Islamic Beliefs As Taught by the Holy Imams
By Sheikh Odeh A. Muhawesh With contributions by Hamzah Philip Voerding Ali
“Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth." They said: "Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood? - whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?"
He said: "I know what ye know not." And He taught Adam the names of all things; then He placed them before the angels, and said: "Tell me the names of these if ye are right."
They said: "Glory to Thee, of knowledge we have none, save what Thou hast taught us: In truth it is Thou who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom."
He said: "O Adam! Tell them their names." When he had told them, God said: "Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth, and I know what ye reveal and what ye conceal?"
And behold, We said to the angels: "bow down to Adam" and they bowed down. Not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: He was of those who reject faith.
We said: "O Adam! dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden; and eat of the bountiful things therein as (where and when) ye will; but approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression."
Then did Satan make them slip from the (garden), and get them out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been. We said: "Get ye down, all (ye people), with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood - for a time."
Then learnt Adam from his Lord words of inspiration and his Lord turned towards him; for He is oft-returning, most merciful.
We said: "Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure, there comes to you guidance from me, whosoever follows my guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
"But those who reject faith and belie Our signs, they shall be companions of the fire; they shall abide therein."” 1
The story of creation plays a pivotal role in the beliefs of Shia Muslims. When God, glory be to Him, informed the angels that He is assigning a vicegerent on earth, the angels wanted the continued honor of holding this role and stated that they already glorify His name. God informed them that “He knows that which they do not.” Then He taught Adam the names of those who will fulfill the true purpose of creating Adam and his progeny, which is to truly and willfully worship God.
When Adam taught the names of the vicegerents to the angels, they fell in prostration to him. This story which is recounted in the Qur’an (Chapter Al-Baqarah, verses 30-39) signifies the important role and the necessity of the existence of a God-Chosen vicegerent who worships Him, starting with Adam.
This belief in the necessity of the existence of a God-Chosen vicegerent stems from another fundamental belief of Shia Muslims - the belief that God is essentially just. Since God created mankind to have dominion over earth and gave us the choice to abide by His message, it is natural for us to expect Him to show us the message through His vicegerents, and to expect the message to be infallible. Furthermore, it is logical that this infallible message has not only been delivered by infallible messengers chosen by God, but its continued interpretation must be made by infallible ones chosen by Him as well. For if God left the choosing of His message’s interpreters to us, and since we are inherently incomplete and thus fallible, it follows that we would inevitably err in choosing the interpreters, thus leading to the misinterpretation of God’s message. How would God ask us to completely submit to His message if it is not delivered to us by infallible interpreters? Therefore, according to Shia Islamic beliefs, an infallible, God-Chosen messenger or interpreter must exist at all times while human beings exist on earth. Shia Muslims believe that all of God’s messengers and prophets, as well as the chosen Imams, are infallible.
The fundamentals of Islam, also known as the roots of religion, according to Shia Islam center on the following five beliefs:
The Oneness of God, or Tawheed in Arabic, means that there can only be one God.
The Qur’an, the Holy Scripture of Muslims, says this of God:
“Say: He is God, the One
The One upon who all depend
Who does not give birth nor was He born
And there is none like Him.”2
God is unique. He is uncreated and He is not born. He has no partner or partners. He is not made or composed of any material and He cannot be divided, even in imagination. He cannot be confined to any place. He has no needs. He is invisible and unchanging. He is eternal, perfect, powerful and all-knowing. He cannot be compelled and He is true in His words and promises. His attributes cannot be separated from Him.
God is just. He rewards everyone based on his or her deeds. The one who obeys Him will be saved and receive paradise as his or her reward. The one who disobeys Him will be sent to hell. The Qur’an says:
“God affirms that there is no god but Him,
And so do the angels,
And those endued with knowledge,
He is standing firm in justice.”3
God is always just and never chooses to be unjust because He will not do that which is against His nature and character. Why would God, who is perfect, act imperfectly? The answer is that God will never act imperfectly for He is also the Beneficent, the Compassionate and the Merciful.
Since God is just, He has a plan or code for His creatures to govern the relationship of humans with other creatures, as well as their relationship with Him. Therefore, God sent His prophets to acquaint humanity with these principles and codes of life.
“Nor would We punish without sending messengers to give warning.”4
Adam was the first prophet. Other prophets include Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, John the Baptist, Jesus the Messiah, and Mohammad who was the last prophet. In all, 124,000 prophets were sent to various people at various times.
The prophets agreed on all of the fundamental principles. They were sent to different people, at different times, and in different regions to guide them. The last prophet, Mohammad, was sent to all of humanity with the final message from God: Islam, or peace and submission to God, and it is the perfect code of life for all people in all places for all times.
“We have not sent you (all of the prophets) but as a mercy unto all the worlds.”5
“And We have not sent thee but as a universal messenger to announce and to warn. But most of the people do not understand.”6
Just as Jesus ,the Messiah, was given twelve apostles by God to rightly guide those who believed in the gospel after Jesus ascended to heaven, Prophet Mohammad was given twelve vicegerents (or imams) by God to guide humanity after he passed away. And just like the prophets, including Mohammad, these vicegerents were infallible.
“O, you who believe! Obey God and obey the Messenger and those among you invested with Divine Authority; and if ye differ, bring it before God and the Messenger if you believe in God and the Last Day. This is the best and the fairest way of settlement.”7
“(And remember) the Day (of Judgment) when We shall call human beings with their Imams.”8
There are twelve imams, all descendants of Prophet Mohammad, the first being Imam Ali Ibn Talib and the last being Imam Al-Mahdi, who will return along with Jesus to destroy the anti-Christ and his works.
The Qur’an teaches us that there is a “last day,” or Day of Judgment, when all humans will be resurrected to face a divine judgment followed by eternal life in the hereafter, either in paradise or in hell. For that judgment, each person will receive the reward or punishment for the deeds performed in their life and for how well they submitted to the will of God.
“Beware when the Event would occur
No soul would then falsify its occurrence,
(Many) will it bring low,
(Many) will it bring high;
When the earth will be shaken to its depths,
And the mountains would crumble
Becoming dust all scattered about.”9
In addition to the fundamentals of Islam, Shia Muslims also believe that an adherent Muslim must abide by the following:
i) Prayer: There are five required daily prayers in addition to other occasional prayers. Shia Muslims believe that these five daily prayers can be performed during three periods of time: before sunrise, between midday and sunset, and after sunset. The prayers follow the exact format as was practiced by Prophet Mohammad.
ii) Fasting: Able Muslims are required to refrain from eating, drinking and sexual activity, among other activities, from dawn to dusk during the holy month of Ramadan. Fasting is recommended and/or voluntary at other times. The fasting basics are common between Shias and Sunnis but differ slightly in the length of time to fast on a given day.
iii) Pilgrimage: All able Muslims are required to take part in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lifetime. Many Muslims voluntarily take part in this more than once.
iv) Wealth Tax: This tax, also known as zakat, is required on certain items and must be paid to the poor. It equals 2.5% on items like gold, silver, certain grains, and certain farm animals like sheep, cows, and camels. Most Shia Muslims believe that this tax does not apply to currency.
v) Savings Tax: This tax, also known as khumus, equals one-fifth of the surplus for a given year after reasonable living expenses and specific deductions. This tax is outlined in the Holy Qur’an and is split into two equal amounts. The first half is used for projects that benefit the general public such as building hospitals, schools and orphanages. The second half is used to help the needy among the decedents of the Holy Prophet, as they don’t qualify for the benefits of zakat.
vi) Struggle: This is the great struggle to be a good Muslim and the smaller struggle to defend Islam if needed. Shia Muslims place great emphasis on the betterment of the individual and as such, rigorous daily and weekly prayers and supplication programs are practiced by Shias around the round in the struggle to continuously improve.
vii) Enjoining the Good and Forbidding Evil: This branch of Islamic practice is the foundation for individuals, as well as governments, for their obligations toward the community and its safety. Every Muslim is required to reasonably encourage good-doings and forbid wrong-doings of those around them. Public order and penal laws all fall under this obligation.
viii) Allegiance: This is the commitment to love, support and submit to the fourteen infallibles.
The above teachings have their foundation clearly spelled out in God’s revealed scripture to Prophet Mohammad and Shia Muslims hold the Holy Qur’an and its teachings as the foundation of every belief they have.
Endnotes
1. Qur’an 2:30-39.
2. Qur’an 112:1-4.
3. Qur’an 3:18.
4. Qur’an 17:15.
5. Qu’ran 21:17.
6. Qur’an 34:28.
7. Qur’an 4:49.
8. Qur’an 17:71.
9. Qur’an 56:1-6.