Islamiyat Paper 2: 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: Cambridge IGCSE Islamiyat: Paper 2 study guide

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Section A

1. Explain how the reliability of a Hadith is tested, referring to both the chain of transmitters and the text itself. [8]

2. Give four of the Six Articles of Faith. [4]

Section B

3. Describe the main achievements of Abu Bakr as the first Caliph. [10]

4. Explain the significance of Umar’s period of rule for the expansion and administration of the Muslim state. [10]

5. Explain the importance of prayer (salat) as one of the Five Pillars of Islam, referring to its preparation and performance. [10]

6. Explain two meanings of jihad and why the concept covers more than armed struggle. [8]

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Answers

1. Reliability is tested through isnad — the chain of transmitters connecting a Hadith back to the Prophet — by checking the character, memory and reliability of every narrator in the chain and whether the chain is complete without gaps [1] [1]. Reliability is also tested through matn — examination of the text itself — checking it does not contradict the Qur’an, established Hadiths or sound reason, and that its content is consistent with what is otherwise known of the Prophet’s teaching [1] [1]. Scholars used these two tests together to grade Hadiths by strength, from sound (sahih) down through weak categories [1] [1], and the six Sunni and four Shi’a collections reflect different scholarly applications of this method [1] [1].

2. Any four, 1 mark each: belief in God (tawhid) [1]; belief in angels, their nature and duties [1]; belief in the divine books and their contents and purpose [1]; belief in the prophets, their character and function [1]; belief in God’s predestination and decree (qadr) [1]; belief in the Resurrection and the Last Day [1].

3. Abu Bakr was chosen at Saqifah immediately after the Prophet’s death, at a moment of crisis for the young Muslim community [1]. He despatched the expedition of Usama as the Prophet had already ordered, despite advice to keep the army at home for the community’s defence — showing his determination to fulfil the Prophet’s own instructions exactly [1] [1]. He suppressed the false prophets, including Musaylimah at the Battle of Yamama, and compelled the tribes who had refused zakat to return to obedience during the Ridda (apostasy) wars [1] [1]. He initiated the collection of the Qur’an into a single written text after a significant number of huffaz (those who had memorised the Qur’an) were killed at Yamama, entrusting the work to Zayd ibn Thabit [1] [1].

4. Umar’s rule saw the rapid expansion of the Muslim state through the conquests of large parts of the Byzantine and Sasanian empires, including Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Persia [1] [1]. He is credited with major administrative innovations: establishing the diwan (a register for distributing state revenue), founding garrison towns (amsar) to house Muslim armies away from conquered populations, and introducing the Hijri calendar dating from the Hijrah [1] [1]. He set precedents for just governance of non-Muslim subjects, including terms of protection (dhimmi status) that allowed conquered peoples to retain their religion in exchange for tax [1] [1]. His combination of military success with lasting administrative structures is why he is widely regarded as having shaped the Muslim state’s institutions, not just its territory [1] [1].

5. Salat is performed five times daily at fixed times, preceded by wudu (ritual washing) to achieve the state of purity required for prayer [1] [1]. It follows a fixed physical sequence — standing, bowing and prostration — accompanied by set recitations including verses from the Qur’an [1] [1]. It may be performed individually or in congregation, with congregational prayer, particularly Friday (Jumu’ah) prayer, carrying particular importance for community cohesion [1] [1]. Its significance lies in maintaining regular, structured remembrance of God throughout the day, reinforcing discipline and submission, and reminding worshippers of their equality before God regardless of social status when praying together in rows [1] [1].

6. Jihad covers a range of meanings beyond armed conflict: physical jihad refers to defensive struggle to protect the Muslim community when under threat [1] [1]; but the concept equally covers mental and spiritual struggle — the effort to live according to Islamic teaching, resist temptation and improve one’s own character, sometimes called the “greater jihad” in contrast to the “lesser jihad” of physical struggle [1] [1]. Understanding jihad only as warfare therefore misses that its everyday, most common application for most Muslims is personal moral and spiritual effort [1] [1].

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A note on structuring Paper 2 answers

Because candidates must answer Question 1 and Question 2 plus two more of their choosing, it pays to decide in the exam room’s first few minutes which three of the four topics you will actually answer on, rather than drifting between them mid-paper. A well-prepared candidate can answer confidently on at least three of the four topics, since relying on only two leaves no room if one of those two is examined in a way that does not suit that year’s preparation.

Where marks are usually lost

• Explaining isnad without also covering matn (the text-based check), or vice versa — the question asks for both.
• Listing Abu Bakr’s achievements without the Ridda wars, which the specification treats as central to his significance.
• Describing salat’s physical actions without linking them to its significance for community and discipline.
• Defining jihad only as armed struggle, missing the syllabus’s explicit range of meanings.