Shia Islam for New Muslims: A Complete Guide for Reverts

The noble lineage: from Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) to Abd al-Muttalib

النَّسَبُ الطَّاهِر

نبی اکرمؐ کا پاکیزہ نسب

About four thousand years ago, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) and his son Prophet Ismail (A.S.) raised the walls of the Kaaba in the valley of Makkah and called people to worship the One God. The Quran calls this pure faith the religion of Ibrahim, the hanif: one who turns away from every false god to Allah alone. Over the centuries most Arabs filled the Kaaba with idols, but the line from which the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) would be born kept the faith of Ibrahim.

The faith of the Prophet's ancestors

Shia Muslims, following the Ahlulbayt (A.S.), believe that every father and mother in the Holy Prophet's line, from Prophet Adam (A.S.) to Hazrat Abdullah and Lady Amina, believed in the One God. They were not ordinary followers: they were the purest people of their time, chosen by Allah to carry the light of His final Messenger. Shaykh al-Saduq wrote that this is the belief of the Shia, and Shaykh al-Mufid recorded that all Shia scholars agree on it.

Hashim

Hashim, whose given name was Amr, was the great-grandfather of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) and the leader of Makkah in his time. He earned the name Hashim, “the one who breaks bread”, during a famine, when he brought grain from Syria and broke bread into broth for the hungry people of Makkah with his own hands. He took charge of giving water and food to the pilgrims of the Kaaba, and he organised the two great trade journeys of Quraysh, to Yemen in winter and to Syria in summer, which the Quran mentions in Surah Quraysh. His family, the Banu Hashim, became known for generosity, honour and protection of the weak.

Abd al-Muttalib

Hashim's son Shayba, known as Abd al-Muttalib, was the chief of Makkah and the grandfather of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.). He rediscovered and re-dug the well of Zamzam, which had been buried for generations. When Abraha marched on Makkah with elephants to destroy the Kaaba, Abd al-Muttalib went to him only to ask for his seized camels. When Abraha was surprised, he answered: “I am the owner of the camels, and the House has a Lord who will protect it.” He then held the door of the Kaaba and prayed, and Allah destroyed the army with flocks of birds, as Surah al-Fil tells.

Abd al-Muttalib kept the rites of Ibrahim (A.S.) and was known in Makkah for his patience, justice and trust in Allah. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) told Imam Ali (A.S.) that Abd al-Muttalib had set five good practices before Islam that Allah confirmed in Islam, among them seven rounds of tawaf, one fifth given from found treasure, and the forbidding of marrying a father's widow (narrated in al-Khisal, Shaykh al-Saduq). Imam al-Sadiq (A.S.) said that Abd al-Muttalib will be raised on the Day of Judgement as a nation on his own, with the light of the prophets and the dignity of kings (Usul al-Kafi).

Sources: the Holy Quran; Kamal al-Din; al-Khisal; Usul al-Kafi; al-I'tiqadat, Shaykh al-Saduq; Awa'il al-Maqalat, Shaykh al-Mufid.

The parents of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.): Hazrat Abdullah and Lady Amina

وَالِدَا النَّبِيِّ (ص)

حضرت عبداللہ اور حضرت آمنہؑ

Hazrat Abdullah

Abdullah was the most beloved son of Abd al-Muttalib, known in Makkah for his purity and the light that shone on his face. Abd al-Muttalib had once vowed to Allah that if he were given ten sons he would sacrifice one, and the lot fell on Abdullah. The people of Makkah begged him to ransom his son, and the lots were drawn between Abdullah and camels until Allah accepted one hundred camels in his place. That is why the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) said, “I am the son of the two who were offered for sacrifice”: Prophet Ismail (A.S.) and his own father Abdullah. Abdullah married Lady Amina and, a few months later, passed away in Yathrib (later Madinah) while returning from a trade journey, before his son was born.

Lady Amina bint Wahb

Lady Amina came from the noble family of Banu Zuhra in Makkah. She carried the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) with ease and described a light that shone from her at his birth. When he was six, she took him to Yathrib to visit his father's grave and his relatives; on the way back she fell ill and passed away at al-Abwa, where she is buried. Shaykh al-Saduq recorded that the Shia belief is that she, like Hazrat Abdullah, was a believer.

An orphan in the care of Allah

After his mother's death, the young Muhammad was raised by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, who loved him above his own sons and let him sit on his special place beside the Kaaba. When Abd al-Muttalib died two years later, he entrusted the boy to his son Abu Talib.

Sources: the Holy Quran; Usul al-Kafi; al-Khisal and Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha, Shaykh al-Saduq; al-I'tiqadat.

Hazrat Abu Talib (A.S.): the protector of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.)

أَبُو طَالِبٍ (ع) نَاصِرُ النَّبِيِّ

حضرت ابو طالبؑ: محسنِ اسلام

His life

Abu Talib was born in Makkah about thirty-five years before the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.). After his father Abd al-Muttalib, he became the respected chief of the Banu Hashim, known as the elder of the valley of Makkah. He was not the richest man in Makkah, but he was the most honoured: generous to the poor, wise in judgement and a gifted poet. With his wife Lady Fatima bint Asad (S.A.) he raised a noble family, including Ja'far al-Tayyar and Imam Ali (A.S.), who was born inside the Holy Kaaba. He passed away on 26 Rajab in the tenth year after the first revelation, only days after Lady Khadija (S.A.), and was buried in the cemetery of al-Hajun in Makkah.

He raised the Prophet as his own son

From the age of eight, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) lived in Abu Talib's home. When Abd al-Muttalib, on his deathbed, asked Abu Talib how he would care for Muhammad, Abu Talib replied, “Do not advise me about Muhammad, for he is my son and my nephew.” He kept the boy beside him day and night, put him before his own children at meals, and took him on his trade journey to Syria. He knew the boy's future: he had heard it from his father, and from the scholars of the earlier scriptures. When the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) married Lady Khadija (S.A.), it was Abu Talib who delivered the marriage sermon, praising Allah and the family of Ibrahim.

Shield of Islam

When the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) began to call people to Islam, the leaders of Quraysh came to Abu Talib again and again: with threats, with offers of money and power, and finally with a demand that he hand over his nephew. He refused every time, and told the Prophet, “Go, my nephew, and say what you wish. By Allah, I will never hand you over for anything.” He told his son Ali to stay by his cousin's side, and his son Ja'far to pray beside him. For three years, when Quraysh boycotted the Banu Hashim, Abu Talib led the family into the valley of Shi'b Abi Talib, where they suffered hunger rather than give up the Prophet; at night he would move the Prophet's bed so that no assassin would know where he slept, sometimes placing his own son Ali there instead. His poems, still recited today, defended the Prophet openly; in one he called him “the fair one by whose face rain is sought, the refuge of orphans and the protector of widows”.

The Holy Prophet and the Imams speak about him

• When Abu Talib passed away, Jibrail (A.S.) told the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.): “Leave Makkah, for you no longer have a helper in it” (Usul al-Kafi). The Prophet named that year, in which he also lost Lady Khadija (S.A.), the Year of Sorrow, and said that Quraysh could not harm him while Abu Talib lived.
• Imam Ali (A.S.) is narrated to have said that Abu Talib did not leave this world until he had given the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) everything that pleased him.

Sources: Usul al-Kafi; al-Amali, Shaykh al-Tusi; Kamal al-Din; al-Hujja 'ala al-Dhahib ila Takfir Abi Talib, Fakhar ibn Ma'd.

Arabia before Islam, the first revelation and the first believers

فَجْرُ الْإِسْلَام

اسلام کی صبح

A society in darkness

Before Islam, the Arabs of the Hijaz worshipped hundreds of idols placed around the Kaaba. Tribes fought wars that lasted for generations over a camel or an insult. Wine and gambling filled the evenings. Some fathers, ashamed of having a daughter, buried baby girls alive in the sand. Women could be inherited like property, and a man could marry any number of wives and abandon them as he pleased. Slaves were beaten and tortured by their masters, and the poor, the orphan and the stranger had no one to defend them. The strong ate the weak.

The first revelation

The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) never bowed to an idol. He often went to the Cave of Hira, on a mountain near Makkah, to worship Allah and reflect. There, at the age of forty, on 27 Rajab, the angel Jibrail (A.S.) brought the first verses of the Holy Quran: “Read in the name of your Lord who created.” This day is celebrated by Shia Muslims as Eid al-Mab'ath, the day of the mission. You can read the Prophet's early life in more detail in our chapter on the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.).

The first to believe

• Lady Khadija (S.A.), his wife, the first woman to believe, who gave her entire fortune to Islam.
• Imam Ali (A.S.), about ten years old, the first male to believe, who never once worshipped an idol. When the Prophet called his family to Islam at the feast known as Da'wat Dhul-Ashira, only Ali stood up to support him.
• Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, who later led the Muslims who migrated to Abyssinia and explained Islam to its just Christian king, the Najashi.
• Yasir, Sumayya and their son Ammar: Sumayya and Yasir were tortured to death by Abu Jahl for refusing to leave Islam, the first martyrs of Islam.
• Bilal, the Abyssinian slave, who was laid on burning sand with a rock on his chest and kept repeating “One, One”.
• Abu Dharr al-Ghifari and al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad, among the earliest believers, later known among the most loyal companions of Imam Ali (A.S.).

For thirteen years in Makkah the believers were mocked, beaten and boycotted. They endured it because they had found the truth.

Sources: the Holy Quran; al-Irshad, Shaykh al-Mufid; Usul al-Kafi; Bihar al-Anwar, Allama Majlisi.

The defenders of Islam: those who stood firm in hardship and in battle

حُمَاةُ الْإِسْلَام

اسلام کے محافظ

Islam did not spread by the sword; it spread by the truth of its message and the character of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.). But when the idol-worshippers of Makkah and their allies tried again and again to destroy the young Muslim community in Madinah, a small group of believers stood in front of the Prophet with their lives.

Imam Ali (A.S.): always at the front

On the night of the Hijrah, when men from the clans of Quraysh surrounded the Prophet's house to kill him, Imam Ali (A.S.) lay in his bed wrapped in his green cloak so the Prophet could leave safely. In Madinah he carried the Prophet's banner in almost every battle. At Badr he faced the champions of Quraysh. At Uhud, when many ran, he stayed beside the Prophet, defending him from every side. At Khandaq, when no one else dared, he defeated Amr ibn Abd Wudd, and the Prophet said that this one strike was worth more than the worship of both worlds. At Khaybar, after others had returned without success, the Prophet gave the banner to the one “whom Allah and His Messenger love”, and Ali conquered the fortress.

Hazrat Hamza (A.S.), the Lion of Allah

Hamza, the Prophet's uncle, was the strongest man of Quraysh. When he heard that Abu Jahl had insulted his nephew, he struck Abu Jahl with his bow in front of the Quraysh and declared his Islam. He fought bravely at Badr and was martyred at Uhud. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) wept over him and called him Sayyid al-Shuhada, the master of the martyrs of his time.

Ja'far al-Tayyar

Ja'far, Imam Ali's elder brother, led the Muslims who migrated to Abyssinia and returned on the day of the victory at Khaybar. The Prophet said he did not know which made him happier: the victory of Khaybar or the return of Ja'far. At the battle of Mu'ta in 8 AH, Ja'far carried the banner until both his arms were cut off; he held it with what remained until he was martyred. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) said Allah had given him two wings in Paradise to fly with the angels, so he is called al-Tayyar, the one who flies.

Others who stood firm

Ubayda ibn al-Harith, the Prophet's cousin, was wounded in the first duel at Badr and died a martyr from his wounds. Ammar ibn Yasir, Miqdad, Abu Dharr and Salman al-Farsi, whose advice led to the trench at Khandaq, served Islam all their lives. And in Madinah, the Ansar opened their homes to the migrants. Their sacrifices are why Islam reached us.

Sources: the Holy Quran; al-Irshad, Shaykh al-Mufid; Bihar al-Anwar; al-Amali, Shaykh al-Saduq.

The foremost teachings of Islam: mercy, justice and the dignity of women

تَعَالِيمُ الْإِسْلَام

اسلام کی بنیادی تعلیمات

Mercy and compassion

Allah begins almost every surah of the Quran with His names al-Rahman, al-Rahim: the Most Kind, the Most Merciful. Islam asks us to be merciful too: to orphans, the poor, travellers, neighbours, animals and even our enemies. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) forgave the people of Makkah who had fought him for twenty years.

Justice and equality

In a world proud of tribe and colour, Islam declared that all people come from one father and mother, and that the only thing that raises one person above another is piety. Bilal, a freed African slave, was chosen to call the adhan from the roof of the Kaaba.

The dignity of women and girls

Islam ended the burying of girls, gave women the right to own property, to earn, to inherit and to agree or refuse in marriage, and made seeking knowledge a duty for every Muslim, man and woman. Men and women are equal before Allah in faith and reward (33:35).

• As a mother, a woman is honoured above all: the Quran joins kindness to parents with the worship of Allah (17:23), and describes the mother's hardship in carrying and nursing her child (31:14).
• As a wife, she is a source of tranquillity, and between husband and wife Allah places love and mercy (30:21). Husbands are commanded to live with their wives in kindness (4:19), and each has rights over the other.
• As a sister, she is protected and supported by her brothers, and receives her share of inheritance.
• As a daughter, she is a blessing. The best example is Lady Fatima al-Zahra (S.A.), whom the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) stood up to welcome and called a part of himself.

Honesty, cleanliness and knowledge

Islam made truthfulness, keeping promises, returning trusts, cleanliness and learning part of worship. It forbade alcohol, gambling, usury, theft and backbiting, and taught that the best of people are those most useful to others.

Sources: the Holy Quran; Furu' al-Kafi; Usul al-Kafi.

How Islam sees the prophets: Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Lady Maryam

الْأَنْبِيَاءُ فِي الْإِسْلَام

اسلام میں انبیاء کا مقام

If you come from a Christian or Jewish background, you may be surprised: Muslims love and honour the prophets you grew up with. Believing in them is part of our faith, and we say “peace be upon him” after each of their names.

Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.)

Ibrahim broke the idols of his people and was thrown into a fire, which Allah made cool and safe for him (21:69). With his son Ismail he built the Kaaba. He is called Khalilullah, the friend of Allah, and the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) came from his line.

Prophet Musa (A.S.)

Musa was raised in the palace of Pharaoh, then sent back to him with the message of Allah. He led the Children of Israel out of slavery, through the sea that Allah parted, and received the Tawrat. He is called Kalimullah, the one to whom Allah spoke.

Prophet Isa (A.S.) and Lady Maryam (S.A.)

Lady Maryam was a pure, devoted worshipper, chosen by Allah. She gave birth to Isa without a father, by Allah's command, and he spoke from the cradle to defend her. Isa healed the blind and the leper and brought the dead to life by Allah's permission, and received the Injeel. Muslims believe he is a great prophet and the Messiah, but not God and not the son of God. The Quran says he was not killed or crucified; Allah raised him up. Shia narrations teach that he will return and pray behind Imam al-Mahdi (A.T.F.S.).

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) is the last of this blessed line. He did not bring a new God; he brought the same message of the One God that Ibrahim, Musa and Isa brought, in its final and complete form.

Sources: the Holy Quran; Kamal al-Din, Shaykh al-Saduq.

Your first steps: Shahadatayn, ghusl, wudu, prayer and a Marja

خُطُوَاتُكَ الْأُولَى

آپ کے پہلے قدم

1. The Shahadatayn

Saying these two testimonies with belief makes you a Muslim. Shia Muslims also declare “Ashhadu anna Aliyyan Waliyyullah”, “I bear witness that Ali is the Wali of Allah”, as a statement of their belief in the leadership of the Ahlulbayt (A.S.). All your past sins are forgiven when you enter Islam.

2. Ghusl and wudu

If a ghusl (a full bath of worship), such as the ghusl of janabah, was wajib on you before you entered Islam, you must perform it now; your Marja's risalah explains when ghusl is needed. Then learn wudu, the washing before prayer. The steps are explained simply in our wudu chapter.

3. Your first prayers

The five daily prayers become your duty straight away. If you cannot yet recite everything in Arabic, start with what you can, keep learning, and pray with the community where possible. The words of each part are in our guide on how to perform Shia Namaz.

4. Choosing a Marja

For the detailed rules of worship, Shia Muslims follow a living, qualified scholar called a Marja. Ask trusted scholars at your local Shia centre who the most learned is; many Shia Muslims in the West follow Ayatollah al-Sistani, whose rulings are on sistani.org in English.

Sources: the Holy Quran; Islamic Laws, Ayatollah al-Sistani.

Why follow the Ahlulbayt (A.S.)?

لِمَاذَا نَتَّبِعُ أَهْلَ الْبَيْت (ع)؟

اہلِ بیتؑ کی پیروی کیوں؟

All Muslims love the family of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.). Shia Muslims go further: we follow them as the guides Allah chose after the Prophet, because the Prophet himself told us to.

The Quran says Allah wishes to keep all impurity away from the Ahlulbayt and purify them completely (33:33). At Ghadir Khumm, on his last Hajj, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) raised Imam Ali's hand and said, “Whoever I am his master, Ali is his master.” After Imam Ali come eleven Imams from his descendants, the last of whom, Imam al-Mahdi (A.T.F.S.), is alive and in occultation. Their stories are told in Ahlulbayt (A.S.) for Kids, which is good reading for adults too.

Sources: the Holy Quran; Usul al-Kafi; al-Irshad.

What we believe and what we do: the Usool and Furoo in short

أُصُولُ الدِّينِ وَفُرُوعُه

اصولِ دین اور فروعِ دین

The five roots (Usool-e-Deen)

• Tawheed: Allah is One, with no partner, no body and no equal.
• Adl: Allah is Just; He never wrongs anyone, and we are free to choose our actions.
• Nubuwwat: Allah sent prophets, the last being Muhammad (S.A.W.W.).
• Imamat: after the Prophet, Allah appointed twelve Imams to guide people.
• Qiyamat: after death we will be raised and judged for our deeds.

For the proofs of each belief, read Shia Aqaid Explained.

The ten branches (Furoo-e-Deen)

Start now: the daily prayers (Namaz), fasting in Ramadan (Roza) when it comes, encouraging good and avoiding wrong, and loving the friends of Allah while keeping away from His enemies (Tawalla and Tabarra). Later, when they apply to you: Hajj once in a lifetime if you are able, and Khums and Zakat when you have savings or the items they apply to. The rules of prayer and fasting are explained in our guide to Shia Namaz and Roza rules.

Sources: the Holy Quran; Usul al-Kafi; Islamic Laws, Ayatollah al-Sistani.

Shia and Sunni Muslims: what we share and where we differ

الشِّيعَةُ وَالسُّنَّة

شیعہ اور سنی: مشترکات اور اختلافات

As a new Shia Muslim you will meet Muslims of every school at work, at university and in the mosque. You share far more than you differ.

What we share

• Belief in the One God, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) as the last prophet, the Holy Quran, the angels and the Day of Judgement.
• The five daily prayers towards the Kaaba, fasting in Ramadan, Zakat and Hajj.
• Love for the family of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.).

Where we differ

• Leadership after the Prophet: Shia Muslims believe Allah appointed Imam Ali (A.S.) and eleven Imams after him, as announced at Ghadir; Sunni Muslims believe the community chose its leaders.
• Sources of hadith: Shia Muslims take the Sunnah through the Ahlulbayt (A.S.) and those who narrated from them.
• Some practices: praying with hands at the sides, prostrating on earth (the turbah), combining prayers, and the testimony to Wilayah in the adhan, all explained with their proofs in Shia Aqaid Explained.

Good manners

The Imams (A.S.) told their followers to pray in the mosques of other Muslims, visit their sick, attend their funerals and be the best of neighbours, so that people would say, “This is how the followers of Ja'far behave.” Disagree politely, never insult what others hold sacred, and let your character speak for your faith.

Sources: the Holy Quran; Usul al-Kafi, Book of Social Relations.

Daily life in the West, and your family who are not Muslim

الْحَيَاةُ الْيَوْمِيَّة

روزمرہ زندگی اور غیر مسلم خاندان

Halal food

Avoid pork, alcohol and anything made from them. Meat and poultry must be slaughtered the Islamic way (zabiha) by a Muslim; look for trusted halal butchers or ask your local Shia centre. Fish is halal if it has scales, and prawns are halal. Vegetarian food is a simple option when you are unsure.

Modesty and hijab

Men and women both dress modestly and lower their gaze. A Muslim woman covers her body and hair, except the face and hands, in front of men who are not close relatives. Many reverts take this step gradually; what matters is moving forward sincerely.

Prayer at work, school and university

Shia Muslims may pray Zuhr and Asr together, and Maghrib and Isha together, which makes prayer at work much easier. A quiet room, a clean cloth or a small travel prayer mat, a turbah and a compass app are all you need. Most employers and universities in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia will provide space if you ask politely.

Your family who are not Muslim

Becoming a Muslim does not end your duty to your parents; it increases it. The Quran tells us to accompany even non-Muslim parents kindly in this world, as long as they do not ask us to disobey Allah.

• Visit, call and help your parents and relatives. Your good character is the best explanation of Islam.
• You may join family meals where the food is halal, and celebrate family occasions in ways that do not involve what is haram.
• Explain your new faith gently, answer questions patiently, and give them time.

Sources: the Holy Quran; Islamic Laws, Ayatollah al-Sistani.

The Islamic year: Ramadan, Muharram, Ghadir and Arbaeen

السَّنَةُ الْهِجْرِيَّة

اسلامی سال کے اہم ایام

The Islamic calendar follows the moon and begins from the Hijrah of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.). Because it is shorter than the solar year, each occasion comes about eleven days earlier every year.

• Ramadan: the month of fasting and the Quran. Its nights of Qadr (the 19th, 21st and 23rd) are spent in worship, and the month ends with Eid al-Fitr and Zakat al-Fitrah.
• Dhul Hijjah: the month of Hajj and Eid al-Adha, and on the 18th, Eid al-Ghadir, celebrating the announcement of Imam Ali (A.S.) as leader.
• Muharram: the first month. On the 10th, Ashura, Imam Husain (A.S.) and his family and companions were martyred at Karbala in 61 AH. Shia Muslims gather in majalis to remember them.
• Arbaeen (20 Safar): forty days after Ashura, when millions walk to Karbala.
• Rabi al-Awwal: the birth of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) on the 17th.
• Rajab and Sha'ban: blessed months, with the birth of Imam Ali (A.S.) on 13 Rajab, the Mab'ath on 27 Rajab, and the birth of Imam al-Mahdi (A.T.F.S.) on 15 Sha'ban.

Your first majlis

A majlis is a gathering to remember the Ahlulbayt (A.S.). There is usually a recitation of Quran, a talk, poetry recited in memory of Imam Husain (A.S.), and often a meal. Men and women usually sit in separate areas. You are welcome simply to listen; no one expects you to know everything.

Sources: Mafatih al-Jinan, Shaykh Abbas al-Qummi; al-Irshad.

Finding a community, a teacher, and what to read next

الْجَمَاعَةُ وَالْمُعَلِّم

برادری اور استاد کی تلاش

Faith grows in good company. Look for a Shia mosque, imambargah or Islamic centre near you and introduce yourself to the imam or the reverts' support team; many centres in the West run classes and buddy schemes for new Muslims. If there is none nearby, online classes and community programmes can fill the gap.

A teacher

Learning to read the Quran and to pray correctly is far easier with a patient teacher. ShiaEdu's certified male and female tutors teach adults one to one, at times that suit you, starting from the Arabic letters.

Safe sources

Online there is a lot of noise. For rulings, use your Marja's official website or office. For beliefs and history, prefer well-known scholars and established Shia centres, and ask before believing a dramatic claim you read online.

What to read next

• Shia Aqaid Explained for the proofs of your beliefs.
• Shia Namaz and Roza Rules for prayer and fasting.
• Ahlulbayt (A.S.) for Kids for the lives of the Fourteen Ma'soomeen.

Sources: al-Amali, Shaykh al-Saduq.