Choose any two of the following Hadiths, and: (i) بَعَثَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَبَا مُوسَى وَمُعَادَ بْنَ جَبَلٍ إِلى اليَمَنِ، وَبَعَثَ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِّنْهُمَا عَلَى مِخلاف. ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَسِّرَا وَلاَ تُعَسّرًا وَبَشِّرًا وَلَا تُنَفَّرًا. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) sent Abu Musa and Mu'adh ibn Jabal to Yaman, and he sent each of them to govern a part. Then he said: 'Be gentle and do not be hard, and cause rejoicing and do not alienate.' (ii) أَنَا وَكَافِلُ الْيَتِيمِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ هَكَدًا ، 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. (iii) لا يَرْحَمُ اللَّهُ مَنْ لَا يَرْحَمُ النَّاسَ. God will not show mercy to him who does not show mercy to others. (iv) قِيلَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَيُّ النَّاسِ أَفضلُ؟ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى الله عَليهِ وَسَلَّمَ): مُؤْمِنٌ يُجَاهِدُ في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ بِنَفْسِهِ وَمَالِهِ. It was said: O Messenger of Allah, who is the most excellent of men? The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said: 'The believer who strives hard in the way of Allah with his person and his property.'

Mark scheme

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

1. 1(a)(i) This Hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) signifies the responsibilities of Muslim rulers. Those in authority should devote their energies to the welfare and prosperity of the people they are governing over. It is with kindness and justice that all matters must be dealt with and the hearts of the people won. In this Hadith the Prophet (pbuh) is specifically giving instruction to two of his emissaries to cooperate with the populace and asking them to guide the people towards the path of righteousness.
2. 1(a)(ii) The Prophet (pbuh) promises a great reward in this Hadith to those who care for orphans in their own community and in the world at large. Being an orphan himself he understood the plight of orphans and not only showed great care to them himself but instructed the umma to show kindness towards them. The Qur'an too speaks of the good treatment of orphans; in Sura 93:9 it is said, 'Treat not the orphan with harshness'.
3. 1(a)(iii) Rights of fellow beings have been stressed upon by both God and His Messenger (pbuh). This Hadith clearly instructs all Muslims to show compassion to those around them in order to gain God's mercy and compassion. Two of God's attributes are Rahman and Rahim and His mercy is evident in all the blessings we see in this world. The clear teaching in this Hadith is that God wants humankind to be compassionate in their dealings with each other and that He will deprive those of His mercy who are devoid of it in this world.
4. 1(a)(iv) In this Hadith it has been made clear that a person who is ready to sacrifice his person and property and even his life for the sake of Islam is the best of believers and has an exalted position. The teaching of this Hadith instructs Muslims to establish a society based on justice and righteousness. The words 'striving hard' in this Hadith have a broad meaning and this can be brought out in the answer with how this can be done, e.g. migrating for the sake of one's faith, giving dawah, etc.
5. 1(b)(i) Muslim rulers should exercise their authority with justice and kindness and always work for the betterment of the society at large. They should treat all the people to whichever faith they may belong with fairness and practise religious tolerance. Even when implementing the Islamic way of life they should be moderate. An example that could be given here is that a man complained to the Prophet (pbuh) that Mu'adh recited very long Suras in prayer which caused this man hardship as he worked as a manual labourer and was tired by the time of the evening prayer. The Prophet (pbuh) instructed Mu'adh to recite smaller Suras saying, 'O Mu'adh! You are putting the people to trial'. (Bukhari)
6. 1(b)(ii) Care for orphans can be shown in a variety of ways. A Muslim can provide them with food, shelter and financial assistance. If the orphan's father was in debt, the debt can be exonerated or dowries for Muslim girls of marriageable ages could be provided. Even good advice can be given to them if a person cannot give support financially. Examples will help develop the answer.
7. 1(b)(iii) Muslims can practise the teaching of this Hadith in their daily lives by doing small acts of kindness every day. Helping a blind man cross the road, feeding a hungry person, giving directions to a traveller, forgiving the mistake of a fellow being are all examples of how mercy can be practised. The Prophet (pbuh) showed the people of Ta'if great mercy by forgiving them despite their harsh treatment of him.
8. 1(b)(iv) Sacrificing one's time and money by spreading Islam, developing schools, helping charitable organisations, sheltering refugees are some of the ways in which the teaching of this Hadith can be put into practice. Offering tahajud prayers, sponsoring the hajj of a poor Muslim are also ways in which this Hadith could be practised on a personal level.