ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Shi'a and Their Beliefs The Five Laws There are five types of laws (ahkam): Obligatory (w"jib). Forbidden (9ar"m). Recommended (musta9abb). Reprehensible/Discouraged (makrY9). Neutral (mub"9). Obligatory acts are those which Islam has made compulsory such as prayer, fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage, and struggle. Forbidden acts are those which Islam prevents such as drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, dealing in usury, and adultery.

Recommended acts are those which Islam encourages with permissibility of not doing them such as daily optional prayers (na filah, pl. nawa fil), recommended charity, and fulfilling other people’s needs. Reprehensible acts are those which Islam discourages without making them forbidden such as divorce. Neutral acts are those the doing of which or not doing are considered equal in the view of Islam such as the drinking of water.

Sources of Islamic Law The Sh:!a believe that the sources from which Islamic law is derived are four in number and are: The Holy Qur’"n. The Traditions (sunnah). These are the sayings, actions and ratifications of the Messenger of Alla>h Mu9ammad (N) as well as that of the infallible Imams of his household () (a.s.). Consensus (ijm"!).36 Reason.

It is related that ‘Alla>h has two proofs [over mankind] – an outward proof which is the prophets, and in inward proof which is reason.’37 Therefore, the Sh:!a take their legislation from the Holy Qur’"n and the traditions of the Messenger (N) and his pure household (a.s.) acting upon the tradition of the ‘two weighty things’.38 They also consider these four to be the source of Islamic legislation and that no individual or group may legislate a law which goes against them as any other legislation is false.

Almighty Alla>h has said: eAnd whoever does not rule by what Alla>h has revealed, then they are the unbelieversf39. A great deal in the way of Qur’"nic exegesis, jurisprudence, traditions, information about the beginning of creation and the end of time, fundamentals and branches of the religion and other branches of knowledge have been related from the Prophet Mu9ammad (N) and his household (a.s.).

The scholar Mu9ammad B"qir al-Majlis: collected a large amount of these traditions in over 100 volumes and named the book Bi9"r al-Anw"r (Oceans of Lights). In these traditions there is enough to grant the Muslims, indeed the whole of humanity happiness in this world and the next.