The fundamentals of Islam as according
to shia are divided into two. The first is Usool-ad-Deen (Roots of Religion)
and the other is Furoo-ad-Deen (Branches of Religion). These fundamentals
are much different from Ahlu-Sunnah. Below are their fundamentals:
Usool
-ad-Deen (Roots of Religion)
1. Tawheed - (Oneness of God) - The
most fundamental aspect of all beliefs revolves around the total acceptance of
the Absolute and Perfect Creator. Belief in the Originator of all causes and
effects with no effect on Him and that He is One, Everliving, Beneficent and
Merciful. He has neither a colleague nor a partner. He begets not, nor is He
begotten, and there is none like Him. The Almighty God is Unique and is
Absolute in the Absolute sense. No entity in His Universe can ever comprehend
His true state and none should even bother to try for it will lead to futility
and insanity. Yet there is no doubt in any sane mind that His existence
precedes all and His presence is Absolutely ubiquitous (everpresent). For
anyone to say that God does not exist is a liar and a fool because such a
person can NEVER disprove His existence, whether scientifically or
philosophically, or for that matter in any method known. Because He is Absolute
and none is like Him, no one in the relative world can ever physically define
Him, and thus all idol worshippers and those who ascribe a shape or a body to
Him are wrong. Ascribing a shape to the One who is beyond our limited
perceptions would be tantamount to lying and giving a false appearance and a
false representation. In addition, to believe that one can see God in the
physical sense of sitting on a throne like some mythical being is certainly an
untrue statement and should never be accepted. The Almighty Creator brings to
existence everything with utmost Perfection and nothing in His Universe is
imperfect. Thus to state that the Creator has created imperfect things is
certainly a false statement. He is the One and Only and is Absolutely
independent of anything and everything that exists. Glorified be His names, the
Most High!
2. Adl - (Justice) - Essentially part
of Tawheed. Belief that God is Just. He will reward or punish any person
according to his deeds and thus the notion of predestination (where all
decisions are God's and not any one else's) in one's deeds does not exist. It
is absolutely forbidden in Islam to believe that the Almighty, Merciful Allah
planned our destiny and that the good and the bad are just His Will and there
is no choice for us between them (God forbid!). Those who ascribe to such lies do
so because they want to blame their own evils on Allah and claim the good for
themselves! Although the attribute of Allah's Justice is not a separate entity
of Allah for certainly the Almighty God can never be compartmentalized nor
defined in any relative terms, it is nonetheless absolutely compulsory to
believe and fully understand the importance of this attribute in Islam so as
not to allow the evil suggestions of Iblees (curse of Allah be upon him and his
progeny) and his companions from leading us astray.
3. Nubuwwat - (Prophethood) - Belief
in the Prophets (PBUT) of God who excel all other persons for whom they are
sent for. All prophets of Allah are perfect and sinless (ma'soom). Prophet
Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH&HF) is the last of the prophets sent by God and the
sealer of prophets for NO more are to come, EVER! The total number of prophets
(PBUT) that were sent by God to mankind is 124,000 and every nation on earth
was given guidance through them. In fact, all major religions today on earth
can be traced to have these divinely guided teachers as their original
propagators of the Truth of Allah. The best of His messengers all came from the
same tree i.e. family lineage and many of them are mentioned in the Holy Qur'an
which describes who they were and what their mission on earth was. It is
important to note that no prophet on earth ever negated or rejected any of the
other divinely ordained prophets and thus their message was always the same and
one in purpose. Each established the law of the One and Only God and showed the
way of life for humans to observe. From the very first creation of mankind,
there was always a prophet on earth which was Prophet Adam (PBUH). This
guidance from the Merciful Allah to establish His complete laws continued to
the last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) who exemplified the letters of the law
in his most perfect behavior. He completed and perfected the one and only True
religion, Islam. With the revelation of the last Holy Book, the Qur'an, which
is the most protected and perfect book of God with us, he established as part
of his mission, every concievable and practical law for mankind to follow in
order to attain spiritual perfection. Great prophets such as Nuh (Noah),
Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), Ishaaq (Isaac), Yaqoob (Jacob), Yusuf
(Joseph), Dawood (David), Sulaiman (Solomon), Musa (Moses), Yahya (John), and
Isa (Jesus), - (Peace be upon them all) - all came from the one blessed lineage
of Prophet Adam (PBUH) and ended with the last Messenger, Muhammad
(PBUH&HF). It is also important to note that anyone who ascribes
imperfections or mistakes to these divinely guided personalities is ascribing
it directly to Allah who is certainly free from such. Acceptance of such ideas
is also rejection of the message of Allah entirely. Thus with prophethood, a
believer has to accept in their complete message without any reservations of
possible errors or mistakes.
4. Imamat - (Guidance) - Belief in
the divinely appointed leadership after the death of the Holy Prophet
(PBUH&HF) to protect and guide mankind with the revealed Truth, the Holy
Qur'an and the true practices of the Holy Prophet himself. The roles of these
leaders is an integral part in the protection of all the Messengers and their
divine Messages. The Almighty Allah appointed through the Holy Prophet himself,
twelve Guides (Imams) to protect mankind from misrepresenting and
misinterpreting the Truth. Belief in this is most important in Islam and no
doubts about their positions should be allowed. They are indeed sinless
(ma'soom) and perfect in the highest sense of the word. The Imams have direct
knowledge from God, and their verdict is the verdict of God. After the Holy
Prophet, only they can interpret and guide mankind in every aspect of life and
death and all believers must acquire guidance from them or else they will
certainly be lost. They do NOT bring any new laws nor do they ever innovate
their own laws. They always exempliy and elucidate the practical (Sunnah) and
the written (the Holy Qur'an). It is also important to note that they NEVER
disagree with each other in their manners and duties nor in their
representations of the Divine Laws. They are from the best and the most blessed
and purified lineage of the last Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUT) and their names
are as follows: (1) Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the
Holy Prophet who called him his only brother in this world and in the next, (2)
Imam Hasan son of Ali, (3) Imam Husain son of Ali, (4) Imam Ali son of Husain,
(5) Imam Muhammad son of Ali, (6) Imam Ja'far son of Muhammad, (7) Imam Musa
son of Ja'far, (8) Imam Ali son of Musa, (9) Imam Muhammad son of Ali, (10)
Imam Ali son of Muhammad, (11) Imam Hasan son of Ali, and the last and living
Imam Muhammad son of Hasan, the establisher of the Truth till the end of this
world (PBUT). There is no successor to the Twelfth Holy Imam Muhammad ibnul
Hassan (PBUH) and he is LIVING today but is in occultation and appears only to
those who are most in need and to those who are most virtuous and pious. By the
Command of Allah, he will reappear to all when he will establish true justice
on earth and will rule mankind compassionately with utmost perfection as is the
Will of the Almighty Allah. He will abolish the evil establishments on earth
and mankind will live under true guidance as should have been many centuries
ago!
5. Qiyaamat - (Resurrection) - Belief
in the Day of Judgement when all human beings shall be raised from the dead and
all their good and bad deeds shall be ultimately judged and recompensed
accordingly. This belief is most essential WITH the belief in the One True God.
The Day of Judgement will prove to all in this Universe that the Almighty Allah
is the Creator of all from nothing and is the Absolute Master. His divine
presence shall be most apparent on this important Day for all to witness. It is
a judgement Dayfor His creatures to know themselves and their relationship to
the Creator Allah. Just as pursuit for justice is inseperable in any society on
earth, so is the Ultimate Day of Justice inseparable for mankind.
Furoo-ad-Deen (Branches
of Religion)
1. Salat (Prayers)
2. Saum (Fasting)
3. Hajj (Pilgrimage)
4. Zakat (Poor Rate)
5. Khums (Wealth Tax)
6. Jihad (Striving)
7. Amr-Bil-Ma'roof
(Enjoin what is good)
8. Nahi-Anil-Munkar
(Forbid what is wrong)
9. Tawalla (To love and
respect the Ahl-ul-Bait and their friends)
10. Tabarra (To disassociate from the
enemies of the Ahl-ul-Bait)
As for Ahlu-Sunnah, the pillars of
Islam are as follows:
1. To testify Laa ilaha ill Allah
wa anna Muhammad-ur-Rasul- Allah (none has the
right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger).
2. To offer the prayers
dutifully and perfectly (Iqamat-as-Salat, i.e.Salah)
3. To observe fast during the
month of Ramadhan
4. To pay Zakah (a specific
charity paid yearly for the benefit of poor Muslims; 2.5% of wealth)
5. To perform
Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah)
The pillars of islam for ahlu sunnah
are clearly define in the following
hadits:
On the authority of Abu 'Abd al-Rahman
'Abdullah bin 'Umar bin al-Khattab, radiyallahu 'anhuma, who said: I heard the
Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say:
"Islam has been built upon five
things - on testifying that there is no god save Allah, and that Muhammad is
His Messenger; on performing salah; on giving the zakah; on Hajj to the House;
and on fasting during Ramadhan."
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
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