The Six Articles of Faith
What Muslims mean by iman
The six articles of iman are: belief in Allah, in His angels, in His revealed books, in all His prophets, in the Last Day, and in divine decree (qadar). Together they describe the inner belief structure of a Muslim.
Overview
Where the Five Pillars describe what Muslims do, the Six Articles describe what Muslims believe. They come from the Hadith of Jibril and are echoed throughout the Qur'an.
What this means
1. Belief in Allah — one God, without partners or equals (see the lesson on Who Is Allah). 2. Belief in the angels — created beings of light who serve God and never disobey Him. Jibril (Gabriel), Mikail (Michael) and others are named in the Qur'an. 3. Belief in the revealed books — the Qur'an, and also the earlier scriptures given to Moses (Torah), David (Psalms) and Jesus (Gospel). Muslims believe those earlier scriptures were originally revealed by God, though not preserved in their original form as the Qur'an has been preserved. 4. Belief in the prophets — a chain that includes Adam, Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus), and many others, ending with Muhammad ﷺ. All are honoured; none are worshipped. 5. Belief in the Last Day — resurrection, an accounting for how each person lived, and reward or accountability accordingly. 6. Belief in divine decree (qadar) — that God knows all things and that nothing happens outside His knowledge and will. Human beings are still responsible for their choices; qadar does not mean fatalism.
The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], 'We make no distinction between any of His messengers.'— Translation of the meaning by Sahih International
Indeed, all things We created with predestination.— Translation of the meaning by Sahih International
What this means
Belief in the earlier books and earlier prophets is doctrinally important. It means Muslims are not asked to reject the messages Jews and Christians received; they are asked to affirm them and then to see Muhammad ﷺ as the completion of the same chain. This is why the Qur'an speaks so often of Ibrahim, Musa and Isa — they are honoured figures.
What this does not mean
Belief in divine decree is often misunderstood. It does not mean 'do nothing, everything is fated'. Classical Islamic scholarship consistently teaches that humans have real moral responsibility. Qadar is a statement about God's knowledge and control, not an excuse for passivity, laziness, or cruelty.
Application today
A practical way to hold these six is to say them together, slowly, and ask: which of these do I struggle with? Doubts about the Last Day or about qadar are common; they are not signs of failure. Traditional Muslim teaching encourages patience with one's own belief while continuing to pray, learn, and keep good company.
Reflection
Which of the six articles do you find most comforting, and which do you find most difficult?