ISLAMIC * STUDIES
EXERCISES
EXERCISES
BASED ON THE WORK OF DR UMAR AZAM
Set
by: DR UMAR AZAM
B.A.,
Ph.D., D.C.L., Dip. F. J., Dip. I. M., F.R.S.A.
*
MANCHESTER, UK MAY 2003 *
INTRODUCTION
These
exercises are the result of a request which I
received by e-mail from a reader of my work in
2002. He asked me to set questions, as in
the testing of a formal course of study of
Islamic topics. I found this comment rather
frustrating at the time, but afterwards began to
realise that it was an excellent
suggestion!
Such
a reqest is not surprising. It is in the
nature of young people to look for mental challenges
and activities, which is a good thing for their
intellectual development.
I
have pleasure in setting the questions which follow.
Many of these are quite straightforward; others are harder.
Don't get demoralised if you see a question that you
cannot answer at once: it is better if a question is
too hard rather than too easy [because then there
would be no challenge]. There are a total of
745 marks available. High marks have
deliberately been allocated for two reasons: to
motivate students and give them an incentive to
actually send in the work, and to reward quantity
[how much is written] as well as quality. In
fact, the three best sets of answers will win a]
certificates [1st, 2nd, 3rd prize b] monetary
prizes: 1st prize - $100, 2nd prize - $75, 3rd prize
- $50 c] entry as items in a new section
of THE DR UMAR AZAM WEBSITE [this will not prevent
winners from simultaneously placing their work on
their own websites, if any]. Valid dates for
the competition: 1 June 2003 - 31 May 2004.
To
do the harder questions, you may need to do your own
research. This should be fun: search books and
encyclopaedias in your public, school, college
or University library and try to 'get' the
answer! These 'finding' skills will give you a
sample of how to intensively collect relevant
information, research skills which will help you
when you try to write your own useful book on
Islam in the future!
You
can do a number of things once you have completed
these exercises:
1.
Get your answers checked. I myself can
mark your work, but you must send me COPIES of your
answers, as I'll be keeping your work in my Archive.
You may send me the sheets by post to: DR
UMAR AZAM, PO BOX 39, MANCHESTER M16 8UA,
UNITED KINGDOM.
2.
If you wish to send me your work via e-mail, COMPOSE
your work [using a good font and font size, and use
spacing and layout sensibly], SAVE the draft and
then SEND me your work at: [email protected]
or [email protected]
or [email protected]
if you wish to share your work with others. I
will then e-mail you the marks and comments.
3.
You can make further copies of your answers for
distribution, to show or
to lend to your friends, fellow students, relatives
etc.
4.
Build your own Website, or get it constructed, and
then your work can form part of its contents.
******************************************
[A.] QUESTIONS ON
DREAMS
IN ISLAM
1.
WHAT DID THE PROPHET IBRAHEEM [A.S.] DREAM?
HOW WAS THIS DREAM USEFUL TO THE
PROPHET IBRAHEEM [A.S.]? [10 marks]
2.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RUH AL-HAYAA
AND RUH AL-YAKZA? [10
marks]
3.
WHICH DREAMS DID THE PROPHET YUSUF [A.S.]
EXPERIENCE? HOW WAS EACH DREAM
USEFUL TO THE PROPHET YUSUF [A.S]?
[20 marks]
4.
'DREAMS ARE REALITY AND REALITY IS A DREAM'.
EXPLAIN. [10 marks]
5.
PRESENT THREE DREAMS EXPERIENCED BY THE PROPHET
MUHAMMED [PBUH] AND SUGGEST HOW EACH DREAM COULD
HAVE BEEN USEFUL TO THE PROPHET [PBUH] AND THE SMALL
MUSLIM COMMUNITY OF THE TIME? [30 marks]
6.
WHY WOULD SOME PEOPLE WANT TO ARGUE THAT DREAMS ARE
MEANINGLESS AND HAVE NO USE AT ALL? [15
marks]
7.
HOW COULD YOU DISPEL THIS ARGUMENT [THAT DREAMS ARE
USELESS] BY REFERENCE TO THE ISLAMIC
NOTION OF AL-BUSHRA ? [10
marks]
8.
WHAT ARE THE 3 CATEGORIES OF DREAMS AND WHICH
PRACTICAL ACTION IS REPLIED FOR EACH KIND?
[30 marks]
9.
WHAT DOES THE HOLY QURAN SAY ABOUT 'SLEEP'?
[10 marks]
10.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET 'GOOD' DREAMS?
[15 marks]
11.
WHAT IS 'HULM'? [15 marks]
12.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO SEE YOUR PALACE
IN PARADISE IN A DREAM?
[15 marks]
13.
HOW WAS RABIA'S [APH] FATHER'S DREAM
ABOUT HER SIGNIFICANT AT THE TIME OF HER BIRTH.
[15 marks]
14.
WHAT DID THE KING OF EGYPT DREAM AND HOW DID THE
PROPHET YUSUF [A.S.] INTERPRET IT?
[15 marks]
15.
WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND FROM THE DREAM OF IBN UMAR [R.A.]
ABOUT HELL? [15 marks]
16.
THREE SHAIKHS HAD BEAUTIFUL DREAMS ABOUT THE
PURE WIVES OF PARADISE. WHAT WERE THESE DREAMS
AND HOW DID THEY CONFIRM TO THE SHAIKHS THAT DREAMS
CAN GIVE MESSAGES OF REWARD IN THE HEREAFTER?
[30 marks]
17.
CERTAIN DREAMS, WHEN YOU READ THEM, MAKE
YOU WANT TO WRITE A USEFUL ISLAMIC BOOK AND GIVE
IT FREE TO A LIBRARY? WHICH DREAMS ARE
THESE, AND HOW IS EACH ONE EFFECTIVE?
[30 marks]
18.
WHY IS DREAM NO 58 V. IMPORTANT? [15
marks]
19.
WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND FROM DREAM NO 51?
[15 marks]
20.
HOW CAN DREAM NO 50 ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEND BLESSINGS
ON THE PROPHET [PBUH] (I.E. TO READ DAROOD SHAREEF,
OR TASLIYA)? [15 marks]
21.
WHICH DREAMS ENCOURAGE YOU TO ENTER ISLAMIC
COMPETITIONS AND WIN TROPHIES? [30
marks]
22.
HOW DOES DREAM NO 38 ENCOURAGE YOU TO TRAVEL THE
WORLD FOR THE SAKE OF SPREADING ISLAMIC KNOWLEDGE?
[15 marks]
23.
HOW DOES DREAM NO 25 ENCOURAGE YOU TO HAVE AMBITION
IN CELESTIAL REWARD? [15 marks]
24.
WHY IS DREAM NO 24 IMPORTANT? [15 marks]
25.
WHAT IS THE PRECISE MESSAGE OF DREAM NO 20?
[15 marks]
26.
WHAT IS THE USE OF DAROOD TAJ [DREAM NO 16]. You
can find this Prayer in a book called PANJSURAH
SHAREEF (available from all good Islamic bookshops).
[30 marks]
27.
HOW IS THE CONTEXT TO DREAM NO 2 EDUCATIONAL?
[15 marks]
28.
WHICH POINT IS MADE IN DREAM NO 94? [15
marks]
29.
HOW DOES DREAM NO 112 PROVE THE POINT THAT 'IF YOU
HELP OTHERS, ALLAH WILL HELP YOU!'
[15 marks]
30.
WHICH POINT DO DREAM NOS 116 AND 176 MAKE REGARDING
ISLAMIC DIETARY LAW? [20 marks]
31.
HOW IS DREAM NO 154 ENTERTAINING AS WELL AS USEFUL?
[15 marks]
32.
WHY WOULD DREAM NO 179 GIVE THE MESSAGE THAT IT
DOES GIVE? [15 marks]
33.
WHAT ADVICE DOES DREAM NO 170 GIVE REGARDING THE
AVOIDING OF NIGHTMARES? [10 marks]
34.
HOW CAN DREAM NO 174 BE SAID TO BE ANTI-ATHEIST?
[15
marks]
35.
EXPLAIN IN DETAIL WHAT THE SUBJECT MATTER OF DREAM
NO 123 ADVISES. [20 marks]
36. LIST
FIFTY (50) SPECIFIC FACTS THAT YOU HAVE LEARNT FROM DREAMS
IN ISLAM. FOR EXAMPLE:
1) THOSE WHO HAVE BELIEVED AND DONE GOOD DEEDS
WILL SIT ON THRONES STUDDED WITH GOLD AND
PRECIOUS
STONES IN PARADISE. [NOTE 41, SECTION II]
[50
marks]
37.
THERE ARE 184 DREAMS PRESENTED IN DREAMS IN ISLAM.
COMPILE A LIST OF THOSE WHICH YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE
BEST 20, I.E. RANGING FROM THE VERY BEST ONE TO THE
2OTH BEST ONE. FOR EXAMPLE:
POSITION DREAM
NO HOW
USEFUL
1
16 YOU
WILL GET THE MOTIVATION TO READ DAROOD TAJ EVERY
NIGHT.
[50
marks]
38.
IT IS SAID THAT THE VIRGIN MARIUM [MARY] [APH] WAS
GIVEN NEWS OF THE IMMINENT BIRTH OF
PROPHET ISA BY THE ANGEL JIBRAEEL [A.S] IN A DREAM.
FIND THE SOURCE OF THIS INFORMATION AND EXPLAIN HOW
THIS MESSAGE COULD HAVE BEEN A COMFORT TO THE VIRGIN
[APH] BEFORE THE ONSET OF MOTHERHOOD. [50 marks]
COMPETITION
This
competition is open to anyone aged 14, 15, 16, 17 or
18. The three best sets of answers will win:
a]
certificates [1st, 2nd, 3rd prize b] monetary
prizes: 1st prize - $100 + free Islamic book * ,
2nd prize - $75 + free Islamic book *,
3rd prize - $50 + free Islamic book. * c] Admission
for 1st 2nd and 3rd prize-winning entries as items
in a new section of THE DR UMAR AZAM WEBSITE
[this will not prevent winners from
simultaneously placing their work on their own
websites, if any].
Valid
dates for the competition:
1
June 2003 - 31 May 2004. Send your entries
according to the instructions in Points 1 and 2
above.
* Please
indicate which Islamic subject you are interested
in; if you win one of the three prizes, every effort
will be made to send you your [book] prize
which is related to your chosen topic.
This competition is international, geographically
unrestricted. Work hard for your success!
[Insha'Allah].