Islamic Studies / Ethics and Pakistan Studies
What is tested
Islamic Studies items cover the five pillars, basic Quran facts, the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Seerat), the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and moral qualities such as honesty, justice, and patience. Pakistan Studies covers the freedom movement, key resolutions, and constitutional milestones.
Core facts
- Five pillars: Shahadah, Salah, Sawm, Zakat, Hajj.
- The Quran has 114 surahs, revealed over about 23 years. The first revelation came in the Cave of Hira. Al-Fatihah is the first surah; Al-Baqarah is the longest.
- The Hijra occurred in 622 CE; the Battle of Badr in 2 AH; the conquest of Makkah in 8 AH.
- The Rightly Guided Caliphs were Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali.
- Pakistan Movement milestones: 1857 War of Independence; 1906 founding of the All-India Muslim League at Dhaka; 1916 Lucknow Pact; 1930 Allahabad Address; 1940 Lahore Resolution; independence in 1947; the 1973 Constitution.
Worked example
A question asks which event demanded independent states in the north-west and east. The 1940 Lahore Resolution, moved by Maulvi Fazlul Huq, is the match. The 1930 Allahabad Address proposed a separate Muslim state in the north-west but was not a resolution demanding separate states.
Traps
Date swaps (1930 versus 1940), name swaps (Liaquat Ali Khan versus Fazlul Huq), and mixing the pillars of Islam with the articles of faith. Learn events as a timeline with one anchor fact each.