The distinctive feature of the faith of this virtuous...
The distinctive feature of the faith of this virtuous community is love for Imam ‘Ali and the other eleven Imams (‘a) with the belief that they are the divinely designated leaders of Muslims. According to some traditions, true faith is linked to wilayah (divinely commissioned leadership of the (‘a)).
Through an authentic chain of authority, Zurarah has reported Imam al-Baqir (‘a) as saying: بُنِيَ الإسْلاَمُ عَلَى خَمْسَةِ أَشْيَاءَ: عَلَى الصَّلاَةِ، وَالزَّكَاةِ، وَالْحَجِّ، وَالصَّوْمِ، وَالْوِلاَيَةِ. Islam is based on five things: salat (prayer), zakat (poor-rate), hajj (pilgrimage), sawm (fasting), and wilayah. Zurarah asked, “What is the best among these things?” The Imam (‘a) answered: اَلوِلاَيَةُ أَفْضَلُ لأَنَّهَا مِفْتَاحُهُنَّ، وَالوَلِيُّ هُوَ الدَّلِيلُ عَلَيْهِنَّ.…
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