In Shi'a Islam, the five Roots of Religion (Usūl al-Dīn) are the five 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 (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 "division" in Arabic. Muslims view
polytheism and
idolatry as
shirk.
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" means "Prophethood" and denotes that God has appointed perfect Prophets and Messengers to teach mankind Gods religion.
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" or "Princes" shall succeed him.
Qiyamah (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).
See also
External links
- http://www.answering-ansar.org/fiqh/usool_al_deen/en/index.php
Islamic law | Shi'a Islam