Lesson 2: Principles, Practice, and Theology — al-Bab al-Hadi ‘Ashar

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The Principles of Religion and the Principles of the Imami School

The principles are beliefs that must not be doubted or treated as unimportant. The branches, by contrast, are the specific practical rulings that arise from these principles.

Why Are There Five Principles?

Why are there five principles, and why are the Imamate and divine justice included among them? Sunni and Shi‘a Muslims agree that three fundamental pillars—divine unity, prophethood, and resurrection—form the foundations of Islam, because Islam rests on accepting these principles. Divine unity itself includes several aspects: unity in Allah’s essence, unity in His attributes, and unity in His actions. Resurrection means belief in the Day of Judgment and the raising of the dead. All Muslims, whether Sunni or Shi‘a, hold that denying or doubting any of these principles takes a person outside the religion of Islam.

Divine Justice

The principles of the Imami school also include divine justice and the Imamate. Justice is regarded as one of Allah’s intrinsic attributes. In our school, this principle emphasizes that Allah is just and never wrongs or oppresses anyone. This emphasis rejects schools of thought that maintain that whatever Allah does is good, whether it is unjust or just.

Shi‘a Muslims also hold that reason can itself recognize good and evil—that is, moral goodness and badness. Every believer must firmly accept that it is impossible for Allah to wrong anyone on the Day of Judgment. This issue is discussed in detail in the section on divine justice. That section also examines the views of those Sunni scholars who deny that reason can independently recognize good and evil.

The Imamate

Shi‘a theologians maintain that the Imamate is not simply an idea adopted by Shi‘a Muslims. Rather, it is a branch of prophethood. Each of the prophets of firm resolve (ulu al-‘azm) had designated successors, or Imams, after him. Their task was to preserve the religious law and guide the community.

The Noble Qur’an refers in several places to designated successors, or to “a tongue of truth” (lisan sidq), to express this concept. The Imamate is thus established as a principle of religion that branches from prophethood. We mentioned some of the relevant verses at the beginning of this discussion.

The Difference Between Principles and Branches

Fourth, what is the difference between the principles—that is, belief—and the branches? Belief, or the principles of religion, is the fundamental pillar of religion. A believer’s faith rests on these principles. They form the heart of religion, where there is no room for doubt or uncertainty, and they have consequences for the Hereafter.

The branches are the practical and detailed aspects that arise from belief. They include religious legal rulings and their application in Islamic jurisprudence. These branches show believers how to put the principles into practice in daily life. In other words, belief is the fixed and defining foundation, while practical rulings and branches guide how that foundation is expressed in human life.

Conclusion

We can therefore say that the term “principles of religion,” in its commonly used classification, is the result of theologians’ and scholars’ efforts to organize and explain the fundamental beliefs of religion through rational arguments and evidence from religious texts. These principles include the basic foundations of religious belief, such as divine unity, prophethood, and resurrection. Divine justice and the Imamate also have a special place in this classification within the Imami school.

In the Imami understanding, the Imamate continues divine guidance after the end of prophethood. Without being a prophet or bringing a new religious law, the Imam is responsible for preserving and explaining religion and guiding the community. Divine justice means that Allah wrongs no one in creation, in establishing religious law, or in judgment. All His actions rest on wisdom and justice.

The difference between principles and branches is that belief, or the principles, is the fixed and fundamental core on which faith is built. The branches are the practical aspects that are put into effect once this foundation has been established. Religion thus has both firm foundations of belief and practical rules that govern a believer’s life.

How Do Theology, Philosophy, and ‘Irfan Differ?

Three main disciplines are used to establish Allah’s existence and to begin the discussion of divine unity:

1. Theology (kalam): the study of religious beliefs.
2. Philosophy.
3. ‘Irfan: spiritual and mystical knowledge.

This raises a question: Is every Muslim required to study all three disciplines? We should keep in mind that any discipline we wish to study is acceptable if it respects the Qur’an and Islamic law. In other words, any theory or field of knowledge that helps us draw closer to Allah can be useful, provided that it does not undermine the fundamental rules of religion set out in the Noble Qur’an, the tradition of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and their narrations.

If, however, any discipline—whether philosophy, ‘irfan, physics, chemistry, astronomy, or another field—contains principles that conflict with the fundamental rules of Islam, we will not accept those principles. A theory proposed by any scholar or scientist is therefore accepted if it agrees with the Qur’an and Islamic law. If it does not agree with them, it is unacceptable, regardless of who puts it forward.

If we wish to study philosophy and ‘irfan, we must therefore first learn theology so that we understand the fundamental teachings of religion and Islamic law. We must then ask whether philosophy and ‘irfan help us understand Islamic law and whether they agree with the Qur’an and the tradition of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and his family). If their theories agree with religion, the Qur’an, and the narrations, we accept them. If they contradict them, we give them no weight.

The Second Introduction

Before beginning the discussion of the principles of religion, we need to examine the differences between theology, philosophy, and ‘irfan. These are distinct disciplines, even though the ultimate aim of all three is Allah, the Most High. Nevertheless, they differ considerably in their subject matter, methods of inquiry, and the nature of their discussions.

The Differences Between Theology, Philosophy, and ‘Irfan

Having explained the importance of studying different disciplines to better understand the principles of religion, we now turn to the differences between these three main fields: theology, philosophy, and ‘irfan. Each approaches questions about knowing Allah and understanding reality from a particular perspective, using different methods to examine these questions.

1. Theology (Kalam)

The subject of theology is Islamic belief and the principles of religion. It examines matters directly connected with Muslims’ faith and beliefs. Theology explains and defends the five principles of religion:

1. Divine unity (tawhid): the oneness of Allah.
2. Divine justice (‘adl): Allah’s justice.
3. Prophethood (nubuwwah): the mission of the prophets.
4. The Imamate (imamah): divinely appointed leadership after the Prophet.
5. Resurrection (ma‘ad): the return to Allah and the Day of Judgment.

Theology draws on three main sources:

• The Noble Qur’an.
• The tradition of the Noble Prophet (may Allah bless him and his family) and the narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them).
• Rational principles that agree with the Qur’an and the prophetic tradition.

Whenever theology uses rational arguments, those arguments remain within the framework of religious teachings. Any argument that contradicts the Qur’an and the narrations is rejected. Theology can therefore be understood as a discipline devoted directly to explaining and strengthening religious faith.

In the next lesson, we will examine philosophy.