IGCSE Islamiyat: Living the Muslim Life — Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, in the style and at the standard of the examination. They are not reproduced past-paper questions — examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board.

Related: Living the Muslim Life revision notes

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Section A

1. Name the Five Pillars of Islam and state briefly what each requires. [10]

2. Name the Articles of Faith. [3]

Section B

3. Explain the significance of salah in the daily life of a Muslim, giving four points. [8]

4. Explain the rules of zakat.

(a) State who must pay it, on what, and at what rate. [4] (b) Explain three categories of people entitled to receive it. [3] (c) Explain the social significance of zakat. [4]

5. Describe the main rites of Hajj in order, and explain the significance of two of them. [10]

6. Explain the purpose of fasting in Ramadan, giving three benefits Muslims are taught to derive from it. [6]

7. Name the five daily prayers in order, and describe two conditions that must be met before Salah is performed. [6]

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Answers

1. Shahadah — the declaration that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger [1] [1]. Salah — five daily prayers at prescribed times, facing the Kaaba [1] [1]. Zakat — the annual payment of a fixed portion of one’s surplus wealth to the poor [1] [1]. Sawm — fasting from dawn to sunset throughout Ramadan [1] [1]. Hajj — the pilgrimage to Makkah, obligatory once in a lifetime for those able [1] [1].

2. Belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Day of Judgement, and divine decree (qadar) [3 — 1 mark per two correct].

3. Any four, 2 marks each: it provides regular, structured remembrance of God throughout the day, so worship is not confined to one occasion but shapes the whole daily routine [1] [1]. It fosters discipline and punctuality, since prayer must be performed at set times regardless of other commitments [1] [1]. Congregational prayer creates equality and community, as worshippers stand in rows without distinction of wealth or rank [1] [1]. It offers spiritual purification and a means of seeking forgiveness, described as washing away minor sins like a river [1] [1]. It reinforces accountability, reminding the worshipper of the Day of Judgement and restraining wrongdoing [1] [1].

4. (a) It is payable by every adult Muslim of sound mind whose wealth exceeds the nisab and has been held for a lunar year [1] [1]; it is charged on surplus wealth — savings, gold and silver, trade goods and livestock — not on the tools of one’s trade or one’s home [1]; the standard rate is 2.5% [1]. (b) Any three: the poor; the needy; those employed to administer it; those whose hearts are to be reconciled; freeing captives; those in debt; in the cause of God; the stranded traveller [1] [1] [1]. (c) It redistributes wealth from the wealthy to the poor, narrowing inequality within the community [1]. It purifies the giver’s wealth and heart from greed, since it is an obligation rather than optional charity [1]. It preserves the dignity of the recipient, who receives by right rather than by favour [1]. It binds the community together, since those with means are directly responsible for those without, reducing resentment and social division [1].

5. On entering the miqat the pilgrim assumes ihram and makes the intention [1]. Tawaf — seven circuits of the Kaaba [1]. Sa’y — walking seven times between Safa and Marwah [1]. Standing at Arafat on the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah — the essential rite of Hajj [1]. Overnight at Muzdalifah, collecting pebbles [1]. Stoning the jamarat at Mina, followed by the sacrifice and the cutting of the hair [1]; then the tawaf al-ifadah and the farewell tawaf [1]. Significance, any two: ihram requires all pilgrims to wear the same simple garments, which removes every distinction of wealth, nationality and status, embodying the equality of all before God [1] [1]. Standing at Arafat is regarded as the climax of the Hajj, evoking the Day of Judgement, when all humanity will stand before God, and is the occasion of the Prophet’s Farewell Sermon [1] [1]. Sa’y commemorates Hajar’s search for water for her son Ismail, honouring trust in God in desperate circumstances [1] [1].

6. Fasting is commanded in the Qur’an so that Muslims may attain taqwa — consciousness of God [1] [1]. Benefits, any three: it develops self-discipline and control of desires, since the fast is broken only by one’s own choice and God alone knows whether it is kept [1] [1]. It creates empathy with the poor and hungry, encouraging generosity, which is why charity increases during Ramadan [1] [1]. It strengthens community bonds, as families and neighbourhoods break the fast together and attend taraweeh prayers [1] [1]. It offers a period of spiritual renewal — increased Qur’an recitation, repentance, and the seeking of Laylat al-Qadr [1] [1].

7. Fajr (dawn), Zuhr (midday), Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (sunset), Isha (night) [1 for the set, in order]. Conditions, any two: wudu — ritual washing of the body, expressing purity of body and intention, must be performed first [1] [1]; the worshipper must face the Qiblah, the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah [1] [1]; prayer must fall within its prescribed time [1].

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Where marks are usually lost

• Listing the Pillars without stating what each requires.
• Giving the zakat rate without the nisab and the one-year condition.
• Putting the Hajj rites in the wrong order.
• Describing fasting only as abstaining from food and drink.