2013 JAMB ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Question 1
Which question paper type of Islamic Studies is given to you?
A. Type D
B. Type I
C. Type B
D. Type U
Answer: B. Type I
Explanation: TYPE I
Question 2
The Glorious Qur’an was revealed in two distinct periods of the Prophet’s mission in Makkah and Madinah. The Makkah part of the Glorious Qur’an is mainly devoted to:
A. Devotional matters
B. Principles regulating jihad
C. Political and economic life of the Muslims
D. Matters of belief
Answer: D. Matters of belief
Explanation: Makkan surahs firmly challenge polytheism, disbelief and idol worship, while explaining creed, Allah’s existence and oneness, and belief in the life to come.
Question 3
The first caliph who suggested that the Glorious Qur’an be put down in writing for the fear of loss after the demise of the Prophet was
A. Umar b. Khattab
B. Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafah
C. Ali b. Abi Talib
D. Uthman b. Affan
Answer: A. Umar b. Khattab
Explanation: Zayd ibn Thabit related that Abu Bakr summoned him after the battle of Yamamah, where many companions and Qur’an memorizers died. Umar feared that further deaths could cause parts of the Qur’an to be lost and pressed Abu Bakr to have it collected. Abu Bakr at first objected to doing what the Messenger had not done, but Umar continued persuading him until he saw the merit of the proposal (Bukhari, vol. 6, hadith 509, p. 477, book 61).
Question 4
The idea of tafsir was conceived by scholars in order to understand the Qur’an
A. Legal writing
B. Messages
C. Components
D. Literary constructions
Answer: B. Messages
Explanation: Tafsir is the field of study that explains the Qur’an’s meaning, its instructions and commentary, and the circumstances surrounding its revelation.
Question 5
In the recitation of the Glorious Qur’an, the most vital rules observed are those of
A. Tafsir
B. Tadris
C. Tajwid
D. Tahfiz
Answer: C. Tajwid
Explanation: Tajwid consists of the pronunciation rules used in Qur’anic recitation.
Question 6
In learning tajwid, the rule that is necessary to observe is that of
A. Huruf illa
B. Inna wa akhwatihaa
C. Hurufil hija’yyah
D. Huruful izhar
Answer: C. Hurufil hija’yyah
Explanation: Huruf al-hija’iyyah are the letters of Arabic. Recognizing and articulating them properly is essential to observing Tajwid when reciting the Qur’an.
Question 7
The warning against pulling up good things of life can be found in
A. Q. 102
B. Q. 103
C. Q. 104
D. Q. 105
Answer: A. Q. 102
Explanation: Q.102 Surat at-Takathur (the piling up – The Emulous desire).
Question 8
Q. 113:4 (“Wa min sharrin naffathati fil uqad”) – The phrase an-naffathat fil uqad literally means those who blow knots, but in reality it refers to those who
A. Practice the act of witchcraft
B. Engage in malignant envy
C. Spread false rumours
D. Accuse people wrongly
Answer: A. Practice the act of witchcraft
Explanation: The wording points to people who blow upon knots as part of sorcery.
Question 9
The word al-waswas in the verse above signifies
A. A person who makes mischief
B. Someone who practices witchcraft
C. An evil-doer in general
D. A person who whispers
Answer: D. A person who whispers
Explanation: Surat an-Nas (Q.114:4) seeks protection from the whisperer who plants evil thoughts in people’s hearts and withdraws when Allah is remembered.
Question 10
The verse above (“Inna alladhina amanu wa amilus salihati… fa lahum ajruhum ghayru mamnun”) is found in surah
A. At-Tin
B. Al-Inshira
C. Al-Qalam
D. Al-Takathur
Answer: A. At-Tin
Explanation: Surat at-Tin (Q.95:6).
Question 11
Q. 94:2 (“Wada’na ‘anka wizraka”) – The verse above is in reference to the Prophet’s
A. Great responsibilities
B. Faults earlier committed
C. Heavy burden
D. Social commitments
Answer: C. Heavy burden
Explanation: Suratul Inshirah (Q.94:2) speaks of lifting the burden from the person addressed.
Question 12
Imam b. Maja’s full name is
A. Abu Abd Allah b. Yazid
B. Abu Abd Allah Muhammad b. Yazid
C. Abu Hasan Ibrahim b. Yazid
D. Abu Umar Muhammad b. Yazid
Answer: B. Abu Abd Allah Muhammad b. Yazid
Explanation: Imam b. Majah – Full name is Abu ‘Abdillāh Muḥammad ibn Yazīd Ibn Mājah al-Rab’ī al-Qazwīnī.
Question 13
The prominent scholar of Hadith who recorded ahadith on history and law is
A. Tirmidhi
B. Muslim
C. Ibn Majah
D. An-Nasai
Answer: C. Ibn Majah
Explanation: Ibn Majah did not intend his Sunan to contain exclusively reports with flawless transmission chains. He gathered Hadith frequently used to support Islamic doctrines and legal judgments.
Question 14
One of the companions who had a strong memory for the retention of Hadith was
A. Abu Dharr
B. Abdullah b. Umar
C. Abu Huraira
D. Imam Bukhari
Answer: C. Abu Huraira
Explanation: Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sakhr ad-Dawsi al-Azdi (603–681), originally called Abd ash-Shams and commonly known as Abu Hurayrah, was a Companion and a particularly prolific narrator in Sunni Hadith collections.
Question 15
The importance of Hadith lies in the fact that
A. Was popularly transmitted like the Glorious Qur’an
B. Complements the areas where the Glorious Qur’an is silent
C. Also serves spiritual purpose like the Glorious Qur’an
D. Also came from Allah like the Glorious Qur’an
Answer: D. Also came from Allah like the Glorious Qur’an
Explanation: Among the answer choices provided, Hadith matters because it offers Islamic guidance from teachings associated with the Prophet’s divine guidance.
Question 16
The last sentence of Hadith 19 of an-Nawawi emphasizes
A. Existence of Allah
B. Predestination
C. Day of Judgment
D. Accountability
Answer: B. Predestination
Explanation: The expression states that the pens are already lifted and the written pages have become dry.
Question 17
Behavior and modesty in dressing are discussed in
A. Q. 78:11
B. Q. 49:13
C. Q. 24:31
D. Q. 16:91
Answer: C. Q. 24:31
Explanation: Surat An-Nur instructs believing women to avert their gaze from forbidden sights, guard their chastity and avoid displaying adornment beyond what ordinarily appears.
Question 18
Q. 17:32 is on prohibition of
A. Gambling
B. Theft
C. Adultery
D. Obscenity
Answer: C. Adultery
Explanation: Surat Al-Isra (Q.17:32) warns people against even approaching unlawful sexual relations.
Question 19
The moral lesson contained in Q. 4:58 is
A. Trust
B. Justice
C. Piety
D. Patience
Answer: A. Trust
Explanation: Surat An-Nisa (Q.4:58) orders people to return trusts to their rightful holders and to decide disputes fairly. Its two lessons concern trustworthiness and justice in judgment.
Question 20
The teaching in Q. 3:104 is on
A. Unity and brotherhood
B. Adultery and fornication
C. Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is wrong
D. Prohibition of bribery and corruption
Answer: C. Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is wrong
Explanation: Surat Al-Imran (Q.3:104) calls for a community that invites others to what is good, commands what Islam approves and discourages wrongdoing, disbelief and polytheism; such people are described as successful.
Question 21
In Q. 33:40, the Prophet (S.A.W.) is described as the Seal of
A. Messengers
B. Revivalist
C. Saints
D. Prophets
Answer: D. Prophets
Explanation: Surat Al-Ahzab (Q.33:40) identifies Muhammad as Allah’s Messenger and the final prophet, not the father of any of the men addressed, and affirms Allah’s complete knowledge.
Question 22
The sin that Allah does not forgive whoever dies committing it is
A. Zulm
B. Nifaq
C. Shirk
D. Fisq
Answer: C. Shirk
Explanation: Qur’an 4:48 says Allah does not pardon a person who dies without repenting of associating partners with Him, while lesser offences may be forgiven as He wills.
Question 23
Atheism is a belief considered by Islam as
A. Permissible
B. Tolerable
C. Excusable
D. Condemnable
Answer: D. Condemnable
Explanation: In current usage, atheism rejects the Creator’s existence and does not acknowledge Him. The explanation regards denying Allah, His messengers and the Last Day as an even greater degree of kufr.
Question 24
The verses that explained the works of Allah are in
A. Q. 20:50–60
B. Q. 22:42–49
C. Q. 25:45–50
D. Q. 27:59–64
Answer: D. Q. 27:59–64
Explanation: Q.27:59–64.
Question 25
The Angel in charge of the provision of sustenance to Allah’s creatures is
A. Israfil
B. Jibril
C. Mika’il
D. Ridwan
Answer: C. Mika’il
Explanation: Mikail, also called Michael, is described as the angel entrusted with delivering rizq, including sustenance and other beneficial provision.
Question 26
Q. 16:40 (“Innama qawluna lishay’in…”) – The verse above deals with
A. Judgment
B. Destiny
C. Belief
D. Trust
Answer: B. Destiny
Explanation: The verse stresses Allah’s unrestricted power and will: what He commands to exist comes into being.
Question 27
Symbolic preparation of the body for salah is referred to as
A. Tarawih
B. Taharah
C. Tahajjud
D. Tajdid
Answer: B. Taharah
Explanation: Taharah means being clean or purified. When required, Wudu or Ghusl gives a Muslim the ritual purity needed for Salah.
Question 28
The ghusl performed after the stoppage of menstrual period is known as
A. Nifas
B. Hayd
C. Janabah
D. Janazah
Answer: B. Hayd
Explanation: Hayd is menstruation; once it ends, Ghusl is required for purification.
Question 29
Zakah is different from Sadaqah because the former is
A. Wajib
B. Mandub
C. Sunnah
D. Mubah
Answer: A. Wajib
Explanation: Zakah is compulsory when a Muslim meets its qualifying conditions, while Sadaqah ordinarily means charity given voluntarily.
Question 30
Restitution of fasting is
A. Qada’
B. Ada’a
C. Qadi
D. Maqddi
Answer: A. Qada’
Explanation: Qada’ is the performance of a required act of worship after its appointed time has passed.
Question 31
Non-standing at Mount ’Arafah marks the distinction between
A. Ifrad and qiran
B. Tamattu’ and Hajj
C. Umrah and Hajj
D. ’Umrah and tawaf
Answer: C. Umrah and Hajj
Explanation: Hajj includes prescribed acts such as entering Ihram, standing at Arafah and performing sa’e at a set time. Umrah literally means a visit and, in Shari’ah, is a visit to Allah’s House at any season without the standing at Arafah.
Question 32
Q. 16:72 (“Wallahu ja’ala lakum min anfusikum azwajan…”) – The verse above teaches that marriages are contracted for
A. Mutual enjoyment
B. Procreation
C. Brotherhood
D. Economic empowerment
Answer: B. Procreation
Explanation: Surat An-Nahl (Q.16:72) says Allah has granted people spouses of their own kind, along with children, grandchildren and wholesome provision.
Question 33
The three monthly period contained in Q. 2:228 for a divorced woman is aimed at
A. Providing shelter
B. Finding permanent solution
C. Determining women’s condition
D. Getting possible reconciliation
Answer: D. Getting possible reconciliation
Explanation: Surat Al-Baqarah (Q.2:228) permits an eligible husband to resume marriage during his divorced wife’s iddah if he genuinely seeks reconciliation. The waiting period precedes a divorced woman’s or widow’s remarriage, and the intent must be to restore the relationship (Tafsir Ibn Kathir).
Question 34
The law of inheritance shall be applicable to
A. Money left behind by the deceased
B. All kinds of property
C. Landed property and structures
D. Crops, furniture and books
Answer: B. All kinds of property
Explanation: Islamic inheritance law governs the distributable estate as a whole; it is not confined to one class of assets such as cash, land, produce or furnishings.
Question 35
The punishment for a person who drinks beer is found in
A. Hadith
B. Ijma
C. Qiyas
D. Qur’an
Answer: A. Hadith
Explanation: The explanation says jurists agree that the worldly penalty for drinking is flogging. It cites Anas’s report that the Prophet used stripped palm branches and shoes to punish a wine drinker (Muslim 3281).
Question 36
The school of law to which majority of Muslims in West Africa belong is named after its leader Imam
A. Abu Hanifah
B. Muhammad ash-Shafi’i
C. Malik b. Anas
D. Ahmad b. Hanbal
Answer: C. Malik b. Anas
Explanation: The Maliki school of Shari’ah has been especially widespread in North and West Africa, including Chad, apart from northern and eastern Egypt as noted here.
Question 37
يَمْحَقُ اللَّهُ الرِّبَوْا وَيُرْبِي الصَّدَقَاتِ — The verse above teaches that Allah (SWT)
A. Will punish the giver and the receiver of usury
B. Has made usury haram and charity halal
C. Will earn the usury giver profit
D. Will make usury lead to poverty
Answer: B. Has made usury haram and charity halal
Explanation: Surat Al-Baqarah (Q.2:276) contrasts riba, which Allah diminishes, with charitable giving, which He increases, and says He does not love persistent sinners and unbelievers.
Question 38
The Western economic system perceives baitul-mal as imperial treasury, while Islam sees it as
A. Allah’s sovereignty on Muslim’s wealth
B. Common property of the needy
C. Community bank or treasury
D. Cooperative bank for the Ummah
Answer: A. Allah’s sovereignty on Muslim’s wealth
Explanation: Bayt al-Mal is the Muslim community’s public treasury. Its funds are held and managed under Islamic principles, rather than owned personally by the ruler.
Question 39
Islam commanded that judgment must be based on
A. Constitution
B. Decree
C. Majority
D. Justice
Answer: D. Justice
Explanation: Surat An-Nisa (Q.4:58) directs believers to hand trusts back to those entitled to them and to judge others justly.
Question 40
Non-Muslims in an Islamic state have the right to
A. Marry Muslim women
B. Practice their religion freely
C. Inherit their Muslim parents
D. Inherit their Muslim children
Answer: B. Practice their religion freely
Explanation: Suratul Baqarah (Q.2:256) states that faith must not be imposed by force.
Question 41
Jahiliyyah Arabs practiced female infanticide because of
A. Lack of education
B. Love of money
C. Fear of poverty
D. Hatred for loneliness
Answer: C. Fear of poverty
Explanation: Fear of financial hardship or of dishonour generally lay behind female infanticide.
Question 42
The most significant reform which Islam made on the religious life of the Arabs of Jahiliyyah is the
A. Ban on interest
B. Abolition of gambling
C. Worship of Allah
D. Ban on food feud
Answer: C. Worship of Allah
Explanation: Many pre-Islamic Arabian religious practices involved multiple deities and idols. Islam’s central reform established Tawhid, worship of Allah alone.
Question 43
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) was born on Monday
A. 12th Rabiul Awwal
B. 14th Rabiul Awwal
C. 16th Rabiul Awwal
D. 18th Rabiul Awwal
Answer: A. 12th Rabiul Awwal
Explanation: 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi’ al-awwal.
Question 44
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) was called to prophethood in
A. 570 CE
B. 610 CE
C. 622 CE
D. 624 CE
Answer: B. 610 CE
Explanation: The first Qur’anic verses were revealed by Allah through Angel Jibril to Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) in 610 CE, when he was forty; this marked the beginning of revelation.
Question 45
The only companion who migrated to Madina openly and defiantly was
A. Uthman b. Affan
B. Umar b. al-Khattab
C. Abdul-Rahman b. Auf
D. Hudhaifah b. al-Yamani
Answer: B. Umar b. al-Khattab
Explanation: Most Muslims reportedly departed at night to avoid Quraysh opposition, whereas Umar openly migrated by day and challenged anyone wishing to leave a family bereaved to confront him. His cousin and brother-in-law Saeed ibn Zaid accompanied him to Medina.
Question 46
The war of apostasy took place during the reign of
A. Abu Bakr
B. Umar
C. Uthman
D. Ali
Answer: A. Abu Bakr
Explanation: The Ridda, or Apostasy, wars were campaigns Abu Bakr launched against rebellious Arabian tribes in 632–633 CE.
Question 47
The Caliph that introduced salary for teachers was
A. Abu Bakr
B. Umar
C. Uthman
D. Ali
Answer: B. Umar
Explanation: Umar instituted salaries for imams, callers to prayer, teachers and those who delivered public lectures.
Question 48
Islam was introduced into West Africa by
A. Arabs invited from Cairo
B. Traders and scholars
C. Farmers and traders
D. Missionaries and farmers
Answer: B. Traders and scholars
Explanation: Islam had reached the West African savannah by the eighth century CE, when Arab Muslim writers began recording the region. Ibn Munabbah wrote around 738 and al-Masudi in 947. Its spread accompanied trade with North Africa, bringing material culture, literacy and intellectual growth. The Dyaogo dynasty in Tekur, on both sides of the Senegal River, adopted Islam by about 850. Routes from Sijilmasa through Taghaza and Awdaghast toward Ghana, through Tuat toward Gao and Timbuktu, and from North Africa toward Borno and Hausaland connected trading communities. Those centres also became places of Islamic learning and transmitted new administrative ideas through visiting merchants.
Question 49
The Mali Emperor who performed Hajj in 1324 CE was
A. Mansa Musa
B. Sundinta
C. Idris Alooma
D. Saraq Jata
Answer: A. Mansa Musa
Explanation: Mansa Musa, or Musa I, ruled Mali and died in either 1332 or 1337. The explanation calls him a grandson of Sundiata Keita and a devout Muslim who undertook the Hajj to Makkah in 1324 CE.
Question 50
Ibn Rushd became famous as a scholar in the field of
A. Biology and Chemistry
B. Alchemy and Astrology
C. Philosophy and Islamic Sciences
D. Alchemy and Islamic Sciences
Answer: C. Philosophy and Islamic Sciences
Explanation: Ibn Rushd began with conventional study of Hadith, language, jurisprudence and theology. Early accounts say little about his scientific or philosophical education, although he is thought to have been influenced, and perhaps taught, by Ibn Bajjah (Avempace).