Give an account of the ways Muslims can practise jihad peacefully in their daily lives.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2022). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] (a) Use AO1 Levels of Response.
2. [10] (a) From a religious point of view jihad can be described as striving in the way of God or for the sake of God and has many forms. Every Muslim can be engaged in jihad peacefully. Some of the ways are:
3. [10] (a) Jihad of the self (Jihad bin nafs/qalb) is often referred to as the greater jihad. It is one's inner struggle of good against evil; it involves disciplining oneself and is non-confrontational.
4. [10] (a) It can be practiced in several ways which could be given by candidates.
5. [10] (a) Jihad against shaytaan is of two stages.
6. [10] (a) The first includes striving to ward off the doubts that he may present. These doubts stem from misconceptions, ignorance, and misinterpretations and if one achieves this, they reach a level of certainty.
7. [10] (a) The second stage is striving to ward off the corrupt desires that shaytaan provokes and doing this leads to patience and success.
8. [10] (a) Jihad against oppression and hypocrisy is of three types:
9. [10] (a) Jihad with the heart;
10. [10] (a) Jihad with the tongue / pen;
11. [10] (a) Jihad with oneself which includes one's wealth and physical self.
12. [10] (a) This type of jihad is needed in situations of great oppression against Muslims, or if they are being persecuted, or in self-defence to remove oppression and defend lives, property, or communities.
13. [10] (a) Candidates need to develop these points to add substance to their answer.
14. [4] (b) Use AO2 Levels of Response.
15. [4] (b) Candidates in this part of the answer could say that by practising jihad of the self, Muslims are able to better themselves and live righteous lives.
16. [4] (b) When every Muslim lives his / her life righteously then many evils of society will be eradicated and all people will be able to live peaceful lives.
17. [4] (b) By peaceful dawah a better understanding of Islam could spread in the world and non-Muslims would have a clearer understanding of Muslim beliefs and what they stand for, which in turn would enable them to live in peace with one another despite their different faiths.
18. [4] (b) By giving practical help to others, love and compassion in the communities will increase and society at large would be more compassionate towards all.
19. [4] (b) Candidates may mention other ways in which Muslims may benefit from practising jihad in their daily lives and all valid responses should be credited.