Beliefs

Imamiyah Shi'as believe that all the Prophets were appointed by God; all of them were sent by Him and they are all His exalted servants. Hadhrat Muhammad al-Mustafa (s.a.w.) is both the "Seal of the Prophets" (the final prophet) and the Chief of all ...

Imamiyah Shi'as believe that all the Prophets were...

Before we deal with the roots and the articles of faith in detail, we may divide our study of the Shi'a religion according to five principles: 1. Knowledge of God.2. Identification of His Prophet.3. How to worship.4. Doing good actions and refraining...

Before we deal with the roots and the articles of ...

According to the Imamiyah faith, every sane thinking person has a moral duty to know his Creator. He should believe in His Oneness and Divinity, and should ascribe no partner to Him in His Actions. He should also believe that creation, sustenance, li...

According to the Imamiyah faith, every sane thinki...

Now, on the other hand, if you reflect upon the life of 'Ali (a.s.) and his descendants, you will come to know why Shi'ism spread and how it spread; moreover the truth will be revealed as to whether Shi'ism was the innovation of the Iranians, or the ...

Now, on the other hand, if you reflect upon the li...

The Shi'as too continued to follow their leader; the spirit of the time demanded that differences should be ignored. For this very reason, they did not try to establish themselves as a sect during the regime of the first caliphs. Of course 'Ali's fri...

The Shi'as too continued to follow their leader; t...

Shi'ism is not a new religion. It begins with the beginning of Islam. The embodiment of the code of religion, that is, the seal of the Prophets (s.a.w.) planted the tree of Shi'ism together with Islam; with his own hands, he watered it and looked aft...

Shi'ism is not a new religion. It begins with the ...

In his book on the commentary of Sura Kawthar, Sayyid Muhammad 'Ali acknowledged the existence of the Hidden Imam and wrote about the signs and indications of that existence. Thus, for instance, he writes: There is no doubt about the existence of the...

In his book on the commentary of Sura Kawthar, Say...

Dr. Jalali: We recognize with you the fundamental belief about the Mahdi. Yet, how do we know that he has not appeared already? From the early days of Islamic history up until now there have been many individuals from different parts of the world, bo...

Dr. Jalali: We recognize with you the fundamental ...

Dr. Fahimi: If I recall, you had said earlier that the Mahdi is not the lawgiver, and neither is he the abrogator of the law. This statement of yours does not agree with the substance of the following tradition: Imam Sadiq said: Two cases of bloodshe...

Dr. Fahimi: If I recall, you had said earlier that...

People, having abandoned the absolute principles and fundamental teachings of Islam, merely follow the outward forms of religion and regard those to be sufficient. These are the people who, besides the five daily obligatory prayers, the fasting of Ra...

People, having abandoned the absolute principles a...

However, these and other traditions point to an important factor in Mahdi's behavior -- that his conduct will be based on that of his forefather, the Prophet. He will defend the religion and the Qur'an that were given to the Prophet. For instance, th...

However, these and other traditions point to an im...

Dr. Jalali: I have heard that the twelfth Imam (peace be upon him) will bring a new religion, constitution, and laws for the people. The present laws of Islam will be abrogated by him. How reliable is this account? Mr. Hoshyar: The source of this inf...

Dr. Jalali: I have heard that the twelfth Imam (pe...

Engineer Madani: Could you give some indications about the conditions that would prevail under the rule of the Mahdi? Mr. Hoshyar: It is possible to reconstruct the following picture of the future from the traditions related by the ahl al-bayt: When ...

Engineer Madani: Could you give some indications a...

Dr. Jalali: I have heard that the Imam of the Age will rise with a sword. This is something that does not seem to be right. The reason is that so far humankind has created and discovered various kinds of weapons to be used on the battlefields. Nuclea...

Dr. Jalali: I have heard that the Imam of the Age ...

The session began promptly at 8 p.m. at Dr. Jalali's residence. He also opened the session by asking the first question. Dr. Jalali: Mr. Hoshyar, could you please tell us, how will the Master of the Command appear? Mr. Hoshyar: On studying the hadith...

The session began promptly at 8 p.m. at Dr. Jalali...

It is true that the Prophet and the infallible Imam were appointed by God to undertake the governance of the community affairs as their rulers, and that the Prophet and the Imam should exert themselves to execute the divine will in this regard. Never...

It is true that the Prophet and the infallible Ima...

Now the question arises about the status of Islamic social-political programs during the occultation. What should the Muslims do when they do not have access to the Imam, the rightful ruler? Who should take charge of leading the community to its divi...

Now the question arises about the status of Islami...

Engineer Madani: Mr. Hoshyar! From your discussions on the subject of awaiting the appearance of the Mahdi, it would seem that during the occultation of the twelfth Imam the Shi'is are required to adopt an active posture and work to establish an Isla...

Engineer Madani: Mr. Hoshyar! From your discussion...

The meeting started on time. Dr. Jalali welcomed the group and opened the session with his question. Dr. Jalali: How will the Imam of the Age know that the time for his emergence has arrived? If it is said that at that moment he will receive the info...

The meeting started on time. Dr. Jalali welcomed t...

Dr. Jalali: What are the Muslims supposed to do during the period of occultation? In other words, what are their obligations during this period? Mr. Hoshyar: Our scholars have identified and written in their books certain things Muslims ought to do d...

Dr. Jalali: What are the Muslims supposed to do du...

Another reason mentioned in the traditions is reported in a hadith from Imam Sadiq in which the Imam said: In the loins of disbelievers and hypocrites God has deposited a seed for believing persons. It was for this reason that Imam 'Ali b. Abi Talib ...

Another reason mentioned in the traditions is repo...