CSS Muslim Law and Jurisprudence chapter 1: Sources and schools of Muslim law MCQs with answers
By Team Megalecture · Updated 4 Nov 2026
60 exam-style questions on Sources and schools of Muslim law, 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.
Secondary sources and principles of interpretation15 questions
Schools of Muslim law15 questions
History and development of Islamic jurisprudence15 questions
Ten Sources and schools of Muslim law questions with answers
Try each one, then open the answer. These ten stay the same; the test draws new ones every time.
1. Al-Muwafaqat, an influential work on the objectives (maqasid) of the Shariah, was written by
A
Ibn Hazm
B
Al-Shatibi
C
Ibn Rushd
D
Al-Ghazali
Show answer
Answer: B. The Andalusian Maliki jurist al-Shatibi wrote al-Muwafaqat, in which the purposes of the law are used to guide its application.
2. Which Imam, who taught in Kufa in Iraq, gave his name to the school that is the most widely followed in Pakistan?
A
Malik ibn Anas
B
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
C
Muhammad al-Shafi'i
D
Abu Hanifa
Show answer
Answer: D. Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man ibn Thabit founded the Hanafi school, whose followers include most Sunni Muslims of South Asia.
3. A jurist sets aside the result of a strict analogy in one case because it would cause undue hardship and prefers another rule that is supported by a stronger reason. This method is called
A
taqlid
B
istishab
C
urf
D
istihsan
Show answer
Answer: D. Istihsan is juristic preference: leaving the apparent analogy for a rule that better serves justice or removes hardship. It is chiefly associated with the Hanafi school.
4. Which statement best distinguishes Shariah from fiqh?
A
Shariah is the divine law of the Quran and sunnah; fiqh is the jurists' human understanding of it
B
Shariah is the opinion of the four Imams on each question; fiqh is the text of the Quran itself
C
Shariah deals only with matters of worship; fiqh deals only with trade, contracts and crimes
D
Shariah is a code enacted by the Muslim rulers of each age; fiqh is the custom of ordinary people
Show answer
Answer: A. Shariah is the divinely revealed path, while fiqh is the body of rules reached by human reasoning, which is why fiqh can differ between schools and Shariah itself does not.
5. Which maxim of fiqh underlies the rules that allow a sick person to pray sitting and a traveller to shorten his prayers?
A
Harm is to be removed by greater harm
B
Hardship brings ease
C
Custom is the arbiter
D
Matters are judged by their purposes
Show answer
Answer: B. The maxim 'al-mashaqqa tajlib al-taysir' means that difficulty calls for a concession. The harm maxim is stated as 'harm is to be removed', not met with greater harm.
6. Jurists in an earlier age reached an ijma on a question. A later jurist reaches a different result by qiyas. Which prevails?
A
The ijma, because it ranks above qiyas
B
The qiyas, because it is a more recent opinion
C
Either, at the choice of the judge
D
Neither, until a legislature votes on it
Show answer
Answer: A. Ijma comes before qiyas in the order of sources, so an analogy cannot override an established consensus.
7. Which school is predominant in Morocco, Algeria and the countries of West Africa?
A
The Hanbali school
B
The Shafi'i school
C
The Hanafi school
D
The Maliki school
Show answer
Answer: D. The Maliki school spread from Medina to North and West Africa and Andalusia.
8. When the Companions met new legal questions after the death of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), they turned first to
A
the codes of law then in use in the Roman and Persian provinces they governed
B
the digests of law compiled by the later Abbasid judges
C
the written commentaries of the four Imams on every point of law that arose
D
the Quran and the Holy Prophet's (PBUH) example, then mutual consultation
Show answer
Answer: D. The Companions decided cases by the Quran and the sunnah, and where these were silent they consulted one another and used their own judgement.
9. Which two jurists were the principal disciples who recorded and spread the teachings of Abu Hanifa?
A
Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani
B
Ibn al-Qasim and Ashhab
C
Al-Muzani and al-Buwayti
D
Ahmad ibn Hanbal and al-Bukhari
Show answer
Answer: A. Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani preserved the Hanafi doctrine in their writings. The other pairs are pupils of Malik and al-Shafi'i, or unrelated scholars.
10. Which school treats the established practice of the people of Medina as a distinct authority?
A
The Hanbali school
B
The Shafi'i school
C
The Maliki school
D
The Hanafi school
Show answer
Answer: C. Imam Malik gave great weight to the practice of Medina (amal ahl al-Madina), because it was passed down from the Companions.
Chapter test. Ten questions from Sources and schools of Muslim law, 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.
Sources and schools of Muslim law: questions students ask
How many Sources and schools of Muslim law MCQs are there?
60, each with the answer and a short explanation, across 4 topics: Concepts and primary sources, Secondary sources and principles of interpretation, Schools of Muslim law, History and development of Islamic jurisprudence. Every chapter test draws ten of them, so you can take it many times.
Is the CSS Muslim Law and Jurisprudence chapter 1 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.
