Islam: Self, Death and the Afterlife | AQA A-Level Religious Studies (7062)
Islam: Self, Death and the Afterlife
- 51 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Component 2: Islam, one religion of five
- Component 2
Islam: the self, the purpose of life, and what is held to follow death.
Part of Component 2, sat only by students who take Islam as their chosen religion.
Sample questions from Islam: Self, Death and the Afterlife
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Ibadah and Niyyah
Why is worship not something God needs?
Show the answer
God is entirely self-sufficient, so worship benefits the worshipper by ordering their whole life towards Him. -
Ibadah and Niyyah
Define fitrah.
Show the answer
It is the innate disposition God places in every person, inclining them to recognise and worship Him. -
Dunya and Akhirah
Give two arguments that this life has value in itself.
Show the answer
The Qur’an presents the world as a gift and a sign of God to be enjoyed lawfully, and Muslims are told not to forget their share of this world while seeking the next. -
Dunya and Akhirah
How might belief that life is a test change a Muslim’s response to serious illness?
Show the answer
It can be met with patience and trust rather than despair, since the suffering is understood as part of a test for which God promises reward. -
The Soul, Barzakh and Resurrection
Why is cremation forbidden?
Show the answer
The body is a trust from God that will be raised again, so it must be treated with dignity rather than destroyed. -
The Soul, Barzakh and Resurrection
What brings Barzakh to an end?
Show the answer
The blowing of the trumpet that announces the Day of Resurrection. -
Judgement, Paradise and Hell
Name the Arabic terms for paradise and for hell.
Show the answer
Jannah and Jahannam. -
Judgement, Paradise and Hell
Give the case for reading the descriptions of heaven and hell literally.
Show the answer
God is able to make such a world real, the Qur’an describes it in plain terms, and softening the descriptions weakens both the warning and the promise.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Ibadah and Niyyah | Recall questions on why God created jinn and human beings, what ibadah covers, how ordinary work becomes worship and why intention matters. | 12 |
| Dunya and Akhirah | Recall questions on the distinction between this world and the next, how the Qur'an compares them and the arguments over the value of this life. | 10 |
| The Soul, Barzakh and Resurrection | Recall questions on ruh and nafs and the three states of the nafs, death and burial, Barzakh and the grave, and bodily resurrection including al-Ghazali's reply to the philosophers. | 15 |
| Judgement, Paradise and Hell | Recall questions on judgement and shafa'ah, the sin God does not forgive, the Qur'anic descriptions of paradise and hell, literal and symbolic readings and the debate over the eternity of hell. | 14 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Religious Studies Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 3,683 questions with their answers.