Message of Thaqalayn
Volume:15 Issue: 4, Winter 2015

Indicators of Piety focuses on the advantages of piety (taqwa) in the Qur’an, hadith, and the lives of the Ahlul Bayt. Piety – one of the most important qualities a person can have – is how people are ranked before God as it is related to the intention behind all actions and is required to reach salvation. Part I and II delved into the merits of piety in the Qur’an and explored the definition of piety along with the factors that contribute to its formation. Part III illustrated the qualities of the pious as those who have faith in the unseen, establish prayer, give charity, believe in the hereafter, and have faith in what has been revealed to the Prophet as well as the previous prophets. This part further defines the faithful as those who will achieve true success and offers an illustration of who the faithful are, and what they will achieve in this world and the next.

A person’s physical appearance plays a big role in both individual and social situations. Regardless of a culture’s fashionable apparel, particular types of grooming and dressing are universal and can have a drastic effect on a person’s life, such as affecting our self-esteem and giving the people we meet a long-lasting impression on us. The Prophet Muhammad himself was well-known for his striking good looks and hygiene. Moreover, qualities such as intelligence, sincerity, and compassion give the soul inner beauty. This article expounds on the importance of inner and outer beauty in Islam by using verses from the Qur’an and narrations from the Ahlul Bayt.

Prophet Muhammad was sent to establish a community based on moral principles, and in doing so, he set out to perfect people’s ethics. During his leadership, he established a comprehensive system of laws in which the duties of each person was taken into consideration to form an independent and unified nation. He encouraged public participation and eradicated structures of idol worship in Mecca by replacing them with places of worship for Muslims. In part II, Prophet Muhammad’s ethical management of the economy in the Islamic state was described. Part III studied his peace-making strategies, management of war, and dealing with opposition within and outside Medina, such as his judicial and political approaches, his emphasis on the use of consultation, and leniency and kindness towards war captives. This last part focuses on the Prophet’s own ethical conduct as the perfect exemplar, and his efforts to eradicate differences based on tribe, gender, race, and social class to create a system grounded on principles in which all believers have equal rights.

It is necessary for all people to have a leader، or Imam، who guides them towards morality and abandoning corruption. This type of leader 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. This Imam surpasses all people in every venerable quality such as piety، knowledge، courage، and wisdom. The infallible Imam carries the role of both continuing the task of the Prophet in presenting true Islam as well as being a political leader. This is a chapter on the responses to objections raised against Imamate from prominent scholar Allamah Hilli’s Kashf ul-Murād، expanded on from Nasir al-Din al-Tusi’s Tajrid al-I‘tiqād – the first treatise on Shi‘i theology. Kashf al-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.

One of the main concerns of Muslim intellectuals in recent centuries has been integration among all Muslims. Amid all types of integration, ideological consolidation based on common principles is considered one of the most fundamental strategies for Muslim unity. In this article, the most important common principles and issues of Islamic schools of thought are examined. According to some Qur’anic verses, the authority of the Qur’an, prophetic traditions, love for those close to the Prophet, and the intellectual authority of the Ahlul Bayt are the most common principles of Islamic brotherhood in all areas and times.

Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq, the sixth Imam, was celebrated by both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims for his piety, Islamic knowledge, and academic accomplishments. He was particularly most renowned as the initiator of Shi’a Islamic fiqh, called Ja’fari jurisprudence, as well as his extensive knowledge in a variety of fields which had a great academic impact on the people of his time. This article includes a brief biography of his life, his revered conduct, and his deep knowledge in jurisprudence; it also delves into the state of the Shi‘as during his time as well as his political confrontations with the Ghulat, or extremists, who held ideas that resulted from overstating particular Islamic beliefs. To eliminate the Ghulat beliefs from pouring into Shi‘a ideology and affecting its adherents, Imam Sadiq was compelled to confront them through refuting their ideology, declaring them as apostates, and demanding the Shi‘a to avoid their presence.

No doubt all the Imams are connected to each other and reflect the same light. However, there is a special connection and affinity between Imam Husayn and Imam Mahdi, that is, Imam Husayn is very clearly connected to what will happen in the End of the Time (Akhir al-Zaman) when Imam Mahdi comes. Part I included verses from the Qur’an and hadiths to demonstrate this connection. This part explains why there is such a close connection between the two and why Imam Mahdi refers to Imam Husayn in his universal mission for establishing justice.