WAEC Islamic Studies 2024 past questions

Checked by the Skolra question team · Last updated 23 October 2026

Ten questions from the 2024 WAEC Islamic Studies paper, with answers and explanations. We hold 33 questions from this paper, and the Skolra app has all of them.

WAEC Islamic Studies 2024 questions and answers

1. 1.the major problem faced by khalil abu-bakr was how to ___
   1. A
      extend the boundaries of the Islamic state beyond Arabia
   2. B
      choose a successor to take over leadership after him
   3. C
      suppress the wars of apostasy (Riddah) started by rebellious Arab tribes
      Correct
   4. D
      compile the Qur'an into a single written volume
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   Answer: C

   Khalifah (Caliph) Abu-Bakr became leader of the Muslim community immediately after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The very first and biggest crisis of his short caliphate was that many Arab tribes who had only recently embraced Islam used the Prophet's death as an excuse to break away: some renounced Islam outright, some followed false prophets like Musaylimah al-Kadhdhab, and others refused to pay zakat while still claiming to be Muslims. Abu-Bakr insisted there was no difference between these groups and fought them all in what history calls the Wars of Apostasy (Hurub al-Riddah), holding the young Islamic state together. That is the major problem the question points to.

2. 2.Who was the companion sent by the prophet (S.A.W.) from hudaybiyyah to assure the Quraysh of his peaceful mission to makkah?
   1. A
      Umar bin Khattab (R.A.)
   2. B
      Khirash bin Umayyah (R.A.)
   3. C
      Abu Bakr (R.A.)
   4. D
      Uthman bin Affan (R.A.)
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Uthman bin Affan (R.A.) was the companion the Prophet (S.A.W.) sent from Hudaybiyyah into Makkah to assure the Quraysh that the Muslims had come only to perform Umrah, not to fight.

3. 3.The caliph who appointed the shura council to produce a successor after his death was ___
   1. A
      Uthman ibn Affan
   2. B
      Umar ibn al-Khattab
      Correct
   3. C
      Ali ibn Abi Talib
   4. D
      Abu Bakr
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   Answer: B

   Umar ibn al-Khattab is correct. After he was fatally stabbed, Umar did not simply name one person to succeed him. Instead he set up a shura (consultative council) of six senior companions of the Prophet and directed them to choose the next caliph from among themselves. That council went on to select Uthman ibn Affan as the third caliph.

4. 4.After rising from the ruku, a worshipper utters ___
   1. A
      Subhana Rabbiyal 'Adhim
   2. B
      Subhana Rabbiyal A'la
   3. C
      Allahu Akbar
   4. D
      Rabbana wa lakal hamd
      Correct
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   Answer: D

   Rabbana wa lakal hamd ("Our Lord, to You belongs all praise") is what the worshipper utters once he has risen fully from the ruku' and is standing upright (this standing posture is called i'tidal).

5. 5.Qul a udhu birabbil falaq (Q.113) is followed by ___
   1. A
      Wa min sharri haasidin idhaa hasad
   2. B
      Min sharri maa khalaq
      Correct
   3. C
      Wa min sharrin naffaathaati fil-uqad
   4. D
      Wa min sharri ghaasiqin idhaa waqab
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   Answer: B

   Suratul Falaq (Q.113) is one of the shortest Suwar in the Qur'an and candidates are expected to recite it in order.

   Verse 1 is "Qul a'udhu birabbil falaq" (Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the daybreak). The verse that comes immediately after it is verse 2: "Min sharri maa khalaq" (from the evil of that which He created). This is the correct continuation.

6. 6.the second part of Kalimatush-shahadah butresses muhammad's (S.A.W)
   1. A
      Akhirah (belief in the Hereafter)
   2. B
      Tawhid (Oneness of Allah)
   3. C
      Risalah (Messengership of the Prophet)
      Correct
   4. D
      Ibadah (worship of Allah)
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   Answer: C

   Kalimatush-Shahadah (the testimony of faith) is made up of two linked statements, and each one establishes a different foundation of Islamic belief.

   The first part says there is no god but Allah — this establishes Tawhid, the Oneness of Allah.

7. 7.In Islam, one of the temporary barriers to marriage is
   1. A
      Marrying one's foster sister
   2. B
      Marrying a woman who is still observing her iddah (waiting period)
      Correct
   3. C
      Marrying one's mother-in-law
   4. D
      Marrying one's own mother
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   Answer: B

   Correct answer: marrying a woman who is still observing her iddah (waiting period).

   Islamic law splits barriers to marriage into two kinds: permanent ones, which can never be lifted, and temporary ones, which end once a particular condition changes.

   So the test here is knowing that only the iddah-related prohibition is conditional and temporary, while blood, fosterage and in-law relationships create permanent bars.

8. 8.The year 622 CE is significant in islamic history it is attributed to the ___
   1. A
      the Battle of Badr between the Muslims and the Quraysh
   2. B
      the Hijrah (migration) of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) from Makkah to Madinah
      Correct
   3. C
      the conquest of Makkah by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
   4. D
      the signing of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
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   Answer: B

   622 CE is the year the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), together with his companions, migrated from Makkah to Madinah to escape persecution by the Quraysh. This event is the Hijrah, and it is so central to Islamic history that it marks the starting point (Year 1) of the Islamic (Hijri) calendar.

9. 9.the practices, customs, and traditions of prophet muhammad (S.A.W) is termed?
   1. A
      Sunnah
      Correct
   2. B
      Sharia
   3. C
      Ijma
   4. D
      Hadith
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   Answer: A

   Sunnah is correct. Sunnah means the practices, customs, sayings, and traditions of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) — the way he lived, worshipped, and conducted his affairs, which Muslims are encouraged to follow as a model of conduct.

10. 10.which of the following was a step taken by the prophet (S.A.W) each time he received revelation from Allah?
    1. A
       He travelled back to the cave of Hira to confirm the revelation with angel Jibril
    2. B
       He waited seven days before reciting the new verses to the companions
    3. C
       He consulted the elders of Quraysh before accepting the revelation as genuine
    4. D
       He immediately called his scribes and dictated the verses, showing them exactly where to place them among earlier revelations
       Correct
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    Answer: D

    Correct answer: he immediately called his scribes and dictated the verses, telling them exactly where to place them among earlier revelations.

The questions come from past JAMB, WAEC and NECO papers. We use software to help write the answer options and explanations, and every answer is checked twice before it goes on the site. How we check

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