Six Pillars of Islam (Faith)
The Six Commandments of Faith (Arkanul Iman)
There are six essential beliefs in Islam. These beliefs are foundational and obligatory for anyone to be considered a true Muslim. If a person doubts or denies any of them, their faith is incomplete.
These six pillars of faith are:
- Belief in Allah and His Oneness
- Belief in His Angels
- Belief in His Revelations
- Belief in His Prophets and Messengers
- Belief in the Day of Judgement
- Belief in Divine Destiny (Qadar)
1. Belief in Allah (Tawheed)
A true Muslim believes in the Oneness of Allah, His majesty, sovereignty, and that none is worthy of worship except Him alone. This includes belief in everything He has said about Himself in the Qur’an:
Surah Al-Ikhlas (Chapter 112): Say: He is Allah, the One and Only! Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him. (Quran 112, Translation: Yusuf Ali)
2. Belief in the Angels
Angels are noble beings created from light. They do not disobey Allah and carry out specific tasks. Though invisible to humans, their presence and roles are significant in our lives.
Key Angels in Islam:
- Jibreel (Gabriel): Bringer of revelation.
- Mika’il (Michael): Bringer of rain and sustenance.
- Israfil: Will blow the trumpet on Judgment Day.
- ‘Azra’il: Angel of death.
- Munkar & Nakeer: Question the dead in the grave.
- Raqeeb & ‘Ateed: Record good and bad deeds.
- Ridwaan: Gatekeeper of Paradise.
- Maalik: Guardian of Hellfire.
3. Belief in the Revelations
Revelations are divine instructions from Allah, delivered through prophets. They serve as guidance for humanity. These include books and scriptures sent down throughout time.
Main Revealed Scriptures:
- Suhuf (Scrolls) – given to Prophet Ibrahim
- Tawrah (Torah) – given to Prophet Musa
- Zabur (Psalms) – given to Prophet Dawud
- Injeel (Gospel) – given to Prophet ‘Isa
- Qur’an – given to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
All these books guide people to live righteous lives, and belief in them is obligatory.
4. Belief in the Prophets and Messengers
Allah sent prophets to guide mankind. They were righteous individuals who conveyed His message. All prophets are to be respected equally without distinction. There are 25 prophets mentioned in the Qur’an. These include:
Adam, Idris, Nuh, Hud, Salih, Ibrahim, Lut, Isma’il, Ishaq, Ya’qub, Yusuf, Ayyub, Shu’aib, Musa, Harun, Ilyasa’, Dawud, Sulaiman, Ilyas, Yunus, Zakariyyah, Yahya, Dhul-Kifl, ‘Isa, and Muhammad (ﷺ).
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is the final messenger, and his law (Shari’ah) abrogates all previous ones.
5. Belief in the Day of Judgement
Muslims believe in life after death and that all humans will be judged by Allah. This includes belief in the events of the grave, resurrection, the weighing of deeds, the bridge over Hell, and entry into either Paradise or Hell. This world between death and resurrection is known as Al-Barzakh.
6. Belief in Divine Destiny (Qadar)
Belief in Qadar means believing that everything—good or bad—happens by Allah’s decree. Nothing occurs outside of His will and knowledge. This belief nurtures trust, patience, and gratitude in all circumstances.
Pillars of Faith (Iman)
The Pillars of Iman are intrinsic to a Muslim’s life. Without believing in these pillars one cannot be called a Muslim, even if a he or she acts correctly in accordance with all aspect of Islamic jurisprudence.
Below are the Pillars of Iman, accompanied by a short explanation of each one:
For a more in depth explanation, please click the link in the menu:
1: Belief in One Supreme God (Allah):
As Islam is a monotheistic religion, the first essential rule is to believe in the Oneness of God, who is known to Muslims by many names and attributes. One of His most supreme names is Allah.
For more info click the link ‘Belief in One God’.
For more info click the link Allah.
2: Belief in Angels
Muslims are required to believe in the existence of angels (who are created from a form of light). Muslims believe that all angels are the servants of the God and do not obey anyone except Him, nor do they have free will or the ability to disobey. Angels are responsible for many things in the world, for example watching over humans.
For more information Click Angels
3: Belief in the Books and Revelations
Another requirement of Islamic belief is to believe in the Holy Books that were revealed to Prophets throughout history. These include the Qur’an, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which Muslims believe is the last, complete and unchanged revelation, as well as the original text of the Torah, the Bible, the Scrolls of Abraham and the Psalms of David, which were all believed to have contained divine Truth.
The Qur’an
Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the true word of Allah and that it was revealed directly from Him via Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The Qur’an is the final message and confirms all messages that came before it.
The Qur’an is not a long book, considering the fact that it is God’s guide to mankind. It consists of 114 chapters, ranging in length from over to 200 verses, to some chapters with just 3 verses. It is divided into 30 parts, and was revealed over a course of 23 years to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The Prophet Muhammad himself could not read or write, which made it impossible for him to have written the words himself. Upon receiving revelation, he would relate it to his companions who would then write it down and recite it back to him to ensure it was recorded correctly.
‘And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad], then produce a surah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful.’ (Qur’an 2:23)
The Qur’an is a book for all mankind, providing guidance for humans on how to live according to Allah’s will. Unlike the Bible and the Torah, Muslims believe that the Qur’an remains unchanged since the time of its revelation. Qur’anic manuscripts have been found dating back to the 7th century, which contain the exact same words as modern copies.
The Qur’an is not a ‘book’ in the traditional sense; it does not follow a narrative from start to finish. Instead stories can be found in various parts of the Qur’an along with morals, rulings, descriptions of the After Life, verses of encouragement, information about God and even scientific facts.
The Qur’an was revealed in Arabic, a language of incredible depth and beauty. Scholars spend many years attempting to understand various sections of the Qur’an as it is such a rich and complex text. Many translations exist in many languages to allow those who do not speak Arabic to gain some understanding of the sacred text. However, it would be more accurate to refer to these translations as ‘interpretations’ since other languages can only convey a sense of the meaning, and cannot often grasp the entire meaning the verses convey. When reading the Qur’an in English therefore, it is recommended to bear in mind that this is one person’s interpretation, and it is useful to read more than one translation in order to gain a greater sense of the true meaning. For this reason Muslims all over the world strive to learn Arabic in order to be able to fully understand the words of Almighty God.
The Revelation of the Qur’an
As we have mentioned, the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by Allah through Angel Gabriel, known as Jibra‘il in Arabic.
The first revelation took place when Muhammad was 40 years old. On a night in the last days of the month of Ramadhan, Muhammad was sat in a cave on Mount Hira, where he used to go to be alone and to meditate; away from the idol worshipping that took place in the city of Makkah below.
On one night, now known as the Night of Power, or Laylatul Qadr, the Angel Jibrail appeared to the Prophet and commanded him to ‘Read!’ The Prophet, being illiterate, replied that he could not read. At this point the Angel embraced him and squeezed him so hard that Muhammad thought he would die. Upon releasing him, again the Angel commanded Muhammad to read, to which Muhammad again replied that he could not. Again the angel squeezed him. This sequence was repeated a final time until Muhammad asked ‘What shall I read?’
It was then that the Angel Jibrail revealed to the Prophet the first revelation of the Qur’an, the following five verses which are now part of Surah Al-Alaq, chapter 96:
‘Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists), Has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, Who has taught by the pen, Has taught man that which he knew not.’
Other Holy Books
Muslims also believe that Allah revealed several Holy Books to prophets before the Qur’an as instructions and guidance for the people of those times. These holy books include:
The Zabur – The Psalms Revealed to David The Suhuf – The Scrolls Revealed to Abraham The Tawrat – The Torah Revealed to Moses The Injeel – The Gospel Revealed to Jesus
These books are mentioned several times in the Qur’an itself and share many of their stories and rulings.
‘He has sent down upon you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.’ (Qur’an 3:3)
Although Muslims hold these books in high regard and believe they were originally revealed by Allah, over the course of history these books have either been lost or changed over the years and thus their original messages have become distorted. The Qur’an was sent to reaffirm the true messages of these previous books and shall not ever be changed. The Qur’an is thus a book for all mankind, rather than simply the people living at the time of the Prophet Muhammad.
‘Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian.’ (Qur’an 15:9)
4: Belief in the Prophets
Muslims are required to believe in all prophets and messengers who have been sent by Almighty God. They should truly respect them. Muslims believe that the first prophet was Adam and the last was Muhammad (PBUH).
Muslims believe that, throughout the course of history, Allah has chosen prophets from among humans to spread His message and call people to worship Him alone. There are 25 prophets mentioned by name in the Qur’an and many of their stories are similar to those told in the Bible. However, Muslims believe that many other prophets were sent, some estimating the figure to be around 124,000 in total.
These 25 prophets mentioned in the Qur’an are as follows; their Biblical and Islamic names have been given:
(Adam) Adam (Enoch) Idris (Noah) Nuh (Eber) Hud (Shaloh) Saleh (Abraham) Ibrahim (Lot) Lut (Ishmael) Isma’il (Isaac) Ishaq (Jacob) Yaqub (Joseph) Yusuf (Job) Ayoub (Jethro) Shu‘aib (Moses) Musa (Aaron) Harun (Ezekiel) Dhul-Kifl (David) Dawud (Solomon) Sulayman (Elijah) Ilyas (Elisha) Al-Yasa (Jonah) Yunus (Zechariah) Zakariya (John) Yahya (Jesus) Isa
Muhammad
Unlike in other religions, Islam places great importance on the fact that these prophets were just human beings and do not have any divine qualities. They were chosen by Allah as exemplary humans to guide their communities back to the straight path of worshiping Allah and obeying His commands.
The majority of Prophets were chosen to spread the simple message of calling people to worship the one true God, Allah, and to abandon their lives of sin to follow Allah’s commands. However, some prophets were given specific revelations in the form of holy books. These prophets are known as a ‘rasul’, which means messenger.
The Prophets to whom holy books were revealed were:
(Abraham) Ibrahim who was given the Scrolls, known in Arabic as the ‘Suhuf’ (David) Dawud who was given the Psalms, known in Arabic as the ‘Zabur’ (Moses) Musa who was given the Torah, known in Arabic as the ‘Tawraat’ (Jesus) Isa who was given the Bible, known in Arabic as the ‘Injeel’ Muhammad who was given the Qur’an, the last and final revelation.
Although each prophet from Adam to Jesus was sent to their specific community, Muslims believe that Allah chose Muhammad to spread His message to all mankind. The revelation of the Qur’an was designed for all human beings to follow and therefore no further prophet after him is needed since the final message of the Qur’an is preserved by God.
5: Belief in the Day of Judgment:
No Muslim’s faith is complete without believing in the Day of Judgement. One could argue that without Judgement Day there is not much benefit in doing good or bad, being alive or dead. Life loses its meaning.
All Muslims should believe in these Pillars and act up on them. The Day of Judgement is the day when good will be separated from bad. Anyone who did good will get their reward, and anyone who committed sin will receive their punishment.
On this day, if God is at your side you are saved, if not… God help you!
‘What happens when I die?’ This question has been asked by humans throughout the ages. Islam holds that death is not the end of existence, rather a stage in a human’s life. This life is a test for humans to see whether or not they choose to follow God’s guidance and act in a way that will please Him, or ignore His signs and warnings and instead choose to disobey Him. Based on their decisions and actions in this temporary life, human beings will be judged and their fate, the way they spend the rest of their lives, will depend on whether their good deeds outweighed their bad ones.
Paradise is the reward for the righteous, and Hell the eternal abode for those who denied and transgressed God’s rulings. Although we should be aiming to do good so that God is pleased with us, not just for reward, God in His wisdom knows that human beings need incentives and deterrents, thus the promise of Paradise and the threat of Hell help humans to strive in the way of goodness and obedience.
‘Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah is greater. It is that which is the great attainment.’ (Qur’an 9:72)
Once a person has died they enter a stage known as the Barzakh, their body is no longer alive, but their soul lives on in another dimension, in the World of the Unseen. At the end of Time, God will give the command for the Trumpet to be blown signalling the Day of Resurrection, when all human beings will be raised to life again.
‘How can you disbelieve in Allah? Seeing that you were dead and He gave you life. Then He will give you death, then again will bring you to life (on the Day of Resurrection) and then unto Him you will return.’ (Qur’an 2:28)
Each person will be presented with a record of their life’s deeds, recorded by two angels who were sat on their shoulders (See the page on Belief in Angels for more information). Following this each person will be judged by God.
‘How (will it be) when We gather them together on the Day about which there is no doubt (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). And each person will be paid in full what he has earned? And they will not be dealt with unjustly.’ (Qur’an 3:25)
God as the Judge is fair, and Forgiving. Over His Throne is written: ‘My Mercy outweighs my Anger.’ If a person repented for their sins, no matter how many, in this life God promises forgiveness.
Allah the Almighty has said:
“O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as its.” (Hadith)
Indeed there are many opportunities for a person to wipe away a lifetime’s worth of sins if they are truly sincere. When a person enters Islam, for example, in order to allow them a fresh start, God wipes away all previous sins they may have committed. It is then up to them to ensure they keep their record clean.
“O you who have believed, repent to Allah with sincere repentance. Perhaps your Lord will remove from you your misdeeds and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow [on] the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him. Their light will proceed before them and on their right; they will say, “Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent.” (Qur’an 66:8)
Life after Death lasts forever. A person may therefore either be destined for Heaven or Hell depending on their deeds. Some people are sent to Hell for eternity but these are the lowest of people. Others are sent to Hell for a period of time to cleanse them of their sins before they can enter Paradise, like gold ore is burned before it becomes pure.
Many descriptions of Heaven and Hell are given in the Qur’an and Hadith (sayings of the Prophet):
‘And will reward them for what they patiently endured [with] a garden [in Paradise] and silk [garments]. [They will be] reclining therein on adorned couches. They will not see therein any [burning] sun or [freezing] cold. And near above them are its shades, and its [fruit] to be picked will be lowered in compliance. And there will be circulated among them vessels of silver and cups having been [created] clear [as glass], Clear glasses [made] from silver of which they have determined the measure. And they will be given to drink a cup [of wine] whose mixture is of ginger [from] a fountain within Paradise named Salsabeel. There will circulate among them young boys made eternal. When you see them, you would think them [as beautiful as] scattered pearls. And when you look there [in Paradise], you will see pleasure and great dominion. Upon the inhabitants will be green garments of fine silk and brocade. And they will be adorned with bracelets of silver, and their Lord will give them a purifying drink.’ (Qur’an 76:12-21)
“And whosoever disobeys God and His Messenger, then surely, for him is the fire of Hell, he shall dwell therein forever.” (Qur’an 72:23)
6: Belief in Fate
Qadar means fate. Muslims believe that all things are meant to happen. Almighty God has written all things that happen to man. Therefore man should be patient, since everything happens for a reason.
Qadar is an Arabic word mentioned in the Qur’an, which means, amongst other things, ‘fate’ or ‘divine destiny’.
Allah has knowledge of everything in His creation and nothing occurs except by His will. This term, however, should not be confused with ‘predestination’ or ‘fatalism’ which implies that humans have no free will.
There are obviously certain things over which humans have no control:
Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) said:
“Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, has ordained for every servant amongst His creation five things: his death, his action, his abode, the places of his moving about and his means of sustenance.” [Tirmidhi]
However Muslims do believe that human beings are given free will, and it must be made clear that destiny does not have a cause-and-effect influence on the choices humans make. The choices that humans make are all within Allah’s knowledge, which is unlike and beyond the understanding of human knowledge.
Since Allah is Fair, He would not judge us for actions or events over which we have no control. Humans are free to choose their paths in life and God will judge each individual according to their choices and circumstances.