Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I POLITICIZING OCCULT ISLAM
- Part II POPULAR SHIʿISM
- 4 Milieu, Childhood, Sanctity and Fame
- 5 From Conceptualization to Officialization of a Religio-political Ideology
- 6 Deficiency and Defectiveness of the Human Mind
- 7 Society Needs the Leadership of Jurists and/or Kings
- 8 Superstitious Education
- 9 Reconfigurating the Necessities of Belief
- 10 Majlesism as an Ideology
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
- List of Books in the Series
9 - Reconfigurating the Necessities of Belief
Articulating a State Religion
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I POLITICIZING OCCULT ISLAM
- Part II POPULAR SHIʿISM
- 4 Milieu, Childhood, Sanctity and Fame
- 5 From Conceptualization to Officialization of a Religio-political Ideology
- 6 Deficiency and Defectiveness of the Human Mind
- 7 Society Needs the Leadership of Jurists and/or Kings
- 8 Superstitious Education
- 9 Reconfigurating the Necessities of Belief
- 10 Majlesism as an Ideology
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
- List of Books in the Series
Summary
What does it require to be a Muslim and what else does it require to be a Shiʿi? The proclamation of faith is associated with shahadat or the profession of a simple, well-known and cogent line. For the Sunnis it reads, “I give witness that there is no god but God and Mohammad is His Messenger”. For the Shiʿi it reads, “I give witness that there is no god but God, Mohammad is His Messenger, and ʿAli is His vicegerent”. The original requirement for being considered a Muslim was straightforward; belief in monotheism plus acceptance of Mohammad as His Prophet. Once the person living in the Age of Ignorance (jaheliyyat) made this simple attestation, it was implicit that he or she had come to believe that Angel Gabriel informed Mohammad of his mission and that he received revelations from God in which He articulated His designs for His creatures. Addressing the believers (mo'menun), the Qur'an clearly informs the people what they need to believe in if they wish to be considered Muslims. They need to believe in God (Allah) and His Messenger and the scripture that He has sent to his Messenger and also the scripture that He has sent to those before Mohammad. The Qur'an subsequently adds that those who deny Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers and the Day of Judgement have gone far, far astray. In terms of correct dogma, all Muslims believe in monotheism (towhid), prophethood of Mohammad (nobovvat) and the Day of Judgement (maʿad).
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- Chapter
- Information
- Superstition as Ideology in Iranian PoliticsFrom Majlesi to Ahmadinejad, pp. 255 - 274Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011