Please mark this GCSE OCR RS 15 marker

Can someone pls mark this essay I wrote. Its from 2020 Islam paper.
https://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/643043-mark-scheme-islam-beliefs-and-teachings-and-practices.pdf

‘The Qur’an is not the only source of authority that Muslims need.’
Discuss this statement. In your answer, you should:
• analyse and evaluate the importance of points of view, referring to common and divergent
views within Islam
• refer to sources of wisdom and authority. [15]
Spelling, punctuation and grammar [3]

The Qur’an is the infallible word of God revealed to Muhammed (SAW) by the angel Jibriil in mount Hira during laylatul qadr. It contains a lot of valuable information about Islam and how muslims should live. However, there are many other sources of authority muslims can use.

Some sunni muslims would agree with the statement because the Quran is the infallible word of God. This is because God is the most powerful as he is the “Lord of the worlds”. If God is all-powerful, it means that everything he says is true and perfect. His knowledge of everything (“Allah is Knowing of all things”) paired with his all-powerful nature means that He is infallible and that the Quran contains everything humans would need to know. This is because God is knew what to say in the Quran so that muslims can follow Islam.

Another view held by mostly sunnis is the belief in the Sunnah of Muhammed (SAW). The Quran says “In the prophet you have a perfect role model”. Muslims believe the Quran to be perfect, as it contains God’s word. This means they will follow God’s command to use Muhammed (SAW) as a guidance. Muslims follow the Sunnah and try to act like Muhammed (SAW) because he is a perfect role model. This means that they can do good deeds and go to Jannah. Yet some extremist Wahabis believe this idolises Muhammed (SAW) and so want to destroy his grave.

In addition, most sunnis also believe that there are other books that provide guidance. For example the Tawrat, Scrolls of Abraham, Zabur and Injil. It is one of the six articles of faith for sunnis to believe in Kitab, making it essential for muslims to believe in them. These books can give muslims more insight into their religion and can understand God more. However, these books have been corrupted and changed, so muslims can’t rely on these books.

On the other hand, most Shias would disagree with the statement because of their belief in the imams. One of their five roots of Usul-ad-din is Al-Imamah (belief in the Imams), making Imams core to their religion. They think that there are twelve imams after Muhammed (SAW) who are infallible. This means that they can be used as sources of wisdom because they cannot be wrong. Also, Ahmadiyya muslims believe that Mirza (their leader) is the Mahdi, and think he is infallible, therefore using him as a source of authority.

In conclusion, my view is that whilst the Quran is a source of authority, there are other sources you can use such as the Sunnah. Whilst Shias believe their Imams are infallible, it could be argued that it challenges Tawhid. Therefore, the Quran is the best source of authority, but muslims can also use other sources.

Reply 1

Jam.123

Original post by yesbuc

Can someone pls mark this essay I wrote. Its from 2020 Islam paper.
https://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/643043-mark-scheme-islam-beliefs-and-teachings-and-practices.pdf
‘The Qur’an is not the only source of authority that Muslims need.’
Discuss this statement. In your answer, you should:
• analyse and evaluate the importance of points of view, referring to common and divergent
views within Islam
• refer to sources of wisdom and authority. [15]
Spelling, punctuation and grammar [3]
The Qur’an is the infallible word of God revealed to Muhammed (SAW) by the angel Jibriil in mount Hira during laylatul qadr. It contains a lot of valuable information about Islam and how muslims should live. However, there are many other sources of authority muslims can use.
Some sunni muslims would agree with the statement because the Quran is the infallible word of God. This is because God is the most powerful as he is the “Lord of the worlds”. If God is all-powerful, it means that everything he says is true and perfect. His knowledge of everything (“Allah is Knowing of all things”) paired with his all-powerful nature means that He is infallible and that the Quran contains everything humans would need to know. This is because God is knew what to say in the Quran so that muslims can follow Islam.
Another view held by mostly sunnis is the belief in the Sunnah of Muhammed (SAW). The Quran says “In the prophet you have a perfect role model”. Muslims believe the Quran to be perfect, as it contains God’s word. This means they will follow God’s command to use Muhammed (SAW) as a guidance. Muslims follow the Sunnah and try to act like Muhammed (SAW) because he is a perfect role model. This means that they can do good deeds and go to Jannah. Yet some extremist Wahabis believe this idolises Muhammed (SAW) and so want to destroy his grave.
In addition, most sunnis also believe that there are other books that provide guidance. For example the Tawrat, Scrolls of Abraham, Zabur and Injil. It is one of the six articles of faith for sunnis to believe in Kitab, making it essential for muslims to believe in them. These books can give muslims more insight into their religion and can understand God more. However, these books have been corrupted and changed, so muslims can’t rely on these books.
On the other hand, most Shias would disagree with the statement because of their belief in the imams. One of their five roots of Usul-ad-din is Al-Imamah (belief in the Imams), making Imams core to their religion. They think that there are twelve imams after Muhammed (SAW) who are infallible. This means that they can be used as sources of wisdom because they cannot be wrong. Also, Ahmadiyya muslims believe that Mirza (their leader) is the Mahdi, and think he is infallible, therefore using him as a source of authority.
In conclusion, my view is that whilst the Quran is a source of authority, there are other sources you can use such as the Sunnah. Whilst Shias believe their Imams are infallible, it could be argued that it challenges Tawhid. Therefore, the Quran is the best source of authority, but muslims can also use other sources.