Fundamental Principles of the Religion

1. Tawhid [Oneness ofAllah]

Tawhid means that God is One. He has no associates or partners. He was not born from anyone, nor is anyone born from him, and there is nothing like Him.

2. Adl [Just]

'Adl means that Allah is just and he does not oppress any of His creations. He will reward and punish everybody according to his or her actions.

3. Nubuwat [Prophethood]

Allah sent Prophets to mankind for guidance, and among their great characteristics is that they were Ma'sum - meaning that they were immune from committing sins and errors. A Prophet excels all other people for he is sent by Allah to perfect mankind and teach them the correct code of life. The first of the Prophets was Adam (Peace be upon him), and the last of them was Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah (Peace be upon him and his family). In total, Allah sent 124,000 Prophets to us.

4. Imamat [Leadership]

After the death of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family), Allah designated and appointed twelve Imams, one after the other, to lead and guide the community until the Day of Judgement. Just like the Prophets, the Imams too are immune from committing sins or errors. The Imams which are twelve in number and they are the only rightful successors to the Prophet of Islam. The first of them was 'Ali (Peace be upon him) and the last of them is Imam al-Zaman (may Allah hasten his reappearance), who is still alive.

5. Qiyamat [Resurrection]

Qiyamat means that when the Day of Judgement comes, all people will be brought back to life. Those who had performed good deeds in this world will be rewarded and will go to Heaven and those who did bad deeds will be punished for their actions.