ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books What A Muslim Should Know and Believe Fourteen Categories of People Shaykh Ja'far Shushtari has divided the people into fourteen categories, according to their knowledge and belief (or lack of knowledge and belief) of Usul al-deen. First: A person who, before attaining majority, knows the five Usul al-deen with their rational proofs, and sincerely believes in them.

Without any doubt such a person is Muslim and mu'min in his own rights as soon as he/she becomes baligh. (It makes no difference whether he/she can explain those proofs in his own words or not.) Second: A person who, before attaining majority, sincerely believes in Usul al-deen, because he/she has been so taught by his/her parents or by another trusted person, and then he/she continues on the same belief after becoming baligh. According to stronger theological reasons, there is no harm in it.

If he continues on the same belief without ever doubting its truth, he shall be treated as a mu'min in this world and the hereafter, God willing. Third: A man acquires true knowledge of Usul al-deen and firmly believes in them. Yet sometimes adverse thoughts or satanic whisperings come into his mind which he does not like at all - in fact he feels a repulsion towards such thoughts or ideas.

There is no defect or deficiency in such a man's faith and belief; the fact that he is pained because of such thoughts is in itself a proof that his faith is strong.

The Holy Prophet and Imams - Peace be on them all - have suggested a remedy for it: Whenever he is troubled by such thoughts he should say: (There is no god except Allah; we believe in Allah and His Messenger; and there is no power or strength except with Allah.) Fourth: A person, on attaining majority, began looking into Usul al-deen, and after a few days became sure of its truth, either by rational proofs or because some trusted person convinced him/her about it.

There is no doubt that after acquiring certainty, such a person is mu'min. The difficulty arises about the period he /she was engaged in the said research. If he/she dies in that period, he/she shall not be punished in the hereafter. And if, before attaining majority, he was treated as a Muslim - because of taba'iyat - others will continue to treat him as Muslim. But it is difficult to adjudge him a Muslim in reality in that period.