Five roots, one tree: The foundations of Shia belief are five — the Usul al-Din, the Roots of Religion: Tawhid (the oneness of Allah), 'Adl (Divine justice), Nubuwwa (prophethood), Imamah (Divine leadership), and Ma'ad (resurrection). This whole subject follows that order, root by root.
Two Shia distinctives: What marks Shia Kalam out from other schools is 'Adl and Imamah. 'Adl means Allah is perfectly just — justice has real content, and Allah's acts always agree with it. Imamah means that after the Prophet (SAW), Allah appointed a divinely guided leader to continue prophetic guidance. Imamah is a fundamental root of faith, as basic as Tawhid itself — not just a political opinion.
Three schools of Kalam: Islamic theology was shaped by three great schools. The Mu'tazila stressed reason highly — they agree with Shia Kalam on 'Adl and on Husn wa Qubh, but they rejected Imamah. The Ash'ariyya stressed Divine will above all — they became the dominant school in the Sunni world. The Imamiyya — the Shia school — hold reason and revelation together, from the Imams (as) onwards. This course follows the Imami Shia school throughout.
Justice links to leadership: The five roots form one chain. If Allah is perfectly just ('Adl), He would not leave people without a guide after the Prophet. The same proof that gives us prophethood — the principle of Lutf, Divine grace — gives us Imamah too. That is why 'Adl and Imamah are philosophically linked.
Our guidebooks: The great Shia Kalam books are: Al-Bab al-Hadi 'Ashar by al-'Allama al-Hilli — the best short introduction, covering all five roots; Kashf al-Murad, al-Hilli's commentary on Tajrid al-I'tiqad by Khwaja Nasir al-Din al-Tusi; Awa'il al-Maqalat by Shaykh al-Mufid; Al-I'tiqadat by Shaykh al-Saduq; and the encyclopaedic Bihar al-Anwar. In modern times, 'Allama Tabataba'i and Shahid Mutahhari carried the tradition forward.
Example
Think of a tree. Its five roots hold it up, and if you cut one root, the tree leans. The five Usul al-Din are like that: Tawhid, 'Adl, Nubuwwa, Imamah, and Ma'ad each hold up the faith. Remove one — say, if Allah were not just, or if there were no guide after the Prophet — and the whole tree of belief begins to fall.
Key Terms
- Usul al-Din (اصول الدین) — the Roots of Religion; the five fundamental beliefs
- Tawhid (توحید) — the oneness of Allah
- 'Adl (عدل) — Divine justice; Allah is perfectly just
- Imamah (امامت) — Divine leadership after the Prophet (SAW)
- Ma'ad (معاد) — resurrection and the afterlife
Quran or Hadith
None used in this topic.
Fresh diagram to be drawn: A tree with five labelled roots — Tawhid, 'Adl, Nubuwwa, Imamah, Ma'ad — and one trunk labelled "Islamic Faith", with a caption "Five roots, one tree".
- The five Roots of Religion are Tawhid, 'Adl, Nubuwwa, Imamah, and Ma'ad.
- Shia Kalam is marked out by 'Adl and Imamah — both are fundamental roots, not side issues.
- The three great schools are the Mu'tazila, the Ash'ariyya, and the Imamiyya (Shia).
- If Allah is just, He would not leave people without a guide after the Prophet.