Seerah/Hadith
What animal did the Prophet ﷺ ride during his Night Journey (Isrāʾ and Miʿrāj), and where did it take him first?
He rode the Burāq, which took him to Masjid al-Aqṣā.
Which scriptures did Allah reveal to His prophets, and to whom were they given?
Ṣuḥuf (scrolls) – Ibrāhīm (AS), early scrolls to Mūsā (AS) — Qur’an 87:18–19
Tawrāt – Mūsā (AS) — Qur’an 5:44
Zabūr – Dāwūd (AS) — Qur’an 17:55
Injīl – ʿĪsā (AS) — Qur’an 5:46
Qur’an – Muhammad ﷺ — Qur’an 15:9
Who are the four main angel names, and what are their roles?
Jibril (Gabriel): Brings revelation.
Mika’il (Michael): Oversees rain and provision.
Israfil: Will blow the Trumpet to announce the Last Day.
Malak al-Mawt (Azra’il): Angel of death, takes souls.
Evidence: Qur’an 2:97 (Jibril), Qur’an 2:98 (Mika’il), Sahih Muslim (Israfil mentioned), Qur’an 32:11 (Angel of Death).
Which companion of the Prophet ﷺ was known as The Possessor of Two Lights, and why was he given this title?
It was ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (RA). He was called Dhul-Nurayn because he married two daughters of the Prophet ﷺ at different times — first Ruqayyah (RA), and after her passing, Umm Kulthūm (RA).
How many universities are in the University of Wisconsin System, and name at least 6 of them.
There are 13 universities.
Examples include:
UW–Madison
UW–Milwaukee
UW–Eau Claire
UW–La Crosse
UW–Oshkosh
UW–Whitewater
UW–Stevens Point
UW–Stout
UW–Superior
UW–Platteville
UW–Parkside
UW–Green Bay
UW–River Falls
Who were the first people to accept Islam in these groups: the first woman, the first free man, the first child, and the first slave?
First woman: Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (RA)
First free man: Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (RA)
First child: Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA)
First slave: Zayd ibn Harithah (RA) (some narrations mention Bilal ibn Rabah (RA), but the majority say Zayd was earlier as he lived with the Prophet ﷺ)
How many surahs in the Qur’an are named after prophets, and what are their names?
Six surahs: Yunus (10), Hud (11), Yusuf (12), Ibrahim (14), Muhammad (47), and Nuh (71).
In Islamic law, what does the term Nisāb refer to, and why is it important?
Nisāb = the minimum threshold of wealth a Muslim must own for financial obligations to apply.
It determines whether a person is required to give from their wealth (for example, in annual duties of purification/charity).
The Prophet ﷺ prayed that Allah would guide one of two men to Islam, both of whom were strong in Quraysh. Who were they, and which one accepted Islam?
The Prophet ﷺ prayed for either ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb or Abū Jahl (ʿAmr ibn Hishām).
Allah guided ʿUmar (RA), whose Islam became a great victory for the Muslims.
Evidence: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī 3681, Musnad Aḥmad.
What is the most populated Muslim-majority country in Africa?
Nigeria, with over 110 million Muslims.
When Angel Jibril (AS) asked Prophet Muhammad ﷺ when the Last Day (Qiyamah) would occur, what was his reply?
“The one asked does not know more than the one asking.”
Source: Hadith Jibril, narrated in Sahih Muslim
What are the four main stories mentioned in Surah al-Kahf, and what trials do they represent in order?
People of the Cave → Trial of Faith
The Owner of the Two Gardens → Trial of Wealth
Musa (AS) and Khidr (AS) → Trial of Knowledge
Dhul-Qarnayn → Trial of Power
Evidence: Qur’an 18:9–98
Who are the four major Imams of fiqh, and what is their chronological order by birth?
Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (Nuʿmān ibn Thābit)
Born 80 AH / 699 CE in Kufa, Iraq
Died 150 AH / 767 CE
Imām Mālik ibn Anas
Born 93 AH / 711 CE in Madinah
Died 179 AH / 795 CE
Imām Muḥammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfiʿī
Born 150 AH / 767 CE in Gaza, Palestine
Died 204 AH / 820 CE
Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal
Born 164 AH / 780 CE in Baghdad, Iraq
Died 241 AH / 855 CE
Who are the ten companions of the Prophet ﷺ that were promised Paradise during their lifetimes, known as al-ʿAsharah al-Mubashsharah?
At least 7
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Abu Bakr is in Paradise, Umar is in Paradise, Uthman is in Paradise, Ali is in Paradise, Talhah is in Paradise, al-Zubayr is in Paradise, Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf is in Paradise, Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas is in Paradise, Sa‘id ibn Zayd is in Paradise, and Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah is in Paradise.”
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (RA)
Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA)
Uthman ibn Affan (RA)
Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA)
Talhah ibn Ubaydullah (RA)
Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam (RA)
Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf (RA)
Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas (RA)
Sa‘id ibn Zayd (RA)
Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (RA)
Evidence: Hadith in Sunan al-Tirmidhi (3747), Sunan Abu Dawud (4649), and authenticated by al-Albani.
What type of bond forms when two atoms share electrons unequally, creating a dipole? Give an example molecule.
A polar covalent bond. Example: H–Cl.
The Prophet ﷺ said that every Muslim has rights over another Muslim. What are the five rights mentioned in the authentic hadith?
Returning the salām.
Visiting the sick.
Following the funeral.
Accepting an invitation.
Saying yarḥamuk Allāh to one who sneezes.
According to the Qur’an, Allah punished the nations who rejected their prophets in different ways. Name at least four prophets and the punishments their people faced.
Nūḥ (AS): His people were destroyed by the great flood (Qur’an 29:14–15).
Hūd (AS): People of ʿĀd destroyed by a violent wind (Qur’an 69:6–7).
Ṣāliḥ (AS): People of Thamūd destroyed by a mighty blast/earthquake (Qur’an 11:67).
Lūṭ (AS): His people destroyed when their city was overturned and rained upon with stones of baked clay (Qur’an 11:82–83).
Shuʿayb (AS): People of Madyan destroyed by earthquake and blast (Qur’an 7:91, 11:94).
Mūsā (AS): Pharaoh and his army drowned in the sea (Qur’an 10:90).
What are the five rulings (al-aḥkām al-khamsah) that scholars use to categorize every action in Islamic law?
Farḍ / Wājib (Obligatory): Must be done; leaving it is sinful.
Example: Performing the five daily prayers.
Evidence: Qur’an 4:103 – “Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.”
Mandūb / Sunnah (Recommended): Rewarded if done, not sinful if left.
Example: Fasting on Mondays and Thursdays.
Evidence: Hadith in Tirmidhī – the Prophet ﷺ fasted Mondays and Thursdays.
Mubāḥ (Permissible): Neutral; neither reward nor sin.
Example: Eating lawful food like chicken or rice.
Evidence: Qur’an 2:168 – “Eat of what is lawful and good on the earth…”
Makrūh (Disliked): Avoiding it is rewarded, doing it is not sinful.
Example: Eating garlic before going to the masjid.
Evidence: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 564 – Prophet ﷺ disliked garlic smell in the mosque.
Ḥarām (Prohibited): Forbidden; committing it is sinful.
Example: Drinking alcohol.
Evidence: Qur’an 5:90 – “O you who believe, indeed intoxicants… are defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid them…”
Evidence: Derived from Qur’an & Sunnah rulings, e.g. Qur’an 16:90 (commands and prohibitions).
This woman fought alongside the Muslims in the Battle of Uḥud, defending the Prophet ﷺ with her sword and shield, and sustained multiple wounds. Who was she?
Nusaybah bint Kaʿb (RA).
What is the difference between compilation and interpretation in programming languages? Give one example of each.
Compilation: The entire program is translated into machine code before execution.
Example: C / C++.
Interpretation: Code is translated line-by-line during execution.
Example: Python / JavaScript.
The Prophet ﷺ said there are seven types of people who will be shaded by Allah on the Day when there is no shade except His shade. Name at least five of them.
A just ruler.
A youth raised in the worship of Allah.
A man whose heart is attached to the masjid.
Two people who love each other for Allah’s sake, meeting and parting on that basis.
A man who resists the call of a woman of beauty and status out of fear of Allah.
A person who gives charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right has given.
A person who remembers Allah in private until his eyes overflow with tears.
What was the first major battle in Islam, what title does the Qur’an give it, how many fighters were on each side, and in which year did it occur?
The Battle of Badr.
Qur’an calls it Yawm al-Furqān (The Day of Criterion) (Qur’an 8:41).
About 313 Muslims vs 1,000 Quraysh.
Took place in 2 AH (624 CE) during Ramadan
The Qur’an mentions eight categories of people who are eligible to receive zakāh. Name them.
The eight recipients are:
Fuqarāʾ (The poor) – those with nothing or very little.
Masākīn (The needy) – those with insufficient means but not asking openly.
Āmilīn ʿalayhā (Those employed to collect zakāh).
Muʾallafat al-qulūb (Those whose hearts are to be reconciled) – new Muslims or those inclined to Islam.
Riqqāb (To free slaves/captives).
Ghārimīn (Those in debt).
Fī sabīlillāh (In the cause of Allah) – such as striving for His cause.
Ibn al-sabīl (The stranded traveler) – cut off from resources.
📖 Evidence
Allah says in Surah al-Tawbah (9:60):
These three Companions were boycotted by the Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims for 50 days after they stayed behind from the Battle of Tabuk without excuse, until Allah revealed their repentance in Surah al-Tawbah (9:118). Who were they?
Who are Kaʿb ibn Mālik (RA), Murārah ibn al-Rabīʿ (RA), and Hilāl ibn Umayyah (RA)?
They procrastinated without excuse, confessed honestly, and Allah revealed their forgiveness in Qur’an 9:118.
Name the 13 original American colonies that declared independence in 1776.
Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.