Islam | AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062)
Islam
- 139 questions
- 10 subtopics
- Paper 1
- Paper 1
Islam is examined in Paper 1, The study of religions — one of the two religions chosen from seven.
It covers tawhid and the six articles of faith, the nature of God: mercy, justice and Adalat, angels, predestination and human freedom, akhirah: resurrection, judgement, heaven and hell, risalah, the holy books and the imamate, shahadah, the Five Pillars and the Ten Obligatory Acts, salah and its significance, sawm and zakah: fasting and almsgiving, hajj: the pilgrimage to Makkah and jihad and the festivals of Islam.
Sample questions from Islam
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Tawhid and the six articles of faith
Why do Muslims treat shirk so seriously?
Show the answer
Shirk denies the one truth on which Islam rests. Qur'an 4:48 teaches that God forgives every sin except unrepented shirk. -
The nature of God: mercy, justice and Adalat
How does belief in God's justice affect Muslim attitudes to the Day of Judgement?
Show the answer
Muslims trust that God will judge every person fairly. Nobody will be punished for something they had no power to avoid. -
Angels, predestination and human freedom
What is the role of Mika'il?
Show the answer
Mika'il is the angel of sustenance. Muslims believe Mika'il is responsible for rain, food and the provision that keeps life going. -
Akhirah: resurrection, judgement, heaven and hell
What is the mizan?
Show the answer
The mizan is the scales on which a person's deeds are weighed. Good deeds are weighed against bad ones at judgement. -
Risalah, the holy books and the imamate
Why is Muhammad called the Seal of the Prophets?
Show the answer
Qur'an 33:40 names Muhammad the Seal of the Prophets. Muslims believe no prophet will come after him. -
Shahadah, the Five Pillars and the Ten Obligatory Acts
Name the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi'a Islam.
Show the answer
The ten acts are salah, sawm, zakah, khums, hajj, jihad, amr bil ma'ruf, nahi anil munkar, tawalla and tabarra. Twelver Shi'a Muslims call them the branches of religion. -
Salah and its significance
Why do Muslims perform wudu before salah?
Show the answer
Wudu prepares the body and mind to stand before God. Physical cleanliness is treated as a sign of spiritual readiness. -
Sawm and zakah: fasting and almsgiving
What is the Night of Power?
Show the answer
Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power, marks the first revelation of the Qur'an. Qur'an 96:1-5 were the verses revealed that night.
The 10 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Tawhid and the six articles of faith | Students learn tawhid and Surah 112, shirk and why it is so serious, the six articles of faith in Sunni Islam and the five roots of Usul ad-Din in Shi'a Islam, and why Muslims never make images of God. | 13 |
| The nature of God: mercy, justice and Adalat | The subtopic covers God's omnipotence and beneficence, the two names of mercy that open almost every surah, Adalat in Shi'a Islam, transcendence and immanence with a verse for each, and what mercy means to a Muslim who has sinned. | 12 |
| Angels, predestination and human freedom | These questions explain the nature of angels and the roles of Jibril, Mika'il, the angel of death and the recording angels, al-Qadr, and how Sunni and Shi'a Muslims hold predestination and human freedom together. | 12 |
| Akhirah: resurrection, judgement, heaven and hell | Students learn akhirah and Barzakh, the resurrection and the Day of Judgement, the mizan, Jannah and Jahannam and differing readings of them, human accountability, and the part God's mercy plays at judgement. | 12 |
| Risalah, the holy books and the imamate | The subtopic covers risalah and the prophets Adam, Ibrahim and Muhammad, how the Qur'an was revealed and why it has the highest authority, the other holy books and the Scrolls of Abraham, and the Shi'a imamate. | 14 |
| Shahadah, the Five Pillars and the Ten Obligatory Acts | These questions set out the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam, what the shahadah declares and when it is said, the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi'a Islam and their meanings, and how the two lists compare. | 12 |
| Salah and its significance | Students learn what salah involves, including prayer times, wudu, the qiblah and the movements of a rak'ah, Jummah prayer, differences between Sunni and Shi'a practice, and prayer away from the mosque. | 14 |
| Sawm and zakah: fasting and almsgiving | The subtopic covers the duties, exemptions and benefits of fasting in Ramadan and the Night of Power, then zakah, including its origins, the nisab and rate, who receives it, its benefits for giver and recipient, and Shi'a khums. | 23 |
| Hajj: the pilgrimage to Makkah | These questions explain hajj and its origins, ihram and the white clothing, the Ka'aba, tawaf, sa'i and Zamzam, the standing at Arafat, Muzdalifah and the stoning at Mina, and the lasting effect of hajj on a pilgrim. | 13 |
| Jihad and the festivals of Islam | Students learn the meaning of greater and lesser jihad and the conditions and limits of lesser jihad, then the origins and British celebration of Id-ul-Fitr and Id-ul-Adha, and how Shi'a and Sunni Muslims mark Ashura. | 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 GCSE Religious Studies A Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,734 questions with their answers.