Islam and the aims of punishment
I can explain the different aims of punishment and how Muslim and non-religious beliefs influence views about which aims matter most.
Islam and the aims of punishment
I can explain the different aims of punishment and how Muslim and non-religious beliefs influence views about which aims matter most.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Punishment can focus on the offender or aim to help others, such as victims and the wider community.
- Retribution ensures the offender is punished fairly, while reformation tries to improve their behaviour.
- Protection, deterrence and justice work to stop further harm, prevent crime and keep society fair.
- Non-religious perspectives often highlight the need to reduce harm, defend the public and uphold human dignity.
- Muslim teachings stress the importance of justice, qisas (equal retaliation) and showing mercy are key parts of this.
Keywords
Deterrence - the threat of punishment as a way to put a person off committing crime
Justice - ensuring fairness by responding to crimes in a way that holds the offender properly accountable
Protection - legal measure aimed at preserving others’ rights and freedoms by removing or restricting those who pose a risk
Reformation - helping the criminal understand why their behaviour was wrong, with the goal of changing their mindset and actions
Retribution - getting the criminal back for their crimes by giving a punishment as payback or revenge for the wrongdoing
Common misconception
Islamic views on punishment are primarily focused on retribution.
In Islam, justice is the central aim of punishment, and retribution is only one way of achieving it. The Qur’an allows for qisas (equal retaliation), but it also encourages forgiveness, mercy and the opportunity for repentance and reform.
To help you plan your year 11 religious education lesson on: Islam and the aims of punishment, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 11 religious education lesson on: Islam and the aims of punishment, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Crime and punishment unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
