Give an account of how the Prophet's Hadiths have been a source of guidance to Muslims in putting their faith into practice.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2015). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] (a) In answer to this question the candidates can say that the Hadiths are the teachings of the Prophet which teach Muslims the path prescribed by God. They can go on to say that they give Muslims a better understanding of the Qur'an by elaborating on it and explaining its teachings. Here the more developed answers could well give examples to show how Hadiths expand upon Qur'anic teachings. Answers could include points like that when the Qur'an is silent the Hadith is considered as the authority on the subject as the Qur'an and Hadith always agree with one another; that the authoritative Hadiths contain a tafsir of the Qur'an which are guides to key verses in the Qur'an. Examples of law derived from Hadiths can also be given to expand on the answer showing the various ways in which the Prophet's Hadiths are a source of guidance to all Muslims. These could include laws on inheritance, on payment of zakat, punishment for a thief etc.
2. [4] (b) An evaluative response is needed for this part of the answer in which candidates need to give their view on how the Prophet's Hadiths link belief and action. They could say that belief is sincere only when put into action, all valid responses should be credited.