Muslim Law MCQs - 2024

The Mu‘tazila school emphasized rationalism (Aql) over pure revelation (Wahī), arguing that divine will is discernible through logic, even without explicit scriptural texts.

All Sunni jurists accept four primary sources:

1. Qur’an,

2. Sunnah,

3. Ijma (consensus),

4. Qiyas (analogy).
   Other sources (e.g., istihsan) are disputed.

Qatl-i-Khaṭā (قتل خطأ) is unintentional homicide. Since the act was directed at another target, it falls under "mistake," requiring diyat (blood money) but not qisas (retaliation).

Shighār marriage (banned in Islam) involves exchanging daughters/sisters without mahr. The absence of dowry invalidates it (Hadith in Sahih Bukhari).

Diyat (دية) becomes mandatory if qisas (retaliation) is waived (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:178). It’s an alternate (بدلي) punishment, not subsidiary or primary.

Qadhf (false accusation of zinā) demands four witnesses (Surah An-Nur 24:4) to avoid punishment. If unproven, the accuser is flogged.

Ribā al-Nasiyah (ربا النسيئة) refers to interest on delayed loans, distinct from Ribā al-Fadl (exchange inequality). It’s prohibited in Qur’an (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:275).

The schools concur that the female relatives with whom marriage is prohibited are of seven kinds:

1. Mother, which includes paternal and maternal grandmothers.

2. Daughters, which includes granddaughters how low so ever.

3. Sisters, both full and half.

4. Paternal aunts, which includes fathers' and grandfathers' paternal aunts.

5. Maternal aunts, which includes fathers' and grandfathers' maternal aunts.

6. Brother's daughters how low so ever.

7. Sister's daughters how low so ever.

The above prohibition has, its origin in the following verse of the Qur'an:

حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَّهَاتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُكُمْ وَأَخَوَاتُكُمْ وَعَمَّاتُكُمْ وَخَالَاتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُ الْأَخِ وَبَنَاتُ الْأُخْتِ

Forbidden to you are your mothers and your daughters and your sisters and your paternal aunts and your maternal aunts and brother's daughters and sister's daughters... (4:23)

“It is He who created you from one soul and created from it its mate that he might dwell in security with her.” (Quran, 7:189)

For women without menstruation (due to age/health), iddah is three months (Surah At-Talaq 65:4). "Three periods" applies only to menstruating women.

Khul’a (خلع) is a wife-initiated, irrevocable divorce (Bāin). It’s not Faskh (annulment) or Raj‘i (revocable), as per Qur’an (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:229).

In jurisprudence, Hākim (حاكم) denotes the political authority (e.g., caliph, judge) enforcing laws. While Allah is the ultimate ruler, the term here is contextual.

Hadd-i-Zinā (punishment for adultery) requires either four eyewitnesses (Surah An-Nur 24:4) or a voluntary confession (without coercion). DNA or written complaints are not classical proofs.

Theft (Hadd-i-Sariqa) punishable by hand amputation requires:

1. Stolen value ≥ nisab (threshold),

2. Proof beyond doubt.
   The right hand is cut first (Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:38).

Misyar marriage requires standard pillars:

1. Dowry (mahr),

2. Offer/acceptance (ijab-qabul),

3. Two witnesses.
   It differs only in waived cohabitation rights.

Elā (إيلاء) is a sworn oath by a husband to abstain from marital relations. If not revoked within 4 months, it leads to Talāq-e-Bāin (irrevocable divorce), as per Qur’anic injunctions (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:226-227).

A married adulterer (Muhsan) faces rajam (stoning to death) under classical Islamic law, as established in Hadith (e.g., Sahih Muslim). The bizarre scenario doesn’t alter the ruling.

The Qur’an (Surah An-Nisa 4:35) mandates appointing arbitrators (hakam) from both families to reconcile marital disputes, making it a Divine injunction, not just a legal ordinance.

• Khabar Wāhid (literally “solitary report”) refers to a Hadith that has been narrated by only one person at each stage of the chain of narration.

• It is contrasted with Mutawātir, which is a Hadith transmitted by a large number of narrators at each level, making it highly authentic and almost impossible to fabricate.

Option (D) (Other than Mutawātir) is also sometimes considered correct in a broader sense, but the most specific and precise definition of Khabar Wāhid is:

A Hadith narrated by a single narrator at any stage of the isnād (chain of narration).

Thus, (A) is the best answer.

Zihar (ظهار) is when a husband compares his wife to his mother, making intimacy unlawful. It requires expiation (kaffarah) but if not resolved, it results in Talāq-e-Bāin (Surah Al-Mujadilah 58:2-4).