أركان الإيمان

The 6 Articles of Faith (Iman)

The foundation of Islamic belief. According to the famous Hadith of Jibril, true faith (Iman) rests upon believing in six core pillars.

Belief in Allah (Tawheed)

The absolute foundation of Islam is the belief in the Oneness of Allah (Tawheed). This means believing that Allah is the sole Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of the universe. He has no partners, no parents, and no children.

Tawheed requires us to direct all our worship—our prayers, fasting, and supplications—exclusively to Him, and to believe in His perfect names and attributes without altering their meaning or comparing them to His creation.

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ۝ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ ۝ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ۝ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ

"Say, 'He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent.'"

— Surah Al-Ikhlas [112:1-4]

Belief in His Angels (Mala'ikah)

Muslims must believe in the existence of Angels. They are creations of light (Nur) who do not possess free will; they exist solely to obey and worship Allah without ever disobeying Him.

Different angels are assigned specific duties. For example, Jibril (Gabriel) is responsible for delivering divine revelation to the Prophets, Mikail oversees the weather and sustenance, and the Kiramam Katibin are responsible for recording our good and bad deeds.

لَّا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ

"...they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded."

— Surah At-Tahrim [66:6]

Belief in His Books (Kutub)

Muslims believe in all the divine scriptures revealed by Allah to His messengers throughout history as a source of guidance for humanity. The four major books explicitly mentioned in Islam are:

The Tawrat (Torah): Revealed to Prophet Musa (Moses).
The Zabur (Psalms): Revealed to Prophet Dawud (David).
The Injil (Gospel): Revealed to Prophet Isa (Jesus).
The Quran: The final, uncorrupted revelation given to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

While Muslims believe in the original forms of the previous books, they believe the Quran is the final testament, protected by Allah from any alteration.

Belief in His Messengers (Rusul)

Allah did not leave humanity without guidance. He sent Prophets and Messengers to every nation to call them back to the worship of One God. Muslims must believe in, love, and respect all the Prophets without making distinctions between them.

The Quran mentions 25 Prophets by name, starting with Adam (the first man) and including Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), and Isa (Jesus). The line of prophethood was permanently sealed with the final Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَٰكِن رَّسُولَ اللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ

"Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets."

— Surah Al-Ahzab [33:40]

Belief in the Last Day (Al-Qiyamah)

Muslims believe that this worldly life is temporary and a test. There will come a Day of Judgment (Yawm al-Qiyamah) when the universe will be destroyed, and all human beings will be resurrected from the dead.

On this Day, every individual will stand before Allah to be judged for their deeds. Those whose good deeds outweigh their bad will be granted eternal bliss in Paradise (Jannah), while those who rejected the truth or lived wickedly will face the punishment of Hellfire (Jahannam).

Belief in Divine Decree (Qadar)

The final article of faith is the belief in Qadar, meaning that everything that happens—both good and bad—occurs by the will, knowledge, and decree of Allah. Nothing in the universe escapes His power or happens by accident.

However, this does not negate human free will. Allah has given humans the ability to choose their actions, but He already knows what choices we will make. This belief gives a Muslim immense peace of mind, knowing that whatever hardship they face was destined for them, and whatever missed them was never meant to hit them.

قُل لَّن يُصِيبَنَا إِلَّا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَنَا هُوَ مَوْلَانَا ۚ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

"Say, 'Never will we be struck except by what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector.' And upon Allah let the believers rely."

— Surah At-Tawbah [9:51]

The Difference Between Islam and Iman

In Islamic theology, there is a distinct difference between the concepts of Islam and Iman. This distinction is beautifully outlined in the famous "Hadith of Jibril" (Gabriel), where the Angel came to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in the form of a man to teach the companions their religion.

The Pillars of Islam (Actions)

When asked about Islam, the Prophet (ﷺ) responded with the 5 physical pillars: Testifying that there is no God but Allah (Shahadah), performing the daily prayers (Salah), paying charity (Zakat), fasting in Ramadan (Sawm), and performing Hajj. Islam deals with our outward actions and submissions.

The Articles of Faith (Beliefs)

When Jibril then asked, "Tell me about Iman," the Prophet (ﷺ) responded with the 6 Articles of Faith listed above. Iman deals with the inward state of the heart and mind. You cannot have true Islam without Iman, and your Iman must be manifested through the physical actions of Islam.

A person's Iman is not a static state; according to Sunni theology, Iman increases with obedience to Allah and decreases with disobedience.