Islam is built on two things: right action and right belief. The Five Pillars describe the actions. The Six Articles of Faith describe the beliefs, the inner convictions that make a person a believer (mu'min). They were stated by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ when the angel Gabriel asked him to define īmān (faith):
"That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil."
(Sahih Muslim 8a, Book 1, Hadith 1)
1. Belief in Allah
The first and greatest article is belief in one God, the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists, without partner, equal, or offspring. This is tawhīd, the foundation of everything. To believe in Allah is to believe in His existence, His absolute oneness, His lordship over creation, and His beautiful names and attributes.
"Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him."
(Surah Al-Ikhlas, 112:1–4)
2. Belief in the Angels
Angels are beings created from light who never disobey God and who carry out His commands. Among them is Gabriel, who brought revelation to the prophets; others record human deeds, take souls at death, and guard and serve by God's permission. Belief in the unseen world is part of faith itself.
"The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His messengers." And they say: "We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys.""
(Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:285)
3. Belief in the Books
God sent revealed books to guide humanity through His prophets, including the Scrolls of Abraham, the Torah given to Moses, the Psalms given to David, and the Gospel given to Jesus (peace be upon them all). The Qur'an is the final revelation, confirming the truth that came before and preserved from any alteration.
"To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that hath come to thee. To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute;"
(Surah Al-Ma'idah, 5:48)
4. Belief in the Messengers
God sent messengers and prophets to every nation, all calling to the same essential truth: worship the one God. The Qur'an names many, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others, and teaches that Muhammad ﷺ was the last of them. To believe in one prophet is to honour them all.
"To every people (was sent) a messenger: when their messenger comes (before them), the matter will be judged between them with justice, and they will not be wronged."
(Surah Yunus, 10:47)
5. Belief in the Last Day
This life is not the end. There will come a Day of Judgement, when all people will be raised, held accountable for their deeds, and admitted to Paradise or the Fire by God's justice and mercy. This belief gives life its moral weight: no good deed is lost, and no wrong goes unseen.
"Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it."
(Surah Az-Zalzalah, 99:7–8)
6. Belief in Divine Decree (Qadar)
The sixth article is belief in divine decree: that God has knowledge of all things and that nothing occurs except by His knowledge and will. This does not cancel human choice; the Qur'an holds people responsible for their actions. Rather, it gives the believer peace: trusting that whatever befalls them, of ease or hardship, is within the wisdom of an All-Knowing, All-Merciful God.
"No kind of calamity can occur, except by the leave of Allah: and if any one believes in Allah, (Allah) guides his heart (aright): for Allah knows all things."
(Surah At-Taghabun, 64:11)
Further Reading
- The Qur'an. Read it for yourself, with translation and recitation.
- Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim. The two most rigorously authenticated collections of the Prophet's ﷺ sayings.
- Riyad as-Salihin (Imam an-Nawawi), a beloved anthology of hadith on faith, character, and worship.
- The Sealed Nectar (Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum), an award-winning biography of the Prophet ﷺ.
- Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. Martin Lings.