6

• The Only connection between Allah and His servant is through righteousness; A true believer will therefore,
never be proud of his wealth, beauty, children etc.
• if one happens to be righteous then this too is blessing from Allah for which one need to be thankful to Him.
• Secondly, all acts without sincerity are meaningless. Hence, it must be remembered that Allah will reward deeds
based on what is in the heart, and, on Day of Judgment, the hidden intentions will be judged along with the
outwards deeds. The Prophet said, “Every action is based on the intention (behind it) and everyone shall have
what he intended.”

(b) Action [2] Marks

• Purity of heart and good intentions should be the basis of every action that Muslim undertakes. A Muslim’s
actions must be based on seeking Allah’s pleasure, therefore, when charity is given it is not the amount that is
all important but the gesture and intention behind it.
• Yet another example that can be given here could be the appointment of Hazrat Bilal as the first muezzin of
Islam. He was given this high status because of his strong faith and love of religion, and not on any other
account.
• In today’s world too, a Muslim’s actions must be based on sincerity and the believer must not engage in false
praise or flattery of those in government or other influential people for the sake of gaining privileges or
concessions.

Themes of Hadith
Communal Life
M/J 2012
2 (a) According to the teachings of the set Hadiths you have studied, outline the ways in which Muslims
should treat one another. [10]
O/N 2014
2 (a) Outline the main teachings of the set Hadiths about the conduct of Muslims in communal life. [10]
O/N 2016
2 (a) Giving references from the set Hadiths you have studied, outline the Prophet’s teachings about
care in the community. [10]
O/N 2017
2(a) Write an account of how the Hadiths of the Prophet stress upon the unity of the Islamic community.
Use at least four set Hadiths from the syllabus to develop your answer. [10]
M/J 2023
2 (a) From the teachings given in the set Hadiths, write an account of how they help establish
brotherhood in the community. [10]

Answer: [Learn and write]

The hadiths of the Prophet shed a lot of light on the importance of Muslim community life and brotherhood.
The first Islamic community was knitted in such a way that these teachings were inculcated in the core of
social structure.
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1. The Prophet pbuh described the Umma, the Muslim community as being like “a single body-if his
eye is affected he is affected, and if his head is affected he is all affected.” This shows that the
community has to be supportive of itself, and that if there is problem in one part of it, this will be
felt throughout the rest. It means that the individual Muslim has to keep the interests of the
community central, and is not to be too focused on his own wants and needs.
2. The prophet pbuh also instructed to show concern for others and to safeguard others from the
mischief of tongues and hands. On one occasion he said, “None of you truly believes until he desires
for his brother what he desires for himself.” It teaches us that we must behave towards our fellow
Muslims in the same way in which we behave towards ourselves. Because it is only by acting
sincerely towards others we prove that we are true believers
3. Similarly, Prophet (pbuh) emphasized on showing concern for others and on helping them by all
possible means and declared it as charity (sadaqah). “Every person’s every joint must perform a
charity every day the sun comes up; to act justly between two people is a charity, to help a man
with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings onto it is a charity; every step you
take to prayers is a charity; and removing a harmful thing from the road is a charity.” Muslims need
to show compassion and care in society and to perform acts of charity. This is not just restricted to giving
money but includes small, everyday acts of kindness that would make the community stronger and increase
awareness of God and His bounties and create brotherhood. So Muslims are required to play a positive
role as a part of the community by helping others and by settling their disputes.
4. Prophet pbuh also said, “Whosoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand,
and if he is not able to do so then with his tongue, and if he is not able to do so then with his
heart, and that is the weakest of faith.” In this hadith the Prophet pbuh emphasized upon
forbidding the community from digressing from the path of Allah. He prescribed upon all Muslims
to stop evil actions by all possible means. By removing or correcting the issue, the community will benefit,
and victims of injustice will get help. This will create brotherhood amongst the Muslims.
5. The prophet pbuh said, “ He who manages the affairs of a widow and the poor, is like the one who strives
hard in the way of Allah, or the one who stands for prayer in the night or fasts in the day.” It helps establish
brotherhood in the community by teaching believers that the rights of the people are just as important as
the rights of God. It teaches Muslims that Islam is a religion that strongly promotes social justice and
therefore lays great emphasis on the care of the vulnerable in society. When the teachings given in this
Hadith are followed the needs of those who would struggle in society without help are met and no member
of the community is left behind: thus, promoting brotherhood. When this guidance is followed the
community will become a safe place for all, where the needs of everyone will be met. It will promote harmony
and brotherhood between people from different walks of life and make bonds which are strong.
6. A sense of responsibility and provision of justice is embedded into the minds of the Muslims as they
follow the doctrines of Islam. “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace)
sent Abu Musa and Mu‘adh ibn Jabal to Yaman, and he sent each of them to govern a part. Then he
said: ‘Be gentle and do not be hard, and cause rejoicing and do not alienate.”
7. The Prophet pbuh also ‘‘God will not show mercy to him who does not show mercy to others.”
Muslims should develop the traits of kindness and mercy in their personalities. This will show compassion to
all living things on this Earth and forgive the mistakes of others if they are indeed true believers who seek
God’s mercy in this world and the hereafter. With forgiveness and compassion towards each other, feelings
of brotherhood and good will develop and grow in the community. Just as the Prophet (pbuh) prayed for the
people of Ta’if when they rejected him and forgave the Makkans at the time of the conquest of Makka,
Muslims must forgive those who wrong them and in general be merciful towards all of God’s creation. Thus,
establishing brotherhood in the umma and strengthening bonds between Muslims.
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This shows that in Islamic community life, Muslims think out of their selves and care about other Muslims.
Therefore, a good Muslim is the one who fulfils the social duties .
2 (b) In your opinion, why is brotherhood given so much importance in Islam? [4]
• Various Hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh) give the teaching of maintaining unity and brotherhood in
Islam.
• the Prophet (pbuh) has gone so far as to say that one is not a believer until he wants for his
brother what he wants for himself, thus he has linked brotherhood and unity directly to faith.
• Brotherhood is emphasised in Islam as it makes a community caring and compassionate and
leaves no-one behind.
• Islam is a religion of social justice and God wants His creation to care for those around them and
to live in peace with one another and that can only be done when there is a feeling of
brotherhood amongst Muslims.

Individual conduct
O/N 2011
2 (a) Outline the main teachings of the Hadiths you have studied, from the passages set for
special study, about the responsibilities of individual Muslims. [10]
O/N 2019
2 (a) From the set Hadiths you have studied outline the Prophet’s teachings on the individual
conduct of Muslims. [10]
Answer: (Learn and write)
The Prophet’s pbuh character is a perfect role model for all Muslims in their individual and personal
conduct. His ahadith give us teachings about our responsibilities as individuals .
1. The Prophet pbuh said,“Religion is sincerity.’ We said: ‘To whom?’ The Prophet said: ‘To Allah, his
Book, his Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and to their common people.” Here, he taught us to
be sincere in our beliefs and practices. This means that we must put Allah before everything else that
we do and we must recite the Holy Quran regularly in order to implement its teachings in our lives. If
we do this, we will be able to fulfill all the main requirements of Islam.
2. The Prophet pbuh said, “He who studies the Quran is like the owner of tethered camels, if he attends
to them he will keep hold of them, but if he lets them loose they will go away.” That it is of utmost
importance for a Muslim to read, understand and follow the teachings given in the Qur’an as it is a book
of guidance for all times and stops a believer from going astray. The link to tethered camels in the Hadith
shows the importance of establishing a strong relationship with the Qur’an in their everyday lives.
3. Modesty is an important feature of Islam as it plays a vital role in character building. It holds a key to
piety and good deeds. Faith and modesty are so closely related to each other that either both will be
present in an individual and community or none of the two would be present. Modesty has been
particularly stressed upon as part of faith because it reflects a state of mental piety. Therefore, Prophet
(P.B.U.H) said, “Modesty produces nothing but good”
4. Prophet (P.B.U.H) emphasized upon individual Muslims to perform obligatory acts of worship i.e salat
and fasting, and to live their lives following Islamic values in order to attain God’s pleasure and enter
paradise. A man asked the messenger of Allah: “do you think that if I perform the obligatory prayers,
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fast in Ramdan, treat as lawful that which is lawful and treat as forbidden that which is forbidden and
do not nothing further. I shall enter paradise” The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said “yes”
5. It was asked, “O messenger of Allah, who is the most excellent of mankind?” He said, “The believer
who strives hard in the way of Allah with his person and his property.” It gives an important teaching
to all Muslims stating that to achieve a distinctive position or to be ranked amongst the best of believers
they must always be engaged in God’s service with their person, property or wealth. The purpose of
the engagement should always be to help make the community and the wider society pious and in its
establishment, one must abide by the laws of God as taught to believers by the Prophet (pbuh).
6. Prophet’s ahadith also contain teachings about taking our responsibility ourselves. He also taught us
about generosity and hospitality. His teachings encourage us to spend our wealth on the poor and the
needy and to exert ourselves in the way of Allah. He also emphasizes upon hard work and earning by
lawful means. He is reported to have said, “No one eats better food than that which he eats out of the
work of his own hand.” It means that we should become self-sufficient and should not depend upon
others unnecessarily.
7. The Prophet pbuh also forbade his followers from being materialistic or self-centered. Instead he told
them to remember and to strive for the eternal rewards of hereafter. He said, “The world is a believer’s
prison and a non-believer’s paradise.” The teaching given is that this world is a place of temporary
abode for all humanity and that Muslims have to live lives in this world based on the sharia of God and
follow the limitations imposed by Islam on the way they live. The core teaching of the Hadith tells
believers that just as a prisoner does not make prison his home a believer should not consider this world
to be their permanent home and strive, while in it, to gain the eternal reward of paradise by living their
lives according to the laws and requirements of their faith. This Hadith specifically teaches Muslims how
to conduct themselves in their personal lives and makes a peaceful pious society.
In this way Prophet’s (pbuh) ahadith give us guidance about our individual conduct and help us to become
good Muslims. The Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) was not merely a Messenger of Allah, he was also a guide and
teacher. The life of Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) is an example for Muslims to follow in every sphere of life. He
provided teachings regarding every aspect of their community as well as individual life.
Challenging Question:
M/J 2013
2 (a) From the set Hadiths outline the Prophet’s teachings about the conduct of the individual
in the community. [10]
O/N 2023
2(a) From the teachings given in the set Hadiths, write an account of the guidance given to
Muslims in their everyday life. [10]

Hazrat Abu Bakr’s(R.A) Caliphate

Election:
While the final rites of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) were in progress, it was brought to the attention of Hazrat
Umar that a meeting had been called by Ansar at the Saqifa Banu Saida to elect a successor (caliph) to the Holy