WAEC Islamic Religious Studies (IRS) 2025 Theory Past Questions

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This is the period that preceded the revelation of Islam to Prophet Muhammad (SAW), when ignorance was the order of the day.

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i. Al-Laatu ii. Suwa' ii i. Al-'Uzza iv. Manaat

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i. Prohibition of burying baby girls alive: before Islam, girls were sometimes buried alive out of shame; Islam forbade this practice. ii. Restriction of a woman to one man: before Islam women could have relations with several men; Islam confined marital relations to one husband. iii. Prohibition of alcohol: excessive drinking was common among the Jahiliyyah Arabs; Islam put a stop to it. iv. Award of inheritance to women: before Islam women could not inherit; Islam gave women a rightful share of inheritance. v. Islam abolished unlimited polygamy and restricted marriage to a maximum of four wives at a time. vi. Islam ended the unending inter-tribal wars and introduced the concept of universal brotherhood.

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إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًا فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا

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When the help of Allah and the conquest (of Makkah) comes, and you see people entering the religion of Allah in multitudes, then glorify the praise of your Lord and seek His forgiveness; indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance.

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i. The Surah indicates the closeness of the Prophet's death. ii. It teaches that Allah will always assist His religion. iii. It teaches that one should seek Allah's forgiveness even after doing a good deed. iv. It teaches that Allah is always ready to accept sincere repentance. v. It teaches Muslims to always show gratitude to Allah. vi. It shows that Allah always fulfils His promises, as seen in the conquest of Makkah.

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Iman is defined as affirming with the tongue, believing with the heart in the oneness of Allah and the other articles of faith, and having actions that justify that belief.

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i. Belief in Allah ii. Belief in the Angels iii. Belief in the (revealed) Books iv. Belief in the Messengers v. Belief in the Day of Resurrection vi. Belief in Divine Destiny (Qadar), good or bad.

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i. Human actions are based on the destiny Allah has written for each person. ii. One cannot achieve beyond what has been decreed. iii. Mankind should always strive within the confines of the Shari'ah. iv. Allah is the architect of all our affairs. v. Mankind does not know beforehand what has been written for them. vi. It shows Allah is the most powerful, as we cannot always decide our own outcomes. vii. There is wisdom behind all of Allah's actions. viii. We remain responsible for our actions and inactions.

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Marriage in Islam is a contractual agreement between a man and a woman to share affection and companionship based on Islamic laid-down principles.

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i. Provide accommodation for the family. ii. Provide feeding/upkeep for the family. iii. Satisfy his wife's sexual/marital needs. iv. Teach/train his family in the rulings of Islam. v. Act as the head of the family. vi. Protect the whole family against aggression.

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i. Take good care of the house. ii. Satisfy her husband's marital/sexual needs. iii. Look after her husband's property with diligence. iv. Obey her husband's lawful orders. v. Not allow anyone into her husband's house without his permission.

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عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ صَخْرٍ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ: «مَا نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْهُ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ، وَمَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ بِهِ فَأْتُوا مِنْهُ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ، فَإِنَّمَا أَهْلَكَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ كَثْرَةُ مَسَائِلِهِمْ وَاخْتِلَافُهُمْ عَلَى أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ» (رواه البخاري ومسلم)

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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah AbdurRahman son of Sakhr (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) say: “Whatever I forbid you from, avoid it, and whatever I command you to do, do it to the best of your ability. Verily, those before you were destroyed by their excessive questioning and disagreeing with their prophets.” (Reported by Bukhari and Muslim)

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i. Avoidance of excessive questioning. ii. Avoidance of going against the prophets. iii. Avoiding whatever the prophets have forbidden. iv. Doing whatever the prophets command, to the best of one's ability. v. Good deeds are judged based on one's capability to perform them.

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i. Usman dan Fodio ii. Abdullahi ibn Fodio iii. Asma'u bint Fodio iv. Ahmad Baba

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i. Introduction of Islamic (Arabic) literacy — reading and writing. ii. Formal education of the people on Islamic principles. iii. West African women began receiving formal education. iv. Production of Islamic books written in Arabic. v. Establishment of standard trading systems with other parts of the world. vi. Establishment of higher institutions of learning, such as Sankore University in Timbuktu. vii. Emergence of various renowned scholars from across West Africa.