Each time the pilgrim passes the Hajr al Aswad he/she should raise the right hand towards it and say Allah u Akbar. As development it could be said that male pilgrims walk at a faster pace for the first three circuits and place the top piece, rida, of their ihram under the right arm and the ends of it over the left shoulder from the start till the end of tawaf. Some candidates may also go on to give names of the various types of tawaf.
3. 5(a) Sa'i starts from Safa and ends at Marwa. Safa to Marwa is one round and Marwa to Safa the second. During each round men run the distance between the two green pillars following the practise of the Prophet. Dhikr of God should be continued during the seven rounds. Before the start of Sa'i intention to perform it is made. Some candidates could write about why Sa'i is performed and write about its history mentioning Hajar and Ismail.
4. 5(b) Candidates could say that some believe it's a meteor that fell from the sky, whilst others believe that an angel brought the stone to Hazrat Ibrahim when he was building the Ka'ba. Throughout history because of natural disasters the Ka'ba has been destroyed and rebuilt many times but the Hajr al Aswad has always remained as a reminder of the origin of the Ka'ba.
5. 5(b) Candidates could say that it is significant also because it is the only part remaining from the original structure that was built by Ibrahim. It could also be said that one is identifying with Ibrahim, when one touches it or raises one's hand towards it, who is the spiritual father of monotheism and that by touching it and kissing it a Muslim is following the Sunna of the Prophet.