Abul A’la Maududi and Islamic Political Thought

Multiple-Choice Questions

1 Abul A’la Maududi was born in:
(a) Aurangabad (b) Lahore
(c) Delhi (d) None of these

2 Abul A’la Maududi was born in:
(a) 1903 (b) 1877
(c) 1928 (d) None of these

3 Maududi was a prominent:
(a) Islamic scholar and political thinker (b) Ottoman military commander
(c) Medieval Sufi poet (d) None of these

4 Maududi founded Jamaat-e-Islami in:
(a) 1941 (b) 1928
(c) 1906 (d) None of these

5 Jamaat-e-Islami was founded at:
(a) Cairo (b) Lahore
(c) Delhi (d) None of these

6 Jamaat-e-Islami was established in:
(a) 1947 (b) 1930
(c) 1941 (d) None of these

7 Maududi’s political thought viewed Islam as:
(a) A comprehensive way of life (b) A purely private ritual system
(c) A tradition unrelated to society (d) None of these

8 Maududi’s concept of divine sovereignty is expressed through:
(a) Hakimiyyat-e-Ilahiyyah (b) Secular sovereignty
(c) Absolute royal sovereignty (d) None of these

9 The term Hakimiyyah refers to:
(a) Divine sovereignty and ultimate authority (b) Commercial taxation
(c) Hereditary leadership (d) None of these

10 Maududi’s political philosophy emphasised that ultimate sovereignty belongs to:
(a) The monarch (b) The people without qualification
(c) Allah (d) None of these

11 Maududi used the concept of:
(a) Theocracy in its conventional clerical sense
(b) Islamic state and divine sovereignty
(c) Absolute monarchy
(d) None of these

12 Maududi described his preferred political order as:
(a) A secular republic without religious principles
(b) An Islamic state governed according to Islamic principles
(c) A hereditary empire
(d) None of these

13 The concept of theo-democracy is associated with:
(a) Abul A’la Maududi (b) Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
(c) Shah Waliullah (d) None of these

14 Maududi’s idea of theo-democracy sought to combine:
(a) Divine sovereignty and popular political participation within Islamic limits
(b) Absolute dictatorship and hereditary monarchy
(c) Colonial administration and military rule
(d) None of these

15 Maududi’s political theory emphasised:
(a) The separation of religion from every public institution
(b) The rejection of all political participation
(c) The integration of moral and political principles
(d) None of these

16 Maududi’s major work on Islamic political theory is:
(a) Al-Khilafah aw al-Imamah al-Uzma (b) The Islamic Law and Constitution
(c) Al-Muqaddimah (d) None of these

17 The book Islamic Law and Constitution is associated with:
(a) Muhammad Iqbal (b) Abul A’la Maududi
(c) Muhammad Abduh (d) None of these

18 Maududi’s Qur’anic commentary is titled:
(a) Tafhim al-Qur’an (b) Tafsir al-Manar
(c) Tarjuman al-Qur’an (d) None of these

19 Tafhim al-Qur’an was written in:
(a) Arabic (b) Persian
(c) Urdu (d) None of these

20 Tafhim al-Qur’an is particularly known for:
(a) A modern Urdu explanation of Qur’anic teachings (b) A medical encyclopedia
(c) A history of Greek philosophy (d) None of these

21 Maududi wrote the book:
(a) Khilafat-o-Mulukiyat (b) Asrar-i-Khudi
(c) Hujjat Allah al-Baligha (d) None of these

22 Khilafat-o-Mulukiyat examines:
(a) The historical development of Muslim political institutions (b) The history of European art
(c) The development of modern chemistry (d) None of these

23 Maududi’s book Purdah discusses:
(a) Islamic perspectives on social life and gender relations (b) The history of military uniforms
(c) Commercial law (d) None of these

24 Maududi’s political thought stressed the importance of:
(a) Islamic constitutional principles (b) Unrestricted royal authority
(c) Colonial political supremacy (d) None of these

25 Maududi argued that legislation in an Islamic state should:
(a) Be consistent with the Qur’an and Sunnah (b) Ignore all religious principles
(c) Be based exclusively on a ruler’s personal wishes (d) None of these

26 Maududi’s understanding of democracy differed from secular popular sovereignty because he:
(a) Rejected all public consultation
(b) Placed political participation within the limits of divine guidance
(c) Supported absolute monarchy
(d) None of these

27 The term shura in Islamic political thought means:
(a) Consultation (b) Taxation
(c) Military expansion (d) None of these

28 Maududi’s political thought gave importance to:
(a) Accountability and consultation (b) Absolute personal rule
(c) Hereditary privilege alone (d) None of these

29 Jamaat-e-Islami’s original organisational vision emphasised:
(a) Religious and social transformation through organised collective effort
(b) Colonial administrative service
(c) A hereditary royal family
(d) None of these

30 Maududi’s political ideas influenced:
(a) Islamic political movements in South Asia and beyond (b) Only ancient Greek philosophers
(c) The Roman imperial administration (d) None of these

31 Maududi migrated to Pakistan in:
(a) 1947 (b) 1941
(c) 1956 (d) None of these

32 Maududi settled in:
(a) Karachi (b) Lahore
(c) Dhaka (d) None of these

33 Maududi was involved in Pakistan’s debates on:
(a) The Islamic character of the constitution and state (b) The restoration of the Mughal Empire
(c) The establishment of an Ottoman sultanate (d) None of these

34 Maududi’s political activism included opposition to:
(a) The Objectives Resolution (b) The incorporation of Islamic principles into public life
(c) The Ahmadiyya community’s constitutional status as determined in 1974
(d) None of these

35 Maududi was a major advocate of:
(a) An Islamic constitutional order (b) A purely hereditary monarchy
(c) Colonial administration (d) None of these

36 Maududi’s political writings addressed:
(a) The relationship between religion, law and the state (b) Only agricultural technology
(c) Only classical poetry (d) None of these

37 Maududi’s concept of an Islamic movement placed emphasis on:
(a) Organised reform and moral development (b) Political power without ethical principles
(c) Complete social disengagement (d) None of these

38 Maududi’s political philosophy regarded the state as:
(a) An institution with moral and social responsibilities under Islamic principles
(b) A purely commercial corporation
(c) An institution independent of all ethical standards
(d) None of these

39 Maududi’s work Towards Understanding Islam is intended to:
(a) Introduce fundamental Islamic beliefs and practices (b) Explain European feudal law
(c) Describe ancient Greek mythology (d) None of these

40 Maududi’s thought on jihad emphasised:
(a) Its broader religious and moral dimensions as well as legal conditions
(b) Unrestricted violence by individuals
(c) The abolition of all ethical restrictions
(d) None of these

41 Maududi’s political thought is often classified as:
(a) Islamic revivalist political thought (b) Classical Greek republicanism
(c) European medieval feudalism (d) None of these

42 Maududi’s understanding of sovereignty challenged:
(a) The idea of unlimited human legislative authority independent of divine guidance
(b) The importance of moral responsibility
(c) The role of consultation
(d) None of these

43 Maududi’s writings contributed to debates about:
(a) Islam and modern political institutions (b) The Roman Empire alone
(c) Ancient Egyptian religion (d) None of these

44 Maududi’s political thought has been influential but also:
(a) Subject to substantial scholarly debate and criticism (b) Universally accepted without disagreement
(c) Unrelated to modern Islamic history (d) None of these

45 Maududi died in:
(a) 1979 (b) 1958
(c) 1988 (d) None of these

46 Maududi died in:
(a) Lahore (b) Karachi
(c) New York (d) None of these

47 Maududi received the King Faisal International Prize for service to Islam in:
(a) 1979 (b) 1941
(c) 1967 (d) None of these

48 Maududi’s political thought is particularly important for understanding:
(a) Islamic constitutionalism and revivalist movements (b) The origins of the Roman Republic
(c) Medieval European church architecture (d) None of these

49 Jamaat-e-Islami’s founder sought to establish:
(a) An organised movement for Islamic reform and social transformation (b) A hereditary royal dynasty
(c) A colonial trading company (d) None of these

50 Abul A’la Maududi is remembered primarily as:
(a) A modern Islamic political thinker and founder of Jamaat-e-Islami
(b) A medieval philosopher
(c) An Ottoman caliph
(d) None of these

Answer Key

1 (a) Aurangabad
2 (a) 1903
3 (a) Islamic scholar and political thinker
4 (a) 1941
5 (b) Lahore
6 (c) 1941
7 (a) A comprehensive way of life
8 (a) Hakimiyyat-e-Ilahiyyah
9 (a) Divine sovereignty and ultimate authority
10 (c) Allah
11 (b) Islamic state and divine sovereignty
12 (b) An Islamic state governed according to Islamic principles
13 (a) Abul A’la Maududi
14 (a) Divine sovereignty and popular political participation within Islamic limits
15 (c) The integration of moral and political principles
16 (b) The Islamic Law and Constitution
17 (b) Abul A’la Maududi
18 (a) Tafhim al-Qur’an
19 (c) Urdu
20 (a) A modern Urdu explanation of Qur’anic teachings
21 (a) Khilafat-o-Mulukiyat
22 (a) The historical development of Muslim political institutions
23 (a) Islamic perspectives on social life and gender relations
24 (a) Islamic constitutional principles
25 (a) Be consistent with the Qur’an and Sunnah
26 (b) Placed political participation within the limits of divine guidance
27 (a) Consultation
28 (a) Accountability and consultation
29 (a) Religious and social transformation through organised collective effort
30 (a) Islamic political movements in South Asia and beyond
31 (a) 1947
32 (b) Lahore
33 (a) The Islamic character of the constitution and state
34 (c) The Ahmadiyya community’s constitutional status as determined in 1974
35 (a) An Islamic constitutional order
36 (a) The relationship between religion, law and the state
37 (a) Organised reform and moral development
38 (a) An institution with moral and social responsibilities under Islamic principles
39 (a) Introduce fundamental Islamic beliefs and practices
40 (a) Its broader religious and moral dimensions as well as legal conditions
41 (a) Islamic revivalist political thought
42 (a) The idea of unlimited human legislative authority independent of divine guidance
43 (a) Islam and modern political institutions
44 (a) Subject to substantial scholarly debate and criticism
45 (a) 1979
46 (a) Lahore
47 (a) 1979
48 (a) Islamic constitutionalism and revivalist movements
49 (a) An organised movement for Islamic reform and social transformation
50 (a) A modern Islamic political thinker and founder of Jamaat-e-Islami