Foundations of Shia Islam

Tawhid (توحيد) means believing that Allah is One. It is the first and most important belief in Islam. Every other belief grows from it, like branches from a root.

قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ۝ ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ ۝ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ۝ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ“Say: He is Allah, the One. Allah, the Self-Sufficient. He neither begets nor was He begotten, and there is none equal to Him.”Surah al-Ikhlas, 112:1–4

“One”, but not like a number

During the Battle of Jamal, a man asked Imam Ali (a), “Do you say Allah is one?” The companions thought it was a bad moment for a question, but the Imam answered him. He explained that Allah is not “one” the way we count one apple, because a number can be followed by two. Allah is One in the sense that nothing is like Him, and He cannot be divided.

The four kinds of Tawhid

Tap a card to turn it over.

'Adl (عدل) means divine justice. Allah never wrongs anyone, never punishes without reason, and never asks more of a person than they can carry.

لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا“Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.”Surah al-Baqarah, 2:286

Why is justice a “root”?

If Allah forced people to sin and then punished them, that would be unjust. Shia Muslims believe Allah gave us free will: He shows the right path, and we choose. Imam al-Sadiq (a) described it as “neither complete force, nor complete freedom, but a matter in between”: we choose, and Allah gives us the power to act.

Tap a card to turn it over.

Allah sent prophets to every people to teach them how to live. Narrations say there were 124,000, from Prophet Adam (a) to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the Seal of the Prophets (33:40).

Shia Muslims believe every prophet was ma'sum: protected from sin and error, so that people could trust the message completely.

The Ulul 'Azm: five prophets of firm resolve

Tap a card to turn it over.

After the Prophet ﷺ, who explains the Qur'an, protects the religion and guides the community? Shia Muslims believe Allah answered that question by appointing twelve Imams from the Prophet's family.

مَنْ كُنْتُ مَوْلَاهُ فَهَٰذَا عَلِيٌّ مَوْلَاهُ“For whoever I am his master, this Ali is his master.”The Holy Prophet ﷺ at Ghadir Khumm, 10 AH

The Prophet ﷺ also said: “I leave among you two weighty things: the Book of Allah and my family, my Ahlulbayt. As long as you hold on to both, you will never go astray” (Hadith al-Thaqalayn).

Read the full story in our article The event of Ghadir Khumm.

Ma'ad (معاد) is the belief that every person will return to Allah, be brought back to life, and receive the result of their deeds. This life is the field; the next life is the harvest.

The journey of the soul

1. Stage 1Death

   The soul leaves the body. Death is not the end, but a door.

2. Stage 2Barzakh

   The in-between world until the Day of Judgement. The soul already begins to feel the results of its deeds.

3. Stage 3Resurrection

   Everyone is raised, body and soul, and gathered before Allah.

4. Stage 4The Reckoning

   Every deed is shown and weighed. Nothing, not even an atom's weight, is missed (99:7–8).

5. Stage 5Paradise or Hell

   Each person reaches the home their choices built.

Salah is our daily meeting with Allah, five times a day: Fajr, Dhuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib and 'Isha. Shia Muslims may combine Dhuhr with 'Asr and Maghrib with 'Isha, as the Prophet ﷺ sometimes did, so prayers are often offered at three times.

إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ“Indeed, prayer keeps one away from indecency and wrongdoing.”Surah al-'Ankabut, 29:45

Why the turbah?

In sajdah, the forehead must touch earth or something natural that is not eaten or worn. Many Shia Muslims use a turbah of clay, often from Karbala, to remember the sacrifice of Imam Husayn (a) at the very moment of humility before Allah.

Sawm: the month of fasting

In Ramadan we fast from true dawn until Maghrib. Fasting trains the soul: if we can leave food and water for Allah, we can leave sins too. Imam Ali (a) said that the fast of the heart, keeping it from sin, is better than the fast of the stomach.

Tap a card to turn it over.

Hajj is the pilgrimage to Makkah, obligatory once in a lifetime for those who are able: healthy, safe, and with enough money for the journey and for their family at home.

Zakat is due on specific kinds of wealth once they reach a minimum amount: certain crops (wheat, barley, dates, raisins), gold and silver coins, and livestock (camels, cows, sheep).

Khums means “one fifth”. At the end of your financial year, one fifth of what is left over from your earnings, after your living expenses, is paid. Half is the share of the Imam, usually given through a marja' for religious work; half is the share of the sadat, for needy descendants of the Prophet ﷺ.

Jihad means struggle in the way of Allah. Returning from a battle, the Prophet ﷺ said the lesser jihad was over and the greater jihad, against one's own self and desires, remained.

Amr bil Ma'ruf and Nahy 'anil Munkar: encouraging good and discouraging wrong, always with wisdom, kindness and the right timing. Imam Husayn (a) named this as a reason for his stand at Karbala.

Tawalla is loving and following the Ahlulbayt (a) and their friends. Tabarra is distancing ourselves from their enemies and from injustice.

Tap a card to turn it over.

Ahlulbayt (أهل البيت) literally means “the people of the house”. In the Qur'an and the sayings of the Prophet ﷺ, it refers to a specific group within his family, chosen and purified by Allah. Three moments in history show us exactly who they are.

1. The cloak (Hadith al-Kisa)

One day the Prophet ﷺ was resting under a Yemeni cloak in the house of Lady Fatima (a). Imam Hasan (a) came in, then Imam Husayn (a), then Imam Ali (a), and finally Lady Fatima (a) herself, and each joined him under the cloak. The Prophet ﷺ raised his hand to the sky and prayed: “O Allah, these are my Ahlulbayt. Keep away all impurity from them and purify them completely.”

At that moment, Angel Jibra'il (a) brought the Verse of Purification:

إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ ٱلرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ ٱلْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا“Allah only wishes to remove all impurity from you, O people of the house, and to purify you completely.”Surah al-Ahzab, 33:33

When Umm Salama, a respected wife of the Prophet ﷺ, asked to join them, he gently told her: “You are on goodness,” but did not bring her under the cloak. The event is reported in Shia sources and in Sunni collections such as Sahih Muslim.

2. The challenge (Mubahala)

In 10 AH, a Christian delegation from Najran debated the Prophet ﷺ about Prophet 'Isa (a). Allah commanded a mubahala, a mutual prayer asking Allah to curse whichever side was lying. The verse told the Prophet ﷺ to bring “our sons, our women and ourselves” (3:61).

He came with only four people: Hasan and Husayn as “our sons”, Fatima as “our women”, and Ali as “ourselves”. Seeing their faces, the Christian leaders withdrew and chose peace instead.

3. The reward (Ayat al-Mawadda)

قُل لَّآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِلَّا ٱلْمَوَدَّةَ فِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ“Say: I do not ask you for any reward for it, except love for my near relatives.”Surah al-Shura, 42:23

The Prophet ﷺ brought guidance to all humanity and asked for one thing in return: love for his family. Love here is not only a feeling. It means following them, learning from them and defending their message.

Meet the five of the Kisa

Tap a card to turn it over.

Shia Muslims honour fourteen ma'sumin (infallibles): the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, his daughter Lady Fatima al-Zahra (a), and the twelve Imams (a).

What does “ma'sum” mean?

'Ismah means being protected from sin and error. It does not mean the Ma'sumin were forced to be good, like robots. They had free will like us. But their knowledge of Allah was so deep, and their love for Him so complete, that they never chose to disobey Him.

This is why their words and actions are a safe guide for us. Allah would not command us to follow someone who could lead us into error.

The family tree of the Imams

Notice the pattern: after Imam Husayn (a), every Imam is the son of the Imam before him. This is why the descendants of Imam Husayn are so honoured. The Prophet ﷺ said the Imams would be twelve, and the last of them would fill the earth with justice.

Lady Fatima (a) lived only around eighteen years, yet she is called Sayyidat Nisa al-'Alamin, the leader of the women of all the worlds. Her life is short, but every part of it is a lesson.

Her life at a glance

1. 20 Jumada al-ThaniBorn in Makkah

   Daughter of the Prophet ﷺ and Lady Khadija (a), born in the early years of Islam, when the Muslims were few and persecuted.

2. Childhood“Umm Abiha”: mother of her father

   She lost her mother young and cared for the Prophet ﷺ so tenderly, cleaning his wounds after the people of Makkah hurt him, that he called her “the mother of her father”.

3. After the HijraMarries Imam Ali (a) in Madinah

   Many wealthy men asked to marry her. The Prophet ﷺ waited for Allah's command, which chose Ali (a). Their home was simple and full of worship.

4. 3 and 4 AHMother of Hasan and Husayn (a)

   Later also of Sayyida Zaynab and Umm Kulthum. Through her children, the line of the Imams continues.

5. 11 AHThe Fadak sermon and her passing

   After her father passed away, she defended her rights and the right of Imam Ali (a) in a famous sermon in the Prophet's mosque. She passed away only months after her father, and was buried at night. Her grave is unknown to this day.

Her titles and what they teach

“Fatima is a part of me. Whoever angers her has angered me.”The Holy Prophet ﷺ, reported in Shia sources and in Sahih al-Bukhari

In 60 AH, Yazid took power and demanded that Imam Husayn (a) pledge allegiance to him. The Imam refused: “Someone like me does not give allegiance to someone like him.”

The road to Karbala

1. Rajab 60 AHLeaves Madinah

   The Imam sets out for Makkah with his family.

2. Months in MakkahLetters from Kufa

   Thousands of letters invite him. He sends his cousin Muslim ibn Aqil ahead.

3. 8 Dhul HijjahLeaves Makkah

   He leaves before Hajj, so that no blood is spilled in the sacred city. Muslim is martyred in Kufa soon after.

4. On the roadHurr blocks the way

   An army unit under Hurr ibn Yazid forces the caravan to change course.

5. 2 Muharram 61 AHArrives at Karbala

   The caravan camps by the Euphrates. More soldiers keep arriving under Umar ibn Sa'd.

6. 7 MuharramWater cut off

   The camp is blocked from the river. The children suffer terribly from thirst.

7. Night of the 10thA night of prayer

   The Imam gives everyone permission to leave in the dark. Not one of his companions goes.

8. 10 MuharramAshura

   About seventy-two men face thousands. By the afternoon, Imam Husayn (a) is martyred.

The full story is in our article What happened at Karbala.

Karbala is not only a story of loss. It is a school of loyalty, courage, faith and sacrifice, taught by people of every age.

Meet the heroes

Tap a card to turn it over.

Why did he rise?

“I did not rise out of pride or arrogance, nor to cause corruption or oppression. I rose to seek reform in the nation of my grandfather. I want to enjoin good and forbid evil.”Imam Husayn (a), in his letter before leaving Madinah

That is why we hold majalis, recite elegies, feed people, and walk to Karbala on Arbaeen. We remember to renew our promise: to stand for truth and never to accept injustice.

The twelfth Imam, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi (aj), is the son of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a). He shares the name and kunya of the Holy Prophet ﷺ: Muhammad, Abu al-Qasim.

From birth to the Major Occultation

1. 15 Sha'ban 255 AHBorn in Samarra

   His birth was kept secret, because the Abbasid rulers were watching the house of Imam al-Askari (a).

2. 260 AHBecomes Imam, and the Minor Occultation begins

   After his father's martyrdom, he leads the community through four trusted deputies.

3. 260–329 AHThe four special deputies

   Uthman ibn Sa'id, Muhammad ibn Uthman, Husayn ibn Ruh and Ali ibn Muhammad al-Samuri carry letters and questions.

4. 329 AHThe Major Occultation

   Before al-Samuri passes away, a final letter says there will be no more special deputies. The long occultation begins and continues today.

“He will fill the earth with justice and fairness, as it was filled with injustice and oppression.”The Holy Prophet ﷺ, in hadith reported by both Shia and Sunni sources

Tap a card to turn it over.

Intizar, waiting, does not mean sitting still. The Imams taught that true waiting is preparing: becoming people the Imam would be proud of and could rely on.

Who guides us now?

For practical rulings, how to pray, what is halal, how to pay khums, most Shia Muslims follow a living, qualified scholar, a marja'. This is called taqlid. In a well-known letter, the Imam (aj) told the believers to refer to the narrators of the Ahlulbayt's teachings in new situations.

A simple daily plan of waiting

Tap a card to turn it over.