Shi’a Islam, (also sometimes spelled Shia, Shi’i or Shi’a), itself a minority denomination of about 20 percent of the world’s total Muslim population, is Iran’s official religion and forms the basis for its system of government. The majority of the world’s Muslims are Sunnis (from sunnah, meaning “tradition of the Holy Prophet”), and most of the basic guides on Islam available in English mostly discuss Sunni Islam, although some basic information on Shi’ism is usually included.
All Muslims share the same main beliefs in the Oneness of God, the prophetic status of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the Day of Judgment, but just like with Christian denominations, there are doctrinal and devotional differences between Sunnis and Shi’as. Since the official religion of Iran is Shi’a Islam, the focus throughout this chapter is on this denomination.
Iranian culture is closely tied to Islam and Shi’ism in diverse ways. To appreciate this connection, we will look at the five fundamental principles (Usul-e Din) of Shi’a Islam and its ten secondary articles (Furu-e Din).
Introductory books to Islam list the five pillars of Islam as creed (shahâdah), prayer (salât), alms-giving (zakât), fast (sawm), and pilgrimage (hajj). In Shi’a Islam the creed is included in the five fundamental principles and the other four pillars in the secondary articles. Shi’a Islam has five fundamental principles, or roots: the Oneness of God; God’s justice; Prophethood; Imamate, the vicegerency of the prophet; and the Day of Judgment.
The concept of Tawheed means that there is only one God, one who has no partners and who created many worlds, including the physical world. On a deeper level, the unity of God is manifested in the harmony of nature and through the actions of believers whose motives should always be to follow God’s will. On an even deeper, more mystical level, Tawheed refers to the oft-repeated idea in the Quran that humans will eventually be reunited with God whence they came. Of course, this is a huge oversimplification of the most important belief of Islam, on which numerous volumes have been written.
Throughout life, believers do good deeds and try to avoid committing sins. An account of checks and balances is kept, and when the physical world is destroyed and God raises the dead, everyone will be called to account on the Day of Judgment. Although all Muslims hope for God’s mercy, they believe that He will reward or punish everyone according to their deeds.
Throughout the history of humankind, God has sent prophets who communicated God’s will and tried to guide humanity on the straight path. These include Abraham, Moses, Elias, Jonah, Solomon, Jacob, Joseph, all the prophets of the Old Testament including those not mentioned by name, John, and Jesus. There are 124,000 prophets, and all are revered in Islam.
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