Foundations of faith

The Six Articles of Faith (Iman)

When Jibril asked the Prophet ﷺ about iman, he answered: “That you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers and the Last Day, and that you believe in the decree, its good and its bad” (Sahih Muslim). These six beliefs form the creed of every Muslim.

1. Belief in Allah

Belief that Allah exists, that He alone is the Lord who creates and sustains everything, that He alone deserves worship, and that He has the most beautiful names and perfect attributes without resemblance to His creation: “There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing” (Qur’an 42:11).

2. Belief in the angels

Angels are created from light, obey Allah without fail and carry out His commands. Some are named in the revelation: Jibril, who brought the revelation; Mika’il, entrusted with rain; Israfil, who will blow the trumpet; and the angels who record our deeds.

3. Belief in the revealed books

Allah revealed scriptures to His messengers: the Scrolls of Ibrahim, the Torah to Musa, the Psalms to Dawud, the Gospel to ‘Isa and the Qur’an to Muhammad ﷺ. Muslims believe in all of them in their original form, and that the Qur’an is the final revelation, preserved by Allah (Qur’an 15:9).

4. Belief in the messengers

Allah sent prophets and messengers to every nation, all calling to the worship of Allah alone. Twenty-five are named in the Qur’an, including Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa and ‘Isa. Muhammad ﷺ is the seal of the prophets (Qur’an 33:40), and a Muslim believes in all of them without distinction.

5. Belief in the Last Day

Life continues after death: the questioning in the grave, the resurrection, the gathering, the reckoning, the scale, and finally Paradise or Hell. This belief gives meaning to moral responsibility: every deed, even an atom’s weight, will be seen (Qur’an 99:7-8).

6. Belief in divine decree (qadar)

Allah knows everything, has written it, wills it and creates it, while human beings have a real choice and are responsible for their actions. Belief in qadar brings peace in hardship and humility in success: what reached you was not going to miss you, and what missed you was not going to reach you.

Faith grows and weakens

According to the people of the Sunnah, faith is belief in the heart, words on the tongue and deeds of the limbs, and it increases with obedience and decreases with sin. The Qur’an describes believers whose faith increases when the verses of Allah are recited to them (8:2).

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Faith has seventy-odd branches; the highest is saying la ilaha illallah and the lowest is removing something harmful from the road, and modesty is a branch of faith” (Muslim). Prayer, remembrance, good company and reflection on creation strengthen it; neglect and sins weaken it.

In brief

Faith (iman) has six articles: Allah, angels, books, messengers, the Last Day and the decree.
They were taught by the Prophet ﷺ in the hadith of Jibril (Muslim).
Faith lives in the heart, the tongue and deeds.
It increases with obedience and decreases with sins.
Belief in the decree brings calm in hardship and humility in success.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between Islam and iman?

Islam refers to outward submission through the pillars of practice; iman refers to inner belief in the six articles. A complete believer combines both.

What difference does belief in the Last Day make?

It gives every action weight. Knowing that each deed will be seen and judged encourages honesty, patience in hardship and generosity even when nobody is watching.