JAMB Syllabus for Islamic Studies
The JAMB Islamic Studies syllabus contains the topics candidates are expected to study when preparing for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). It covers the Qur’an and Hadith, Tawhid and Fiqh, Islamic history and civilization.
Going through the syllabus before you start studying can help you know the areas you need to cover. It also makes it easier to plan your reading and revision without leaving out important topics.
Below is the JAMB Syllabus for Islamic Studies, arranged according to the different parts of the examination. The objectives have been left out to make the syllabus easier to read and use for revision.
JAMB Islamic Studies Syllabus
PART I: THE QUR’ĀN AND HADĪTH
| No. | Topic | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Revelation of the Glorious Qur’ān | Visits of the Prophet (SAW) to Cave Hira; his reaction to the first revelation and its importance; different modes of revelation, including inspiration behind the veil and through an angel; piecemeal revelation; names and attributes of the Qur’an. |
| 2 | Preservation of the Glorious Qur’ān | Recording, compilation and standardization of the Qur’ān; differences between Makkah and Madinan suwar; role of the Companions of the Prophet (SAW) in the collection and compilation of the Qur’ān. |
| 3 | Importance of the Glorious Qur’ān | The Qur’ān as a source of guidance in spiritual, moral, economic, political and socio-cultural matters. |
| 4 | Divine Authenticity of the Glorious Qur’ān | Proof of the Divine authenticity of the Qur’ān; uniqueness of the Qur’ān; Divine preservation of the Qur’ān. |
| 5 | Tafsīr | Historical development of Tafsīr; importance of Tafsīr; types of Tafsīr. |
| 6 | Introduction to Tajwīd | Theory and practice of Tajwīd. |
| 7 | Selected Surahs with Tajwīd | Al-Fātihah, al-‘Ādiyāt, al-Qāri‘ah, at-Takāthur, al-‘Asr, al-Humazah, al-Mā‘ūn, al-Kawthar, al-Kāfirūn, al-Nasr, al-Masad, al-Ikhlās, al-Falaq and an-Nās. |
| 8 | Selected Surahs and Ayats with Tajwīd | Al-A‘lā, ad-Duhā, al-Inshirah, at-Tīn, al-‘Alaq, al-Qadr, al-Bayyinah, al-Zalzalah, Ayatul-Kursiyy, Āmanar-Rasūl and Laqad jāakum. |
| 9 | History of Hadīth Literature | Collection of Hadīth from the time of the Prophet (SAW) to the period of the six authentic collectors of Hadīth. |
| 10 | Authentication of Hadīth | Isnād (Asma’ur-rijāl); Matn; classification of Hadīth into Sahīh, Hassan and Da‘īf. |
| 11 | Relationship Between Hadīth and the Qur’ān | Importance of Hadīth; similarities and differences between Hadīth and the Glorious Qur’ān. |
| 12 | Six Sound Collectors of Hadīth | Biographies and works of the six sound collectors of Hadīth. |
| 13 | Muwatta and Imam Malik | Biography of Imam Malik and study of his book, Muwatta. |
| 14 | Selected Ahādīth of an-Nawāwī | Study of the Arabic texts of Ahādīth 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 25, 27, 34 and 41. |
| 15 | Moral Lessons in the Qur’ān and Hadīth | Admonition of Sage Luqman to his son; goodness to parents; honesty; prohibition of bribery and corruption, alcohol and gambling, stealing and fraud, smoking, drug abuse and other intoxicants, arrogance and extravagance. |
| 16 | Dignity of Labour | Qur’ānic teachings on labour and relevant Hadīth from Bukhari and Ibn Majah. |
| 17 | Behaviour and Modesty in Dressing | Qur’ānic teachings on behaviour and modesty in dressing. |
| 18 | Adultery, Fornication and Obscenity | Adultery and fornication; homosexuality; obscenity; relevant Hadīth. |
| 19 | Leadership and Justice | Leadership; justice; relevant Hadīth on responsibility and leadership. |
| 20 | Trust, Obligations and Promises | Trust and obligations; keeping promises; relevant Hadīth. |
| 21 | Piety (Taqwa) | Qur’ānic teachings on piety; Hadīth 18 and 35 of an-Nawāwī. |
| 22 | Tolerance, Perseverance and Patience | Qur’ānic teachings on tolerance, perseverance and patience; Hadīth 16 of an-Nawāwī. |
| 23 | Unity and Brotherhood | Qur’ānic teachings on unity and brotherhood; Hadīth 35 of an-Nawāwī. |
| 24 | Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong | Qur’ānic teachings on enjoining what is good and forbidding what is wrong; Hadīth 25 and 34 of an-Nawāwī. |
PART II: TAWHĪD AND FIQH
| No. | Topic | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tawhīd | Faith in Tawhīd, its importance and lessons. |
| 2 | Kalimatush-Shahadah | Meaning and importance; Oneness of Allah; servanthood and messengership of Prophet Muhammad (SAW); universality of his message; finality of his Prophethood. |
| 3 | Shirk | Beliefs incompatible with Tawhīd, including worship of idols, ancestral worship, Trinity and atheism. |
| 4 | Practices Incompatible with Tawhīd | Superstition; fortune-telling; magic and witchcraft; cult worship; innovation (Bid‘ah). |
| 5 | Articles of Faith | Belief in Allah; existence and attributes of Allah; works of Allah; belief in angels; His books; His Prophets, including Ulul-azmi; the Last Day; destiny and the distinction between Qada and Qadar. |
| 6 | Ibadat and Their Types | Good deeds; Taharah and its types; al-istinja’; al-istijmar; al-wudu’; at-tayammum; al-ghusl; Salah, its importance, types and things that vitiate it. |
| 7 | Zakah | Types and importance of Zakah; zakatul-fitr; zakatul-mal; al-an‘am; al-harth; collection and disbursement; difference between Zakah and Sadaqah. |
| 8 | Sawm | Types and importance of fasting, including fard, sunnah, qada and kaffarah; people exempted from fasting; things that vitiate sawm. |
| 9 | Hajj | Importance of Hajj; types, including Ifrad, Qiran and Tamattu‘; essentials of Hajj; conditions for performing Hajj; differences between Hajj and Umrah. |
| 10 | Jihad | Concept, kinds, manner and lessons. |
| 11 | Marriage | Importance; prohibited categories; conditions for validity; rights and duties of husbands and wives; polygamy. |
| 12 | Ill-Treatment of Wife | Idrar, or ill-treatment of wife in marriage. |
| 13 | Divorce | Islamic attitude to divorce; Talaq, Khul‘, Faskh, Mubara’ah and Li‘an; Iddah, its kinds, duration and importance; Ila and Zihar; custody of children (Hadanah). |
| 14 | Inheritance | Importance of inheritance; heirs and their shares. |
| 15 | Sources and Schools of Law | Qur’ān, Sunnah, Ijma‘ and Qiyas; four Sunni Schools of law and their founders. |
| 16 | Islamic Economic System | Islamic attitude to Riba; At-Tatfif; hoarding (Ihtikar); Islamic sources of revenue, including Zakah, Jizyah, Kharaj and Ghanimah; Baitul-mal; differences between Islamic and Western economic systems. |
| 17 | Islamic Political System | Allah as the Sovereign; Shurah; Adalah; Mas’uliyah; rights of non-Muslims in an Islamic state; differences between Islamic and Western political systems. |
PART III: ISLAMIC HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION
| No. | Topic | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pre-Islamic Arabia (Jahiliyyah) | Jahiliyyah practices, including idol worship, infanticide, polyandry, gambling and usury; Islamic reforms. |
| 2 | Life of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) | Birth and early life; call to Prophethood; Da‘wah in Makkah and Madinah; Hijrah; administration of the Ummah in Madinah; battles of Badr, Uhud and Khandaq; Treaty of al-Hudaibiyyah; conquest of Makkah; Hijjatul-wada; farewell sermon; qualities of Muhammad (SAW) and lessons learnt from them. |
| 3 | The Rightly Guided Caliphs | Lives and contributions of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs, al-Khulafa’ur-Rashidun. |
| 4 | Early Contact of Islam with Africa | Hijrah to Abyssinia; spread of Islam to Egypt; role of traders, teachers, preachers, Murabitun, Sufi orders and Mujaddidun in the spread of Islam in West Africa. |
| 5 | Impact of Islam in West Africa | Influence of Islam on the socio-political life of Ghana, Mali, Songhai and Borno; impact of Islam on the economic life of Timbuktu, Kano and Borno. |
| 6 | Contributions of Islam to Education | Aims and objectives of Islamic education; Qur’ān and Hadīth on education; importance of seeking knowledge; intellectual activities in West Africa; development of written history in Arabic; establishment of Sankore University; intellectual activities of Ahmad Baba of Timbuktu, Sheikh al-Maghili, Sheikh Usman Danfodio, Sultan Muhammad Bello and Ibn Battuta; House of Wisdom in Baghdad; al-Azhar University in Cairo; Nizamiyyah University in Baghdad; contributions of Ibn Sina, Al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushd, ar-Razi and Ibn Khaldun to education. |
JAMB Islamic Studies Recommended Textbooks
The following books are listed as recommended texts for Islamic Studies:
- Abdul, M.O.A. (1976), Studies in Islam Series Book 3, Lagos: IPB.
- Abdul, M.O.A. (1982), Studies in Islam Series Book 2, Lagos: IPB.
- Abdul, M.O.A. (1988), The Classical Caliphate, Lagos: IPB.
- Abdulrahman and Canham (n.d.), The Ink of the Scholar, OUP.
- Ali, A.Y. (1975), The Holy Qur’ān Text: Translation and Commentary, Leicester: The Islamic Foundation.
- Ali, M.M. (n.d.), The Religion of Islam, Lahore.
- Doi, A. R. I. (1997), Shariah: The Islamic Law, Kuala Lumpur: Noordeen.
- Hay Lal, M. (1982), The Life of Muhammad (SAW), Academic Press.
- Lemu, A. (1992), Methodology of Primary Islamic Studies, Lagos: IPB.
- Lemu, A. (1993), Islamic Studies for SSS, Book 1, Lagos: IPB.
- Lemu, A. (1993), Islamic Studies for SSS, Books, Minna: IET.
- Muhammad, S. Q. (2010), al-Burhanu fi tajwīdil Qur’ān, Cairo: Shirkatul-Qudus.
- Opeloye, M.O. (1996), A Dictionary of Peoples and Places in the Qur’ān, Lagos: Academic Press.
- Philips, A. A. B. (1997), Usool at-Tafseer, Kuala Lumpur: Noordeen.
- Quadri, Y.A. et al. (1990), Al-Iziyyah for the English Audience, Ijebu Ode: Shebiotiuom Publication.
- Rahim, A. (1992), Islamic History, Lagos: IPB.
- Sambo, M.B. et al. (1984), Islamic Religious Knowledge for WASC Book 1, Lagos: IPB.
- Sambo, M.B. et al. (1984), Islamic Religious Knowledge for WASC Book 3, Lagos: IPB.
- Trimingham, J.S. (1993), A History of Islam in West Africa, Oxford: OUP.
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