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This book articulates our Tariqah in the light of the
Qur’an and the Prophetic tradition in simple language and easy
thought for the understanding of general readers. Following are
the details of the eight chapters of the book:
Chapter-1:
Historical
background: This chapter traces the brief history and background
of early Shi‘a-Sunni schism; different views on the issue of the
succession to the Prophet; Ismaili-Ithna ‘ashari (twelver) and
Ismaili-Must‘lawi (Bohri) divisions.
Chapter-2:
Major Ismaili
beliefs and principles in the light of the preamble of the
constitution of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims have been
explained in this chapter. This includes Oneness of Allah,
finality of the Prophethood, Holy Qur’an as the final Message of
Allah; Imamat, its function and authority, and the role of
Jamatkhana in the life of the Ismaili community.
Chapter-3:
This chapter
deals with the concept of Khalifatullah or the Vicegerency of
Allah on earth in the light of the Holy Qur’an and his
authority; Nur (light) and ‘Ilm (knowledge) as two important
qualities of the Khalifa, and the authority of the Khalifa.
Chapter-4:
This chapter has
been devoted to the concept of Imamat in the light of the Holy
Qur’an. A number of fundamental ayats from the Holy Qur’an have
been explained to highlight this concept.
Chapter-5:
This chapter
highlights the status of Hazrat Ali (a.s.) as the foundation of
Imamat in Shi‘a Islam with special reference to Hadith-e-Ghadir
and Hadith-e Manzilat.
Chapter-6:
This chapter
discusses the mutual relationship between the Holy Qur’an and
the Imam; the need of a divinely appointed teacher to explain
and interpret it and the role of Imam in this regards.
Chapter-7:
This chapter
enumerates and explains various characteristics of Islam like
the importance of intellect in understanding the faith,
submission, easiness in practicing faith, tolerance, adjusting
with the time and space while practicing faith, and difference
between the Din (Religion) and Shari‘ah. Various examples have
been given from history of changes in the Shari‘ah soon after
the death of the Prophet with an exposition on the need of
interpreting the teachings of the Qur’an in the light of the
fundamentally altered conditions of the society,
Chapter-8:
The last chapter
discusses the term “Muslim” tracing the use of this word in the
Qur’an, and use of the word Islam and Muslim for the Prophets
and their followers in the Abrahamic tradition before Prophet
Muhammad. The ethics of tolerance, accepting the pluralistic
nature of the teachings of Islam, appreciation of various
interpretations of the Qur’an, and the need of unity among the
Muslims have also been discussed.
This book is
very useful for those who want to understand our Tariqah in
simple language and wish to articulate for those who sincerely
seek to understand the fundamentals of our Tariqah.
