Fundamentals

Divine Oneness

We are religiously obligated to believe that Allah is the One and Only. He is

unlike anything. He has no equal amongst anything, nor does He have an

opposite. This is because an equal would equal Him in comparison (mukāf) and

an opposite would oppose Him in contradiction (munāf). He is not from

amongst those with comparisons or contradictions.

He does not consist of a body within the boundaries of space (mahdūd). He does

not resemble anything. He is in every place (bi kulli makān) in the sense of not

being hidden, yet He is not a spatial Being. It is similar to the Blessed, Exalted’s

statements: {He is with you wherever you may be} (Q. 57:4) and {There is no

intimate conversation amongst three except that He is the fourth of them. Nor

are there five except that He is the sixth of them. No less than that or no more

except that He is with them wherever they are} (Q: 58:7). The Mighty, Majestic

also says: {We are closer to them than their jugular vein} (Q. 50:6) and {He is a

God in the heavens and a God on the earth} (Q. 43:84). There are various verses

that prove that He is independent (lā yahtāj) of space. He is the arranger of

space. He existed before all space and time. He existed when there were no

heavens, earth, Celestial Chair (Kursi), Divine Throne (‘Arsh), Speech (Kalām),

sound, or letters. He existed before the Torah, Gospels, and Qur’ān.

He revealed the Qur’ān to His Prophet, upon him be peace. It [i.e. the Qur’ān]

was composed, created, conveyed, divided, compiled, and originated. It is able

to be forwarded and produced by other than it. It is protected, and Allah is its

Protector. It is able to be replaced by that which is the like of it. It is as the

Glorified says: {We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be oblivious except

that We bring forth better than it or similar to it} (Q. 2:106).

Allah has no likeness or counterpart.

Eyesight will not perceive Him in this world or in the Hereafter. This is because

those things that the eyesight falls upon, exist within the boundary of space

which shows it to be weak, in need, subjected, encapsulated, encompassed; as

well as consists of a whole, a part, color, taste, scent, touch, height, depth, right,

left, front, and back. Allah is not to be described by any of the descriptions of

the created. This is because He is Independent and Pre-Existent. It is as what

was said: {He is unlike anything. He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing} (Q. 42:11).

Consequently, Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted, is not a figure, in that He will be

manifested by eyesight. He is not a sound in that He will be encompassed by

hearing. He is not a scent in that He will be smelled by smelling. He is not heat

or cold in that He will be felt. He is not soft or rough in that He will be touched

by the hand. This is because Allah, the Glorified, created the hand and what is

touched, the eyesight and what is beheld, the hearing and what is reached, smell

and what is smelled, as well as the tongue and what is tasted. These five senses

are created, made, and existent. There is nothing in them that resemble Allah,

nor does Allah, the Mighty, the Majestic, resemble anything from them.

Concerning that, the Exalted says: {Vision does not reach Him; rather, He

reaches all vision. He is the All-Subtle, the All-Aware} (Q. 6:103). This is

because whatever the eyesight falls upon, exists within the boundary of space

which shows it to be weak. Allah is Exalted high above all of that!

Divine Justice and Wisdom

We are religiously obligated to believe that Allah is All-Just in what He decrees,

Generous in what He grants, Merciful to His slaves, and the Overseer of His

creation. He does not burden one except by what one is able to do. He does not

ask of them what they can’t accomplish. {Allah does not commit injustice; even

an atom’s weight. If there is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from His

Presence a great reward} (Q. 4:40).

He does not create injustice and tyranny. He does not create disbelief in the

slaves. He does not desire injustice and disobedience. There is no declaration of

evil in speech. He does not will the slaughter of His friends (awliyā`u). He does

not lie in His conveyances. He does not decree or predestine evil on Himself. He

does not commit falsehood. If He were to do so, or if a wife or child were to will

along with Him, He would not be All-Wise or Omniscient.

If Allah is Most-Merciful, Most Gracious, All-Wise, and Omniscient, then

frivolity is impossible for Him. If that is the case, then how can He prevent His

slave from belief and then say: {What prevented the people from believing…}

(Q. 17:94), {What [harm] would there have been if they had believed in Allah

and the Last Day…?} (Q. 4:39), and {What is the matter with them that they

won’t believe?!} (Q. 84:20)?! How can He command them to guidance, divert

them from it, and then say: {How are you diverted?} (Q. 10:32)?! How can He

create them in disbelief and then say: {You have done an abominable thing! The

heavens are breaking apart from this, the earth is splitting open, and the

mountains are collapsing in ruin!} (Q. 19:89-90)?!

However, we say that Allah makes the path to our Lord easy, establishes clear

proofs for them, sends them messengers, and reveals to them the Qur’ān. He

made it [i.e. the Qur’ān] a means of healing and evidence. He declares the

permissible and prohibited by it. He establishes the punishments (hudūd) and

rulings by it. He assists them by strengthening them. He calls all of them to

belief by means of it. He commands and prohibits them. He makes them firm

against injustice. He arouses desire in them to achieve many rewards. He does

not desire anything from them other than what he commanded them to do. He

does not restrain or prohibit them from what He desires or wills. This would be

contrary to wisdom and mercy. It is as He states: {To Allah belong the most

excellent Names; so call Him by any of them} (Q. 7:180). (He is Most Clement,

Most Merciful to them} (Q. 9:117). {No bearer of burdens will bear the burden

of another. There is naught for man except that for which he strives. His

striving will be seen} (Q. 53:38-40). {Your Lord is never unjust to His slaves}

(Q. 41:46).

The Truth of the Divine Threat and Promise

We are religiously obligated to believe that Allah is true in everything that He

conveys. He is not contrary in what He promises. He does not change anything

He says.

Verily the major sinners from the people of our religion—if they do not repent

of their sins and continue to persist in them without remorse before leaving this

world, they shall be the people of the Fire to remain therein forever. They will

not exit from it, nor will they be removed from it. Rather, they will remain there

perpetually for eternity. It is as He says: {Whoever disobeys Allah and His

Messenger and exceed the limits—He will place him into the Fire, therein to

abide forever! He will have a contemptible punishment} (Q. 4:14); {Indeed, the

righteous will be in blessedness and the wicked will be in the Hellfire. They will

burn therein on the Day of Payment. And never will they be removed from it}

(Q. 82:13-16); {Those who falsely accuse innocent, oblivious, and believing

women will be cursed in this world and the Hereafter. They shall have a great

punishment!} (Q. 24:23). The one who is cursed in the Hereafter will not enter

Paradise because the Hereafter is the place of retribution. It is not the place of

deeds and trial. It is as he says: {And do not kill yourselves. Verily Allah is

Ever-Merciful to you. Whoever does that in enmity and injustice—We will

drive them into the Fire. That is easy for Allah} (Q. 4:29-30). Similar to this is

the verse of the one who deserts the army, the verse of slaughter, and the verse

of consuming the wealth of the orphan unjustly. From all of these verses, we

know that Allah punishes the major sinner by Fire and confines them therein to

dwell forever and ever.

Commanding the Good and Prohibiting the Bad

We are religiously obligated to command the good and prohibit the bad; as well

as assist the oppressed and remove the hand of the oppressor as a duty. We are

religiously obligated to fulfill rights. This is because if one was to avoid

commanding the good, truth would perish. If one was to avoid the prohibition of

bad, falsehood would survive. It is for this reason that Allah obligates it upon

His slave and makes the obligations incumbent upon them; at least as much as

what is possible. It is as the Lord of the Worlds says: {Cooperate in

righteousness and piety, and do not cooperate in sin and enmity. Be conscious of

Allah; for verily, Allah is severe in punishment} (Q. 5:2). He also says:

{However, if one of them oppresses the other, then fight against the oppressive

one until they return to the command of Allah} (Q. 49:9). Further, He says:

{The believing men and believing women are guardians of one another. They

command the good and prohibit the bad} (Q. 9:71). There are many more

verses that prove what we said and authenticate what we explained.

The Imamate of Amīr al-Muminīn, ‘Ali bin Abi Ťālib

We are religiously obligated to believe that Amīr al-Muminīn, ‘Ali bin Abi Ťālib,

Allah’s blessings be upon him, was the best of the Community after the Prophet,

upon him be peace. He was obedient to his Lord, always willing to give his life,

and always immensely engrossed in his obedience to Allah and His Messenger,

upon him be peace. He was the closest in kinship to the Messenger of Mercy. He

was foremost in knowledge concerning what Allah revealed in the Qur’ān and

his asceticism in this world. The statements of the Messenger, peace and

blessings be upon him and his progeny, concerning him are famous and wellknown;

among them the Day of the Pond (Ghadīr) of Khumm: ((Whomever I

have authority over, ‘Ali has authority over. O Allah, help those that help him

and oppose those that oppose him! Assist those that assist him, and abandon

those that abandon him!)); as well as his statement: ((‘Ali is to me as Aaron was

to Moses, except that there will be no prophet after me.)); and ((You are a jurist

(qāďi) of religion and the fulfiller of my trusts)).

The Messenger, upon him be peace, specified him knowing the happenstances

and controversies that would occur with his community. ‘Ali used to relate an

account that he would be killed by a Murādi; and also, he was informed about

the Transgressors (firqat al-Qāsiŧa), the Traitors (an-Nākitha), and the Rebels

(al-Māriqa). It is the consensus of our community that when given the choice,

they all chose him, with the exception of small splinter groups. In that, they

agreed that he is foremost of the forerunners (as-sābiqīn), foremost of the

scholars, foremost of the ascetics, and the foremost amongst those who were

willing to sacrifice themselves. There is no disagreement that he possessed these

traits more than others. His virtues were evident to all.

He was the cousin of Muhammad, upon him be peace; as well as the father of

the two Grandsons (as-Sibtayn): al-Hassan and al-Hussein. He was the husband

of Fātima, blessings be upon them all.

There is mutual agreement that ‘Ali, Allah’s blessings be upon him, was suited

for the Caliphate the day that Allah took His Prophet, upon him be peace. They

disagreed concerning other than him. That withstanding, truth is with what all

agree on. Falsehood is with what all disagree on.