1
Belief in Allah
الْإِيمَانُ بِاللَّهِ· Al-Iman billah
Believing in the existence, the oneness (tawhid) and the absolute perfection of Allah. Affirming His names (Asma ul-Husna) and His attributes as He described them in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, without distortion (tahrif), without denial (taʿtil), without asking how (takyif), and without likening Him to creatures (tamthil).
Details
- • Tawhid al-Rububiyya: Allah alone is Creator, Master and Provider
- • Tawhid al-Uluhiyya: Allah alone deserves worship (rejecting shirk)
- • Tawhid al-Asma wa s-Sifat: Allah has 99+ perfect names and attributes (see Asma ul-Husna)
- • Rejecting anthropomorphism (not picturing Allah as a creature)
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ، اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ، لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ، وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
“Say: He is Allah, the One. Allah, the Absolute Support. He neither begets nor is born, and there is none comparable to Him.”
Qur'an, Surah Al-Ikhlas (112) — equal to a third of the Qur'an, per Bukhari 5013
2
Belief in the angels
الْإِيمَانُ بِالْمَلَائِكَة· Al-Iman bil-mala'ika
Believing in the existence of the angels (mala'ika), creatures made of light (nur), wholly obedient to Allah and never disobeying. They carry out the tasks Allah assigns them: bearing the Throne, delivering revelation, recording deeds, taking souls, guarding Paradise and Hell, and so on.
Details
- • Jibril (Gabriel): the angel of revelation — he brought the Qur'an to the Prophet ﷺ
- • Mikail (Michael): the angel of rain and provision
- • Israfil: the angel of the Trumpet (Sur) — he announces the Day of Judgement
- • Malik: the keeper of Hell (Jahannam)
- • Ridwan: the keeper of Paradise (Jannah)
- • Munkar and Nakir: the angels of questioning in the grave
- • Raqib and ʿAtid: the recording angels (one on the right, one on the left, writing every deed)
- • ʿAzra'il (Malak al-Mawt): the angel of death
لَّا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ
“They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, and they do what they are ordered.”
Qur'an, At-Tahrim 66:6
3
Belief in the revealed Books
الْإِيمَانُ بِالْكُتُب· Al-Iman bil-kutub
Believing that Allah revealed Books to His messengers to guide humanity. These Books form one coherent series, culminating in the Qur'an, which confirms and completes them. The earlier Books were altered by people (tahrif); only the Qur'an has been preserved intact by Allah Himself.
Details
- • As-Suhuf (the Scrolls) — revealed to Ibrahim (Abraham), Qur'an 87:19
- • At-Tawrat (the Torah) — revealed to Moussa (Moses), Qur'an 5:44
- • Az-Zabur (the Psalms) — revealed to Dawud (David), Qur'an 17:55
- • Al-Injil (the Gospel) — revealed to ʿIssa (Jesus), Qur'an 5:46
- • Al-Qur'an — revealed to Muhammad ﷺ, Qur'an 15:9 (“We will preserve it”)
- • The Qur'an is the final and definitive revelation (Qur'an 5:3)
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder (the Qur'an), and indeed, We will be its Guardian.”
Qur'an, Al-Hijr 15:9
4
Belief in the prophets and messengers
الْإِيمَانُ بِالرُّسُل· Al-Iman bir-rusul
Believing that Allah sent prophets and messengers to every nation to convey His message. Roughly 124,000 prophets according to a hadith (Ahmad 21552), of whom 315 were messengers (rusul) bringing a new law. The Qur'an names 25 explicitly. All were truthful human beings, protected from sin (ʿisma), chosen by Allah. Muhammad ﷺ is the Seal (Khatam) — no prophet will come after him.
Details
- • The five Ulu al-Azm (those of firm resolve): Nuh, Ibrahim, Moussa, ʿIssa, Muhammad ﷺ
- • Making no distinction between the messengers (Qur'an 2:285)
- • Muhammad ﷺ is the LAST prophet (Qur'an 33:40 — Khatam an-Nabiyyin)
- • The prophets were NEITHER divine NOR immortal — chosen human beings
- • Their role: to convey, to teach, to purify (tazkiya)
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ
“Muhammad is but a messenger — messengers have passed away before him.”
Qur'an, Al-Imran 3:144
5
Belief in the Last Day
الْإِيمَانُ بِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِر· Al-Iman bil-yawm al-akhir
Believing in the reality of the Day of Judgement (Yawm al-Qiyama), when all people will be raised to be judged by their deeds. Believing in death, in the questioning in the grave, in the signs preceding the Hour (the Dajjal, the return of ʿIssa, Yajuj and Majuj…), in the Resurrection (Baʿath), the Gathering (Hashr), the Book of deeds, the Scale (Mizan), the Bridge (Sirat), the intercession (Shafaʿa), the Prophet's Basin ﷺ (Hawd), and the eternity of Paradise or Hell.
Details
- • Fitna al-Qabr (the trial of the grave): questioning by Munkar and Nakir
- • The minor and major signs of the Hour (see /signes-fin-monde)
- • Nafkha fi s-Sur: the two blasts of Israfil's Trumpet
- • Al-Hashr: the gathering on the bare plain
- • Al-Hisab: the reckoning of deeds
- • Al-Mizan: the scale that weighs the deeds
- • As-Sirat: the bridge over Hell toward Paradise
- • Jannah and Jahannam: the eternal destinations
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
“Every soul will taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection will you be paid your full reward.”
Qur'an, Al-Imran 3:185
6
Belief in the Decree (Qadar)
الْإِيمَانُ بِالْقَدَر· Al-Iman bil-qadar
Believing that everything that happens in the universe is decreed by Allah, according to His knowledge and His will. This belief has four levels: (1) Allah's knowledge, which encompasses everything, (2) the writing of the decree in the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz) fifty thousand years before creation, (3) Allah's will, which comes to pass without exception, (4) Allah's creation of all things. YET the human being keeps his moral responsibility, for Allah granted him the faculty of choice (ikhtiyar) between good and evil. The decree does not contradict human effort — the two work together.
Details
- • The four levels of Qadar: knowledge → writing → will → creation
- • The decree is absolute but does not cancel responsibility (Qur'an 4:79)
- • Act with effort AND accept the outcome (tawakkul)
- • The hadith of Jibril says: “believe in the Decree, the good of it and the bad of it” (Muslim 8)
- • Rejecting extreme predestination (jabr), which would deny responsibility
- • Rejecting extreme free will (qadariyya), which would deny Allah's will
- • The balanced position (wasatiyya): Allah knows and creates, the human chooses
إِنَّا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَاهُ بِقَدَرٍ
“Indeed, We have created all things with measure (qadar).”
Qur'an, Al-Qamar 54:49