Volume 9 deals with the topic “Prophethood and Vocation” as the basis of faith and concentrates on some short brain food on Shiite thought and faith. Since this topic is of particular interest to universities and colleges as well as to interreligious dialogue, this volume provides the reader with high-quality information to understand the Shia positions on this topic.

After treating the doctrine of God and justice as the first two foundations of the Shiite faith, we deal in this volume with the third “foundation of faith”, the Vocation. This includes other topic, such as revelation.

The main concern of this foundation is the guidance of people. In our view, there is no one who can be without religious attachment, who does not need any guidance, and who does not need anything to show his interest and affection for. There are different ways of guidance, but prophetic guidance is the most authentic.

The reason for this is divine revelation. Therefore, among other topics, this volume also clarifies the prophet’s experience of revelation. In addition to the belief in monotheism, there is the belief in Prophethood. This means that those who believe in God also believe in Prophethood and the prophets. In this sense, the Holy Quran said the following: “Those who do not believe in Allah and His Messengers and want to bring about a separation between Allah and His Messenger and say: ‘We believe in some and reject others’ and want to take a path in between, they are the true disbelievers.” (Hl. Quran 4:150-151)

This fundament of faith - the Vocation - is so important that in our view not only the ordinary believers, but especially the Prophet Muhammad (s) himself should believe in it. Since the authority of the prophets lies in Revelation, we also believe “in the things that have been revealed down to us, and in the things that have been sent down on Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes (of Israel), and what was given to Moses, and to Jesus, and to the prophets, by their Lord; we make no distinction between them, and to Him we are devoted.” (Hl. Quran 3:84.)

An-Nubuwwa, i.e. Prophethood, and Al-Risala, i.e. Vocation, are among the three most fundamental pillars of Islamic faith, along with At-Tawhid (doctrine of God) and Al-Maad (eschatology), in which faith should be held without coercion and violence.