QEALIS (Arabic & Islamic Studies) study guide
QEALIS (Arabic & Islamic Studies) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
QEALIS - the Qualifying Exam for Arabic and Islamic Studies - is a standardized multiple-choice assessment used to demonstrate breadth of knowledge across the classical Islamic scholarly tradition and the Arabic language. It is typically taken by graduate applicants, seminary and madrasa students seeking formal recognition, teachers of Arabic or Islamic studies preparing for licensure, and translators or researchers who need verifiable subject competence. The QEALIS (Arabic & Islamic Studies) study guide has 8 sections and about 1,975 words.
01Arabic Language and Linguistics
Arabic Language and Linguistics in QEALIS tests formal grammar (naḥw), morphology (ṣarf), phonology, and semantics rather than conversational fluency. Expect parsing, root-pattern analysis, and short passages where a case ending or particle changes the meaning.
314 words, about 2 min02Qur'anic Studies and Exegesis (Tafsir)
Qur'anic Studies and Exegesis tests revelation history, compilation, qirāʾāt, abrogation, occasions of revelation, and the methods of tafsīr. You must distinguish the Qur'anic text from its interpretation and justify an interpretation from language, context, and transmitted reports.
279 words, about 1 min03Hadith Studies and Methodology
Hadith Studies and Methodology tests isnād criticism, narrator evaluation, and classification. You must know why a report is ṣaḥīḥ, ḥasan, or ḍaʿīf, and distinguish chain quality from text quality.
256 words, about 1 min04Islamic Theology (Aqidah) and Jurisprudence (Fiqh)
This domain tests creed and legal reasoning together: tawḥīd, names and attributes, qadar, prophethood, and the sources and maxims of fiqh. You must keep theological claims distinct from legal rulings and justify both from evidence.
234 words, about 1 min05Islamic History and Civilization
Islamic History and Civilization tests periodization, institutions, and source criticism from the Rashidun through the Ottoman and modern periods. Expect questions on caliphate, law, waqf, madrasa, trade, translation, and historiography.
237 words, about 1 min06Arabic Literature and Rhetoric
Arabic Literature and Rhetoric tests literary periods, genres, and balāgha. Expect pre-Islamic poetry, Qur'anic style, Abbasid prose, maqāma, nahḍa, free verse, and figures of speech.
215 words, about 1 min07Contemporary Islamic Thought and Ethics
Contemporary Islamic Thought and Ethics tests reformism, modernism, Islamism, secularism, gender, bioethics, finance, environment, and human rights. You must reason from maqāṣid and legal maxims while recognizing context and disagreement.
218 words, about 1 min08Research Methods and Textual Analysis
Research Methods and Textual Analysis tests source criticism, manuscript study, edition practice, and argumentation. Expect questions on isnād-cum-matn analysis, codicology, palaeography, stemmatics, and citation.
222 words, about 1 min