Usul al-Din: Difference between revisions

Moreover, it can be noted that these principles are defined so that the border between Islam and other religions and the border between [[Shi'a]] and other sects are preserved; e.g. with imamate, Shi'a are separated from [[sunni|Sunnis]] and with justice, Shi'a are separated from [[Ash'arite]]s.

Sometimes, Usul al-Din has been used to address a more general sense; for example, it has been used to refer to the science of [[Kalam]] (Islamic theology).

This title has been used by [['Ilm al-Kalam|theologians]] and neither exists in the [[Qur'an]], nor in [[hadith]]s, is any classification of religious sciences as principles and other issues.

However, there are hadiths in which it is mentioned that Islam has principles; for example, in a hadith, [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] was asked "what are principles? And what are the issues everyone needs to have knowledge about, should not be ignorant about, otherwise whose beliefs would be spoiled and God would not accept his deeds and if anyone knows them and acts upon them, his religion would be corrected and his deeds would be accepted?" Imam answered, "declaring belief in oneness of God, prophethood of [[the Prophet (s)]], acknowledging what is revealed from God, paying [[Zakat]] and acknowledging [[Wilaya]] of [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)|the Progeny of Muhammad (s)]], among whom Wilaya is of special importance."

In another hadith, [[Imam al-Baqir (a)]] says, "Islam has five pillars of [[daily prayers]], Zakat, [[Fasting]], [[Hajj]] and Wilaya which is most important of all." Such hadiths show that some Islamic beliefs are such that rejecting them results in rejecting Islam, while the rest of beliefs are not as such.

There is no disagreement over the necessity of believing in Usul al-Din, but there are different opinions about whether believing in Usul al-Din needs to be based on assured knowledge or conjectural knowledge is just enough; and also different opinions over the former, that such assured knowledge needs to be acquired through reasoning or emulation is enough. Most scholars think that believing in Usul al-Din needs to be based on assured knowledge and the faith upon conjecture is not enough.

They justify their theory using verse of the [[Qur'an]] and [[hadith]]s which criticize following conjecture such as "indeed conjecture is no substitute for the truth." (Q,10:36); "They follow nothing but conjectures and they do nothing but surmise." (Q,6:116); "and they only make conjectures." (Q,45:24).

Against this opinion, some other scholars have considered a strong conjecture for believing in Usul al-Din enough and have said that a strong conjecture makes the heart tranquil and that in the view of religion, a true knowledge is not beneficial if not resulted in tranquility of the heart. Therefore, what is necessary with regards to believing in Usul al-Din is receiving certainty at the heart which is commonly called certitude. In certitude, there is no absolute protection from mistake; however, it is disregarded since it is weak, contrary to logical certitude, in which there is no possibility of conjecture.

Most scholars believe that emulation in Usul al-din is not permissible and knowing them needs to be acquired through studying. There has been a claim of consensus on this issue as well.

One of the reasons for impermissibility of the emulation in Usul al-din is that the emulator either knows the truthfulness of the authority he is following or not: if he does not know about that, then he can estimate the error in the authority and thus his emulation is not wise, since he is following what is not immune from error; but if he knows that the authority he is following hold the truth, then it is either of two conditions: he has made this conclusion in three conditions: either out of transparency which is null and void, out of emulation for which the number of people emulating whom is necessary is countless or though studying which is the only rational assumption in which the person may have concluded the truthfulness of the authority and this is actually not emulation and thus emulation in Usul al-din is invalid.

The famous opinion is that Usul al-din include three issues: [[Tawhid]] (oneness of God), [[Nubuwwat]] (prophethood), and [[resurrection]], to which [['Adl]] (justice) and [[imamate]] are added as the Principles of the School. In other words, if one rejects one of the three Usul al-din is a Kafir [unbeliever] but if he accepts the three but rejects either justice [of God] or imamate, then he is not an unbeliever but he would not be a [[Shi'a]].