Theology literally is driven from the Greek term 'theos' -God- and 'logy' –science, study- . Theology, therefore, is a systematic study of the fundamental beliefs of a religion.; Thus, Jewish theology, Roman Catholic theology and Islamic theology, etc.
Muslim scholars refer to Islamic theology as 'Elmul-Kalam' which literally means 'the science of rational discourse. (Elm=science, al-Kalam= word)
There are two famous opinions as to why ...
Shi'ite Contributions to Philosophy and the Intellectual Sciences
In the same way that from the beginning Shi'ism played an effective role in the formation of Islamic philosophical thought, it was also a principal factor in the further development and prop-
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agation of philosophy and the Islamic sciences. Although after Ibn Rushd philosophy disappeared in the Sunni world, it continued to live in Shi'ism. After Ibn Rushd there ...
The Ahle Kitab are also guilty of polytheism in the matter of obedience, while it is only Allah who is the Lord of all the worlds. He is the one who created man and other creatures bestowed form and body to them. He makes each of the creatures to reach to their perfection. From the time a child is conceived till he reaches the lap of death, in whole life span of man, Allah does not forsake him even for a moment. In the same way Allah is not ...
A Creator Who cannot be circumscribed by place for Whose Essence no limit is conceivable of Whose being not a single part of the heavens and earth is empty-such a Creator is naturally aware of all things; there is nothing throughout the whole scheme of being on which the bright rays of His knowledge do not shine.
The events that occur in the most distant part of the universe happenings that occurred billions of years ago or will occur billions ...
Unfortunately on account of various reasons, some of which we shall mention shortly, the hadith did not remain immune from forgery and other problems. A great number of incorrect traditions found way into collections of prophetic sayings. The task of separating genuine traditions from apocryphal material was as necessary as that of removing weeds from a flower bed; as in case of weeds, their identification and removal was not an easy task, ...
With my continuous chain of transmission reaching up to Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni, from al-Husayn ibn Muhammad, from al-Mu'alla ibn Muhammad, from al-Hasan ibn 'Ali al-Washsha', from 'Abd Allah ibn Sinan, from Abu `Abd Allah, may peace be upon him, that he said: "Among the things pertaining to the soundness of a Muslim's certitude [in faith] is that he would not please people while displeasing God, nor blame them for something that God has ...
Those Who Are Disobedient to Their Parents
The sixth Greater Sin is to be disobedient to one's parents as expressly mentioned in the traditions from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and the Pure Imams (a.s.). These have already been quoted in the first chapter. A tradition of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) says that the greatest sins are shirk and to be disobedient to one's parents. The seriousness of disobedience to parents as a Greater sin can be gauged ...
When we wish to assess the scientific personality and knowledge of a scholar, we examine his works and subject them to close study. Similarly, in order to measure the talent, creativity and ability of an artist to invent original images, we undertake the study of his artistic production. In the same way, we can also perceive the attributes and characteristics of the pure essence of the Creator from the qualities and orderliness that pervade ...
1. Introduction
As mentioned in the previous lessons, a Muslim must follow the sharī`a in every aspect of his or her life. If Islam is a religion which is to stay till the end of time, then there must always be some people who can guide the Muslims in the changing circumstances of time and of place. After the Prophet of Islam, the most ideal persons to guide the Muslims were the Imams of Ahlu ’l-bayt. However, the Present Imam, ...
If the thief is seen stealing, he becomes a bandit. The owner can, with the intention of protecting his property fight with him. If the thief dies, his killing is condoned and no blood money is payable. Similarly the attacker can be killed in defence of ones life and honour. But the real aim has to be for defence, and if defence is possible without killing, then killing is haraam. Only the least aggressive measures necessary for defence are ...
The Day of Resu Every man out of his natural disposition has some conception of the Day of Resurrection because there is no one who would not like to know the ultimate future of man and of this world, where the life's struggle of man ends and what the real purpose of life is?
We have two answers to this question as follows:
(i) All the Divine religions according to the arguments, we shall advance at a later stage, have an ...
One of the followers of Sheikh Murtaza Ansaari gifted him an expensive winter cloak whose color quality and material was indeed extra ordinary. The Sheikh wore the cloak on the first day to the mosque, but it was observed by the man who had given him the cloak that the next day the Sheikh wore his old ordinary cloak.
When the disciple asked him the reason for not wearing the cloak which he had gifted to the Sheikh, the Sheikh replied that he ...
Abu Hanifa said we dont consider anyone who prays to Qibla to be a kaafir and this is the belief of majority of Ulema (Sharh Muwafaq page 726 (Luckonow) Sharh Maqasid Volume 2 page 269 (Istanbul) Sharh Fiqh Akbar page 189 (Kanpur)
Abu Hanifa wrote in his will The followers of Muhammad can be sinners but they are momin NOT kaafor (al Jahur athul Maneefa Sharh Waseeyul Imam Abu Hanifa page 6 printed Hyderabad Deccan)
Imam Shaafi I do not ...
... Muhammad ibn Ya'qub (al-Kulayni), from 'Ali ibn Ibrahim, from Muhammad ibn `isa, from Yunus, from Dawad al-Raqqi, who reports from Abu `Abd Allah (al-'Imam al-Sadiq) (A) that the Apostle of God (S) said that God Almighty addressed Musa ibn `Imran (A) thus: "O son of `Imran, never be envious of people concerning the favours I have conferred on them by My grace, do not glower at them, and do not succumb to your (envious) ...
The Reality of Taqwa
The word 'Taqwa' is derived from the root 'waqaya' which means 'to safeguard' or 'to abstain'. In the Islamic terminology it is defined as the action of restraining oneself from disobeying the commands of Allah. When Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) was asked to elaborate on the meaning of the word, 'Taqwa' he replied, "Submit to the command (of Allah) and do not go near the prohibited." It means that one should endeavor to ...
Lying causes forgetfulness
26. Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) is reported to have said,
"One of the divine punishments for too much lying is that Allah makes the liar afflicted with forgetfulness." (Wasaelush Shia)
Thus a man speaks a lie and then forgets his lie. Consequently people come to know that he has spoken a lie and his falsity is exposed to the people.
Now to save his skin he speaks more lies and is insulted further because his ...
The worst kind of falsehood is what one utters against Allah the Almighty, His Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and the Imams (a.s.). The divine book, Quran says:"And, for what your tongues describe, do not utter the lie, (saying) this is lawful and this is unlawful, in order to forge a lie against Allah; surely those who forge a lie against Allah shall not prosper. A little enjoyment and they shall have a painful punishment." (Surah Nahl 16:116-117)
The ...
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Viewed from the point of view of the Western intellectual tradition, Islamic philosophy appears as simply Graeco-Alexandrian philosophy in Arabic dress, a philosophy whose sole role was to transmit certain important elements of the heritage of antiquity to the medieval West. If seen, however, from its own perspective and in the light of the whole of the Islamic philosophical tradition which has had a twelve-century-long ...
The opinions of the Muslims who emphasize personal reasoning (ahl al-ra'y) have differed on this. Malik and al-Awza`i have said that the verse is not a part of the Qur'an and have unanimously forbidden its recitation in the obligatory [prayers] whether it be at the beginning of sura al-Hamd or the suraafter it, or whether it (the prayer) is recited loudly or silently. Yes, they have allowed it's recitation in the supererogatory prayers.
As ...
The Christians believe in the trinity of the Godhead. The Father (God), The Son (Jesus) and the Holy Ghost (Jibraeel). They believe that each of them have a special quality and that together they constitute the Godhead. The Quran flays their assertion thus: "Certainly they disbelieve who say, 'Surely Allah is the third (person) of three'; and there is no god but One God." (Surah Maidah 5:73)
The Holy Quran clearly states that Allah is not ...
