Numbers and Quantities in Islamic Sources: 50 MCQs

1 How many pillars of Islam are traditionally recognized?
(a) Four (b) Five (c) Six (d) None of these

2 How many articles of faith are commonly listed in the Hadith of Jibril?
(a) Five (b) Six (c) Seven (d) None of these

3 How many daily obligatory prayers are prescribed for Muslims?
(a) Three (b) Four (c) Five (d) None of these

4 How many Surahs are there in the Qur’an?
(a) 110 (b) 112 (c) 114 (d) None of these

5 How many Juz (parts) are commonly used to divide the Qur’an?
(a) 20 (b) 30 (c) 40 (d) None of these

6 How many Makki and Madani Surahs are commonly identified in the traditional classification?
(a) 86 Makki and 28 Madani
(b) 28 Makki and 86 Madani
(c) 60 Makki and 54 Madani
(d) None of these

7 How many verses are in Surah Al-Fatihah?
(a) Five (b) Six (c) Seven (d) None of these

8 How many verses are in Surah Al-Ikhlas?
(a) Three (b) Four (c) Five (d) None of these

9 How many years did Prophet Nuh (AS) call his people according to the Qur’an?
(a) 500 years (b) 950 years (c) 1,000 years (d) None of these

10 How many months are in the Islamic lunar calendar?
(a) Ten (b) Eleven (c) Twelve (d) None of these

11 How many of the twelve Islamic months are sacred?
(a) Two (b) Three (c) Four (d) None of these

12 How many days are in the month of Ramadan in the Islamic lunar calendar?
(a) Always 30 (b) 29 or 30 (c) Always 31 (d) None of these

13 How many days are commonly observed for the annual Hajj rites?
(a) Three (b) Four (c) Five (d) None of these

14 How many times do pilgrims perform Tawaf around the Ka’bah in one complete circuit set?
(a) Five (b) Six (c) Seven (d) None of these

15 How many circuits are performed in Sa’i between Safa and Marwah?
(a) Five (b) Six (c) Seven (d) None of these

16 How many obligatory units (rak’ahs) are in the Fajr prayer?
(a) Two (b) Three (c) Four (d) None of these

17 How many obligatory rak’ahs are in the Zuhr prayer?
(a) Two (b) Three (c) Four (d) None of these

18 How many obligatory rak’ahs are in the Asr prayer?
(a) Two (b) Three (c) Four (d) None of these

19 How many obligatory rak’ahs are in the Maghrib prayer?
(a) Two (b) Three (c) Four (d) None of these

20 How many obligatory rak’ahs are in the Isha prayer?
(a) Two (b) Three (c) Four (d) None of these

21 How many years did the Qur’an take to be revealed gradually?
(a) 10 years (b) About 23 years (c) 40 years (d) None of these

22 At what age did Prophet Muhammad ﷺ receive the first revelation?
(a) 25 (b) 35 (c) 40 (d) None of these

23 How many years did Prophet Muhammad ﷺ preach in Makkah after the beginning of revelation?
(a) 10 years (b) 13 years (c) 15 years (d) None of these

24 How many years did Prophet Muhammad ﷺ live in Madinah after the Hijrah?
(a) 8 years (b) 10 years (c) 12 years (d) None of these

25 How many years did Prophet Muhammad ﷺ live in total according to the commonly accepted traditional chronology?
(a) 60 (b) 63 (c) 65 (d) None of these

26 How many prophets are mentioned by name in the Qur’an?
(a) 20 (b) 25 (c) 30 (d) None of these

27 How many times is the name Muhammad mentioned in the Qur’an?
(a) Three (b) Four (c) Five (d) None of these

28 How many times is the name Isa mentioned in the Qur’an?
(a) 15 (b) 25 (c) 35 (d) None of these

29 How many times is the name Musa mentioned in the Qur’an?
(a) About 50 (b) About 100 (c) About 136 (d) None of these

30 How many years did the People of the Cave remain asleep according to Surah Al-Kahf?
(a) 300 solar years only
(b) 309 years
(c) 400 years
(d) None of these

31 How many people are specifically mentioned as the companions of the cave in the Qur’an?
(a) Seven (b) Eight (c) Their exact number is not established
(d) None of these

32 How many sons did Prophet Yaqub (AS) have according to the traditional account?
(a) Ten (b) Twelve (c) Fourteen (d) None of these

33 How many sons of Yaqub (AS) are mentioned in the traditional account of the tribes of Israel?
(a) Ten (b) Twelve (c) Fourteen (d) None of these

34 How many nights did Allah appoint for Musa (AS), later completed to forty?
(a) Ten (b) Twenty (c) Forty (d) None of these

35 How many days of fasting are obligatory in the month of Ramadan?
(a) 20 (b) 29 or 30, according to the lunar month
(c) 31 (d) None of these

36 What is the usual minimum number of witnesses required for establishing the sighting of the new moon according to all schools of Islamic jurisprudence?
(a) One in every circumstance
(b) Two in every circumstance
(c) There is no single universal rule across all circumstances and schools
(d) None of these

37 How many obligatory prostrations of recitation (Sajdah al-Tilawah) are counted in the Hanafi tradition?
(a) 12 (b) 14 (c) 15 (d) None of these

38 How many obligatory prostrations of recitation are counted in some other Sunni legal traditions?
(a) 14 (b) 15 (c) 16 (d) None of these

39 How many gates of Paradise are mentioned in a well-known authentic hadith?
(a) Six (b) Seven (c) Eight (d) None of these

40 How many gates of Hell are mentioned in the Qur’an?
(a) Five (b) Seven (c) Nine (d) None of these

41 How many angels are specifically named in the Qur’an by personal name among the commonly recognized archangels?
(a) Two (b) Three (c) Four (d) None of these

42 How many years did the Qur’an’s revelation span, approximately?
(a) 13 (b) 23 (c) 33 (d) None of these

43 How many months are prohibited for fighting in the sacred months under the traditional Islamic understanding, subject to the relevant legal context?
(a) Two (b) Three (c) Four (d) None of these

44 How many times is the phrase Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim written in the Qur’an’s text as commonly counted?
(a) 112 (b) 113 (c) 114 (d) None of these

45 How many Surahs begin with Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim?
(a) 112 (b) 113 (c) 114 (d) None of these

46 How many times does the Qur’an mention the name of Allah?
(a) Exactly 1,000
(b) The count depends on counting conventions and textual indexing
(c) Exactly 10,000
(d) None of these

47 How many years did the Prophet ﷺ spend in Makkah before the Hijrah, from birth to migration?
(a) About 40 (b) About 53 (c) About 63 (d) None of these

48 How many days are in the Islamic lunar year approximately?
(a) 354 or 355 (b) 365 or 366 (c) 400 (d) None of these

49 How many days are in the solar year approximately?
(a) 354 (b) 365 or 366 (c) 300 (d) None of these

50 Which statement about numbers in Islamic sources is correct?
(a) Every popular number attributed to Islamic tradition is necessarily authentic
(b) Numbers should be checked against the Qur’an, reliable Hadith and scholarly interpretation
(c) All numerical reports have identical levels of reliability
(d) None of these

Answer Key

1 (b) Five
2 (b) Six
3 (c) Five
4 (c) 114
5 (b) 30
6 (a) 86 Makki and 28 Madani
7 (c) Seven
8 (b) Four
9 (b) 950 years
10 (c) Twelve
11 (c) Four
12 (b) 29 or 30
13 (c) Five
14 (c) Seven
15 (c) Seven
16 (a) Two
17 (c) Four
18 (c) Four
19 (b) Three
20 (c) Four
21 (b) About 23 years
22 (c) 40
23 (b) 13 years
24 (b) 10 years
25 (b) 63
26 (b) 25
27 (b) Four
28 (b) 25
29 (c) About 136
30 (b) 309 years
31 (c) Their exact number is not established
32 (b) Twelve
33 (b) Twelve
34 (c) Forty
35 (b) 29 or 30, according to the lunar month
36 (c) There is no single universal rule across all circumstances and schools
37 (b) 14
38 (b) 15
39 (c) Eight
40 (b) Seven
41 (c) Four
42 (b) 23
43 (c) Four
44 (b) 113
45 (a) 112
46 (b) The count depends on counting conventions and textual indexing
47 (b) About 53
48 (a) 354 or 355
49 (b) 365 or 366
50 (b) Numbers should be checked against the Qur’an, reliable Hadith and scholarly interpretation