Usul al-Din: Difference between revisions

'''Uṣūl al-Dīn''' (أصول الدین) or '''Principles of Religionubuwwa''' or '''roots of faith''' contrary to ''[[Furu' al-Din]]'' (Minor Issues of Religion) are a set of essential beliefs in [[Islam]], which every [[Muslim]] needs to believe in; otherwise, he would not be considered a Muslim, i.e. rejecting each of these principles implies blasphemy and results in punishment in the [[hereafter]].

From [[Shi'a]] viewpoint, [[Tawhid]] (oneness of God), [[Nubuwwat]] (prophethood), [['Adl]] (justice of God), [[imamate]] and [[resurrection]] are the principles needed to be believed in to reach ultimate happiness. However, the two principles of justice and imamate can be considered separate from the other three, since if one rejects oneness of God, prophethood and resurrection is basically not a Muslim, but if he rejects justice and imamate, then he is a Muslim but not a Shi'a and distances from genuine Islam. Therefore, the two principle of justice and imamate are called Principles of School.

Most religious scholars believe that contrary to Furu' al-Din, [[Taqlid]] (emulation) is not permissible in Usul al-Din and everyone needs to think about these principles for himself and accepts them through certainty (not assumption).

Usul al-Din refers to two different senses: first sense commonly includes all Islamic theological principles opposite to minor issues in religion. In this sense, Usul al-Din are theological principles which are to be thought about and Furu' al-Din are those issues which are to be observed, whether they need to be followed or abandoned.

Its other sense refers to the three or five theological principles of [[Tawhid]] (oneness of God), [[Nubuwwat]] (prophethood), [['Adl]] (justice of God), [[imamate]] and [[resurrection]]. However often, the three principles of Tawhid , prophethood and resurrection are called principles of religion and the two principles of justice and imamate are called principles of School (School of Twelver Shi'a); yet sometimes, all of them together have been called principles of religion.