Edexcel GCSE (9–1) Religious Studies B · Paper 2, Question 3 · Islam Harlington School · Grade 9 Summit
All eight units

Living the Muslim Life

Eight topics, one summit. The divergent views set side by side, the key ideas connected, and the (d) evaluated the Level-4 way, everything for the top of the mark scheme, in one place.

The
big
question

How is Islam lived, pillar by pillar, and which practices are truly essential?

01

The divergent views explorer

Every (d) in this unit turns on the divergent views: set side by side, exactly as the examiner wants. Pick a topic, then tap a position to see what it claims. The Grade 9 move and the 7-minute discussion question travel with each topic.

Tap a circle, or use Tab and Enter, to explore each position.

The thread that ties it together

Grade 9 is not more content: it is three habits applied to every topic. Spot them and every (d) in this unit opens the same way.

Divergent views, side by side

Never one view at a time. Set them against each other: where they agree, and the exact point they part. That comparison IS the analysis.

The (d) regulation

Chain each point (claim → because → this means → therefore), steelman the other side, weigh BOTH arguments, a strength AND a limit, then justify the conclusion.

Textbook-first accuracy

A correctly named source beats a vague paraphrase. One learned line from each source, placed precisely, is worth more than a paragraph of drift.

02

Eight topics, one summit

Each panel is a topic’s key idea: the connective explanation that links the key words into one argument. Learn the chain, not the list.

Topic 1 · I17

Ten Obligatory Acts

What must a Muslim DO to live the faith, and why do Sunnis and Shi’as answer differently?
MINUS ONERemove shahadah: Shi’as still see it as essential to become a Muslim, just not an Act to perform.
THE FOURSalah, sawm, zakah and hajj carry straight across, proving both systems share one practical core.
PLUS SIXAdd khums, jihad, amr-bil-ma’ruf, nahi anil munkar, tawalla and tabarra = ten, marking Shi’a identity.
WHY NO SHAHADAHThe Imams fixed the ten before Sunnis had made shahadah the first pillar, history, not rejection.
Topic 2 · I18

Shahadah

Why is the shahadah called the first and most important pillar, and how do Shi’as say it differently?
HALF ONE“No god but God” → tawhid: the oneness of creation, humanity, angels and holy books, no rivals.
HALF TWO“Muhammad is the prophet of God” → the Qur’an as God’s Word, so the sunnah becomes the path to follow.
SO IT COMES FIRSTBelieve the shahadah and the pillars follow; with no baptism, reciting it before witnesses makes you Muslim.
THE NON-ACTION PILLARThe only pillar you do not DO. Kurshid Ahmad calls Iman the pillar that sustains the whole structure.
Topic 3 · I19

Salah

How and why do Muslims pray, and is salah the most important of the Five Pillars?
FACING JERUSALEMMuhammad first prayed toward Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) for 16–17 months, a hadith records.
THE MOVEIn Madinah, 622CE, God turned prayer to Makkah (Surah 2:149), the qibla Muslims still face today.
BUILT UP OVER TIMEAn afternoon prayer was added; by 628CE salah was fixed at five daily times, as Muhammad demonstrated.
Topic 4 · I20

Sawm

Why do Muslims fast in Ramadan, and what makes the Night of Power so important?
CAVE HIRAc.610CE Muhammad, meditating in Cave Hira after growing troubled by Makkah’s idols, meets the angel Jibril.
“RECITE”Jibril’s command, given twice, brings the first of 23 years of revelation. Surah 96:1–5.
THE LAST TEN NIGHTSIt falls in the last ten nights of Ramadan; most Sunnis mark the 27th with mosque prayers.
“BETTER THAN A THOUSAND MONTHS”Surah 97: worship that night outweighs 83 years and can bring forgiveness of all a person’s sins.
Topic 5 · I21

Zakah & khums

Why do Muslims give away part of their wealth, and why do Shi’as pay khums as well as zakah?
WEALTH CAN CUT YOU OFFIslam teaches hoarded wealth can be evil and cut a person off from God, so giving keeps faith alive.
THE THRESHOLDOnly wealth above the nisab is liable (about £2220 in the UK). Those below it pay nothing at all.
PAY TO PURIFYGiving the fixed share purifies the wealth kept back; some scholars say it helps prayers be accepted.
BOTH GAINGiver purifies wealth and worships God; receiver escapes poverty, both gain forgiveness of sins.
Topic 6 · I22

Hajj

Why do Muslims make hajj, and is it truly essential for every Muslim?
8TH · KA’ABACircle the Ka’aba seven times (tawaf) reciting the talbiya, run the Ma’sa, then walk on to Mina.
9TH · ARAFATStand at Arafat (Waquf) confessing sins believed instantly forgiven; missing it means repeating hajj.
10TH · MINAStone the pillars (rejecting Satan) and sacrifice, shared worldwide by all Muslims as Id-ul-Adha.
THEN · HOMEA final tawaf and circuit of the Ma’sa completes hajj; the pilgrim returns home a respected hajji.
Topic 7 · I23

Jihad

What does jihad really mean, and which struggle matters more, the greater or the lesser?
GREATER = INNERStruggling to perform the Pillars, follow Shari’ah and copy Muhammad. This stops a Muslim being a hypocrite.
LESSER = OUTEROnly THEN tackle Muslim societies’ underdevelopment, unfair trading and poverty, before the wider world.
ORDER, NOT SIZEYou cannot cleanse society while corrupt yourself; Muslim lawyers teach self must be conquered first.
STRICT LIMITSHoly War needs self-defence, a pious leader, faithful soldiers, a real chance of success, sparing the innocent.
Topic 8 · I24

Celebrations

Which days do Muslims mark, and why do Id-ul-Ghadeer and Ashura divide Sunnis from Shi’as?
ID-UL-FITR ← SAWMThe first daylight meal in a month; Muhammad kept the first Id-ul-Fitr, so Muslims feel they copy him.
ID-UL-ADHA ← HAJJThe Mina sacrifice remembers Ibrahim; meat is split between the poor, relatives and family, worldwide.
NOT CELEBRATION FOR ITS OWN SAKEBoth draw worshippers close to God, unlike parties for their own sake such as Christmas or Diwali.
THE SHIRK LINESalafi Muslims reject extra festivals like Mawlid al-Nabi as verging on the grave sin of shirk.
03

Your resources

Everything for the unit, in one place: each topic’s lesson, booklet pages and podcast episode, plus the unit-wide booklet editions, schemes of work and the guide.

Teacher setup: links aren't set yet. Open this file, find the LINKS list near the bottom, and paste each SharePoint share link once. Buttons with no link show as "Link not set".
04

How to revise this unit

Use the resources in this order: the same loop as the lessons, so revision feels like coming home.

Bell work first · retrieve before you re-read

Five recall questions from memory, self-scored /5. Then the come-back tracker: the same five at +1 week and +1 month.

Listen along to the episode

One six-minute podcast per topic. Capture the six mind-map branches as it plays. The episode does the exposition so you can do the thinking.

Work the booklet pages

Four pages per topic: the key idea, two source quotes, the divergent views side by side, and the full (d). The Key Idea edition adds the 7-minute discussion.

Write the (d) the Level-4 way

Chain · steelman · weigh both (strength AND limit) · justify. Check yourself against the Level 3-vs-Level 4 models on lessons 3 and 6.

The marks map · (a) (b) (c) · 12 marks
(a) 3 marks · outline three. Three crisp sentences, no development needed.
(b) 4 marks · explain two. Each point + one development.
(c) 5 marks · explain two WITH a named source: one learned line, placed exactly.
The (d) · 12 marks · half the question
What it is · a full evaluation: agree and disagree developed, the non-religious voice engaged where the question invites it.
The grade 9 gap · Level 3 asserts its judgement; Level 4 chains, weighs both sides, and justifies a conclusion that survives the strongest counter.
05

Watch: the whole unit in one go

A full review of Living the Muslim Life: all eight topics as one argument. Best watched before you revise, then again to check recall.

Video not set

Teacher: paste the YouTube link in the VIDEO_URL line near the bottom of this file. The player then appears here automatically.

06

Flashcards · test yourself

Flip a card to check yourself. Switch between key terms (term → meaning) and divergent views (view → what it claims), and filter by topic.

Tap any card to flip ·