Quran
Which surah is the verse “Qul huwa Allahu ahad – Say: He is Allah, One” from?
Surah al-Ikhlāṣ (112)
Who are the parents of Bibi Fāṭima (sa)?
Prophet Muḥammad (s) and Lady Khadīja (sa).
In the Nahj al-Balāgha, which quality is described as “wealth that does not diminish”?
Contentment (al-qanāʿah)
What does shariah mean? Explain thoroughly.
The divinely revealed way / law from Allah – the path that covers beliefs, worship, morals, and social dealings, based on Qur’an and authentic Sunnah.
According to Ayatullah Syed Sistani, name two basic conditions the water used for wuḍū’ must have (besides just being water)
It must be ṭāhir (pure, not najis); muṭlaq (unmixed / not “added” water); and mubāḥ (permissible, not stolen).
In which surah does Allah say “Fa-inna maʿa al-ʿusri yusrā – Indeed, with hardship there is ease” twice?
Surah al-Inshirāḥ / ash-Sharḥ (94)
Name her husband and all 5 children’s names.
Husband: Imām Alī (as).
Children: Imam Ḥasan (as), Imam Ḥusayn (as), Bibi Zaynab (sa), Bibi Umm Kulthūm (sa), Hazrat Muḥsin (as).
Complete: “Whoever dies without knowing the Imam of his time dies the death of ______.”
Jāhiliyyah (ignorance).
In Islamic law, actions are divided into five categories (al-aḥkām al-khamsa). Name any three.
Wājib (obligatory), Mustaḥabb (recommended), Mubāḥ (permissible), Makrūh (disliked), Ḥarām (forbidden)
What is fiqh, and how is it related to following a marjaʿ like Ayatullah Syed Sistani?
Fiqh = Islamic jurisprudence, detailed human understanding of Sharīʿah. A marjaʿ al-taqlīd is a top jurist whose fiqh we follow; we as ordinary believers do taqlīd of the most learned living mujtahid in practical law.
Which surah contains the verse “Lā yukallifu Allahu nafsan illā wusʿahā – Allah does not burden a soul beyond…”?
DOUBLE or nothing: if you can say the exact surah number
Surah al-Baqarah (2):286
What does the title “Sayyidat Nisā’ al-ʿĀlamīn” mean?
“Leader of the women of paradise/ the worlds.”
Fill in: “The world (dunyā) is a ______ for the believer and a ______ for the unbeliever; death is the bridge that takes the believer to Paradise.”
prison, and paradise
Name all the Usūl al-Dīn and Furūʿ al-Dīn and explain what they are/ the difference between them.
Tawhid, Adalat, Nubuwwah, Imamat and Qiyamat (roots of religion (beliefs))
Namaz, Roza, Hajj, Zakat, Khums, Jihad, Amr bul Maroof, Nahi unil Munkar, Tawalla, Tabarra (branches (practical duties))
According to Ayatullah Syed Sistani, if someone forgets a wajib sajdah in prayer and remembers after finishing, what must they do?
They must perform qada sajda sahw immediately after their salah is finished.
Which surah has “Al-yawm akmaltu lakum dīnakum…” – Today I have perfected for you your religion…, linked to Ghadīr and what is the ayat number?
Surah al-Mā’idah (5):3
Complete the meaning of the ḥadīth: “Fāṭima is a part of me; whoever ______ her has ______ me.”
DOUBLE or nothing: who says this?
Angers, angered (acceptable answers include hurts and upsets)
and Prophet Muhammad PBUH says this
In Nahj al-Balāgha, Imām ʿAlī (as) says “Patience is of two kinds…”. What are the two types of patience he mentions?
1) Patience over what pains you (calamities, hardships), and 2) Patience against what you love/covet (resisting desires and sins).
Name the four main sources used to derive Sharīʿah rulings
Qur’an, Sunnah (hadith of the Prophet (s) and Ahl al-Bayt (as)), Ijmāʿ (consensus), and ʿAql (reason)
What is the ruling if someone doubts between 3 and 4 rakʿahs while praying Ẓuhr or ʿAṣr?
At any stage of the prayer, one doubts whether he has performed three or four rakʿahs. In this situation, he must assume he has performed four rakʿahs and complete the prayer; after the prayer, he must perform one rakʿah of ṣalāt al‑iḥtiyāṭ in a standing position or two rakʿahs in a sitting position.
Which surah and ayat number says “…Whoever saves one life – it is as if he had saved all mankind” and what is the Arabic for it?
Surah al-Mā’idah (5):32 and “wa man aḥyāhā fa ka`annamā aḥyan-nāsa jamī'ā”
After the Prophet (s)’s passing, Bibi Fāṭima (sa) gave the famous Khutbah of Fadak. What was Fadak, and name two main themes she spoke about in that sermon.
Fadak was a land/estate gifted to her by the Prophet (s) that was taken away after his death.
She spoke about (any two is acceptable):
- Tawḥīd and Risālah (belief in Allah and Prophethood),
- Imamate/Wilāyah of Imām ʿAlī (as),
- Justice and rights of Ahl al-Bayt (as) and the wrongful usurpation of her property.
In one short saying of Nahj al-Balāgha, Imām ʿAlī (as) says: “There is no wealth like …, no destitution like …, no inheritance like …, no support like ….” Name any two of these four pairs correctly.
Any two of the following is full marks: 1) No wealth like wisdom, 2) No destitution like ignorance, 3) No inheritance like refinement (good manners), 4) No support like consultation (shūrā).
What is khums, and into which two main shares is it divided?
A 20% religious due on certain items (e.g., surplus yearly savings, some profits). It is divided into: Sahm al-Imām (share of the Imam, used via marjaʿ) and Sahm al-Sāda (share of needy sayyids).
According to Ayatullah Syed Sistani, roughly how far must a person travel for it to count as sharʿī travel so that they shorten (qaṣr) prayers and cannot fast in Ramaḍān on that trip? Where does the distance start from?
DOUBLE or nothing: what is the ruling on fasting if a person travels after ẓuhr versus before ẓuhr?
According to Ayatullah Syed Sistani, the sharʿī travel distance is calculated from the boundary of one’s city (ḥadd al-tarakhkhuṣ), not from one’s home. A person is considered a traveler if they travel 8 farsakh total (about 44 km round trip) or 4 farsakh one way (about 22 km) starting outside the city limits. At this distance, with other conditions met, they must pray qaṣr and cannot fast during Ramaḍān.
After ẓuhr: If the person leaves after ẓuhr, had the intention to fast from Fajr, and did not break the fast, the fast remains valid and must be completed.
Before ẓuhr: If the person leaves before ẓuhr and reaches the city boundary (ḥadd al-tarakhkhuṣ) before ẓuhr, the fast is not valid and must be made up later (qaḍāʾ)