Quran and Hadith Studies: Revelation, Recitation, and Hadith Science
Core concepts
The Quran section requires knowledge of wahy (revelation) and its modes, the distinction between Meccan and Medinan surahs (generally Meccan: shorter, oath-driven, creed-focused; Medinan: longer, legal, addressing the community), the compilation history from memorisation to the mushaf, and the science of qira'at. Learn the vocabulary of tajwid: makharij al-huruf (articulation points), sifat, the rules of nun sakinah (izhar, idgham, iqlab, ikhfa), and madd (elongation) categories. For tafsir, know the difference between tafsir bi'l-ma'thur (transmission-based) and bi'l-ra'y (reason-based), and the concepts of asbab al-nuzul, nasikh and mansukh, and muhkam versus mutashabih.
Hadith science ('ulum al-hadith) turns on the chain (isnad) and text (matn). Classify reports by chain strength: sahih, hasan, da'if, and by number of narrators: mutawatir, mashhur, ahad. Know the grades of narrator criticism (jarh wa ta'dil) and the technical defects ('ilal).
Common traps
Examiners exploit the mutawatir/ahad confusion: mutawatir concerns the number of independent chains, not the authenticity grade. A sahih hadith need not be mutawatir. Do not conflate madd munfasil with madd muttasil. Meccan/Medinan labels follow revelation timing, not the surah's content location.
Worked example
A question asks whether a report narrated by three chains at each level is mutawatir. Rule of thumb: mutawatir requires a large number of narrators at every level precluding collusion; three chains yields mashhur or ahad, so the answer is negative - though the report may still be sahih on internal grounds. Always separate the two axes: quantity of chains and quality of narrators.