أركان الإيمان الستة
Six Articles of Faith
The core beliefs every Muslim must hold in their heart
آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ
"The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and so have the believers."
Quran 2:285
The Angel Jibril (Gabriel) once approached the Prophet ﷺ in human form and asked about Iman (faith). The Prophet ﷺ replied: 'Iman is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in divine decree (Qadar) — both the good and the bad of it.' (Muslim). These six articles form the intellectual and spiritual core of Islamic belief.
1. Belief in Allah
The first and most fundamental article is belief in Allah — the One, the Unique, the Self-Sufficient Creator of all existence. This encompasses Tawhid: Allah has no partners, no children, no equals. He is Al-Hayy (the Ever-Living), Al-Qayyum (the Self-Sustaining), Al-'Alim (the All-Knowing), Al-Qadir (the All-Powerful). Allah has 99 Beautiful Names (Asma ul-Husna), each revealing an aspect of His divine attributes. The Quran says: 'He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.' (59:22)
2. Belief in Angels
Muslims believe in the angels (Mala'ika) — beings created from light who worship Allah without ceasing and carry out His commands. They have no free will and do not sin. Among the greatest angels are: • Jibril (Gabriel): Conveyor of divine revelation to the Prophets • Mikail (Michael): Responsible for rain and provision • Israfil: Will blow the trumpet on the Day of Judgment • Izrail (Malak al-Mawt): The Angel of Death Every person has two guardian angels recording their deeds (Kiraman Katibin).
3. Belief in Divine Books
Allah sent revealed scriptures to guide humanity at different times:
- Suhuf: Scrolls sent to Ibrahim (AS) and Musa (AS)
- Tawrah (Torah): Revealed to Musa (AS) / Moses
- Zabur (Psalms): Revealed to Dawud (AS) / David
- Injeel (Gospel): Revealed in its original form to Isa (AS) / Jesus
- Al-Quran: The final, complete, and perfectly preserved revelation to Muhammad ﷺ
4. Belief in Prophets and Messengers
Muslims believe in all prophets and messengers sent by Allah, from Adam (AS) to the final prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The Quran mentions 25 prophets by name, though Islamic tradition holds there were 124,000 total. All prophets shared the same core message: worship Allah alone, avoid shirk (associating partners with Allah), and live according to His guidance. We must believe in all of them without distinction. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the Seal of the Prophets — there will be no prophet after him.
5. Belief in the Day of Judgment
Yawm al-Qiyamah (the Day of Resurrection and Judgment) is a certainty that every soul will face. On that day, all of creation will be resurrected, and every person will be held fully accountable for their deeds. The scales of justice (Mizan) will weigh every action, no matter how small. Some will enter Jannah (Paradise) — a state of eternal bliss beyond imagination. Others will face Jahannam (Hellfire). The belief in accountability gives weight to every choice a Muslim makes in this life.
6. Belief in Divine Decree (Al-Qadar)
Al-Qadar means to believe that Allah, in His infinite wisdom, has preordained all things. Nothing happens except by His knowledge and will. This does not negate human free will — people make genuine choices, and those choices matter. Believing in Qadar brings profound peace: knowing that whatever befalls you was written, and that from hardship comes wisdom. The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Wondrous is the affair of the believer — everything is good for him. If good comes to him he is grateful, and if harm comes he is patient — and that is good for him.' (Muslim)