Imam Baqir (as) said “Islam is founded and based upon five things; the maintaining of prayers, the giving out of alms, the Hajj of the House of Allah (kaabah), the fasting of Ramadan month and the guardianship (wilayat) of us the Ahl ul bayt (as). So in four of those there exists an excuse (leave and permission), but in (accepting and believing) guardianship no room for excuse or allowance has been given. And for the person who does not possess wealth there exists no Zakat (alms giving) and the one who is devoid of wealth does not have to perform Hajj and the one who is ill offers his prayers sitting and may not observe fast. Nonetheless, the guardianship is binding and obligatory while he is healthy or ill or whether he is rich or poor.”[i]

[i] WASAIL U SHIA VOL 1, P 14

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Published by Sheikh Mateen Charbonneau

Sheikh Mateen Charbonneau is of French-Canadian descent. He was born in the United States to a Christian family, and later chose to convert to Shi’a Islam in 1999 at the age of 17, having studied both faiths. He started studying Islamic Seminary classes (Howza) in March 2013 at Imam Ali Center in Springfield, Virginia and studied abroad in Najaf al-Ashraf and Karbala and received his ‘amama (turban) from the esteemed marja’ Ayatollah Sayed Muhammad Taqi al-Modaressi in 2018. He earned a certificate from Harvard University in Islamic Studies, has filmed many documentaries about his journey to Islam, authored several books, taught in the Islamic Seminary (Howza), and is the founder of the nonprofit organization 2nd Chance Books (2014). He has lectured throughout the United States and various other countries spreading the message of Ahl ul Bayt (as). Since 2022 he has been residing in Antalya, Türkiye where he is the resident scholar of the local community and continuing his work with 2nd Chance Books.

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