The Five Pillars of Islam are fundamental practices in Islam, considered to be obligatory acts of worship for all Muslims. They are summarized in the famous hadith of Gabriel. The Sunni and Shia agree on the basic details the performance and practice of these acts, but the Shia do not refer to them by the same name. They are: Muslim creed, prayer, charity to the poor, fasting on the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca for those who are able.
Muslims are people who follow or practice Islam, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion. The derivation of "Muslim" is from an Arabic word meaning "submitter ". Muslims consider the Quran, their holy book, to be the verbatim word of God as revealed to the Islamic prophet and messenger Muhammad. The majority of Muslims also follow their own versions of compilations claimed to be the teachings and practices of Muhammad (sunnah) as recorded in traditional accounts (hadith).
Shia Islam or Shi'ism is the second largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor and the Imam after him, most notably at the event of Ghadir Khumm, but was prevented from succeeding Muhammad as the leader of the Muslims as a result of the choice made by some of Muhammad's other companions at Saqifah. This view primarily contrasts with that of Sunni Islam, whose adherents believe that Muhammad did not appoint a successor before his death and consider Abu Bakr, who was appointed caliph by a group of senior Muslims at Saqifah, to be the first rightful caliph after Muhammad. Adherents of Shia Islam are called Shia Muslims or simply the Shia.
In religion, heterodoxy means "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position." Under this definition, heterodoxy is similar to unorthodoxy, while the adjective 'heterodox' could be applied to a dissident.
An Islamic republic can be considered a sovereign state in the form of a republic that is officially ruled by Islamic laws, contrasted to Islamic monarchy. As a name or title, three current states are Islamic republics: Iran, Mauritania and Pakistan. The term is, however, vague. Despite sharing the "Islamic republic" name, the countries differ greatly in their governments and laws, and of the three only Iran is a religious theocratic state. Additionally, Pakistan was the first to adopt the name in 1956, despite the fact Islam was not the state religion at the time. It can therefore be considered a symbolic term.
In Islam, Taqiya or Taqiyya is a precautionary dissimulation or denial of religious belief and practice in the face of persecution.
Maturidiyya is one of the main schools of Sunni Islamic theology. It was formalized by Abu Mansur Al Maturidi and brought the beliefs already present among most Sunnis under one school of systematic theology (kalam) and emphasised rationality and rationalism. It is considered one of the orthodox Sunni creeds alongside the Ash'ari school, and prevails in the Hanafi school of fiqh. Māturīdism was the predominant theological orientation among the Sunni Muslims of Persia before the conversion to Shiaism in the 16th century, and the Ahl al-Ray. It enjoyed a preeminent status in the Ottoman Empire and Mughal India. Outside the old Ottoman and Mughal empires, most Turkic tribes, Hui people, Central Asian, and South Asian Muslims also follow Maturidi theology. There have also been Arab Maturidi scholars.
Iranian religions are religions which originated in Greater Iran.
Many Islamic sects and groups have different understandings of Islam. There are different denominations, schools of jurisprudence, schools of theology or aqidah (creed). Within Islamic groups themselves there may be differences, such as different orders within Sufism, and within Sunni Islam different branches, and schools of jurisprudence. Groups in Islam may be quite large or relatively small in size. Differences between the groups may not be well known to Muslims outside of scholarly circles, or may have induced enough passion to have resulted in bloodshed at times. There are informal movements driven by ideas, and organized groups with a governing body. Some Islamic groups regard certain other Islamic groups as deviant and not truly Muslim. Some groups go back to the seventh century CE, others have arisen much more recently, or even in the 20th century. Still others were influential in their time, but are not longer in existence.
In Twelver Shia Islam, the ten Ancillaries of the Faith are the ten practices that Shia Muslims have to carry out.
Theology of Twelver Shias contains five principles of the Shia Islam religion known as Uṣūl ad-Dīn. Usul al-dín is an Arabic Islamic term which literally translates as 'principles of the faith', roughly interpretable as 'theology'.
Aqidah is an Islamic term of Arabic origin that literally means "creed".
Jaʿfari jurisprudence, Jaʿfari school or Jaʿfari fiqh, is the school of jurisprudence (fiqh) in Twelver and Nizari Shia Islam, named after the sixth Imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq. In Iran, Ja'fari jurisprudence is enshrined in the constitution.
Islam is an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion teaching that Muhammad is the final prophet and messenger of God. It is the world's second-largest religion with approximately 1.9 billion adherents, comprising 24.9% of the world's population, known as Muslims; Muslims make up a majority of the population in 47 countries. Islam teaches that God, or Allah, is merciful, all-powerful, and unique, and has guided humanity through prophets, revealed scriptures, and natural signs. The primary scriptures of Islam are the Quran, believed to be the verbatim word of God, as well as the teachings and normative examples of Muhammad.
The Abrahamic religions, also sometimes referred to as Abrahamism, are a group of monotheistic religions that strictly endorse worship of the God of Abraham. These most notably include Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as the Baháʼí Faith, Samaritanism, the Druze Faith, and others. The namesake for this group's identity is Abraham, a Hebrew patriarch and prophet who is extensively mentioned in many prominent Abrahamic scriptures, such as the Bible, the Quran, and the Kitáb-i-Aqdas.
Occultation in Shia Islam refers to a belief that the messianic figure known as the Mahdi, a cultivated male descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, has already been born and subsequently went into hiding, from which he will one day emerge with Jesus and establish global justice.
TwelverShi’ism, also known as Imamiyyah, is the largest branch of Shia Islam, with about 85% of all Shias. The term Twelver refers to its adherents' belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as the Twelve Imams, and their belief that the last Imam, Imam al-Mahdi, lives in occultation and will reappear as the promised Mahdi. According to Shia tradition, the Mahdi's tenure will coincide with the Second Coming of Isa, who, along with Mahdi, would kill Dajjal.
Criticism of Twelver Shia Islam dates from the initial idealogical rift among early Muslims that led to the two primary denominations of Islam, the Sunnis and the Shias. The question of succession to Muhammad in Islam, the nature of the Imamate, the status of the twelfth Shia Imam, and other areas in which Shia Islam differs from Sunni Islam have been criticized by Sunni scholars, even though there is no disagreement between the two sects regarding the centrality of the Quran, Muhammad, and many other doctrinal, theological and ritual matters. Shia commentators such as Musa al-Musawi and Ali Shariati have themselves, in their attempts to reform the faith, criticized practices and beliefs which have become prevalent in the Twelver Shia community.
Schools of Islamic theology are various Islamic schools and branches in different schools of thought regarding aqidah (creed). According to Muhammad Abu Zahra, Qadariyah, Jahmis, Murji'ah, Muʿtazila, Batiniyya, Ash'ari, Maturidi, Athari are the ancient schools of Islamic theology.
Awail al Maqalat fi Madhahab al Mukhtarah or Principal theses of selected doctrines, is a Shia doctrinal, theological book written by Shaykh Mufid.
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