Theology of Twelvers

In Twelver Shi'a Islam, the Principles of the Religion (Usūl al-Dīn) are the five main theological beliefs that Shi'a Muslims must possess.

Definition

The Shi'a Roots of Religion are a set of theoretical theological beliefs, in contrast to the ten practices prescribed in the Shi'a Branches of Religion.

In Shi'a theology, these five articles of faith form the basis for Islam, and it is from these articles that the Branches of Religion are derived.

Resalah

All books of Resalah start with an explicit disclaimer stating that no proof shall be given for any of the points in the Roots of Religion.

The Marja argue that it is permissible to imitate in matters of practical Islam, for example, how one is supposed to do "Salat", without being familiar with evidence and arguments for the conclusions.

However, they argue that the matters in the Roots of Religion are much too important to be merely imitated, and it is the responsibility of each individual to make themselves personally familiar with the arguments and evidence for each article of faith.

Articles of faith

There are five articles of faith in the Shi'a Roots of Religion.

Tawhīd (Oneness)

"Tawhīd" (also "Tawhid" or "Tauhid" or "Tawheed"; Arabic توحيد) is the Islamic concept of monotheism. In Arabic, Tawhīd means "unification, ie to unify or to keep something unified as one." In Islam, Tawhīd means to assert the unity of God. The opposite of Tawhīd is "shirk", which means "Association" in Arabic. Muslims view polytheism and idolatry as "shirk".

=Adl (Justice)=

The Shias believe that there is intrinsic good or evil in things, and that God commands them to do the good things and forbade the evil. They believe that God acts according to a purpose or design, and human reason cannot comprehend this design or purpose in its entirety (though man must always strive to understand as much as he can).

Nubuwwah (Prophethood)

"Nubuwwah" means "Prophethood" and denotes that God has appointed Prophets and Messengers to teach mankind God's message.

=Imāmah (Leadership)=

Imamah (Leadership): God has appointed specific leaders to lead and guide mankind — a prophet appoints a custodian of the religion before his demise. Refer to Sahih Al-Bukari, Sahih Muslim (Books of Hadiths (or sayings of the prophet of Islam) of the Sunnis) etc. The prophet is reported to have said that the Islamic leadership is in Quraysh (i.e. his tribe) and that 12 "Imams" (also called "Princes" or "Caliphs") shall succeed him.

Ma'ad (The Day of Judgment)

Yaum al-Qiyâmah (يوم القيامة; literally: "Day of the Resurrection" (Qur'an 71.18), also known as "the Hour (Qur'an 31.34, 74.47)," "Day of the Account," (Qur'an 72.130 "Day of the Gathering," "Day of the Reckoning," "Day of Distress," (Qur'an 74.9) and the "Great Announcement") is the Arabic name for the Last Judgement. Belief in Qiyâmah is part of Aqidah and is a fundamental tenet of faith in Islam. The trials and tribulations of Qiyâmah are detailed in both the Qur'an and the Hadith, as well as in the commentaries of the Islamic expositors and scholarly authorities. Every human, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, is held accountable for his or her deeds and are judged by God accordingly (Qur'an 74.38).

Other Articles

Mala'ika - Belief in the Angels.

Kutub - Belief in the Books sent by God (including the Qur'an).

ee also

*Branches of Religion
*Five Pillars of Islam
*Additional Shi'a doctrines

External links

*http://www.answering-ansar.org/fiqh/usool_al_deen/en/index.php