You’ve probably heard Muslims talk about iman. Maybe you’re curious what it actually means. Or maybe you’ve recently embraced Islam and you’re trying to understand what exactly you’re supposed to believe.
Here’s the thing—Islam isn’t just about the things you do. It’s also about what you believe in your heart. And according to Islamic teachings preserved through authentic narrations and scholarly consensus across centuries, there are six core beliefs that define what it means to have iman. These aren’t optional. They’re not pick-and-choose. They’re the foundation.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself defined these beliefs when the Angel Jibril appeared before him and the companions in human form, as documented in one of the most significant narrations in Islamic history. When asked about iman, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave a direct answer that scholars have studied and taught for over fourteen centuries.
So let’s talk about the 6 articles of faith—what they are, why they matter, and how they actually connect to your daily life.
Where Do These Six Beliefs Come From?
Before we dive into each article, you need to know the source.
Picture this scene that took place during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: A man dressed in brilliant white clothing approaches the companions sitting with the Prophet ﷺ. His hair is jet black. There’s no sign of travel on him—no dust, no exhaustion—yet no one recognizes him. According to historical accounts documented by early Islamic scholars, he walks right up to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, sits knee-to-knee with him, places his hands on the Prophet’s thighs, and starts asking questions.
The companions, as recorded by Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) who witnessed this encounter, were shocked by this stranger’s boldness. But what followed became one of the most important teaching moments in Islamic history.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said in Sahih Muslim (Book of Iman, Hadith 1): “Iman is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in divine decree (Qadar), both its good and its evil.”
After the man left, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ revealed to the companions that this wasn’t an ordinary person. It was Angel Jibril, who had come to teach them their religion in a way they would never forget.
That hadith—known across the Muslim world as the Hadith of Jibril—is where the 6 articles of faith come from. Not from human opinion. Not from cultural tradition. From revelation itself, as transmitted through the most reliable chains of narration that Islamic scholarship has preserved.
The First Article: Belief in Allah ﷻ
This is where everything starts. According to Islamic theology taught by scholars throughout the centuries, if you don’t get this one right, nothing else makes sense.
But what does it actually mean to believe in Allah ﷻ?
Look… it’s more than just saying “God exists.” Islamic scholars have explained that believing in Allah ﷻ properly includes four dimensions:
First—you believe He exists. The One who created you, the sky above you, the ground beneath you, and everything in between.
Second—you believe He is the Lord (Rabb). As documented in classical Islamic texts on creed, this means acknowledging that Allah ﷻ alone creates, provides, gives life, causes death, and controls every single thing in existence. No partner. No helper who shares His power.
Third—you believe He alone deserves to be worshipped. This is where a lot of people get confused. You can’t believe Allah ﷻ is the Creator and then go pray to a saint’s grave or ask a dead person for help. Islamic teachings, as explained by scholars of Tawhid across generations, are crystal clear: all worship—every prayer, every dua, every hope—goes to Him alone.
Fourth—you believe in His names and attributes exactly as He described them. Allah ﷻ says in the Quran:
[Surah Ash-Shura, Ayah 11]
“There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”
You don’t distort His attributes. You don’t deny them. You don’t compare them to creation. When Allah ﷻ says He hears, He hears—but not like how you and I hear. When He says He sees, He sees—but not with eyes like ours. Islamic scholarship emphasizes that we affirm what He affirmed about Himself without asking “how” or making comparisons to created beings.
Why does this matter in your actual life?
Because if you truly believe Allah ﷻ is watching, hearing, and controlling everything, it changes how you behave when you’re alone. It changes what you’re willing to do when no one else is looking. That’s not theory—that’s the difference between someone who just says they believe and someone whose belief has actually penetrated their heart.
The Second Article: Belief in the Angels
Angels are part of the unseen world. You can’t see them. You can’t measure them in a lab. But according to Islamic teachings rooted in Quranic revelation and prophetic tradition, they’re absolutely real.
Islamic scholars, drawing from both Quranic verses and authentic hadith collections, teach that angels were created from light. They don’t disobey Allah ﷻ. They don’t get tired. They don’t eat, sleep, or reproduce. They exist purely to carry out the commands of Allah ﷻ with perfect obedience.
Here’s what you need to believe about them:
They exist. Not as symbols or metaphors, but as actual created beings that Allah ﷻ made for specific purposes.
They have names and roles. Some are mentioned specifically in Islamic sources authenticated by generations of scholars. Angel Jibril brings revelation to prophets. Angel Mika’il is in charge of rain and sustenance. Angel Israfil will blow the trumpet that signals the Day of Judgment. Angel Malik is in charge of Hellfire.
And here’s something that should make you think twice before you speak or act: you have two angels with you right now. One on your right shoulder recording every good deed. One on your left recording every sin. Not some of your deeds—every single one.
Allah ﷻ says in the Quran:
[Surah Qaf, Ayah 17-18]
“When the two receivers receive, seated on the right and on the left. He does not utter a word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].”
You think you’re alone when you scroll through things you shouldn’t at 2 AM? You’re not. You think no one saw that lie you told? Someone did. Two someones, actually. And it’s written down.
Traditional Islamic scholarship emphasizes that belief in angels connects us to a reality beyond what our eyes can see and reminds us that this physical world isn’t all there is. There’s an entire realm of creation that we interact with, even though we’re unaware of it.
The Third Article: Belief in the Revealed Books
Allah ﷻ didn’t just create humanity and leave us to figure things out. According to Islamic historical sources and Quranic testimony, He sent guidance—actual books revealed through His prophets.
As a Muslim learning the 6 articles of faith, you must believe in all the revealed scriptures that Allah ﷻ mentions in the Quran. The Scrolls of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). The Torah given to Musa (peace be upon him). The Psalms (Zabur) given to Dawud (peace be upon him). The Gospel (Injeel) given to Isa (peace be upon him). And finally, the Quran, given to Muhammad ﷺ.
But here’s the critical point that Islamic scholars have consistently taught: while Muslims believe these previous scriptures were originally from Allah ﷻ, they also recognize that those texts have been altered, changed, and corrupted over time. That’s just historical fact, acknowledged even by critical biblical scholarship today.
The Quran is different. Allah ﷻ Himself promises its preservation:
[Surah Al-Hijr, Ayah 9]
“Indeed, it is We who sent down the reminder [the Quran], and indeed, We will be its Guardian.”
Not a single letter has changed since it was revealed. Islamic manuscript evidence, as documented by researchers and historians of early Islamic texts, confirms that Quranic manuscripts from over a thousand years ago are identical to the Quran you can buy today in any bookstore.
So yes, you believe that Allah ﷻ revealed previous books. But you also believe that the Quran is the final, complete, and perfectly preserved message for all of humanity until the Day of Judgment.
What’s the point? The point is that you have clear guidance. You’re not wandering in the dark trying to guess what your Creator wants from you. He told you. It’s in the Quran. Now the question is whether you’ll actually open it, read it, and follow it.
The Fourth Article: Belief in All the Prophets
Here’s a question beginners often ask: Why do I have to believe in prophets I’ve never met?
Because according to Islamic teachings documented in both the Quran and authentic prophetic traditions, Allah ﷻ never punishes a people until He sends them a messenger to warn them and guide them. That’s His justice. That’s His mercy.
So belief in the prophets means you believe that Allah ﷻ sent messengers to every nation throughout human history. Islamic scholarly tradition teaches that there were 124,000 prophets sent to humanity—some with new divine laws (messengers/Rusul), others who followed existing laws (prophets/Nabiyeen). The Quran mentions 25 by name. You believe in all of them, whether you know their names or not.
You believe in Adam (peace be upon him), the first prophet. Nuh (peace be upon him), who called his people for 950 years. Ibrahim (peace be upon him), who smashed the idols and was thrown into fire. Musa (peace be upon him), who stood up to Pharaoh. Isa (peace be upon him), who was born miraculously and spoke from the cradle. And Muhammad ﷺ, the final messenger sent not just to Arabs but to all of humanity.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said in Sahih Bukhari (Book 55, Hadith 608): “My example and the example of the prophets before me is like a man who built a house excellently and beautified it, except for the place of one brick. People went around it saying, ‘How excellent this building is, except for that brick!’ I am that brick, and I am the seal of the prophets.”
That’s it. No prophet after him. No new revelation after the Quran. If someone claims prophethood after Muhammad ﷺ, Islamic consensus documented across fourteen centuries of scholarship is clear: that person is a liar, no matter how many miracles they claim.
Why does this matter? Because you need to know that your guidance comes from a trustworthy source. These weren’t random people who woke up one day and decided to start a religion. According to Islamic theological texts and historical documentation, these were the best of humanity—people chosen by Allah ﷻ, protected from major sins, and given miracles to prove their prophethood.
And when you believe in them, you’re connecting yourself to a long, unbroken chain of truth that goes back to the very beginning of human existence.
The Fifth Article: Belief in the Day of Judgment
Let me ask you something. If this life is all there is—if there’s no accountability, no justice beyond this world—then what’s the point of being good?
Why not lie if it benefits you? Why not cheat if you won’t get caught? Why not oppress others if you’re strong enough to get away with it?
Islamic teachings preserved through Quranic revelation and prophetic guidance answer this by pointing to ultimate accountability: the Day of Judgment.
According to Islamic scholars who have studied eschatology across centuries, belief in the Last Day includes believing in everything that comes after death:
The questioning in the grave by two angels, Munkar and Nakir, as documented in authentic hadith collections. They’ll ask you three questions: Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is this man who was sent to you?
The resurrection—when every human being who ever lived will be brought back to life. As narrated in Islamic sources describing the end times, Angel Israfil will blow the trumpet, and everyone will rise from their graves.
The gathering and judgment—when you’ll stand before Allah ﷻ. Your book of deeds will be opened. If it’s given to your right hand, you passed. If it’s given to your left or from behind your back, you failed. Your deeds will be weighed on scales so precise that scholars of Islamic theology teach that not even an atom’s weight of good or evil will be overlooked.
The final abode—Paradise (Jannah) for those who believed and did righteous deeds, and Hellfire (Jahannam) for those who disbelieved or died without repentance for major sins.
Allah ﷻ says in the Quran:
[Surah Al-Zalzalah, Ayah 7-8]
“So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it. And whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.”
You think that lie you told ten years ago doesn’t matter? It’s recorded. You think that charity you gave in secret that no one knew about is forgotten? Allah ﷻ didn’t forget.
This belief in the Day of Judgment, as Islamic psychological and spiritual teachings emphasize, isn’t meant to terrify you into paralysis. It’s meant to give you purpose, accountability, and hope. Hope that the injustices of this world will be corrected. Hope that your hidden good deeds matter. Hope that if you mess up, you can repent and be forgiven before that Day arrives.
But you’ve got to believe it’s real. Not metaphorical. Not symbolic. Real.
The Sixth Article: Belief in Divine Decree (Qadar)
This is the one that confuses people the most. If Allah ﷻ already knows everything that’s going to happen—if He already wrote it down—then do my choices even matter?
Let me tell you something. This question has been debated by Islamic theologians for over a thousand years, and the conclusion reached by mainstream Sunni scholarship is clear: Yes, your choices absolutely matter, and yes, Allah ﷻ knows everything.
Belief in divine decree, as taught by scholars of Islamic creed across generations, has four levels:
First—belief in Allah’s ﷻ complete knowledge. He knows everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen. His knowledge is perfect and encompasses every detail of every moment in every corner of existence.
Second—belief that Allah ﷻ wrote everything down before He created the universe. In a preserved record called Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz, according to Islamic theological teachings based on prophetic traditions, every event was recorded 50,000 years before creation.
Third—belief that nothing happens except by the will of Allah ﷻ. Not a leaf falls from a tree without His permission. Not a child is born without His will. Not even your next breath happens unless He allows it.
Fourth—belief that Allah ﷻ is the Creator of everything, including your actions. He created your ability to choose, your faculties of thought and decision, and the actions that result from those choices.
Now here’s the part that brings it together: Islamic scholarship, drawing from Quranic verses and prophetic clarification, teaches that Allah ﷻ created you with genuine free will within His ultimate control. You’re not a robot. You’re not forced. When you choose to pray, that’s your choice. When you choose to sin, that’s your choice too. And you will be held accountable for those choices because they were genuinely yours.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said in Sahih Bukhari (Book 82, Hadith 809): “Every one of you will be questioned by Allah without any interpreter. You will look to your right and see nothing but your deeds, and you will look to your left and see nothing but your deeds.”
So why believe in Qadar if you’re still responsible? Because it brings something most people desperately need: peace.
When something good happens, you’re grateful to Allah ﷻ because you know He decreed it. When something bad happens, you’re patient because you trust that He knows what you don’t. You don’t fall into despair thinking the universe is random. You don’t develop anxiety thinking everything depends on you. You do your part, you make your choices, and you trust Allah ﷻ with the results.
That’s the balance. That’s the wisdom behind this pillar.
What Happens If You Reject Even One of These?
Here’s the difficult truth that Islamic scholars have consistently taught throughout Islamic history: the 6 articles of faith are not optional. They’re not a buffet where you pick what you like and leave what you don’t.
According to scholarly consensus documented across all major schools of Islamic jurisprudence, if you knowingly and deliberately reject even one of these six beliefs, you have stepped outside of iman. Denying the existence of angels? That’s disbelief. Refusing to believe in any of the prophets? That’s disbelief. Rejecting the idea of life after death? That’s disbelief.
Why so strict? Because these beliefs come directly from Allah ﷻ through His final messenger. You don’t get to customize Islam based on what feels comfortable. Islamic theological teachings rooted in Quranic commands emphasize that true faith means submission—accepting what Allah ﷻ has said, even when it challenges your preconceptions or limited human understanding.
But here’s the good news: if you’ve been confused, if you’ve had doubts, if you’ve struggled with these concepts—that’s not the same as deliberate rejection. Doubts that you’re fighting through while seeking knowledge and trying to understand aren’t the same as arrogantly dismissing what Allah ﷻ has revealed. Seek knowledge. Ask scholars. Read with sincerity. Allah ﷻ judges what’s in your heart, not just what crosses your mind.
How to Strengthen Your Iman in These Six Beliefs
Knowledge alone isn’t enough. You can memorize the 6 articles of faith and still have weak iman if you don’t actively nurture these beliefs.
So how do you strengthen them?
Seek authentic knowledge consistently. Islamic scholars emphasize that iman increases with knowledge and decreases with ignorance. Read books by qualified scholars on aqeedah (Islamic creed). Listen to lectures from trustworthy teachers. Use resources like Alim.org for Quranic study and Sunnah.com for authenticated hadith. Don’t rely on random YouTube videos or social media posts for your understanding of faith.
Reflect on the Quran regularly. Don’t just recite Arabic words you don’t understand. Read the translation. Ponder the meanings. When you read about Allah’s ﷻ attributes, pause and think about what they mean for your life. When you read about the Day of Judgment, imagine yourself standing there. Let the words penetrate your heart.
Remember Allah ﷻ throughout your day. Say SubhanAllah when you see something beautiful. Say Alhamdulillah when something good happens. Say Astaghfirullah when you slip up. Keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah ﷻ, as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ instructed in numerous authentic narrations recorded by early hadith compilers.
Do righteous deeds. Islamic spiritual teachings documented across centuries emphasize that iman and action have a reciprocal relationship. Strong faith leads to good deeds, and good deeds strengthen faith. When you force yourself to wake up for Fajr, your belief in accountability grows. When you give charity, your trust in Allah’s ﷻ provision deepens. Your actions aren’t separate from your beliefs—they’re the proof of them.
Keep the company of believers. The people around you shape your faith more than you realize. According to prophetic guidance preserved in authentic hadith collections, a person is influenced by their close companions. Surround yourself with people who remind you of Allah ﷻ, who encourage you toward good, and who help you when your iman dips. Distance yourself from those who mock religion, encourage sin, or pull you away from what you know is right.
The Difference These Beliefs Make
Let me tell you what happens when these six beliefs become real to you—not just information you memorize, but convictions that live in your chest.
You wake up for Fajr even when you’re exhausted because you believe Allah ﷻ is watching, angels are recording, and you’ll be questioned about these moments.
You control your anger because you remember that everything happening is within Allah’s ﷻ decree, and losing your temper won’t change anything except damage your record.
You forgive people who wrong you because you trust that ultimate justice will be served on the Day of Judgment, even if it doesn’t happen in this life.
You give charity even when money is tight because you believe Allah ﷻ is the Provider, and what He’s written for you will reach you.
You avoid sins even when you’re alone because you believe the angels are there, recording, even if no human sees you.
You find peace in hardship because you believe Allah ﷻ decreed it with wisdom you may not understand now but will see later.
That’s what the 6 articles of faith do. They transform how you think, how you act, how you react to life’s ups and downs. They give you an unshakable foundation that doesn’t crumble when life gets hard.
Your Next Step
So where do you go from here?
If you’re a beginner trying to understand these beliefs, start simple. Go through each article one by one. Read what the Quran says about it. Find authentic hadiths that explain it. Don’t overwhelm yourself trying to understand everything at once. Build slowly, but build on solid ground.
If you’ve been Muslim for a while but realized your iman has weakened, it’s time to renew it. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught that iman wears out in the heart just like clothing wears out, and we need to constantly ask Allah ﷻ to renew it.
And if you’ve been struggling with doubts about any of these six beliefs, don’t ignore them. Don’t be afraid of them. Address them with knowledge from qualified scholars, not random internet opinions. Reach out to trustworthy teachers. Study with sincerity. Allah ﷻ guides those who genuinely seek the truth.
The 6 articles of faith aren’t just abstract theology. They’re the lens through which you see everything—your purpose, your trials, your relationships, your future. Get these right, and everything else starts falling into place.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in presenting Islamic teachings, readers are strongly advised to consult qualified Islamic scholars in their local area for specific religious rulings, detailed interpretations, and matters requiring expert guidance.