How the Hadiths are set
Paper 2, Question 1 sets four Hadiths from the list of twenty and you answer two. For each you explain what it teaches Muslims about what they should believe and how they should act (4 + 4 marks). The set Hadiths are all recorded by al-Bukhari or Muslim in their Sahih collections. The Hadiths are numbered 1 to 20; the meaning of each is given below in short form. In the exam you are given the Arabic and the English, so also learn the key words of each.
| Group | Subject | Hadiths |
|---|---|---|
| Individual conduct | Faith and personal behaviour | 1–6, 9, 17–20 |
| Life in the community | Duties to others, justice and care | 7, 8, 10–16 |
(The groups overlap; the exam may set any of the twenty.)
Individual conduct
| No. | Teaching of the Hadith | What Muslims should do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Religion is sincerity" (ad-din an-nasihah), meaning sincerity towards God, his Book, his Messenger, the Muslim leaders and the common people | Be honest and well-meaning in worship, in following the Qur'an and Sunnah, and in dealing with rulers and people |
| 2 | None of you truly believes until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself | Show love, fairness and unselfishness; no jealousy |
| 3 | Whoever believes in God and the Last Day should speak good or keep silent, and be generous to his neighbour and his guest | Control the tongue (no gossip or lies); honour neighbours and guests |
| 4 | A man asks whether he will enter paradise if he prays the obligatory prayers, fasts Ramadan, treats the lawful as lawful and the forbidden as forbidden, and does no more. The Prophet (pbuh) says yes | Faith requires doing the basic duties and avoiding the forbidden; God's religion is not too hard |
| 5 | Every day a person owes charity for every joint: acting justly between two people, helping a man with his mount, a good word, every step to prayer and removing something harmful from the road are all charity (sadaqah) | Small acts of kindness and public service count as charity; justice is charity |
| 6 | Whoever sees an evil action should change it with his hand; if unable, with his tongue; if unable, with his heart, "and that is the weakest of faith" | Duty to prevent wrong as far as one is able; speak out against injustice |
| 9 | No one eats better food than what he earns by the work of his own hand | The value of honest work and self-reliance (dignity of labour) |
| 17 | Modesty (haya') produces nothing but good | Be modest and humble in dress, speech and behaviour |
| 18 | One who has faith "as small as a mustard seed" in his heart will not stay in hell; one with pride of that size will not enter paradise | Avoid pride; keep faith in the heart |
| 19 | The world is the believer's prison and the unbeliever's paradise | Do not become attached to worldly pleasure: the Hereafter is the real goal |
| 20 | God does not look at your appearance and possessions, but at your hearts and your deeds | Value sincere intention and good actions, not show or wealth; do not judge by appearances |
Life in the community
| No. | Teaching of the Hadith | What Muslims should do |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Asked who is the best of people, the Prophet (pbuh) said "the believer who strives (jihad) in the way of God with his person and his property" | Struggle for God's cause with effort and wealth (not only fighting) |
| 8 | The martyrs of the community are not only those killed in battle: one who is killed in God's way, who dies naturally in God's way, who dies in a plague or of cholera is a martyr | Martyrdom has many forms; patience in hardship is rewarded |
| 10 | One who cares for the widow and the poor is like one who strives in God's way, stands in prayer all night or fasts all day | Look after the weak; social service is a form of worship |
| 11 | "I and the man who looks after an orphan will be in paradise like this" (two fingers together) | Care for orphans; reward in the next world |
| 12 | The Prophet (pbuh) sent Abu Musa and Mu'adh to govern in Yemen and told them: "Be gentle and do not be harsh, give good news and do not drive people away" | Gentle, kind leadership; governors and officials should ease, not burden, people |
| 13 | "He who studies the Qur'an is like the owner of tethered camels: if he looks after them he keeps them, if he lets them go they are gone" | Regularly read and revise the Qur'an so as not to forget it |
| 14 | God has mercy on a man who is kind when he sells, buys and asks for his money back | Fair and gentle business dealing; honest trade |
| 15 | God does not show mercy to one who does not show mercy to others | Be merciful to people (and animals) |
| 16 | "The believers are like one body: if the eye is hurt the whole body feels it, and if the head hurts the whole body feels it" | Unity, solidarity and mutual care among Muslims |
Support and examples for each Hadith
Good answers add a verse or another saying, an example from the Prophet's life or the Companions, and a modern example.
| No. | Verse or saying | Example from the Prophet or Companions | Modern example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Sincerity leads to piety, and piety to paradise" | The Companions' loyalty to him through the Makkan hardships | Honest dealings with teachers, rulers and neighbours |
| 2 | "The believers are brothers" (49:10) | The Ansar preferred the Emigrants to themselves | Taking in refugees; wishing others the same health and success |
| 3 | "Not a word does he utter but a watcher is by him" (50:18); "a Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand others are safe" | Abu Talhah and his wife fed a guest before their own children (59:9) | No gossip online; sharing food with neighbours |
| 4 | "Avoid what I have forbidden and do as much as you can of what I have ordered" | He did not list zakat and Hajj here, since they apply to those who can | Keeping prayers on time; fair trade, no bribes or cheating |
| 5 | "The best of people is the one most useful to others" | He helped even an old woman who had harmed him | Helping a blind person cross the road; mediating disputes |
| 6 | "You are the best nation... enjoining right and forbidding wrong" (3:110); "the best jihad is a word of truth before a tyrant" | He challenged idol worship and suffered for it | Reporting theft of electricity; refusing bribes |
| 7 | "Whatever you spend, God will replace it" (34:39) | The donations at Tabuk | Funding schools, clinics and mosques |
| 8 | "Do not say that those killed in God's way are dead" (2:154) | A mother whose son died at Badr was told he was in the highest paradise | Honest work, helping the weak, speaking out against oppression |
| 9 | "One who earns by his own labour is a friend of God" | Every prophet was a shepherd; he built the mosque and dug the trench | Respecting guards, drivers and cleaners |
| 10 | "O Aishah, love the poor and keep them near you" | Abu Bakr milked the goats of an old widow | Housing and healthcare for the vulnerable |
| 11 | "Do not treat the orphan harshly" (93:9) | He comforted a crying orphan, "Would you like me to be your father and Aishah your mother?" | Sponsoring orphans; protecting their inheritance |
| 12 | "The best rulers are those you love and who love you" | He told Mu'adh to shorten his prayers: "Are you putting people to trial?" | Fair, kind officials and teachers |
| 13 | "Keep reciting the Qur'an: it escapes faster than camels" | He reviewed it every Ramadan; tarawih | A little reading each day |
| 14 | "Give full measure and weigh with a true scale" (17:35) | His honest trade in Syria; Uthman gave generous measure | No hiding defects, no hoarding, patience with debtors |
| 15 | "He who is devoid of mercy is devoid of all good" | He prayed for Ta'if; the amnesty at Makka | Small kindnesses to people and animals |
| 16 | "Hold fast to the rope of God" (3:103) | Brotherhood of the Emigrants and Ansar | Relief for Palestine, Kashmir or earthquake victims; Afghan refugees in Pakistan |
| 17 | "Modesty and faith go together" | His face showed displeasure when he was shy to speak | Quiet speech, dress and behaviour; no showing off |
| 18 | Satan's pride (38:74–75); "pride is My cloak" (Hadith Qudsi) | He never put himself above others, even after conquering Makka | Staying humble in success |
| 19 | "This world is the farm of the Hereafter"; "live as a stranger or traveller" | He refused the Quraysh's offers of wealth and power | Not chasing luxury; refusing bribes |
| 20 | "Actions are judged by intentions" | Bilal was chosen as muezzin for his faith, not his status | Charity given sincerely; no flattery of the powerful |
Common themes of the set Hadiths
- Sincerity, honesty and humility.
- Kindness to neighbours, orphans, widows, the poor and the weak.
- Justice and fairness in business and between people.
- Mercy as the basis of faith.
- Unity of the Muslim community (one body, brotherhood).
- Striving (jihad) in many forms: effort, property, honest work.
- The Hereafter as the real goal.
Answering the [10] question on the themes of the Hadiths
Paper 2 Question 2(a) can ask for "the teachings of the Hadiths about care in the community", "how Muslims should treat one another", "the conduct of individuals", or "unity". Quote at least four set Hadiths and give the point of each.
- Care and unity (community): 2 ("wants for his brother what he wants for himself"), 3 (neighbour and guest), 5 (every kindness is charity), 6 (change evil), 10 (widow and poor), 11 (orphans), 12 (gentle rulers), 15 (mercy), 16 ("one body").
- Individual responsibility: 1 (sincerity), 4 (the basic duties), 7 (striving), 8 (martyrdom), 9 (honest work), 13 (the Qur'an), 17 (modesty), 18 (pride), 19 (this world), 20 (intention).
- Structure: begin with a sentence on the theme, then for each Hadith give the wording, the lesson and one example, and finish by saying how the Hadiths build a caring community.
Importance today
The Hadiths give practical guidance for modern life: honest work, charity and welfare (zakat and sadaqah), care for the vulnerable, respectful speech in the age of social media, gentle government, and the unity of Muslims. They show that small daily acts are part of faith.
Outline. (a) It teaches unity and mutual care: if one part suffers the whole body feels pain, so Muslims should share one another's troubles. (b) Muslims show it through zakat and charity, helping neighbours and refugees, relief for disasters, and praying for Muslims worldwide.