It is necessary for man...

It is necessary for man—on account of his natural intelligence that is confirmed by the Holy Qur’an—to investigate, examine, and come to a clear understanding of the fundaments of his religion ( usul al-din ),([^1]) which are: • Monotheism (belief that there is only one God), • Prophethood (belief that Muhammad (s) is the Prophet and messenger of Almighty Allah), • Imamate (belief in the Divinely commissioned leadership of the Twelve Imams (`a)) and, • Resurrection (belief that there is another life after death).

One who follows the dictates of his forebears or any other person in these matters has indeed committed a big mistake, strayed off the Right Path, and made all his acts inexcusable. The above discussion can be summed up in the following two points: (a) It is obligatory to investigate and understand the fundaments of our beliefs, since it is unacceptable to depend upon others’ beliefs in this respect.

(b) In addition to its being a religious duty, reflection upon the fundaments of one’s belief is a requirement stemming from reason, i.e. such knowledge must not be derived from religious texts, which, however, can act as supportive factors after the exercise of the intellects. The meaning of reason-based requirement is that we must realize the necessity of knowledge, the reflection upon the fundaments of one’s beliefs, and the inference of these beliefs through reason.

Following an Authority in the Secondary Religious Affairs By secondary affairs of the religion, we mean those religious laws which govern our actions after we have rationally accepted the religious faith. In such affairs, it is not obligatory upon us to reflect upon them or apply our personal views.