Volume 5 (Historical Thinking) deals with the historical dimensions and, above all, the historical thinking of Islam. In this sense, the history of man is considered a lesson and a life-lesson.

Historical thinking in Islam is not exclusively concerned with the narration of historical events, but beyond that it does not want to be understood merely as a narrative of meaning. It is mainly about the historical dimension - and above all about the historical thinking - of Islam.

The topic of ›history‹ is widely a central aspect of all Islamic thought and brings with it a historical field of research that focuses on both religious and cultural areas in the religious context: Historical Thought!

It is of great importance within Shia Islam, and it is treated with great vitality and passionate sympathy. The interpretation could easily arise that Shia Islam allows fact-oriented reporting research to take a back seat in favor of religious doctrine and parables.

By describing the development of human history, the ways of life of individuals and groups in the light of the history of revelation, Shiite historical thought tries to explain the reasons for its progress and defeat in order to shape the present, to orient life and to shape the future.

In doing so, the historical thinking of Shia Islam, which itself stands in the light of the Koran, wants to show the causes of negative and positive developments in order to call on people to recognize the mistakes and errors of the past and to draw the appropriate conclusions for a humane way of life. Therefore, the following questions will be helpful as a starting point to know what Shiite historical thought is:

• What does Islam have to do with human history?
• What does the history of Islam have to do with human history?
• Does Islam want to be/remain a world religion?
• What has happened on the path of Shia Islam from its beginning to today’s modern age?

Man (especially through the Enlightenment and its consequences) has become fundamentally insecure, an alienation and alienation from religion has taken place. What is the situation in the history of Shia Islam?

After this brief introduction to the general development of the historical understanding of Shia Islam, it is necessary to refer to the:

• Meaning of history for him.
• Peculiarities of his historical understanding.
• Characteristics of historical events for him.
• Future in the light of history.
• History in the Light of Revelation.
• History in the light of the wilaya.