Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
- Before Islam, the people of Arabia were primarily:
a) United under a strong king
b) Divided into warring tribes
c) Organized as a democratic republic
d) Peaceful farmers
Answer: b) Divided into warring tribes
- Prophet Muhammad was born in:
a) Medina
b) Damascus
c) Mecca
d) Baghdad
Answer: c) Mecca
- The event of Hijra refers to Prophet Muhammad’s migration from:
a) Damascus to Baghdad
b) Mecca to Medina
c) Medina to Mecca
d) Jerusalem to Mecca
Answer: b) Mecca to Medina
- Which of the following is NOT one of the Five Pillars of Islam?
a) Salat
b) Haj
c) Zakaat
d) Jihad
Answer: d) Jihad
- The first year of the Muslim calendar (Hijri) corresponds to:
a) The birth of Prophet Muhammad
b) The first revelation
c) The Hijra (622 CE)
d) The death of Prophet Muhammad
Answer: c) The Hijra (622 CE)
- The holy book of Islam, believed to be revealed to Muhammad by Allah through Gabriel, is the:
a) Bible
b) Torah
c) Quran
d) Vedas
Answer: c) Quran
- The first Caliph after Prophet Muhammad was:
a) Umar
b) Uthman
c) Ali
d) Abu Bakr
Answer: d) Abu Bakr
- The capital of the Umayyad Caliphate was:
a) Mecca
b) Baghdad
c) Damascus
d) Medina
Answer: c) Damascus
- The Abbasid Caliphate made which city its capital?
a) Cairo
b) Damascus
c) Baghdad
d) Istanbul
Answer: c) Baghdad
- A major intellectual centre for translation and learning established in Baghdad by the Abbasids was called:
a) The Grand Library
b) The House of Wisdom (Bait-ul-Hikmat)
c) The Academy of Gundishapur
d) The Al-Azhar University
Answer: b) The House of Wisdom (Bait-ul-Hikmat)
Short Answer Questions & Answers
- Question: Describe the political condition of Arabia before the rise of Islam.
Answer: Before Islam, Arabia was not politically organized. The people were divided into numerous tribes, often at war with each other over land and pastures. They acknowledged only the authority of their tribal chiefs, and there was no central government to enforce law and order. - Question: What is the meaning of the word ‘Islam’?
Answer: The word ‘Islam’ means ‘submission to the will of Allah’. - Question: What event marks the beginning of the Hijri calendar?
Answer: The Hijrat or Hijra—Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE—marks the beginning of the Hijri calendar. - Question: Who are ‘Muslims’?
Answer: Muslims are the followers of Islam, a term which means “people who give themselves to God.” - Question: List the Five Pillars of Islam.
Answer: The Five Pillars of Islam are: Shahada (Confession of Faith), Salat (Prayer), Zakaat (Alms Giving), Sawm (Fasting during Ramadan), and Haj (Pilgrimage to Mecca). - Question: Name the holy book of Islam.
Answer: The holy book of Islam is the Koran or Quran. - Question: Who were the ‘Caliphs’ or ‘Khalifas’?
Answer: The Caliphs or Khalifas were the successors to Prophet Muhammad. They served as both the spiritual and political leaders of the Muslim community. - Question: Name the first four Caliphs who succeeded Prophet Muhammad.
Answer: The first four Caliphs were Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali. - Question: What was the capital of the Umayyad dynasty?
Answer: The capital of the Umayyad dynasty was Damascus. - Question: Which Abbasid Caliph is famously associated with the ‘House of Wisdom’ (Bait-ul-Hikmat) in Baghdad?
Answer: The Abbasid Caliph al-Mamun is famously associated with establishing the ‘House of Wisdom’ in Baghdad. - Question: Mention two areas of knowledge in which Arab civilization made significant progress.
Answer: Arab civilization made significant progress in areas such as algebra, geometry, astronomy, calligraphy, and architecture (introducing domes and minarets). - Question: What replaced the rule of the Umayyad dynasty?
Answer: The rule of the Umayyad dynasty was replaced by the Abbasid dynasty.
Long Answer Questions & Answers
- Question: “In the 7th century, a new religion, Islam, arose in Arabia, which within a very short period not only united the warring tribes but also led to the establishment of a big empire.” Analyze this statement by describing the conditions in pre-Islamic Arabia and the role of Prophet Muhammad.
Answer: Pre-Islamic Arabia was fragmented into numerous, often warring, tribal groups with no central political authority. Society was polytheistic, and life revolved around pastoralism and trade. Into this divided landscape came Prophet Muhammad. Born in Mecca (c. 570 CE), he received his first revelation in 610 CE and began preaching monotheism, social justice, and the worship of one God, Allah. Facing opposition in Mecca, he migrated (Hijra) to Medina in 622 CE. In Medina, he successfully established a unified Muslim community (Ummah), blending spiritual and political leadership. By the time of his death in 632 CE, his teachings and leadership had united most of the Arabian Peninsula under Islam, providing the ideological and social cohesion necessary for the rapid expansion of a future empire. - Question: Explain the core beliefs and obligations of a Muslim as laid down in the teachings of Prophet Muhammad and the Five Pillars of Islam.
Answer: The core belief of Islam is absolute monotheism, encapsulated in the Shahada: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet.” Muslims believe Allah is the sole creator with absolute will. The practical and spiritual life of a Muslim is structured around the Five Pillars. These are: Shahada (declaration of faith), Salat (five daily prayers facing Mecca), Zakaat (obligatory almsgiving to support the poor), Sawm (fasting from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan for spiritual purification), and Haj (a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime, if able). Beyond these, Islamic teachings promote a life of virtue, benevolence, prohibition of usury (interest), and the brotherhood and equality of all believers.
- Question: Trace the political succession after Prophet Muhammad’s death, from the Rashidun Caliphs to the Abbasids. What were the major achievements of the Islamic civilization under these rules?
Answer: After Prophet Muhammad’s death in 632 CE, leadership passed to the Rashidun or “Rightly Guided” Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali. They oversaw the rapid expansion of the empire into Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and Persia. Following Caliph Ali, the Umayyad dynasty (661-750 CE) took power, ruling from Damascus and expanding the empire to Spain and Sindh. They were overthrown by the Abbasids (750 CE onwards), who moved the capital to Baghdad. Under the Abbasids, especially Caliphs like Harun al-Rashid and al-Mamun, Islamic civilization flourished. Achievements included the establishment of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad—a major centre for translating and advancing Greek, Persian, Indian, and other knowledge. Arabs made seminal contributions to mathematics (algebra, geometry), astronomy, medicine, and architecture (domes, minarets). Their vibrant trade networks and unified currency (the dinar/dirham) connected vast regions, making it one of the most advanced civilizations of its time.