O Level 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: O Level Islamiyat: Paper 2 study guide

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Section A

1. Explain how scholars established the reliability of a Hadith. [8]

2. Name the four Rightly Guided Caliphs in order of succession. [4]

Section B

3. Describe the achievements of Umar as the second Caliph. [10]

4. Explain the significance of Uthman’s standardisation of the Qur’an. [10]

5. Explain four of the six Articles of Faith. [8]

6. Describe the Five Pillars of Islam, stating what each one involves. [10]

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Answers

1. Reliability was established through the isnad (chain of transmission), naming every person from the Prophet (pbuh) to the person recording the Hadith [1] [1]. Scholars scrutinised each narrator’s character and memory, and checked whether the chain was complete without gaps [1] [1]. The text itself (matn) was also checked — for consistency with the Qur’an, with other sound Hadiths, and with reason [1] [1]. This dual scrutiny of chain and text is why some Hadiths are classified as more reliable than others, and is central to why the Hadiths are treated as a trustworthy record [1] [1].

2. Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali [1] [1] [1] [1].

3. Umar’s rule is notable for territorial expansion, extending the Muslim state significantly beyond its borders under Abu Bakr [1] [1]. He is credited with major administrative organisation: establishing systems for distributing state revenue, founding garrison towns to house Muslim armies, and introducing the Hijri calendar dating from the Hijrah [1] [1]. He set precedents for governing non-Muslim subjects justly, including terms of protection 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].

4. As Islam spread, Muslims in different regions began reciting the Qur’an in different dialects, and disputes arose during military campaigns, prompting concern that the text could fragment [1] [1]. Uthman had the sheets held by Hafsah copied by a committee under Zayd ibn Thabit, using the dialect of the Quraysh where disagreement occurred [1] [1]. Standard copies were sent to the main centres of the Muslim world and other variant versions were destroyed [1] [1]. Its significance is that it preserved a single, uniform text, preventing the division and doctrinal dispute that variant texts would have caused [1] [1]; the text used today is the one established then, which Muslims regard as evidence of the Qur’an’s careful preservation [1] [1].

5. Any four, 2 marks each: belief in God (tawhid) — the absolute oneness of God [1] [1]. belief in angels, their nature and duties [1] [1]. belief in the divine books, their contents and purpose [1] [1]. belief in the prophets, their character and function [1] [1]. belief in God’s predestination and decree (qadar) [1] [1]. belief in the Resurrection and the Last Day [1] [1].

6. Shahada — the declaration of faith, bearing witness that there is no god but God and Muhammad is His messenger [1] [1]. Salah — prayer performed five times daily at fixed times, preceded by ritual washing (wudu) [1] [1]. Zakat — obligatory almsgiving, a fixed proportion of wealth given to those in need [1] [1]. Sawm — fasting during the month of Ramadan, from dawn to sunset [1] [1]. Hajj — pilgrimage to Makkah, obligatory once in a lifetime for those who are physically and financially able [1] [1].

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Section C

7. Explain why understanding the significance of an event or belief matters as much as being able to describe it, using one example from this paper’s content. [6]

Answer: Cambridge’s own guidance for this paper stresses that candidates should understand not just what each belief, event or practice is, but why it matters — to individual Muslims, to the wider community, or to later Islamic history [1] [1]. For example, simply describing the compilation of the Qur’an under Uthman as a historical event (what happened, when, and who was involved) earns only partial credit [1] [1]; a full answer also explains its significance — that it preserved a single, uniform text and prevented the doctrinal division that competing versions would have caused [1] [1]. This distinction between description and significance applies across all four sub-topics of Paper 2, not just the historical ones — even a factual sub-topic like the Articles of Faith rewards an answer that explains why each article matters to a believer’s life, not only what it states.

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A note on 2058’s shared structure with IGCSE Islamiyat

Cambridge O Level Islamiyat (2058) shares an identical Paper 1/Paper 2 four-topic structure with Cambridge IGCSE Islamiyat (0493), which means candidates comparing notes with a friend on the IGCSE route will recognise the same four sub-topics on Paper 2: the Hadiths’ major teachings, their history and preservation, the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and the Articles of Faith and Pillars of Islam. What differs between the two qualifications is the exact syllabus code and series dates, not the underlying content — so past papers should still be sourced from the correct 2058 series rather than borrowed directly from 0493.

Where marks are usually lost

• Explaining the isnad without also covering the matn (text-based check) — the question asks for both.
• Listing the four Caliphs without stating the correct order of succession.
• Describing Uthman’s standardisation as an isolated event without explaining why it mattered for the community’s unity.
• Naming the Five Pillars without stating what each one actually involves — bare naming rarely earns full marks.