Exam guide

The marks table

Section A is collected after 15 minutes. After that you have 2 hours 15 minutes for Sections B and C (40 marks), written on the answer sheet. So you earn 10 + 5 + 9 + 16 = 40 marks by writing, which is about 3 minutes per mark.

The four SLOs and where each is tested

What kinds of facts are asked

Traps: similar surahs and similar numbers

The board's wrong options are other surahs from the same list, or a nearby number. Learn these groups so that you are not tempted.

The separate sheet

• Section A is printed on its own sheet and collected after 15 minutes, so do not plan to come back to it later. Fill your roll number and version number first, exactly as on your admission slip and the question paper.
• Follow the instructions printed on the sheet for marking the answer. Use the pen or pencil the instructions name, mark one option per question and do not overwrite.
• Read all ten questions in the first minute and answer the sure ones first, then return to the rest.

How to get both marks

1. Count the marks: 2 marks means two ticks. Write two clear points, one sentence each, or a fact and its reason.
2. Answer the question that is asked, in its own words: 'reason for the name' means say where the name comes from, not the whole story of the surah.
3. Add the ayah number when you remember it. If you are not sure of the number, write the fact without it rather than a wrong number.
4. When the Quran does not give a single incident (most Makki surahs), say so and describe the situation of Makkah that the surah answers. This is a correct answer for shan-e-nuzul.

Worked examples from the model paper

Q. What is the reason for the name of Surah Al-Hijr? (2 marks)

1. The surah is named after Al-Hijr, the land of the people of Thamud, «اَصْحٰبُ الْحِجْرِ», between Madinah and Syria.
2. They denied the messengers and were destroyed, and their story is mentioned in 15:80 to 84.

Q. Write the occasion of revelation (shan-e-nuzul) of Surah Al-An'am. (2 marks)

1. It was revealed in Makkah in the late Makki period (about the 12th year of prophethood, in Maududi's view), mostly at one time. There is no single incident: it answers the Quraish, who denied the Prophet (ﷺ) and demanded angels and miracles (6:8 to 9, 6:37, 6:109 to 111).
2. The surah answers them with tawhid, risalah and akhirah, and corrects their pagan customs about cattle and crops (6:136 to 145).

Q. Write the occasion of revelation (shan-e-nuzul) of Surah Al-A'raf. (2 marks)

1. It is a late Makki surah of the same period as Al-An'am, when the Quraish's denial and hostility had grown strong. It has no single incident of revelation.
2. It warns them by the fate of Nuh, Hud, Salih, Lut and Shu'aib (AS) and their peoples (7:59 to 93), and by Hazrat Musa (AS) and Pharaoh, and calls them to follow the unlettered Prophet (7:157). It is named after «الاعراف», the heights (7:46).

Q. What sign did the people of Thamud demand from Hazrat Salih (AS)? (2 marks)

1. They asked for a clear sign to prove he was a messenger. Allah sent the she-camel of Allah as the sign; commentators say it came out of a rock (7:73, 11:64).
2. The condition: let her eat on Allah's earth and do not harm her. They hamstrung her and were seized (7:73 to 78).

Q. What did Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) pray for Makkah? (2 marks)

1. That Allah make the city safe (14:35), and keep him and his sons away from worshipping idols.
2. That the people he settled in the uncultivated valley by the Sacred House establish prayer, that hearts incline to them and that they be provided with fruits so that they give thanks (14:37).

Q. What good news did the angels on their way to the people of Lut give Hazrat Ibrahim (AS)? (2 marks)

1. The good news of a son, Ishaq (AS), and after Ishaq, of Yaqub (AS), a grandson (11:71).
2. His wife laughed at the news (11:71); then the angels told him they were sent to the people of Lut (11:69 to 70).

Q. What guidance is given in Surah Al-Isra about the rights of parents? (2 marks)

1. Kindness to them comes right after worship of Allah alone (17:23).
2. In their old age do not say even «اُفّ» to them, do not repel them, speak a noble word and lower to them the wing of humility, praying «رَبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيٰنِيْ صَغِيْرًا» (17:23 to 24).

Q. Surah Al-Mu'minun teaches us to avoid vain things: give one example. (2 marks)

1. The believers turn away from «اللغو», every vain and useless word or act (23:3); an example is idle talk that serves no purpose.
2. They are also humble in prayer, they pay zakat and they guard their trusts (23:1 to 9).

Q. Why does Surah Ghafir urge us to look at the ruins of past nations? (2 marks)

1. To take a lesson: those before were stronger and left greater marks on the land, yet Allah seized them for their sins and they had no protector from Allah (40:21, 40:82).
2. So the Quraish should not trust in their power and wealth: sin and denial of the messengers bring ruin.

Q. In Surah Al-Kahf, which opinions are given about the number of the People of the Cave? (2 marks)

1. Three opinions: three, the fourth being their dog; five, the sixth being their dog; seven, the eighth being their dog (18:22).
2. The Quran calls the opinion of five 'guessing at the unseen' and tells the Prophet (ﷺ) to say: my Lord knows best their number, only a few know it (18:22). The number does not matter; the lesson does.

Section B (b): five word meanings

Each word is 1 mark for one exact meaning. Write the board's Urdu meaning as you learned it in unit 17, in one line, in the same language. The model paper's five words came from four surahs.

Method: five steps

Six worked examples from the model paper

Example 1: Al-An'am 6 (Q.2 (c)(i))

(a) Write the blessings Allah gave the past nations. (2 marks) From the translation: He established them on the earth with a power He has not given you, He sent rain on them in showers from the sky, and made rivers flow beneath them. Two blessings are enough for 2 marks; the third is a bonus.

(b) What was the cause of the destruction of the past nations? (1 mark) Their sins: Allah destroyed them for their sins and raised another generation after them.

Example 2: Al-A'raf 35 (Q.2 (c)(i) OR)

(a) Write the duty of the office of messengership. (1 mark) To relate Allah's ayat to the people: the messengers come from among them 'relating to you My verses'.

(b) Write the rewards of those who adopt taqwa. (2 marks) Whoever fears Allah and reforms himself: (1) there is no fear on them, (2) nor will they grieve.

Example 3: Yunus 92 (Q.2 (c)(ii))

(a) What did Allah promise about Pharaoh's body? (1 mark) That He would save his body (that day) from the sea.

(b) Write the wisdom of this promise. (1 mark) So that he be a sign for those who come after him, a lesson that even a proud ruler is helpless.

(c) Write the attitude of most people towards Allah's signs. (1 mark) Many people are heedless (غافل) of Our signs.

Example 4: Hud 3 (Q.2 (c)(ii) OR)

(a) What are the people urged to do? (1 mark) To seek forgiveness of their Lord and to turn to Him in repentance.

(b) What rewards are promised for doing these things? (1 mark) Good provision for a fixed term, and He gives every doer of favour his favour (one is enough).

(c) What warning is given for turning away from them? (1 mark) The punishment of a great Day (the Day of Judgement).

Example 5: Ibrahim 1 (Q.2 (c)(iii))

(a) Write the purpose of the revelation of the Quran. (1 mark) To bring mankind out of the darknesses (of disbelief and ignorance) into the light (of faith), by the permission of their Lord.

(b) Write the attributes of Allah mentioned. (2 marks) The last words of the translation: Allah is Exalted in Might («العزيز», almighty) and Praiseworthy («الحميد», worthy of all praise). Write both with their meanings.

Example 6: Ash-Shura 37 to 38 (Q.2 (c)(iii) OR)

Identify the praiseworthy deeds described in these ayat and the blameworthy deeds (to be avoided). (3 marks) One question for 3 marks, so make two short lists. Praiseworthy: they forgive when angry; they respond to their Lord; they establish prayer; they decide their affairs by mutual consultation; they spend from what Allah gave them. To be avoided: the major sins and the indecencies (which they avoid). Five clear deeds and the two to avoid earn the marks.

Plan in 2 minutes

Template answer

• Use the part labels printed in the paper ((a), (b)) as your headings.
• Give each point its own line and number. Examiners award marks per point, and a numbered list is easy to count.
• Write the meaning of each ayah in your own words and give the reference, for example (Hud 11:42); this is quicker and safer than copying Arabic.

Map of the 27 topics

The full model answers to all 27 topics are in unit 16.

Which topics are likely OR choices

The framework says both choices of an OR must be of the same difficulty. The model paper joined topics of the same kind: Hud (9) with Al-A'raf (5), both stories of earlier nations, and Ibrahim (12) with An-Nahl (15), both about Allah's favours and our duty. Only one paper exists, so the pairs below are a guide, not a promise: prepare every topic.

The totals: 5 + 55 + 60 + 15 = 135 minutes. If you run late, take the time from the final check, never from Section C, since an unfinished 8-mark answer costs the most.

Presentation

• Write Sections B and C in the order of the paper, and copy the question number exactly (Q.2 (a)(i), (c)(iii)) on the answer sheet, with the OR you chose clearly marked.
• Do not answer both choices of an OR. Write one, and the examiner marks one. If you write both, you only lose time.
• Write each answer part under its own label ((a), (b), (c)). Number the points. Leave a line between questions.
• Write the reference with each point: surah name and ayah number.
• Write the answer in Urdu or English, not mixed within a point. Names of prophets, nations and surahs are written carefully and in full: Hud and Aad, Salih and Thamud, Shu'aib and Madyan.
• Write the word meanings (Section B (b)) as one line each next to the numbered word. One exact word for 1 mark.

The board's rules on honorifics

The framework lists the rules the board follows in its own papers. Follow them in your answers. They cost a few seconds and show care.

Common mistakes that lose marks

1. Skipping the OR rule: answering both, or answering neither choice.
2. Writing a long story for a 2-mark question, then running out of time for the long questions.
3. Writing three or four points where two are asked, with one of them wrong.
4. Not reading the translation of the printed ayah and answering from memory of another ayah.
5. Mixing up the stories: giving the Thamud punishment of Hud (the blast) in an Al-A'raf answer (the earthquake), or Hazrat Nuh's (AS) son in the wrong surah.
6. Mixing the prophets and the nations: Hud with Thamud, or Salih with Aad.
7. No references. A correct point without a surah or ayah number is worth less than one with it.
8. Writing the guidance part of a long answer too generally ('we should obey Islam'): tie it to the topic and to today.
9. Writing a different meaning for a word from the 80, instead of the board's meaning, or confusing two similar words.
10. Changing a bubble or overwriting on the Section A sheet, or marking two options in one row.
11. Leaving the last long answer unfinished. Better a complete 6-point answer than 3 perfect points.

Three-week plan

In each surah day, read the 'high' sections first: the introduction, the exam points, the topic sections that are long topics, and the recognising-ayat section. The medium sections (ruku-by-ruku notes) come last, if time allows.

The daily routine

1. 45 minutes new surah: the introduction, the exam points and the ayah recognition sections of the unit.
2. 20 minutes questions: the unit's MCQs and short questions. Write the short answers; do not only read them.
3. 30 minutes words (unit 17) and the ayat table (the next section): cover the meaning and say it, then check.
4. 10 minutes: yesterday's surah, one question from memory.

Last-night checklist

Do not start new material. Revise the lists below, then sleep.

• The 15 surahs in order with number and ayat count: Al-An'am 6 (165), Al-A'raf 7 (206), Yunus 10 (109), Hud 11 (123), Ar-Ra'd 13 (43), Ibrahim 14 (52), Al-Hijr 15 (99), An-Nahl 16 (128), Al-Isra 17 (111), Al-Kahf 18 (110), Al-Mu'minun 23 (118), Az-Zumar 39 (75), Ghafir 40 (85), Fussilat 41 (54), Ash-Shura 42 (53). All are Makki; Ar-Ra'd is Makki in the common view.
• The sajdah ayat: 7:206, 13:15, 16:50, 17:109, 41:38 (some count 41:37).
• Six days of creation (10:3); the keys of the unseen (6:59); the protection of the Quran (15:9); 'do not despair' (39:53); 'call upon Me' (40:60).
• For each prophet: the nation, the place, what he called to, what they said, how they ended: Nuh, Hud and Aad, Salih and Thamud, Lut, Shu'aib and Madyan, Musa and Pharaoh, Ibrahim.
• The names and reasons: Al-A'raf (the heights), Ar-Ra'd (thunder), An-Nahl (bee), Al-Hijr (land of Thamud), Az-Zumar (groups), Ghafir (forgiver of sin), Fussilat (detailed), Ash-Shura (consultation).
• The 27 topic headings and the first four points of each.
• The 80 words once through, and the ayat table once through.

Five steps to place an ayah

Names of prophets, nations and places

Key words that point to a surah

The Makki themes

All 15 surahs are Makki (Ar-Ra'd in the common view), so an unfamiliar ayah usually belongs to one of four themes. Naming the theme is half the answer.

• Tawhid: Allah's power in creation, His attributes, no partner, the signs in the sky and the earth (6:59, 10:3, 13:2, 42:11). Sub-questions ask for the attributes or the signs.
• Risalah: the Quran's purpose, the Prophet (ﷺ) as a human messenger, the earlier messengers and the denial they met (14:1, 7:35, 17:90 to 93). Sub-questions ask the duty of the messenger, the purpose, or the demands.
• Akhirah: the Day of Judgement, reward and punishment, the groups, no bearer bears another's burden (6:164, 39:71 to 75, 40:60). Sub-questions ask the reward, the punishment, or who will be saved.
• Stories and warnings: the prophets and the nations (6:6, 10:92, 40:21). Sub-questions ask the cause of the ruin or the lesson.
• A fifth group, rarer: conduct and character (7:31, 16:90, 17:23 to 24, 42:37 to 38). Sub-questions ask you to list the commands or the qualities.

Address words help too: «يٰبَنِيْٓ اٰدَمَ» (children of Adam) is the call of Al-A'raf (7:26, 7:31, 7:35); «يٰٓاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ» (O mankind) is common in Yunus (10:57); «يٰعِبَادِيَ» (O My servants) is the call of Az-Zumar (39:53); «قُلْ» (say) opens many answers to the Quraish, as in Al-An'am (6:151, 6:162).

If you cannot place the ayah

The most likely printed ayat

29 famous, self-contained ayat with a clear teaching, the kind a paper setter prints. Know each by its key words and by the question asked. The model paper's own ayat are 6:6, 7:35, 10:92, 11:3, 14:1 and 42:37 to 38; other ayat of the same surahs are equally possible.