Islamic Studies 9488
Categories: AS & A Level
About Course
Study the beliefs, practices, law, heritage and contemporary application of Islam for Cambridge International AS & A Level Islamic Studies 9488. The course integrates knowledge, textual evidence, comparison, analysis and evaluation across Papers 1–4.
Course Content
Course Orientation
Begin here to understand Cambridge International AS & A Level Islamic Studies 9488, its four paper areas, assessment objectives, study plan and reliable resources for 2027–2029.
Diagnostic Assessment: Islamic Studies
Establish a starting profile across knowledge, evidence and evaluation
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Beliefs and practices diagnostic
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Islamic law diagnostic
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Islamic heritage diagnostic
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Contemporary issues and essay diagnostic
Paper 1: Prophet Muhammad and Set Texts
Build evidence-rich knowledge of formative sources
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Life and significance of Prophet Muhammad
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Leadership and community in Mecca and Medina
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Study and application of set Qur’an texts
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Study and application of set Hadith texts
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Using primary evidence in analytical answers
Paper 1: Beliefs and Practices
Explain beliefs and evaluate their expression in Muslim life
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Main Islamic beliefs and tawhid
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Purification, intention and spiritual discipline
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Prayer, fasting and acts of devotion
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Commitment, charity and pilgrimage
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Putting faith into action in daily life
Paper 2: Worship and Family Life
Apply Islamic law to worship and personal life
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Principles and practice of worship
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Variation and reasoning in acts of worship
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Marriage, rights and responsibilities
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Divorce, reconciliation and family welfare
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Applied family-life problem solving
Paper 2: Law, Finance and Authority
Analyse sources, schools and applications of shariah
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Finance, employment and ethical conduct
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Qur’an, Sunnah, consensus and analogy
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Application of shariah and legal reasoning
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Comparing two schools of Islamic law
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Religious leadership, judgement and afterlife
Paper 3: Umayyad and Abbasid Heritage
Assess leadership, policy, knowledge and legacy
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Umayyad leadership and expansion
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Umayyad institutions, architecture and interfaith relations
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Abbasid leadership, education and trade
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Translation movement and Golden Age science
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Comparing and evaluating caliphal legacies
Paper 3: Literature and Philosophy
Evaluate ways knowledge and belief are expressed
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Revelation, nature and falsafah
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Islamic and ancient Greek philosophy
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Comparative study of two significant writings
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Reasoning, interpretation, mysticism and daʿwah
Paper 3: Architecture and Design
Interpret expressions of belief in Islamic art and built form
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Tawhid, pattern, calligraphy and the garden
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Islamic art and pre-Islamic Arabia
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Comparative study of two mosques
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Culture, stewardship and preservation
Paper 4: Women in Islam
Evaluate teaching, history and contemporary experience
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Women’s rights, family and society
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Khadija, Aisha, Fatima and historical role models
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A contemporary Muslim woman case study
Paper 4: Pluralism and Leadership
Evaluate contemporary Muslim communities and leadership
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Islam, minorities and plural societies
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Historical and contemporary pluralism case studies
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Leadership, consultation, justice and modern case studies
Exam Practice and A Level Success
Synthesize knowledge and evaluation across all papers
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Continuous-prose planning and evidence selection
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Timed comparative and evaluative essays
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Four-paper recap and examination checklist
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