Message of Thaqalayn
Volume:16 Issue: 1, Spring 2015

This series — Indicators of Pie —focuses on the advantages of piety (taqwa) in Islam. Piety is one of the most vital merits a person can have since it is related to the intention behind all actions and is required to reach salvation. While parts I and II probed into the merits of piety and explored its definition and the factors that contribute to its formation, parts III and IV demonstrated the characteristics of the pious and defined the faithful as those who will achieve true success in this world and the next. This part delves into the qualities of loving God and loving others for His sake, our duties towards the entire community of the Ahlul Bayt, and the importance of truthfulness, justice, and keeping promises.

The Aim of the prophets'' mission and revelation of the Holy Qur''an is to train an individual and develop a healthy personality by forming a constructive relationship with God, one''s self, society, and the environment. In order to achieve this scared purpose, humankind is granted revelatory teachings of the Qur''an and narrations from the Infallibles. According to Islamic teachings, without the connection with God, any claim to have a healthy personality is unfounded. A Person''s mental health is measured by his distance from or closeness to God. This article describes the concept of a healthy personality and its outcomes, with an explanation on the relationship of the healthy personality with prayer and servitude to God. Among the salient points of this article is the concept of personality in psychology and the role of a healthy personality in the observance of Islamic values.

The patriarch Abraham has a special place as a central figure in all three monotheistic religions. Although essentially the «One» God that all monotheistic religions consider as their Lord, the God of Abraham in the Old Testament, Bible, and the Qur''an are arguably very different Gods. In all of the Abrahamic religions, at the most fundamental level, God is «the maker of heaven and earth». Despite many other shared elements, the image of God and His characteristics diverge on other points. As the father of monotheism, Abraham''s perception of God in each text serves as an important portal into the image of God in each. In this part, God''s image and characteristics in both the Old Testament and the Qur''an will be compared and contrasted in regards to «seeing God, His knowledge, His all-hearing quality, and His justice, and how these aspects contribute to an image of Him.

An Imam who surpasses all people in every honourable quality whether it be knowledge، courage، piety، or wisdom، and who leads justly leads people and guides them towards morality is a blessing and grace of God. In Shi`i Islam، the concept of Imamate refers to the necessity of having a divinely-appointed leader who will lead the Islamic nation after the Prophet''s death. The previous part of this series displayed the responses to objections raised against Imamate from prominent scholar Allamah Hilli''s Kashf ul-Murad، expanded on from Nasir al-Din al-Tusi''s Tajrid al-I `tiqad — the first treatise on Shi`i theology. Kashful Murad is one of the most widely read of Allamah al-Hilli''s publications as it is the first commentary written on Allamah al-Tusi''s work. This part continues with discussions on the proofs for the Imamate of Ali، his superiority to the companions، the Imamate of the eleven Imams after him، and rules concerning those opposed to his leadership.

The Qur''an is the main text of Islam for the purpose of guiding human beings to perfection and felicity, a book that leads the ignorant to the light. The Qur''an without the Ahlul Bayt and the Ahlul Bayt without the Qur''an cannot enable a person to achieve the highest goal — the two must correspond with one another. This article offers a collection of sayings by Imam Zain al-Abideen al-Sajjad, the fourth Shi`a Imam, regarding various aspects of the Qur''an in his supplication «Upon Completing a Reading of the Qur''an» from his collection of supplications called Sahili al-Sajjadiyya. These sayings revolve around topics such as the Qur''an as a manifestation of God''s light, the most beautiful speech, and as guidance for humankind. The Imam also teaches us the importance of familiarizing ourselves with it and reflecting on it.

Ja''fan ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq was renowned by both Sunni and Shi''a Muslims for his virtues, education, and accomplishments. He was above all known for teaching Shi''a Islamic fiqh, called Ja''fari jurisprudence, and his all-encompassing information which had a great academic influence. Part I included a brief biography of his life, his conduct, and his deep knowledge in jurisprudence; it also delved into the state of the Shi''as during his time as well as his political confrontations with the Ghulat who held ideas that resulted from overstating particular Islamic beliefs. This part continues with material on Shi''a jurisprudence according to Sunni narrations, the Imam''s hadith collections, his debates, and his political confrontations given the pressures facing the Shi''a during that time.

The previous parts offered and explanation on the close connection between Imam Husayn and Imam Mahdi in hadiths and why Imam Mahdi refers much to Imam Husayn in his universal mission for establishment of Justice while putting the demand for the blood of Imam Husayn at top of his agenda. This part offers guidelines as to how a person can help Imam Mahdi by being a good follower of Imam Husayn. It will be argued that by showing the people the value of being a good follower of Imam Husayn, and in particular by showing complete commitment to observing and to establishing justice and other virtues, one can prove his love for Imam Husayn while simultaneously helping Imam Mahdi.