Level 1
Fiqh MCQs set 3 for OTS Social Welfare / Community Development Dept Islamic Studies — 20 solved questions.
Q1. A person performing Tayammum must use which of the following as a purifying agent?
Answer: Clean earth, dust, sand or stone - any surface of the ground
Explanation: Tayammum is performed using any clean surface of the ground - earth, dust, sand, or stone - by striking it with the palms and wiping the face and hands; it is a concession when water is unavailable or harmful.
Q2. A latecomer (Masbuq) who joins the congregation after the Imam has completed one Rakat should:
Answer: Complete the missed Rak'at after the Imam gives Salam
Explanation: A latecomer (Masbuq) follows the Imam for whatever portion remains, then rises after the Imam's Salam to independently complete the Rak'at he missed, maintaining the sequence of his own prayer.
Q3. A person who intentionally leaves a Fard act of Salah must:
Answer: Repeat the entire prayer from the beginning
Explanation: If a Fard (obligatory) pillar of Salah is deliberately omitted, the prayer is invalid and must be repeated from the beginning; Sujud al-Sahw only compensates for forgetfulness in Wajib acts.
Q4. Which type of Riba involves an exchange of two commodities of the same kind in unequal quantities?
Answer: Riba al-Fadl
Explanation: Riba al-Fadl refers to the exchange of two goods of the same type (e.g., dates for dates) in unequal quantities, which is prohibited in Islam to prevent exploitative barter.
Q5. In a Mudaraba contract, how are losses distributed between Rabb-ul-Mal and Mudarib?
Answer: Losses are borne entirely by the capital provider (Rabb-ul-Mal)
Explanation: In a Mudaraba contract, financial losses are borne entirely by the capital provider (Rabb-ul-Mal), while the Mudarib loses only their time and effort, unless the loss resulted from negligence.
Q6. According to Islamic finance, the key difference between Murabaha and a conventional loan is:
Answer: In Murabaha the bank buys and sells a real asset, whereas a conventional loan is purely a monetary transaction
Explanation: Murabaha involves the bank purchasing a real asset and reselling it at a disclosed profit margin, creating a genuine sale transaction, whereas a conventional loan is a pure monetary exchange with interest.
Q7. Which condition makes a Salam contract valid under Islamic law?
Answer: The price must be fully paid at the time the contract is concluded
Explanation: For a Salam contract to be valid, the full purchase price must be paid upfront at the time of contracting; this immediate payment distinguishes it from prohibited deferred-for-deferred transactions.
Q8. The Shariah principle of "Bay al-Inah" involves a sale and immediate buyback arrangement and is considered controversial because:
Answer: It is viewed by many scholars as a legal ruse to obtain cash with interest effectively disguised as a double sale
Explanation: Bay al-Inah involves selling an asset to a buyer and then immediately buying it back at a different (usually higher deferred) price; many scholars view this as a legal ruse (hilah) that effectively creates interest-bearing debt in disguise.
Q9. In Islamic finance, the concept of "Tawarruq" (monetization) has been criticized by scholars because:
Answer: In its organized form, it may effectively replicate interest-based lending through a series of commodity sales
Explanation: Organized Tawarruq involves a bank purchasing a commodity, selling it to a client on credit, then buying it back at spot price - effectively creating cash liquidity in a structure that mimics an interest-based loan, leading scholars like AAOIFI to restrict it.
Q10. Which scholarly criterion distinguishes permissible uncertainty (Gharar Yasir) from prohibited uncertainty (Gharar Fahish) in Islamic contracts?
Answer: The degree of ignorance about an essential contract element that would lead a rational party to reject the contract if known
Explanation: Gharar Fahish (prohibited uncertainty) is characterized by ignorance about an essential element - price, subject matter, or delivery - so significant that a rational party would reject the contract if informed.
Q11. Under classical Islamic jurisprudence, the "ribawi" commodities in which Riba al-Fadl applies are those mentioned in the Hadith. Which of the following correctly identifies these six commodities?
Answer: Gold, silver, wheat, barley, dates, and salt
Explanation: نبی کریم ﷺ نے ایک حدیث میں سونا، چاندی، گندم، جَو، کھجور اور نمک کو "ربوی اصناف" قرار دیا اور فرمایا کہ انہیں برابر وزن اور نقد بنقد بیچا جائے ورنہ سود ہوگا (صحیح مسلم)۔
Q12. Which condition is indispensable for obligatory Salah in Islam?
Answer: Facing the approximate direction of Masjid al-Haram regardless of compass error
Explanation: Facing the approximate direction of the Masjid al-Haram (Qibla) is a required pre-condition for the validity of Salah; an honest effort to determine the direction suffices when a compass is unavailable.
Q13. What best describes shortening (qasr) of Dhuhr, Asr, and Isha for a traveler?
Answer: Reduce each obligatory Rakahs to half the resident count according to scholarly limits
Explanation: A traveller is permitted to shorten (qasr) the four-rak'at prayers (Dhuhr, Asr, Isha) to two rak'at each; this is an established Sunnah concession when journey distance meets the scholarly threshold (approximately 48-90 km depending on madhab).
Q14. Which approach matches calculated Zakat on fluctuating bank balance across a lunar year pedagogically?
Answer: Average daily balance method if scholar-approved locally for stability
Explanation: Scholars permit calculating Zakat on a fluctuating bank balance using an average-daily-balance method or by taking the balance on the annual Zakat date, provided a consistent method is applied and approved by a reliable scholar.
Q15. Hajj becomes an individual duty how many times life per classical obligation phrasing in exams?
Answer: Once if health and means allow along safe travel
Explanation: Hajj is obligatory once in a lifetime upon every Muslim who possesses the physical health, financial means, and safe travel conditions (Istita'ah).
Q16. Maghrib salah’s obligatory Rakahs in common Hanafi pedagogy equal what?
Answer: Three fard units immediately after sunset
Explanation: Maghrib prayer consists of three Fard rakahs, performed immediately after sunset; it is the only obligatory prayer with an odd number of fard rakahs, mirroring the Witr prayer's odd structure.
Q17. The Sunan of Abu Dawud primarily focuses on which type of Hadith?
Answer: Ahkam (legal) Hadith
Explanation: Imam Abu Dawud compiled his Sunan specifically to collect Ahkam (legal/jurisprudential) hadiths relevant to Islamic law, selecting approximately 4,800 hadiths from 500,000 he examined.
Q18. What is the full name of the founder of the Maliki madhab?
Answer: Malik ibn Anas al-Asbahi
Explanation: Malik ibn Anas al-Asbahi (711-795 CE) was the founder of the Maliki school of jurisprudence, and he compiled the famous Al-Muwatta, one of the earliest systematic works of Islamic law.
Q19. Which city is considered the intellectual home of the Maliki school due to Imam Malik living and teaching there?
Answer: Madinah
Explanation: Imam Malik ibn Anas (711-795 CE) lived, taught, and issued fatwas in Madinah his entire life, and his famous work "Al-Muwatta" was compiled there, making Madinah the spiritual and intellectual center of the Maliki school.
Q20. Which madhab is predominant in Pakistan and South Asia?
Answer: Hanafi
Explanation: The Hanafi madhab is predominant across Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and much of South Asia, introduced largely through the influence of scholars and Sufi orders during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal era.