Question 4 Islam (20 marks)

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, ...to You alone do we turn for help. Guide us along the straight path. Quran 1:26

To what extent does this quotation express the distinctive Islamic answer to the enduring questions of human existence?

Question 4 Islam
Criteria Presents a sophisticated, thorough response considering how the quotation expresses the ways in which Islam provides a distinctive response to the enduring questions of human existence Supports the interpretation with detailed, relevant and accurate information concerning significant people/schools of thought, AND/OR ethics AND/OR significant practice Uses relevant and accurate terminology in a cohesive response Attempts to present a reasoned response considering how the quotation expresses the ways in which Islam provides a distinctive answer to the enduring questions of human existence Supports the interpretation with accurate information concerning significant people/schools of thought, AND/OR ethics AND/OR significant practice Uses relevant terminology in a well-structured response May attempt a limited response considering how the quotation expresses the ways in which Islam provides a distinctive answer to the enduring questions of human existence Supports the interpretation with relevant information concerning significant people/schools of thought, AND/OR ethics AND/OR significant practice Attempts to use relevant terminology in a largely descriptive structured response Presents a general response with some information about significant people/schools of thought, AND/OR ethics AND/OR significant practices May use relevant terminology Makes general statements about Islam Provides limited relevant detail Marks

1720

1316

912

58 14

Sample Answer
The world Islam is derived from the Arab word salaam which means peace. The beliefs of Islam greatly impact the lives of Muslims as they strive to explore the enduring questions of human existence. Rabia al-Adawiyya, a significant Muslim mystic, the practice of Hajj and the Muslim ethical teachings in the area of bioethics all assist to guide the Muslim adherent along the straight path. Rabia al-Adawiyya was an important figure in Islam as a mystic and model of Sufism. She lived c.713 801 CE in Basra [Iraq]. She is described by some Muslims as being a Saint of Islam and was the first in a long line of female Sufi mystics. She is regarded as a figure to

emulate in terms of lifestyle and relationship with Allah. She was important as a teacher and interpreter of concepts and became a spiritual guide. She believed in renouncing the world and its associated attractions and temptations and promoted total submission to Allah. She worked to spread the messages of Islam, and encouraged Islamic adherents to integrate their faith into every aspect of their lives. Her writings and artistry, particularly her poetry, remain known today as they were in her time. Her strict adherence to her faith so impressed her master that she was eventually set free. The stories associated with Rabia had and still have an important effect on Muslims. They describe a believer renouncing the world In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful and the worlds associated attractions and temptations promoting total submission to Allah saying They block the way to Allah. She is the model of one who understands that it is Allah who will guide us along the straight path. Her teachings were seen as radical and significantly contributed to the progression of Islam. She taught through the example of her life and through her writings and poetry. Rabias writing is mystical and describes visions of God, Heaven, beauty and love. They describe her singular desire to know God. My Lord, if I worship You from fear of hell, burn me in hell, and if I worship You from hope of Paradise, exclude me thence, but if I worship You for Your own sake, then withhold not from me Your eternal beauty. She challenged the norm of Muslim/Arab practice, choosing to remain celibate. Mysticism was not an accepted practice in Islam; that Rabia became a spiritual guide for others is evidence of her impact. Rabia radically encouraged others to seek intimate union with Allah. To even try to attain such union was previously outside the beliefs of Islam. Rabias primary legacy is her role as a model for Sufism. She is described by some Muslims as being a Saint of Islam. Rabia gave herself to the task of communicating with Allah. Coming from a life of subservience, she was brave to spread the teachings of Allah. She expressed the strict Muslim concept of not having desires or wants or needs of any kind, other than serving Allah. She was important as a teacher and interpreter of concepts. She did not spread the message of Islam in a large-scale activity, rather she directed her message towards individuals. Large-scale preaching was prescriptive and limiting, whereas her effective methods urged her audience to think. The Hajj is a six day pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and spiritually significant surrounding sites, in which pilgrims (known as Hajji) partake in a series of activities at these locations, recalling key religious events that have taken place there, engaging with and expressing the key beliefs of their faith. Therefore, by undertaking the Hajj, Muslims are expressing their faith in Allah by completing their duty to him. The Hajj begins on the 8th Day of Thul-Hijjah at Meequat, where pilgrims bathe and enter the state of Ihram by dressing in conservative white clothing, denoting purity and equality. After officially beginning the Hajj, pilgrims travel to Mecca, the home of the Kaba, the holiest site in Islam, where they undergo the ritual of Tawaf. Tawaf involves circling the Kaba seven times, expressing obedience and totals submission to Allah, the quintessential element of Islam, as prescribed in the Quran. The pilgrims come, announcing their presence to God, the Lord of the Kaba, with the cry, At your service, Lord God. This stage completed at Mecca also includes drinking from the well of Zam Zam, commemorating the well opening in the desert that saved Hajar and Ismail from dying of first. This is an expression of one of the principal beliefs of Islam; that if the adherents submit fully to Allah, he will provide for them. Another ritual, Sai, involves walking between Safa and Marwah, emulating the journey of Hajars search for water, again reaffirming that Allah will provide for all Muslim adherents. The journey continues at Mina, where pilgrims spend the night in tents, reading the Quran, praying and reflecting on their journey so far as well as what is to come. The Hajji then travel to the Mount of Mercy, located in the Plain of Arafat, which is said to be the location that

Adam and Eve asked for Allahs forgiveness and were subsequently forgiven. By replicating this story and standing on the Mount in a public proclamation of faith, Muslim adherents are expressing their profound belief in Allah and submitting to him. Arafat is also the location for the Festival of Sacrifice, or Id-ul-Adha. In this stage of the Hajj, pilgrims must sacrifice an animal or pay for an animal to be sacrificed on their behalf in order to display their commitment and obedience to Allah, again affirming their submission to Allah. The purpose of this ritual is to encourage Muslims to model their lives on the example of Ibrahim who embodies total submission to Allah, a key belief in Islam. After the Plain of Arafat, pilgrims travel to Muzdalifah where they collect 49 or 70 stones that use to stone the three pillars at Mina in a ritual known as Jamraat which commemorates Ibrahims refusal to give in to the devil when he saved his son Isaac from being sacrificed. This is a public expression of Islams rejection of the devil in accordance with their principal beliefs. The Hajj concludes with a return to Mecca, where the Tawaf is then completed again, reminding the individual once again of the diversity of Islam but also of the unity that the Hajj creates as Muslims gather together with no distinctions between race, nationality, gender and age. The Hajj is a highly significant practice in Islam and an essential vehicle for the expression of the principal beliefs of Islam, particularly submission to Allah, as it involves a series of rituals that commemorate a significant event within the core beliefs of Islam. At the end of Hajj, the pilgrim becomes much closer to Allah, confident that they were able to complete this very important tenet of their religious tradition because they did so In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful... In Islam, ethical practice is defined by Allah. The principles for decision making in Islam derive mainly from the Quran, the Hadith, and the Sunnah. There are also secondary sources of Sharia, or Islamic law. These may include respected scholars. According to Islamic bioethics there must be courtesy in all human relations and transactions. One has responsibilities to ones neighbours and a duty of care, even to animals. Muslims apply the basic principles of fiqh (which literally means understanding) to broader issues, forming the basis for the development of legal opinions on a range of problems as they strive to answer the enduring questions of human existence. In Islam, life is sacred: every moment of life has great value, even if it is of poor quality. The saving of life is a duty and the unwarranted taking of life is a grave sin. The Quran affirms the reverence for human life: that whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for mischief in the land, it is as though he slew all men; and whoever keeps it alive, it is as though he kept alive all men. And it is this passage that legitimises medical advances in saving lives and justifies the prohibition of both suicide and euthanasia: to protect human life in all stages and under all circumstances, . To be , an instrument of Gods mercy... Oath of the Muslim Doctor. It is clear that these three aspects of Islamic life, when lived In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful all combine to guide the adherent along the straight path as they strive to live their lives as the distinctive Islamic answer to the enduring questions of human existence.