Figures of World Religion Trivia Quiz

Answer: Judaism

Also known as Moses ben Maimon, Maimonides was a 12th-century philosopher, astronomer, physician, Torah scholar, and Sephardic rabbi. He served as a personal physician to Saladin and is the author of "The Guide for the Perplexed".

Answer: Islam

Ali ibn Abi Talib was a cousin and son-in-law to the prophet Muhammad. He married Muhammad's daughter Fatima. He is regarded as the first Shia imam by Shia Muslims and as the last of the Rashidun caliph by Suni Muslims.

Answer: Sikihism

Guru (or Bābā, Father) Nānak, the first of the ten Sikh Gurus, founded Sikihism. A mystic and poet, Nānak taught a monotheistic religion based on equality and virtue and wrote the Sikih scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib, which consists of 974 hymns.

Answer: Buddhism

Also known as the Buddha or "the awakened one", Siddhartha Gautama founded Buddhism around the 6th century BCE. According to legend, the South Asian ascetic was a son of royalty who renounced his heritage to wander and teach the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.

Answer: Hinduism

Akṣapāda Gautama has been attributed with authorship of the Nyāya Sūtras, a Hindu text written in ancient Sanskrit. The sutras cover the science of debate and the science of discussion and were likely written sometime between the 6th century BCE and the 2nd century CE.

Answer: Taoism

Laozi is attributed with the authorship of the Tao Te Ching, the central text of Taoism. His name is an honorific meaning "the Old master". Tradition dates his birth in the 6th century BCE. However, modern scholars doubt the authenticity of Laozi and consider the Tao Te Ching to be a compilation of Taoist sayings gathered over time.

Answer: Bahāʾī

Originally a member of the Shiite branch of Islam, Mīrzā Ḥosayn ʿAlī Nūrī founded the Bahāʾī faith in the 19th century. Born in Iran in 1817, he claimed to be the manifestation of God and is also known as Bahāʾ Allāh. He advocated the unity of all religions and taught of a universal brotherhood of man.

Answer: Zoroastrianism

More commonly known by his Greek name of Zoroaster, Zarathushtra Spitama is traditionally thought to have lived in the 7th or 6th century BCE. He composed the central text of Zoroastrianism, the Gathas, and in addition to being the founder of Zoroastrianism is regarded as a prophet in the Baháʼí Faith and by members of the Ahmadiyya branch of Islam.

Answer: Jainism

Scholars consider Parshvanatha to be the first historical Tirthankara of Jainism. The 24 Tirthankara were, according to Jains, the supreme preachers of the dharma (or "righteous path"). Parshvanatha lived sometime between the 9th and 7th century BCE and was succeeded by Mahavira.

Answer: Sufism

Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, known more simply as Rumi, was a 13th-century Sufi mystic and Persian poet. Born in present-day Afghanistan in 1207, his poetry has been translated into numerous languages and is widely read today.

In one of his well-known poems, "Elephant in the Dark", he describes how different people might perceive the same truth differently depending on what section of it they experience.