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Sharia Law - Exam
Contributed by: Christie
  • 1. Sharia Law, also known as Islamic law, is a religious law derived from the Quran and teachings of Prophet Muhammad. It covers a wide range of aspects of life, including personal conduct, family life, business transactions, and criminal justice. Sharia Law is implemented in various forms in many countries with significant Muslim populations and often influences the legal systems in those countries. It is based on principles such as justice, equality, and compassion, and seeks to promote community welfare and individual well-being in accordance with Islamic values.

    What is Sharia Law?
A) Secular legal system based on democratic principles
B) Legal system based on Roman law
C) Islamic law derived from the Quran and teachings of Prophet Muhammad
D) International law governing human rights
  • 2. Which religion is primarily associated with Sharia Law?
A) Buddhism
B) Islam
C) Christianity
D) Judaism
  • 3. In which language is the Quran originally written?
A) Latin
B) Chinese
C) Arabic
D) French
  • 4. What is the importance of Qiyas in Sharia Law?
A) Fasting practice
B) Analogical reasoning to derive legal rulings
C) Act of charity
D) Special prayer ritual
  • 5. What are Fatwas in the context of Sharia Law?
A) Legal opinions provided by Islamic scholars
B) Fasting practices
C) Penalties for criminal acts
D) Religious holidays
  • 6. What is the significance of Sunnah in Sharia Law?
A) Fasting month
B) Annual pilgrimage
C) Practices and teachings of Prophet Muhammad
D) Sacred text
  • 7. What is the role of a Mufti in the context of Sharia Law?
A) Interpret and provide legal opinions on Islamic law
B) Tax collector
C) Archaeologist
D) Military commander
  • 8. What is the concept of Taqlid in Sharia Law?
A) Fasting during Ramadan
B) Giving to charity
C) Legal conformity to established rulings
D) Religious pilgrimage
  • 9. What is 'Halal' in the context of Sharia Law?
A) Permissible according to Islamic law
B) Fasting practice
C) Sacred text
D) Underground movement
  • 10. Which country applies Sharia Law as the main legal system?
A) United States
B) Saudi Arabia
C) Japan
D) France
  • 11. Which branch of Islamic law deals with individual duties and obligations?
A) Aqida
B) Tafsir
C) Fiqh
D) Hadith
  • 12. What is 'Tawhid' in the context of Sharia Law?
A) Muslim prayer ritual
B) Religious charity
C) Religious holiday
D) Oneness of God
  • 13. What is the term used for consensus in Islamic jurisprudence?
A) Fiqh
B) Sunnah
C) Qiyas
D) Ijma
  • 14. Which legal school is known for its flexibility in interpreting Sharia?
A) Shafiʽi
B) Hanafi
C) Maliki
D) Hanbali
  • 15. What role does ijma play in Sharia?
A) It is used only in economic transactions.
B) It represents consensus among the community or religious authorities.
C) It refers to individual interpretation of the Quran.
D) It is a form of punishment for non-compliance with Islamic law.
  • 16. What are the four meanings conveyed by the term Sharia according to Jan Michiel Otto?
A) Islamic law, historical context, modern application.
B) Pathway, religious regulations, divine justice.
C) Divine, abstract; Classical; Historical; Contemporary sharia(s).
D) Sufi stages, Islamic rules, legal systems.
  • 17. Who was responsible for the most common translation of the Torah into Arabic during the 10th century?
A) Al-Farabi
B) Al-Ghazali
C) Saadia Gaon
D) Ibn Sina
  • 18. Which expression is a common translation of 'Torat Elokim' and 'nómos toú theoú'?
A) Sharīʿat Allāh
B) Hikmah
C) Qur'an al-Azim
D) Kitab Allah
  • 19. Who is considered the real architect of Islamic jurisprudence according to some historians?
A) Ibn Sina
B) Malik ibn Anas
C) Al-Shafi'i
D) Abu Hanifa
  • 20. What is the main verse for implementing Qisas in Islam?
A) Surah An-Nisa
B) Al Baqara 178
C) Surah Al-Ikhlas
D) Surah Al-Fatiha
  • 21. What was added to the pre-Islamic understanding of Qisas during the Islamic period?
A) Mandatory exile for all murderers
B) Debate about whether a Muslim can be executed for a non-Muslim
C) Introduction of community service as punishment
D) Complete abolition of Qisas
  • 22. Which group relies on narration in Islamic jurisprudence?
A) Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari's followers
B) Ahl al-Kalām, Mu'tazila
C) Atharists, Ahl al-Hadith
D) rationalists
  • 23. Which theologian sought a middle way between narration and reason?
A) Ahl al-Hadith
B) Mu'tazila
C) Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari
D) Ahl al-Kalām
  • 24. What does the Quran emphasize in nearly 40 verses?
A) Tradition
B) Prayer
C) Rituals
D) Custom
  • 25. What is the term for the lack of consensus on a point of Islamic law?
A) Sunnah
B) Qiyas
C) Ijma
D) Ikhtilaf
  • 26. Which scholar expanded the inventory of Maqāṣid to include women's rights?
A) Yusuf al-Qaradawi
B) Rashid Rida
C) Abdallah bin Bayyah
D) Mohammed al-Ghazali
  • 27. When did Shia jurists begin using the term Ijtihad?
A) 10th century
B) 8th century
C) 14th century
D) 12th century
  • 28. What is the term for juristic preference in classical Ijtihad?
A) Istihsan
B) Istislah
C) Istishab
D) Taqlid
  • 29. Who declared purpose and benefit as the heart of 'usul-al fiqh'?
A) Ibn Taymiyyah
B) Al-Shafi'i
C) Ibn Hanbal
D) Abdallah bin Bayyah
  • 30. Which method in classical Ijtihad is not adopted by all legal schools?
A) Qiyas (analogical reasoning)
B) Ijma (consensus)
C) Istihsan (juristic preference)
D) Naskh (abrogation)
  • 31. What is the term for consideration of public interest in Ijtihad?
A) Istislah
B) Istihsan
C) Qiyas
D) Ijma
  • 32. Which sect did not accept the jurisprudence of Omar regarding Mut'a marriage?
A) Shiite sect
B) Kharijite sect
C) Zaydi sect
D) Sunni sect
  • 33. What are the five categories of Sharia rulings known as?
A) The seven laws
B) The ten commandments
C) The four pillars
D) The five decisions (al-aḥkām al-khamsa)
  • 34. What term is used in Hanafi fiqh for situations that do not meet the second condition for fard?
A) Mustaḥabb
B) Wajib
C) Mandūb
D) Farḍ
  • 35. What is the term for a special religious decision specific to a person or situation?
A) Hudud
B) Qisas
C) Tazir
D) Fatwa
  • 36. What is the term for penalties outside Qisas and Hudud laws?
A) Tazir
B) Fatwa
C) Hudud
D) Qisas
  • 37. According to traditional fiqh, when does legal and religious responsibility begin?
A) At birth
B) Upon reaching puberty
C) After the first prayer
D) With rushd (maturity)
  • 38. Which Islamic scholar stated that God cannot be assigned a place?
A) Al-Shafi'i
B) Ahmad Ibn Hanbal
C) Al-Ghazali
D) Ibn Taymiyyah
  • 39. Which of the following is not one of 'the four quarters' in substantive jurisprudence?
A) Injuries
B) Rituals
C) Sales
D) Marriage
  • 40. In which category are crimes judged with discretion for correction or rehabilitation?
A) Taʿzīr
B) Qisas
C) Diya
D) Hudud
  • 41. What was forbidden regarding marriage under the minimum age in the Ottoman Empire?
A) Marriage below the minimum age was forbidden.
B) Marriage with parental consent.
C) Marriage above the minimum age was forbidden.
D) Marriage at any age without proof of maturity.
  • 42. Who traditionally interpreted Sharia by issuing fatwas?
A) Judges
B) Muslim rulers
C) Muftis
D) Imams
  • 43. Which right-wing pundit referred to 'liberty versus Sharia' as a momentous debate?
A) Glenn Beck
B) Diana West
C) Ann Coulter
D) Laura Ingraham
  • 44. What proportion of diya do Jewish or Christian male plaintiffs receive compared to a Muslim male in Saudi Arabia?
A) One-sixteenth the amount.
B) Half the amount.
C) Twice the amount.
D) The same amount.
  • 45. How many individuals were legally executed for apostasy from Islam between 1985 and 2006?
A) More than ten individuals.
B) Four individuals.
C) Twenty individuals.
D) None.
  • 46. Which crimes have scripturally prescribed punishments in Islamic law?
A) Taʿzīr
B) Qisas
C) Diya
D) Hudud
  • 47. What was required for evidence in both civil and criminal cases in a qadi's court?
A) Physical evidence
B) Written documents
C) Oral witness testimony
D) Confessions
  • 48. What percentage of Muslim students in the UK supported the introduction of Sharia into British law for Muslims according to a 2008 YouGov poll?
A) 40%
B) 25%
C) 55%
D) 60%
  • 49. Which U.S. state's ballot initiative sought to ban the use of Sharia law in courts but was struck down by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals?
A) California
B) Florida
C) Oklahoma
D) Texas
  • 50. Which Sunni school of law is predominant in North and West Africa?
A) Hanafi
B) Shafi'i
C) Maliki
D) Hanbali
  • 51. Which Islamic legal school is predominant in Oman?
A) Hanafi
B) Maliki
C) Shafi'i
D) Ibadi
  • 52. Which Sunni school of law is known for its strict adherence to the Quran and Hadith?
A) Shafi'i
B) Hanafi
C) Maliki
D) Hanbali
  • 53. What proportion of diya do non-Muslim males receive compared to a Muslim male in Saudi Arabia, excluding Jews and Christians?
A) The same amount.
B) One-sixteenth.
C) Twice the amount.
D) Half the amount.
  • 54. Who was in charge of a qadi's court?
A) A mufti
B) A shurta
C) The ruler
D) A judge (qadi)
  • 55. Which country carried out radical reforms in Islamic family law in 1956?
A) Tunisia
B) Egypt
C) Iran
D) Saudi Arabia
  • 56. What is the diya for Magians (majus) compared to a free Muslim male according to several legal schools?
A) Twice the value.
B) One-fifteenth the value.
C) Half the value.
D) The same as a non-Muslim man.
  • 57. Which country has a constitution that does not mention Sharia but possesses Sharia-based family laws?
A) Saudi Arabia
B) Iran
C) Pakistan
D) Algeria
  • 58. In which Canadian province are family law disputes arbitrated only under Ontario law?
A) Ontario
B) British Columbia
C) Quebec
D) Alberta
  • 59. What type of court could a plaintiff pursue if a qadi's court did not result in a verdict?
A) Mufti court
B) Police court
C) Sharia court
D) Mazalim court
  • 60. Which German official stated that Sharia law is not tolerated on German soil?
A) President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
B) Foreign Minister Heiko Maas
C) Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière
D) Chancellor Angela Merkel
  • 61. Which country had the lowest support for Sharia as law among Muslims according to the 2013 Pew Forum survey?
A) Albania (12%)
B) Kazakhstan (10%)
C) Azerbaijan (8%)
D) Turkey (12%)
  • 62. What is the range of social acceptance for homosexuality among Muslims in the U.S.?
A) 100%
B) 52%
C) 25%
D) Less than 10%
  • 63. How did Shiite leaders like Ayatollah Khomeini frame their call for Sharia?
A) By promoting Western democratic values.
B) By focusing solely on economic reforms.
C) Through advocating for secular governance.
D) As a resistance struggle using leftist anticolonialist rhetoric.
  • 64. Which organizations have proposed ways to modify Sharia-inspired laws to improve women's rights in domestic abuse cases?
A) Doctors Without Borders, Greenpeace, Oxfam
B) Musawah, CEDAW, KAFA
C) Red Cross, Save the Children, Human Rights Watch
D) UNICEF, WHO, Amnesty International
  • 65. What was a common strategy used by governments to change Sharia rules without direct reform?
A) Directly changing the Quranic text
B) Abolishing all religious laws
C) Imposing administrative hurdles
D) Ignoring traditional practices entirely
  • 66. In what year did the Constitutional Court of Turkey ban and dissolve Turkey's Refah Party?
A) 1998
B) 2001
C) 2003
D) 1995
  • 67. What was a common outcome in Sharia courts involving peasants and landowners?
A) Sharia courts favored neither party in disputes between peasants and landowners.
B) Cases involving peasants and landowners were rarely heard in Sharia courts.
C) Peasants almost always won cases against oppressive landowners.
D) Landowners almost always won cases against peasants.
  • 68. What percentage of Muslims in Egypt believe Sharia should not be applied to non-Muslims?
A) 74%
B) 65%
C) 42%
D) 56%
  • 69. Which scholar collected Hadiths showing Muhammad's disapproval of beating women?
A) Ibn Faras
B) Darimi
C) Ata' bin Abi Rabah
D) Ibn Hajar
  • 70. Which European power first initiated significant legal reforms in British India?
A) The British
B) The French
C) The Spanish
D) The Dutch
  • 71. Who must be witnesses in Sharia court proceedings according to traditional rules?
A) Non-Muslims
B) Anyone regardless of religion
C) Only men
D) Muslims
  • 72. Who was historically responsible for the legal implementation of hisba?
A) Military commanders
B) A public official called muhtasib (market inspector)
C) Local religious leaders
D) Educational administrators
  • 73. What was a famous collection of laws promulgated by Ottoman sultans?
A) Sharia
B) Qanun
C) Mazalim
D) Fatawa-e-Alamgiri
  • 74. Who was one notable political figure that called for a federal ban on Sharia law in the United States?
A) Senator Ted Cruz
B) Governor Ron DeSantis
C) Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
D) President Barack Obama
  • 75. What do Islamic liberals argue is necessary for the reexamination of religious understanding?
A) Radical Islamist movements
B) Western democracy without modifications
C) An absolute monarchy
D) A democratic context
  • 76. Who criticized the decision for not distinguishing between extremist and mainstream interpretations of Islam?
A) Kevin Boyle
B) Maurits S. Berger
C) Refah Party
D) The Turkish Constitutional Court
  • 77. Which country has issued a new 'Islamic Penal Code'?
A) Iran
B) Pakistan
C) Saudi Arabia
D) Libya
  • 78. In what language was the Mecelle written?
A) Arabic
B) French
C) English
D) Turkish
  • 79. Which U.S. state explicitly bans Sharia law through its National Assembly's unanimous vote in 2005?
A) Quebec, Canada
B) British Columbia, Canada
C) Alberta, Canada
D) Ontario, Canada
  • 80. In which region was the support for Sharia as law highest according to regional averages?
A) Sub-Saharan Africa (64%)
B) Middle-East/North Africa (74%)
C) South Asia (84%)
D) Southern-Eastern Europe (18%)
  • 81. What is the role of judges' verdicts in Sharia courts under the principle of stare decisis?
A) Judges' verdicts do not set binding precedents
B) They are universally codified
C) They must be followed by all future cases
D) They require jury approval
  • 82. How many U.S. states had introduced bills aimed against the use of Sharia by 2014?
A) 25
B) 50
C) 34
D) 20
  • 83. What legal rights did Islamic law grant Muslim women that Western women did not possess until recently?
A) Property rights
B) Right to drive
C) Voting rights
D) Freedom of speech
  • 84. What is 'Waqf' in the context of Sharia property law?
A) A type of court procedure
B) An inheritance tax
C) A charitable endowment
D) A form of legal representation
  • 85. In which country are Sharia-based family laws administered for Muslims by the Ministry of Justice through the Sharia Courts?
A) England
B) United States
C) Israel
D) India
  • 86. In what year were the waqfs placed under state control in the Ottoman Empire?
A) 1870s
B) 1917
C) 1826
D) 1839
  • 87. What legal maxim reflects the attitude towards court litigation?
A) "Amicable settlement is the best verdict"
B) "The letter of the law prevails"
C) "Justice above all else"
D) "Evidence is king"
  • 88. According to a 2013 Pew Forum survey, which country had the highest percentage of Muslims supporting Sharia as the law of the land?
A) Afghanistan (99%)
B) Pakistan (84%)
C) Egypt (74%)
D) Indonesia (72%)
  • 89. What did a professor grant at the end of a course in a madrasa?
A) A diploma for completing high school
B) A license (ijaza) certifying a student's competence
C) A recommendation letter
D) A certificate of attendance
  • 90. How were Sunni muftis incorporated into state structures over time?
A) They remained independent throughout history
B) They formed separate religious courts
C) They were banned from issuing fatwas
D) Gradually incorporated into state bureaucracies
  • 91. Which crimes are punishable under Hadd?
A) Treason, blasphemy
B) Murder, adultery, slander, theft
C) Crimes against God
D) Property damage, bodily injury
  • 92. What determined the stature of jurists?
A) Their wealth and social status
B) The number of fatwas they issued
C) Their political connections
D) Their scholarly reputation
  • 93. Which province in Indonesia has an organization called Wilayatul Hisbah?
A) Bali
B) Sumatra
C) Aceh
D) Jakarta
  • 94. Which scholar has argued for a 'religious democracy' based on democratic, tolerant, and just religious thought?
A) Hasan al-Turabi
B) Abul A'la Maududi
C) Sayyid Qutb
D) Abdolkarim Soroush
  • 95. Which Sunni school is predominant in Southeast Asia?
A) Maliki
B) Hanbali
C) Shafi'i
D) Hanafi
  • 96. Which of the following is NOT a way property can be acquired under Sharia?
A) Bequest
B) Purchase
C) Inheritance
D) Through pre-trial discovery process
  • 97. Who commissioned the translation of Al-Hidayah into Persian and then English?
A) Warren Hastings
B) King George III
C) Lord Cornwallis
D) Napoleon Bonaparte
  • 98. Why did qadi's courts often lose jurisdiction over criminal cases?
A) Stringent procedural norms made convictions difficult
B) Absence of oral testimony
C) Influence from the ruling elite
D) Lack of trained judges
  • 99. What marked the beginning of Westernization in legal institutions in Muslim nation-states?
A) The Ottoman Empire
B) The colonial era
C) The post-colonial era
D) The 20th century
  • 100. Which genre is meant to aid students in remembering general principles?
A) Qawāʿid
B) Mabsut
C) Mukhtasar
D) Collections of fatwas
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