P2-HAD-13 Major teachings in the Hadiths Paper 2, Question 1 · compulsory
Hadith 13 — The tethered camels: keeping hold of the Qur'an
The image of tethered camels teaches that Qur'an learning must be maintained. Memorisation and understanding remain secure through regular review, but quickly weaken when neglected.
Compulsory Question 1 Hadith 13 Individual conduct
Syllabus connection
- P2.T1.b3 What each passage teaches about what Muslims should believe
- P2.T1.b4 What each passage teaches about how Muslims should act
- P2.T1.b5 Study with reference to the original Arabic text as well as the English translation
- A2.13 Hadith 13: Maintaining knowledge of the Qur'an Group (editorial): Individual
Learn the material
Learning objectives
Key vocabulary
- sahib al-Qur'an
- A person who learns, recites and keeps close to the Qur'an.
- ibil
- Camels, valuable animals that may wander if released.
- mu'aqqala
- Tethered or securely tied.
- ta'ahhud
- Regular attention, review and care.
- muraja'a
- Revision and repeated retrieval.
Before you start
Answer from memory before opening the answers.
- Which teaching group has this course placed the Hadith in?
- What does Paper 2 Question 1(a) ask you to explain?
- What does part (b) ask you to do differently?
- Which short phrase best carries this Hadith's central instruction?
Check your answers
- Individual conduct. This is an editorial teaching group; several Hadiths connect with both groups.
- What the Hadith teaches Muslims to believe or understand.
- How Muslims put the teaching into action through concrete practice.
- كَمَثَلِ صَاحِبِ الْإِبِلِ الْمُعَقَّلَةِ.
The lesson
The prescribed Hadith
إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ صَاحِبِ الْقُرْآنِ كَمَثَلِ صَاحِبِ الْإِبِلِ الْمُعَقَّلَةِ: إِنْ عَاهَدَ عَلَيْهَا أَمْسَكَهَا، وَإِنْ أَطْلَقَهَا ذَهَبَتْ.
He who studies the Qur'an is like the owner of tethered camels. If he attends to them he will keep hold of them, but if he lets them loose they will go away.
Prescribed Hadith 13 · Appendix 2 · recorded by al-Bukhari or Muslim in their Sahih collections (many by both)
Central teaching
Qur'an learning is a valuable trust that must be protected through regular recitation, retrieval, correction, understanding and application.
Instruction → belief → action
| Teaching point | Evidence or focus | Development |
|---|---|---|
| Memory requires maintenance | Like the owner of tethered camels. | Learning once does not guarantee permanent retention. |
| The learner has responsibility | If he lets them loose, they will go away. | The owner must attend to the camels; similarly the student must review. |
| Regularity matters more than occasional intensity | Like the owner of tethered camels. | Short frequent retrieval is more secure than rare long sessions. |
| Keeping the Qur'an includes practice | If he lets them loose, they will go away. | Recitation, understanding and living by its guidance all need continuing attention. |
Do not copy the translation as your answer
Part (a) rewards the teaching behind the words. Name the instruction, explain the belief or principle it rests on, and develop its scope.
Context and chronology
Camels were valuable and could wander quickly if not secured. The comparison therefore communicates both value and the need for vigilance.
The English wording 'he who studies the Qur'an' should not be reduced to one type of learner. The principle applies especially to memorisation but also to continued engagement.
Source discipline
Use the prescribed wording and secure context. Do not invent a narrator, occasion, collection number or historical detail merely to make the answer sound learned.
People, places and events
- The Qur'an learner, compared to the owner responsible for valuable animals.
- Teachers and study partners who help preserve accuracy.
- The wider community, which benefits when Qur'an knowledge is retained and transmitted.
Qur'an and Hadith evidence
Learn short phrases that can be placed inside an explanation. English quotation is acceptable; accurate use matters more than length.
كَمَثَلِ صَاحِبِ الْإِبِلِ الْمُعَقَّلَةِ
Like the owner of tethered camels.
The image combines value, responsibility and risk of loss.
وَإِنْ أَطْلَقَهَا ذَهَبَتْ
If he lets them loose, they will go away.
Neglect allows memorised knowledge to fade.
Significance
- The Qur'an is a trust that deserves disciplined attention.
- Human memory is limited and requires repeated effort.
- Neglect has consequences even when the original learning was strong.
- Steady worship and study are valued over temporary enthusiasm.
These are the beliefs and principles for part (a). The examination asks what the Hadith teaches, not only what its words say.
Significance in practice
For part (b), use setting → action → effect. Specific practice is stronger than saying “Muslims should follow it”.
| Setting | Action | How this applies the Hadith |
|---|---|---|
| Memorisation | Review a small fixed portion every day and test without looking. | Weak passages are identified before they disappear from memory. |
| Understanding | Revisit translation and key themes rather than repeating sound alone. | Retention includes meaning, not only pronunciation. |
| Planning | Use spaced retrieval after one day, one week and one month. | Memory is strengthened through deliberate intervals. |
| Community | Recite to a teacher or partner who can correct errors. | Accountability prevents mistakes becoming fixed. |
Connections with other topics
| Source or topic | Connection |
|---|---|
| Hadith 4 | Obligatory practice also requires consistency and disciplined priority. |
| Hadith 20 | Real attachment to the Qur'an appears in hearts and deeds, not only public recitation. |
| Hadith 1 | Sincerity to Allah's Book includes learning, preserving and applying it honestly. |
Common misconceptions
Students often think Forgetting proves a person never learned sincerely.
In fact Human memory is naturally fragile; the Hadith prescribes review rather than despair.
Students often think Revision means only repeating Arabic sounds.
In fact Accurate recitation is important, but meaning and application also require renewal.
Students often think One intense revision session is enough.
In fact The camel image emphasises continuing attention, not occasional rescue after neglect.
What the examiner wants
AO1: what you must know
- Know the complete set translation and the meaning of the key Arabic terms.
- State the central instruction accurately: Qur'an learning is a valuable trust that must be protected through regular recitation, retrieval, correction, understanding and application.
- Develop at least three underlying beliefs or principles.
- Use a short phrase from the Hadith as evidence rather than copying the whole translation.
- Give balanced coverage across the two Hadiths you choose.
The Hadith teaching answer
Paper 2 Question 1 asks two different things from Paper 1. Part (a) asks what the Hadith teaches Muslims to believe. Part (b) asks how they put it into action — which needs concrete, practical examples.
- The instruction
- Simply and directly: what is the Prophet ﷺ telling Muslims to do?
- The belief behind it
- What this shows about Allah, or about what a believer is.
- The action
- Concrete practice — in the home, the community, and everyday life.
- Today
- A real, specific example a student could actually give.
AO2: what you must understand
Part (b) needs actions. Each example should show who does what, in which setting, and how it expresses the teaching.
Memorisation
Action: Review a small fixed portion every day and test without looking. Effect: Weak passages are identified before they disappear from memory.
Understanding
Action: Revisit translation and key themes rather than repeating sound alone. Effect: Retention includes meaning, not only pronunciation.
Planning
Action: Use spaced retrieval after one day, one week and one month. Effect: Memory is strengthened through deliberate intervals.
Community
Action: Recite to a teacher or partner who can correct errors. Effect: Accountability prevents mistakes becoming fixed.
Worked examination example
Weaker response
Once a passage has been memorised, further revision shows weak ability.
Why it is weak: it distorts or narrows the teaching and gives no developed belief or practical action.
Stronger response
Memory requires maintenance: learning once does not guarantee permanent retention. The learner has responsibility: the owner must attend to the camels; similarly the student must review. Regularity matters more than occasional intensity: short frequent retrieval is more secure than rare long sessions. Keeping the Qur'an includes practice: recitation, understanding and living by its guidance all need continuing attention.
Why it is stronger: it identifies several teachings, develops them and remains within the wording's limits.
Practise
Guided practice
- Reduce the Hadith to one accurate instruction.
- Select three belief or principle statements from the teaching table.
- Attach one short phrase from the Hadith to each developed point.
- Turn two applications into setting → action → effect sentences.
- Correct one misconception without using vague language.
Before you write, answer these
- What is the instruction?
- What belief or principle lies behind it?
- Which exact action proves application?
The examination gives roughly a third of a page for a 4-mark answer. Aim for a short, dense paragraph — no introduction needed. Your work saves automatically in this browser.
Independent practice
- Write a 90–120 word part (a) explanation without looking.
- Write two separate part (b) examples from different settings.
- Compare this Hadith with Hadith 4 in one similarity and one difference.
- Explain why the first misconception is wrong.
The examination gives roughly a third of a page for a 4-mark answer. Aim for a short, dense paragraph — no introduction needed. Your work saves automatically in this browser.
Check your understanding
Answer each question, then check it. Every option is explained — including the ones that are wrong — so read the feedback even when you were right.
Write a full answer
Exam-style practice question
Four Hadiths are printed in the examination. Practise choosing the two you can explain and apply most evenly.
Hadiths set for this practice
- Hadith 13 — this lesson
- Hadith 4 — Obligatory worship
- Hadith 20 — Inner character and actions
- Hadith 1 — Sincerity (nasiha)
Exam-style practice question
Important: Question 1 is marked as a whole
Question 1 is marked as a whole. Both of your chosen passages are read together and given ONE mark out of 4 for part (a), and ONE mark out of 4 for part (b). This means balance matters: an excellent answer on one passage and a thin answer on the other is limited by the overall impression. Choose two passages you can develop equally well.
(a) Choose any two of the Hadiths above. Explain what teachings they contain for Muslims to believe. [4] AO1
(b) Explain how Muslims can put these teachings into action. [4] AO2
Written by this course to match the style and demand of the examination. It is not a Cambridge question.
Plan your answer
Before you write, answer these
- Which two Hadiths can I develop equally well?
- For each, what is the instruction and what beliefs lie behind it?
- What short wording can I use as evidence?
- Which two practical actions are specific and realistic?
- Have I divided time and space evenly?
Out of scope here: Copying the translations, giving only personal opinion, or describing general importance without concrete action.
The examination gives roughly a third of a page for a 4-mark answer. Aim for a short, dense paragraph — no introduction needed. Your work saves automatically in this browser.
Indicative answer
Show an indicative answer Write yours first — you will learn more
Part (a) — Hadith 13
Memory requires maintenance: learning once does not guarantee permanent retention. The learner has responsibility: the owner must attend to the camels; similarly the student must review. Regularity matters more than occasional intensity: short frequent retrieval is more secure than rare long sessions. Keeping the Qur'an includes practice: recitation, understanding and living by its guidance all need continuing attention.
Part (a) — Hadith 4
A man asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace): Do you think that if I perform the obligatory prayers, fast in Ramadan, treat as lawful that which is lawful and treat as forbidden that which is forbidden, and do nothing further, I shall enter paradise? He said: Yes. This teaches the central principle of Obligatory worship and should be developed from its own lesson.
Part (b) — practical action
Memorisation: Review a small fixed portion every day and test without looking. Weak passages are identified before they disappear from memory.
Understanding: Revisit translation and key themes rather than repeating sound alone. Retention includes meaning, not only pronunciation.
Other answers are equally valid
- Marks are awarded for what is correct. Nothing is deducted for errors or omissions.
- Credit is given for valid answers that go beyond the syllabus and the mark scheme.
- It is entirely possible to reach the highest level using different information or a different argument from the one shown here.
- Answers are judged against the levels of response, not against a checklist of required points.
Marking guidance reference
Important: Question 1 is marked as a whole
Question 1 is marked as a whole. Both of your chosen passages are read together and given ONE mark out of 4 for part (a), and ONE mark out of 4 for part (b). This means balance matters: an excellent answer on one passage and a thin answer on the other is limited by the overall impression. Choose two passages you can develop equally well.
| Level | Marks | What the examiner is looking for |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 |
|
| 3 | 3 |
|
| 2 | 2 |
|
| 1 | 1 |
|
| 0 | 0 |
|
What moves an answer up: The clearest difference between Level 3 and Level 4 is comprehensiveness, development, and quotation. Level 3 "may quote"; Level 4 is "likely to quote".
| Level | Marks | What the examiner is looking for |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3–4 |
|
| 1 | 1–2 |
|
| 0 | 0 |
|
What moves an answer up: The whole AO2 distinction is discussion versus description. A factually excellent but purely descriptive paragraph cannot reach Level 2.
Note that AO2 has two levels, not four. Some older textbooks and revision guides still show a four-level scale for part (b); that scale is out of date.
Self-assessment checklist reference
Judge your answer as a whole against the levels above, not by counting points. An answer can reach the top band using different material from the indicative answer.
Consolidate
Lesson summary
- Qur'an learning is a valuable trust that must be protected through regular recitation, retrieval, correction, understanding and application.
- The Qur'an is a trust that deserves disciplined attention.
- A strong part (a) answer explains the instruction and the belief behind it rather than copying the translation.
- A strong part (b) answer gives specific, realistic actions and explains how each action applies the teaching.
- Both selected Hadiths are marked together, so balanced treatment is essential.
Retrieval flashcards
Further revision task reference
- Create a one-page card with the Arabic opening, complete translation, one instruction, three beliefs and three actions.
- Retrieve it after 24 hours, one week and one month.
- Complete an eight-minute Question 1 practice pairing it with Hadith 4.
- Replace any vague action with a named setting, action and effect.
Before you write, answer these
- Which belief is secure?
- Which action is too vague?
- Which Arabic phrase can I recall accurately?
The examination gives roughly a third of a page for a 4-mark answer. Aim for a short, dense paragraph — no introduction needed. Your work saves automatically in this browser.
Your progress is saved in this browser only. Use My progress to export it if you change device.
Why this would reach the top band
The response distinguishes belief from action, develops the teaching instead of copying it, and gives realistic applications. Other accurate teachings and examples can reach the same level.