Usul al-Din means the “roots and foundations of a Muslim’s faith.” In Islamic theology, this term refers to the five fundamental principles of faith that constitute the foundation of a person’s religious worldview. If religion is compared to a tree, then Usul al-Din is its root system, while the other matters of belief and religious practice are like the trunk, branches, leaves, and fruits that grow from these roots. When the roots are healthy, the entire tree will be healthy.

1. Tawhid (Divine Oneness)

Tawhid is belief that Allah is One, together with conviction in His absolute oneness in His essence, attributes, and exclusive right to be worshipped. Allah has no partner, equal, or likeness.

2. Adl (Divine Justice)

Adl is belief in the absolute justice of Allah and the conviction that He never commits injustice or oppression.

3. Nubuwwah (Prophethood)

Nubuwwah is belief that Allah sent prophets to guide humanity to the true path. The final of the prophets is the Prophet Muhammad, and there will be no prophet after him. He conveyed the teachings of Islam to humanity, and the Qur’an was conveyed to humankind through him.

4. Imamate (Wilayah)

Imamate is belief that after the Prophet, divine guidance continues through the Imams from the Ahl al-Bayt. There are twelve Imams:

Imam Ali, Imam Hasan, Imam Husayn, Imam Zayn al-Abidin, Imam al-Baqir, Imam al-Sadiq, Imam al-Kazim, Imam al-Rida, Imam al-Jawad, Imam al-Hadi, Imam al-Askari, and Imam al-Mahdi.

5. Maad (The Hereafter)

Maad is belief that after death, the human being will be resurrected, as well as belief in the Day of Judgment, divine reckoning, reward and punishment, Paradise and Hell. In the Hereafter, every person will be held accountable for the deeds they committed in this world.

Imam Muhammad Bāqir exerted profound influence in the realms of knowledge and scholarship. During his era, the exegesis of the Qur’an, the study of authoritative hadiths, as well as the sciences of fiqh and tafsīr, underwent significant development. He educated numerous disciples and contributed to the formation of a new generation of scholars. The epithet “Bāqir,” meaning “one who splits open knowledge” or “explorer of profound depths,” reflects his exceptional scholarly activity. Through systematic work in the fields of hadith, fiqh, and other Islamic sciences, he laid the foundation for the organization and systematization of Islamic teachings.

The first verses of the Quran sent by the Great Creator to the venerable Great Prophet were the first five verses of Surah al-Alaq:
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
1. Read! in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created.
2. Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood:
3. Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,-
4. He Who taught (the use of) the Pen,-
5. Taught man that which he knew not.