1

O’Level ISLAMIYAT NOTES by AAISHA ALI

 2
O’Level ISLAMIYAT NOTES by AAISHA ALI
  Q1, P1-Compulsory Question; three
Quranic Passages may set from this
topic & candidates are to be attempted
any two of their choice
 Total Marks; 8 marks
 (a)Main Theme(s), (b) Importance of
theme(s)
 Roughly estimated word limit (80-100)
Paper Pattern words/each passage (1most relevant
/CAIE’s Exam reference from Qura’n in (a) part)
related tips,
 Time Allocation 8 minutes in total (4+4
strategies & min)
instructions  Only use black gel pen, do
(Methodology) paragraphing properly and avoid
cutting and overwriting.

3
O’Level ISLAMIYAT NOTES by AAISHA ALI
 DO’s for (a) part Importance of Theme:

 Single line Theme i.e. Allah in Himself (1-5 Qp’s),

Allah’s Relation with His Created World (6-10 Qp’s)
 At least one relevant Quranic Verse as a reference
in part (a).
 Only religious Facts are needed.
 No advises, suggestions, orders or commands
should be given.
 No use of personal pronouns i.e. I, we, they, you, us,
me and them in part (a).
 No use of Helping Verbs i.e. can, could, shall,
should, ought to, must

DO’S & Don'ts 


No references from daily life are needed in (a) part.
Use of words like symbolizes, tells, presents, shows,
teaches, emphasizes, signifies, illustrates,
of Question 1; 
crystallizes, demonstrates, proves and etc.
Total 80-100 words.

Paper 1
 Total Time required is 4 minutes.
 Graded for 2 marks.

DO’s for (b) part Importance of Theme:

 Write about the lessons derived from the

Quranic Passage.
 Write about the significance of the Quranic
Passage in the light of Islam and in the light of
the Muslims’ lives.
 Make use of advises, suggestions, orders and

DO’s & Don’ts commands.

 Make use of personal pronouns i.e. I, we, they,
you, us, me and them.
of Question 1;  Make use of Helping Verbs i.e. can, could, shall,
should, will, would and must.

Paper 1
 No use of words like symbolizes, tells, presents,
shows, teaches, emphasizes, signifies, illustrates,
crystallizes, demonstrates, proves and etc.
4
 Total 80-100 words.
O’Level ISLAMIYAT NOTES by AAISHA ALI  Total Time required is 4 minutes.
 Graded for 2 marks.
Major themes of the Quran:
Section:
“Allah In Himself”
Quranic Passage # 1

Surah, 2.225 (Ayat ul Kursi)

Allah. There is no god but He, the living, the self-subsisting, eternal. No slumber
can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is
there can intercede in His presence except as He permits? He knows what is
before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass any of His
knowledge except as He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the
earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the
Most High, the Supreme.

a) Main Theme:
 Theme of this long verse is God himself.
 It’s a verse of Sura al-Baqara, a Madninan sura.
 It begins with the expression of the Shahada (declaration of oneness of
God) and then elaborates various aspects of unity of God that make Him
matchless
 God is free from all weaknesses and limitations, has perfect knowledge of
all times, is not dependent on anyone for His survival and enjoys
autonomy in exercising His authority.
5
O’Level ISLAMIYAT NOTES by AAISHA ALI
  His authority and His rule encompass the entire universe. This makes God
not only unique but also elevates him to the heights, and that is mentioned
in the Quran' as: “then He established Himself on the throne” (10:3,
13:2)

b) Importance of the THEME:

 This passage tells Muslims to believe in Tawhid in terms of God’s
uniqueness, majesty and glory.
 The theme is important for Muslims as it crystallizes the belief of Tawhid
and trains them to condemn shirk.
 There is repetitive mention of God’s authority, unlimited knowledge and
powers in order to strengthen the faith of its readers.
 The objective is to remind Muslims that God alone is to be worshipped and
no authority can be compared with him.
 Many Muslims recite this verse regularly to reiterate God’s power and high
position as compared to any worldly authority

Quranic Passage # 2

Surah (6:101-103) (Al-An’aam)

101. To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: how can He
have a son when He has no consort? He created all things, and He has full
knowledge of all things. 102. That is Allah, your Lord! there is no god but He,
the Creator of all things: then worship Him: and He has power to dispose of
all affairs. 103. No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is
above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things.

a) MAIN THEME:
 The Theme of this passage is God in Himself.
6
O’Level ISLAMIYAT NOTES by AAISHA ALI
  It elaborates some of the fundamental aspects of unity of God (Tawhid).
 It describes God as the originator of universe and rejects any kind of
misconception of God having any family.
 It also refers to His unbounded knowledge, power and grasp on His created
world.
 The passage further stresses on the sublime nature of God and inability of
human imagination to encompass God’s person, though He himself can see
to the unfathomable depths, as endorsed elsewhere in the Quran: “for God
is He Who understands the finest mysteries” (22:63).

b) Importance of the THEME:

 This passage is important for Muslims to clearly understand the doctrine of
Tawhid in terms of God’s nature and powers. Muslims need to learn that
though God is too sublime to be perceived,
 He is everywhere and all powerful.
 The Quran reminds Muslims this repeatedly: “and He is with you

wherever you are” (57:04, Al-hadid), and

 The passage also categorically negates the false belief of God having any
wife or children and thus, it strikes at the roots of shirk (associating partners
with God).
 Muslims, in this way, develop a clearer concept of tawhid and feel
themselves bound to adore God only.
 They remember that shirk is the only unpardonable sin in the sight of God.

7
O’Level ISLAMIYAT NOTES by AAISHA ALI
Quranic Passage # 3

Sura (41.37) (Surah Fussilat)

37. Among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon.
Adore not the sun and the moon, but adore Allah, who created them, if it
is Him you wish to serve.
a) Main Theme:
 This verse is from Sura Fussilat Ha-Mim, an early makkan sura,
 It describes the theme of God in Himself.
 It mentions some of the signs and phenomena of nature that reflect God’s
unity and majesty.
 It refers to the cycles of day and night as evidence of divinity.
 The Quran supports it elsewhere as: “Behold! In the creation of the
heavens and earth; in the alternation of the night and the day….are signs
for the people who are wise’’ (2:164).
 The passage commands the Muslims to worship the Creator of the sun and
moon and not the creations themselves because the Creator is always
superior to the creations.

b) Importance of the THEME:

 Theme of this passage urges Muslims to observe various objects of nature
that reflect God’s presence, majesty and glory.
 Since humans cannot afford to see God physically, they are asked to identify
their real Creator through his creations that bear witness to His Existence.
 Such observation encourages Muslims to develop a strong belief in Tawhid
in all its aspects.
 So, Muslims should express their gratitude to God for enabling them to see
and think deeply.
8
O’Level ISLAMIYAT NOTES by AAISHA ALI
  Muslims will thus avoid Shirk that the earlier communities fell victim to,
and worship one Supreme God.

Quranic Passage # 4
‫َلُه َم ا ِفي الَّسَم اَو اِت َو َم ا ِفي اَألْر ِض َو ُهَو اْلَعِلُّي اْلَعِظ يُم‬
‫َتَكاُد الَّسَم اَو اُت َيَتَفَطْر َن ِم ن َفْو ِقِهَّن َو اْلَم اَل ِئَك ُه ُيَس ِّبُحوَن ِبَحْمِد َر ِّبِه ْم َو َي ِفُروَن ِلَم ن ِفي ا ْر ِض ِإ َهَّللا َو‬
‫ُه‬ ‫َّن‬ ‫اَل‬‫َأ‬ ‫َأْل‬ ‫ْغ‬‫ْسَت‬
‫الَغ ُفوُر الَّر ِح يُم‬

Sura 42.4-5(Ash Shura’)

4. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: and He is
most high, most great. 5. The heavens are almost rent asunder from
above them, and the angels celebrate the praises of their Lord, and
pray for forgiveness for beings on earth: Behold! Verily Allah is He,
the oft-forgiving, the most merciful.
a) Main Theme:
 It describes the theme of God in Himself.
 The two verses are from Sura al-Shura, revealed in Makkah shortly after
Sura Fussilat.
 The Makkahns used to accuse the Prophet of crafting the Quranic verses.
The two verses were, therefore, revealed in response to their doubts and
surprise over the teachings and message of the Quran.
 In fact, the Quranic teachings about Tawhid contradicted with their beliefs
about the idols worshipped by them.
 The verses emphasise on God's unshared authority over entire universe in
contrast to the lifeless idols made by the Makkahns.
 They also mention the effect of God's Might on the heavens that hardly
sustain the divine burden.
 Finally, the verse 5 mentions the countless angels who are busy in praising
Him and seeking forgiveness for the misguided humans.
 This is frequently promised in the Quran, "O My slaves who have
transgressed against themselves! Despair not of the Mercy of God, verily
God forgives all sins." (39:53, al-Zumar)

b) Importance of the THEME:

9
O’Level ISLAMIYAT NOTES by AAISHA ALI
  These two verses make Muslims understand the similarity between the
Quran and the previous revelations. Thus they teach Muslims to respect
other religions as the source of all revelation is from the same one God.
 These verses help Muslims to declare Tawhid by all means and negate Shirk.
 They tell Muslims about God's power, authority and glory in order to make
them His obedient believers.
 By referring to the angels who are seeking forgiveness for humans, they tell
about God's mercy and love. Humans, because of their free will and satanic
influences, can commit sins but God is always ready to forgive them.
 Belief in God's mercy and forgiveness prepares Muslims to repent over their
misdeeds.

Quranic Passage # 5

‫قُْل ُهَو ُهَّللا َأَح ٌد‬

‫ُهَّللا الَّص َم ُد‬

‫لْم َيِلْد َو َلْم ُيولد‬

‫َو َلْم َيُك ن َّلُه ُكُفًو ا َأَح ٌد‬

Al-Ikhlas (112)
1. Say: He is Allah, the one and only, 2. Allah, the eternal, absolute;
3. He does not beget, nor is He begotten; 4. And there is none like
Him.
a) Main Theme:
 It describes the theme of God in Himself.
 This early Makkan Surah was revealed in response to several offensive
queries of pagans and the Jews about God. Jews tried to compare Quran’s
teachings with that given in the Tawrah.
 They inquired Prophet PBUH about God's gender, powers and nature as well
as about the ancestry/lineage of God.
 Once they said, "O Muhammd! Tell us the lineage of your Lord."
 The Prophet PBUH waited for the Divine Commandment over it.
10
O’Level ISLAMIYAT NOTES by AAISHA ALI
  He PBUH told his followers that he would recite one third of the Quran.
 The Surah shows a great expression of the absolute oneness of Allah SWT
with His SWT name al-Ahad.
 He is perfect and He is free from the limitations of time and space, as well as
He Doesn’t have any ancestors and descendants.

b) Importance of the THEME:

 Ikhlas means purity of Faith so it purifies and crystalizes the most
fundamental Islamic doctrine of Tawhid.
 It negates all false beliefs about Allah SWT being the descendent or
ascendant of anyone as was believed by non-muslim communities and the
pagans.
 It states and elaborates absolute oneness and uniqueness of Allah SWT in a
divine expression of affirmation.
 The Prophet PBUH encouraged Muslims to recite this Surah regularly in
order to get the rewards of reciting one third of the Quran.
 Once, Hazrat Anas bin Malik told him about his love for this Surah. The
Prophet PBUH replied "Your love for it will admit you into Paradise."
 Thus, the Surah negates all misconceptions, false beliefs and all forms of
Shirk which exist pre-Islamic Arabia.

11
O’Level ISLAMIYAT NOTES by AAISHA ALI