Questions Concerning the History of Islam

The following propositions will test your knowledge of the historical origins of the rituals of Islam found in the Qur'an. Determine whether each proposition is true or false.

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1. The Qur'an refers to people, places, things, and events which are nowhere explained or defined within the Qur'an itself.
   True___ False___
2. These things were not explained because it was assumed that the people hearing the Qur'an already knew them.
   True___ False___
3. Some passages in the Qur'an would be unintelligible without recourse to pre-Islamic history.
   True___ False___
4. All Islamic scholars use pre-Islamic history to explain parts of the Qur'an
   True___ False___
5. Thus it is both legitimate and proper to use pre-Islamic history to explain the Qur'an
   True___ False___
6. Yusuf Ali does this when it comes to such things as the She-Camel, the Elephant Army, the Twelve Springs, the Youths in the Cave, the Blind Man, and many other things found in the Qur'an
   True___ False___
7. Mecca was a pre-Islamic pagan center of worship
   True___ False___
8. The Kabah in Mecca was a pagan temple filled with 360 idols.
   True___False___
9. Archeologists have found three other ancient Kabahs in Arabia.
   True___ False___
10. The pagans prayed by bowing down toward Mecca several times a day
    True___ False___
11. They made a pilgrimage to Mecca.
    True___ False___
12. When they got to Mecca, they ran between two hills.
    True___ False___
13. They ran around the Kabah seven times.
    True___ False___
14. They kissed and caressed a large black stone on the wall of the Kabah.
    True___ False___
15. They sacrificed an animal.
    True___ False___
16. They threw a magical number of stones at a pillar of the devil.
    True___ False___
17. They held their public meetings on Friday instead of Saturday or Sunday.
    True___ False___
18. They fasted during the day and feasted at night for one month.
    True___ False___
19. The pagan fast began and ended with the moon in its crescent phase.
    True___ False___
20. They performed ritual washings before prayers.
    True___ False___
21. As one of their washings before prayer, they snorted water up and then out of their nose.
    True___ False___
22. They cut off the hands of thieves.
    True___ False___
23. They forbade marrying sisters.
    True___ False___
24. They forbid the eating of swine flesh.
    True___ False___
25. In pre-Islamic Arabian genealogies, Ishmael is nowhere mentioned as the father of the Arabs.
    True___ False___
26. Abraham, the father of Ishmael, was not an Arab.
    True___ False___
27. Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, was an Egyptian and thus not an Arab.
    True___ False___
28. Since his mother and his father were not Arabs, Ishmael was not an Arab.
    True___ False___
29. Ishmael could not be the "Father" of the Arabs because they already existed before he was born
    True___ False___
30. According to the historical and literary evidence, Abraham and Ishmael lived in Palestine.
    True___ False___
31. They never lived in Mecca.
    True___ False___
32. They never built the Kabah.
    True___ False___
33. They never established the rituals connected with the Kabah such as the pilgrimage.
    True___ False___
34. According to Arab history, the Kabah at Mecca was built by Kosia, the pagan great-grandfather of Muhammad.
    True___ False___
35. The word "Al-Ilah" was used by pagan Arabs in reference to one of the gods worshipped at the Kabah.
    True___ False___
36. The word "Al_Ilah" was shortened into "Allah."
    True___ False___
37. The moon-god was called "Al-Ilah" and then "Allah" by some Arab pagans in Southern Arabia.
    True___ False___
38. Al-Lat, Al-Uzza and Manat were worshipped by the pagan Arabs as "The Daughters of Allah."
    True___ False___
39. Muhammad's father lived and died as a pagan and yet the word "Allah" was part of his name.
    True___ False___
40. Yusuf Ali points out in his translation of the Qur'an that the moon was worshipped as a god by pagan Arabs.
    True___ False___
41. Many of the pagan rituals associated with the worship of Allah and his daughters were incorporated into the Qur'an and are now part of Islam.
    True___ False___
42. The religion of Islam has adopted the name, the rituals, and the crescent moon symbol of the pagan Arab moon-god.
    True___ False___
43. Some of the material found in the Qur'an can be traced back to pre-Islamic pagan Arabian religions.
    True___ False___
44. Infidels are recorded in the Qur'an as saying that Muhammad took old wive's tales and myths and put them into the Qur'an.
    True___ False___
45. The Qur'an warns against asking questions about Islam because if the answers are revealed, you will lose your faith.
    True___ False___

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