WAEC SSCE - Islamic Studies - 2019 (Essay)

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(a) Definition of Nikah

Nikah is the lawful marriage contract in Islam by which a man and a woman are joined together as husband and wife through a valid offer and acceptance, in the presence of witnesses, with the payment of a dowry (mahr). It legalises companionship and intimacy between the couple, establishes a family, and is a Sunnah of the Prophet (S.A.W.) which safeguards chastity and the continuation of the human race.

(b) Ten categories of people prohibited in marriage (Q.4:22-24)

Allah forbids marrying the following:

1. Your mother.
2. Your daughter.
3. Your sister.
4. Your father's sister (paternal aunt).
5. Your mother's sister (maternal aunt).
6. Your brother's daughter (niece).
7. Your sister's daughter (niece).
8. Your foster-mother who breast-fed you, and your foster-sister through suckling.
9. Your wife's mother (mother-in-law).
10. Your step-daughter under your care, born of a wife with whom you have consummated marriage; and your daughter-in-law (the wife of your own son).

The passage also forbids marrying the woman one's father married (step-mother), and taking two sisters in marriage at the same time, as well as women already married to others. These prohibitions protect family sanctity and moral order.

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The relationship between Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) and the Jews in Madinah

When the Prophet migrated to Madinah, he found three main Jewish tribes settled there: Banu Qaynuqa', Banu Nadir and Banu Qurayzah. His relationship with them passed through phases of cooperation and conflict.

1. Initial peace and treaty: The Prophet drew up the Constitution of Madinah (Sahifah), a written agreement that granted the Jews freedom of religion, protection of life and property, and equal citizenship, in return for their loyalty and joint defence of the city against external enemies. They agreed not to aid the enemies of the Muslims.
2. Good neighbourliness: At first the Prophet treated them kindly, traded with them, visited their sick, and adopted some shared practices such as fasting on the Day of 'Ashura.
3. Growing hostility: Many Jewish leaders rejected his prophethood, mocked the Muslims, spread doubts, and secretly conspired with the hypocrites and the Quraysh against the Muslims.
4. Breach of the treaty: Each tribe violated the pact. Banu Qaynuqa' insulted a Muslim woman and were expelled; Banu Nadir plotted to assassinate the Prophet and were also expelled; Banu Qurayzah betrayed the Muslims during the Battle of the Trench (Khandaq) by siding with the enemy, and were punished by the judgement of the arbitrator Sa'd b. Mu'adh.
5. Lessons: The relationship shows the Prophet's tolerance and readiness for peaceful coexistence, his commitment to honouring treaties, and his firmness in dealing with treachery that threatened the survival of the community.

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Factors that promoted the study of Hadith after the death of the Prophet (S.A.W.)

After the passing of the Prophet, several factors motivated Muslims to devote themselves to collecting, preserving and studying Hadith:

1. Need to complete the Shari'ah: The Qur'an lays down principles in general terms, while the Hadith explains and details them. Muslims needed the Sunnah to understand acts of worship such as Salat, Zakat and Hajj, so its study became essential.
2. Spread of Islam to new lands: As Islam expanded into non-Arab territories, new peoples and situations required guidance from the practice of the Prophet, increasing demand for authentic reports.
3. Death of the companions: As the eyewitness companions began to pass away, scholars feared the loss of the Prophet's traditions and hastened to record and transmit them.
4. Emergence of fabricated Hadith: Political and sectarian conflicts led some people to invent sayings and attribute them to the Prophet. This danger compelled scholars to develop the science of isnad and criticism to sift genuine from false reports.
5. Official encouragement: Rulers such as Caliph 'Umar b. 'Abdul-'Aziz officially ordered the systematic compilation of Hadith to safeguard it for future generations.
6. Zeal for reward and knowledge: Scholars travelled long distances (rihlah) in search of a single Hadith, driven by love of the Prophet and desire for the reward of preserving his Sunnah.
7. Rise of jurisprudence (Fiqh): The development of legal schools required a reliable body of Hadith as a source of law, stimulating its intensive study.

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Translation and commentary on Suratud-Duha, Q.93:6-9

English translation:

6. Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter?
7. And He found you wandering (unaware), and guided you?
8. And He found you in need, and made you rich (self-sufficient)?
9. So as for the orphan, do not oppress (him).

Commentary:

These verses were revealed to comfort the Prophet (S.A.W.) after a pause in revelation had caused his enemies to claim that his Lord had forsaken him. Allah reminds him of the favours already granted to him:

1. "He found you an orphan and sheltered you": The Prophet lost his father before birth and his mother in early childhood, yet Allah cared for him through his grandfather 'Abdul-Muttalib and his uncle Abu Talib. This is a reminder that Allah never abandoned him.
2. "He found you wandering and guided you": Before prophethood he was seeking the truth amid a society of idolatry; Allah guided him to the true faith and made him the bearer of divine guidance.
3. "He found you in need and enriched you": He grew up poor, but Allah made him self-sufficient, partly through the wealth of Khadijah and above all through contentment of the heart, the true richness.
4. "So do not oppress the orphan": In gratitude for having been an orphan who was cared for, he is commanded to be kind to orphans and never to wrong them. This establishes an enduring moral duty in Islam to protect the weak and vulnerable.

The passage teaches gratitude for Allah's blessings and the obligation to show compassion to the needy in return for the mercy one has received.

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How Shirk negates the principle of Tawhid

Tawhid is the absolute Oneness of Allah in His Lordship, His worship and His names and attributes. Shirk is the association of partners with Allah. Shirk is the direct opposite of Tawhid and completely destroys it in the following ways:

1. It divides worship that belongs to Allah alone: Tawhid requires that all worship, prayer, sacrifice and supplication be directed to Allah only. Shirk diverts part of this worship to idols, saints, spirits or created things, which contradicts the very meaning of "none has the right to be worshipped except Allah."
2. It assigns partners in Lordship: Tawhid affirms that Allah alone creates, sustains, gives life and death, and controls the universe. Shirk claims that other beings share in these powers, thereby denying Allah's sole Lordship (Tawhid ar-Rububiyyah).
3. It corrupts belief in Allah's names and attributes: Shirk likens the perfect attributes of Allah to those of creatures or attributes divine qualities such as knowledge of the unseen to others, violating Tawhid al-Asma' was-Sifat.
4. It contradicts the testimony of faith: The Shahadah begins with negation ("there is no god") before affirmation ("except Allah"). Shirk restores the false gods that the Shahadah negates.
5. It is the greatest and unforgivable sin: Allah says He forgives all sins except that a partner be set up with Him (Q.4:48). Shirk nullifies all good deeds (Q.39:65) and, if unrepented, condemns a person to eternal loss, showing that it entirely cancels the benefit of Tawhid.

Therefore, wherever Shirk is present, Tawhid is absent, for the two cannot exist together in the heart.

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The development of Tafsir from the time of the Prophet to the era of the Tabi'un

Tafsir means the explanation and interpretation of the meanings of the Qur'an. Its development passed through the following stages:

1. The era of the Prophet (S.A.W.): The Prophet was the first and foremost interpreter of the Qur'an. When verses were ambiguous or general, the companions asked him and he clarified their meaning by word or deed. His Sunnah explained and detailed what the Qur'an stated briefly, for example demonstrating how to pray and perform Hajj. Revelation itself sometimes explained earlier verses.
2. The era of the Companions (Sahabah): After the Prophet, learned companions took up the task of interpretation, relying on their knowledge of the Arabic language, the circumstances of revelation (asbab an-nuzul) which they had witnessed, and what they had learned from the Prophet. Notable exegetes included 'Ali b. Abi Talib, 'Abdullah b. 'Abbas (called the interpreter of the Qur'an), 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud and Ubayy b. Ka'b. Ibn 'Abbas was especially outstanding, and the Prophet prayed for him to be given understanding of the Book.
3. The era of the Successors (Tabi'un): The students of the companions continued the work, forming centres of learning. In Makkah the school of Ibn 'Abbas produced scholars such as Mujahid, 'Ikrimah and 'Ata'; in Madinah the school of Ubayy b. Ka'b; and in Kufah the school of Ibn Mas'ud produced scholars such as Qatadah and al-Hasan al-Basri. During this period Tafsir was mainly transmitted orally alongside Hadith, but the range of interpretation widened, some material from the People of the Book (Isra'iliyyat) entered, and the foundation was laid for the later written, systematic works of Tafsir.