Interactive

Learner Guide

Cambridge O Level
Islamiyat 2058

For examination from 2021

Version 2
Copyright © UCLES 2020 (updated Nov 2021)
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Learner Guide

Section 1: Syllabus content - what you need to know about

This section gives you an outline of the syllabus content for this course. Ask your teacher for more detail about each topic. You
can also find more detail in the Revision checklists of this guide.

The Islamiyat syllabus is made up of two compulsory components, Paper 1 and Paper 2. Paper 1 focuses on the Qur’an, the
life of Muhammad (pbuh) and the first Islamic community. Paper 2 focuses on the Hadith, the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the
Articles of Faith and Pillars of Islam. You can see the content of each paper below.

Syllabus content

Paper 1: Paper 2:
Paper 1 contains five questions of which candidates Paper 2 contains five questions of which candidates
must answer Question 1, Question 2 and two must answer Question 1, Question 2 and two
others. others.
1. Major themes of the Qur’an: Three passages 1. Major teachings in the Hadiths of the Prophet:
will be set from the set passages, of which Four passages are set from set passages, of
candidates may choose any two. which candidates may choose any two.
2. The history and importance of the Qur’an: This 2. The history and importance of the Hadiths: This
question is usually set in more than one part, question is usually set in more than one part,
and requires an essay length answer. and requires an essay length answer.
3. The life and importance of the Prophet 3. The period of rule of the Rightly Guided Caliphs
Muhammad (pbuh): One or two questions are and their importance as leaders: One or two
set, usually in more than one part, requiring questions are set, usually in more than one part,
essay length answers. requiring essay length answers.
4. The first Islamic community: One or two 4. The Articles of Faith and the Pillars of Islam: One
questions are set, usually in more than one part, or two questions are set, usually in more than
requiring essay length answers. one part, requiring essay length answers.

The same structure and number of questions applies to both papers, and candidates will be assessed according to the same
Assessment Objectives in equivalent questions in each.

Make sure you always check the latest syllabus, which is available at www.cambridgeinternational.org.

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Section 2: How you will be assessed

You will be assessed at the end of the course using two components:
• Paper 1 on the Qur’an, the life of Muhammad (pbuh) and the first Islamic community (written paper)
• Paper 2 on the Hadith, the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the Articles of Faith and Pillars of Islam (written paper)
Both components are covered in this booklet.

Components at a glance
This table summarises the key information about each examination paper. You can find details and advice on how to approach
each component in the ‘About each paper’ sub-section.

Component Time and Skills assessed Details Percentage of

marks qualification
Paper 1 1 hour and Knowledge and understanding Answer four questions: 50%
30 minutes • One compulsory question
The Qur’an,
the life of 50 marks about set passages from
Muhammad the Qur’an
(pbuh) and the • One compulsory question
first Islamic requiring an essay-based
community response
• Two further questions
from a choice of three,
requiring essay-based
responses
Paper 2 1 hour and Knowledge and understanding Answer four questions: 50%
30 minutes • One compulsory question
The Hadith, the
Rightly Guided 50 marks about set passages from
Caliphs and the the Hadith
Articles of Faith • One compulsory question
and Pillars of requiring an essay-based
Islam response
• Two further questions
from a choice of three,
requiring essay-based
responses

About the papers

It is important that you understand the different types of question and how you should approach them. Both papers test your
knowledge and understanding. Each question is divided into part (a) and part (b).
Part (a) tests your knowledge, and is marked according to the Assessment Objective for knowledge (AO1)
Part (b) tests your understanding, and is marked according to the Assessment Objective for understanding (AO2)

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Revision checklists
In the next part of this guide we have provided some revision checklists. These include information from the syllabus that you should revise. They don’t contain all the detailed knowledge
you need to know, just an overview. For more detail see the syllabus and talk to your teacher.
The table headings are explained below:

Topic You should be able to R A G Comments

These are the core topics. Content in the syllabus you need to You can use the tick boxes to show when you have revised You can:
cover. an item and how confident you feel about it.
• Add further information of your own, such
R = RED means you are really unsure and lack confidence; as names of case studies needed
you might want to focus your revision here and possibly • add learning aids, such as rhymes, poems or
talk to your teacher for help word play
A = AMBER means you are reasonably confident but need • pinpoint areas of difficulty you need to
some extra practice check further with your teacher or textbooks
G = GREEN means you are very confident. • include reference to a useful resource.

As your revision progresses, you can concentrate on the

RED and AMBER items in order to turn them into GREEN
items. You might find it helpful to highlight each topic in
red, orange or green to help you prioritise.
Note: the tables below cannot contain absolutely everything you need to know, but it does use examples wherever it can.

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Paper 1
Topic You should be able to R A G Comments
1.1 Major themes of the Know and explain themes from passages set for close study relating to:
Qur’an • God in himself

• God’s relationship with the created world

• God’s Messengers

Explore:
• the major theme or themes of the Qur’an that appear in each passage

• the importance of these themes in the lives of Muslims today

• and demonstrate knowledge of the original as well as the translation of the

set passages.
1.2 The history and Demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of:
importance of the Qur’an • the revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet (pbuh) between the years 610
and 632
• the account of the compilation of the Qur’an under the Rightly Guided
Caliphs
• the major themes of the Qur’an as contained both in the passages set for
special study and in other similar passages
• the use of the Qur’an in legal thinking, and its relationship with the Hadiths,
consensus (ijma‘)
• analogy (qiyas)

• the significance of the Qur’an as the basis of all thought and action in Islam.

1.3 The life and importance Demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of:
of the Prophet Muhammad • the main events of the Prophet’s life from his birth to his call to prophethood
(pbuh)
• the main events of his activities in Makka and his experiences with his
opponents

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Topic You should be able to R A G Comments

• the main events of his activities in Madina, his leadership of the community
there and his conflicts with the Makkans and others
• his actions and character

• the importance of his actions as examples for Muslim individuals in their

personal conduct and relations

• with others including women and non-Muslims

• the importance of his actions as examples for Muslim communities in their

relations with other states
• his significance as Seal of the Prophets and last Messenger of God

• his significance in Muslim beliefs

• the importance of his actions and experiences in the history and beliefs of
Islam, particularly in the way they provide examples for present day Muslim
individuals and communities.
1.4 The first Islamic Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
community • the Prophet’s wives

• his descendants, including his children, grandchildren and the direct line
recognised among Shi‘a Muslims as Imams
• his leading Companions, including the Ten Blessed Companions, his Scribes,
the major characters who surrounded him in his ministry, the Emigrants and
Helpers, and the four Rightly Guided Caliphs during his lifetime
• the main characters who lived with and near the Prophet (pbuh), and the
significant facts of their lives
• the importance of their actions and experiences in the history and beliefs of
Islam.

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Learner Guide

Paper 2
You should be able to Ways to practise skills R A G Comments
2.1 Major teachings in the To know and understand passages set for close study relating to:
Hadiths of the Prophet • individual conduct
(pbuh)
• life in the community.

To know and understand the teachings contained in each passage:

• about what Muslims should believe

• how they should act.

2.2 The history and Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

importance of the Hadiths • the history of the compilation of the Hadiths

• the earliest collections

• the main musnad and musannaf collections

• the main compilers and their activities

• the methods based on examination of the chain of transmitters (isnad) and

the text (matn) of a Hadith to test the reliability of the Hadith
• the main features of the six collections of Sunni Hadiths and the four
collections of Shi‘a Hadiths
• the major themes of the Hadiths as these are contained both in the passages
set for special study and in other similar passages
• their use in legal thinking, and their relationship with the Qur’an, consensus
(ijma‘) and analogy (qiyas)
• their significance in thought and action in Islam.

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 Learner Guide

Topic You should be able to R A G Comments

2.3 The period of rule of the Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
Rightly Guided Caliphs and • the main events of the rules of the four Caliphs
their importance as leaders
• their policies in maintaining and expanding the state

• their approaches to leading the community

• their main achievements

• the main difficulties they encountered

• their significance as examples of leadership

• the importance of their rules as models for government today

• their importance as examples for Muslim communities in their relations with

other states
• the significance of events of the rules of the four Caliphs for the early and
later history of Islam
• the importance of their rules as examples for later times.

2.4 The Articles of Faith and Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
the Pillars of Islam • the Six Articles of Faith:
– God, including what Muslims believe about him
– angels, their nature and duties
– books, their contents and purpose
– prophets, their character and function
– God’s predestination and decree, its meaning and significance
– Resurrection and the last day, the main events and its significance.
• Jihad in its range of meanings, physical, mental and spiritual.

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Topic You should be able to R A G Comments

• the Five Pillars of Islam:
– the declaration of faith, shahada, including the significance of what it
contains
– prayer, salat, including preparations, its performance and importance,
congregational prayers on.
• Fridays and festivals, times of prayer, the place of prayer, private prayer,
delayed prayer
– alms-giving, zakat, how it is performed and its significance in the
community
– fasting, sawm, including the way it is observed, its significance and those
exempted
– pilgrimage, hajj, including the main observances involved and their
significance.
• the significance of each of these beliefs and observances in the faith and
action of individual Muslims and of Muslim communities.

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Copyright © UCLES June 2020