Islamic Quiz

The Islamic calendar counts its years from the Hijra, the Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca in 622 CE. Which city did he move to?

• Jerusalem
• Medina
• Taif
• Damascus

Answer: Medina. Medina was then called Yathrib. Year 1 of the Islamic calendar begins on the first day of Muharram in the year of the Hijra.

Eid al-Adha, celebrated during the Hajj season, recalls the readiness of which prophet to sacrifice his son?

• Musa (Moses)
• Nuh (Noah)
• Ibrahim (Abraham)
• Yusuf (Joseph)

Answer: Ibrahim (Abraham). Ibrahim's devotion is remembered with the sacrifice of an animal, and the meat is shared with family, neighbours and people in need.

Which of these is NOT one of the Five Pillars of Islam?

• Salah (prayer)
• Zakat (charity)
• Sawm (fasting)
• Umrah

Answer: Umrah. Umrah is a shorter pilgrimage to Mecca that can be made at any time of year and is not compulsory. The five pillars are Shahada, Salah, Zakat, Sawm and Hajj.

Ramadan, the month of fasting, is which month of the Islamic calendar?

• 1st
• 9th
• 10th
• 12th

Answer: 9th. Ramadan is the ninth month. Eid al-Fitr falls on the first day of the tenth month, Shawwal, and the Hajj takes place in the twelfth, Dhu al-Hijjah.

In a mosque, what is the niche in the wall that shows worshippers the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca?

• Minaret
• Minbar
• Mihrab
• Dome

Answer: Mihrab. The mihrab marks the qibla, the direction of prayer. The minbar nearby is the pulpit from which the Friday sermon is given.

By Islamic tradition, the first verses of the Quran came to the Prophet in a cave on a mountain near Mecca. What is the cave called?

• Hira
• Thawr
• Uhud
• Arafat

Answer: Hira. The Cave of Hira is on Jabal al-Nour, the 'Mountain of Light'. The Cave of Thawr is where the Prophet sheltered during the Hijra.

What title is given to a person who has memorised the entire Quran?

• Imam
• Mufti
• Qari
• Hafiz

Answer: Hafiz. Hafiz comes from an Arabic word meaning 'guardian' or 'one who preserves'. A qari is someone trained to recite the Quran.

Why does Ramadan begin about 10 to 11 days earlier each year on the Gregorian calendar?

• The Islamic calendar is lunar, with about 354 days
• Ramadan follows the spring equinox
• The start is moved to avoid summer
• The date is set by the Hajj

Answer: The Islamic calendar is lunar, with about 354 days. Twelve lunar months add up to about 354 or 355 days, so Ramadan moves through every season over roughly 33 years.

Zakat, the pillar of giving, is commonly worked out as what share of a Muslim's qualifying savings held for a year?

• 10%
• 5%
• 2.5%
• 1%

Answer: 2.5%. Zakat is due only on wealth above a minimum called the nisab, held for a full lunar year. It goes to the poor and others named in the Quran.

The word 'algorithm' comes from al-Khwarizmi, a scholar at Baghdad's House of Wisdom. Which other word comes from the title of his book?

• Algebra
• Alchemy
• Almanac
• Alkali

Answer: Algebra. His book on calculation by 'al-jabr', or restoring, gave us 'algebra'. The House of Wisdom was a centre of learning under the Abbasid caliphs.