CSS Islamic Studies chapter 5: Caliphate and Islamic history MCQs with answers
By Team Megalecture · Updated 4 Nov 2026
33 exam-style questions on Caliphate and Islamic history, each with the answer and a short explanation. Ten of them are below to try. The chapter test draws ten fresh questions each time and is marked the moment you finish, with your score by topic.
Umayyads, Abbasids and later dynasties17 questions
Ten Caliphate and Islamic history questions with answers
Try each one, then open the answer. These ten stay the same; the test draws new ones every time.
1. Which battle opened the way to the conquest of Persia in the time of Hazrat Umar (RA)?
A
Yarmuk
B
Qadisiyyah
C
Yamamah
D
Badr
Show answer
Answer: B. The victory at Qadisiyyah ended the main Persian resistance in Iraq. Yarmuk was the decisive battle against the Byzantines in Syria.
2. Muhammad ibn Qasim conquered Sindh during the caliphate of
A
Muawiyah
B
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz
C
Al-Walid I
D
Hisham
Show answer
Answer: C. Muhammad ibn Qasim entered Sindh in 711-712 CE, in the reign of the Umayyad caliph al-Walid I.
3. Which Umayyad caliph made Arabic the language of administration and issued Islamic coinage?
A
Muawiyah
B
Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan
C
Yazid I
D
Hisham
Show answer
Answer: B. Abd al-Malik reformed the administration, introduced Arabic as the official language and struck purely Islamic coins.
4. Who founded the Umayyad caliphate?
A
Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan
B
Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (RA)
C
Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik
D
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz
Show answer
Answer: B. Muawiyah (RA) established Umayyad rule in 41 AH (661 CE) after the end of the civil strife.
5. Which achievement belongs to the caliphate of Hazrat Uthman (RA)?
A
Building a navy and the campaign to Cyprus
B
Introducing the Hijri calendar of years
C
Establishing the Diwan register of stipends
D
Founding the garrison city of Basra
Show answer
Answer: A. The first Muslim naval force and the campaign to Cyprus date to the time of Hazrat Uthman (RA), who also standardised the written text of the Quran. The calendar, the Diwan and the garrison city of Basra belong to Hazrat Umar (RA).
6. The last Mughal emperor, exiled after the events of 1857, was
A
Bahadur Shah Zafar
B
Shah Alam II
C
Muhammad Shah
D
Aurangzeb
Show answer
Answer: A. Bahadur Shah Zafar was deposed by the British after 1857 and exiled to Rangoon, ending the Mughal line.
7. Which caliph was the first to be addressed as Amir al-Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful)?
A
Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA)
B
Hazrat Umar (RA)
C
Hazrat Uthman (RA)
D
Hazrat Ali (RA)
Show answer
Answer: B. Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) was called Khalifat Rasul Allah (successor of the Messenger of Allah), and the title Amir al-Mu'minin began with Hazrat Umar (RA).
8. The Abbasid revolution that overthrew the Umayyads was organised in Khurasan by
A
Tariq ibn Ziyad
B
Abu Muslim al-Khurasani
C
Musa ibn Nusayr
D
Qutaybah ibn Muslim
Show answer
Answer: B. Abu Muslim led the movement in Khurasan and defeated the Umayyad army, which ended the dynasty. The other three were Umayyad commanders.
9. The Ridda wars of Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) were fought against
A
the Byzantine emperor and his Ghassanid allies
B
apostate tribes, zakat refusers and false prophets
C
the Quraysh who still held Makkah
D
the Persian Shah and his army in Iraq
Show answer
Answer: B. Soon after the Holy Prophet's death, some tribes abandoned Islam or refused to pay zakat and false prophets appeared; Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) fought them and restored unity.
10. The Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad came to an end in 1258 CE when the city was sacked by
A
the Seljuk Turks under Alp Arslan
B
Timur and his army from Samarkand
C
the Crusaders from Western Europe
D
the Mongols under Hulagu Khan
Show answer
Answer: D. Hulagu Khan's Mongol army took Baghdad in 1258 and killed the last Abbasid caliph in the city. Timur sacked Baghdad much later.
Chapter test. Ten questions from Caliphate and Islamic history, drawn fresh each time, about ten minutes.
Practice mode. The right answer and the explanation after every question, with no clock. Exam mode keeps the marks until the end and runs a timer.
Hints. One tap for a nudge, a second to remove two wrong options.
My mistakes. Every question you get wrong is kept, and leaves the list once you get it right.
Caliphate and Islamic history: questions students ask
How many Caliphate and Islamic history MCQs are there?
33, each with the answer and a short explanation, across 2 topics: The Rightly Guided Caliphs, Umayyads, Abbasids and later dynasties. Every chapter test draws ten of them, so you can take it many times.
Is the CSS Islamic Studies chapter 5 test free?
Yes. The test, the answers and the explanations are free and need no sign-up. Sign in only if you want your scores kept across devices.
How is the chapter test marked?
The moment you press Finish: your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and the ones you got wrong saved in My mistakes to retry.
