What are the six pillars of faith (Iman)?

Question

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah · Accepted Answer

The six pillars of Iman are established in the hadith of Jibril when he asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about Iman and the Prophet (ﷺ) replied: that you believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and that you believe in al-Qadr — its good and its bad. These are the foundations upon which the faith of Ahl us-Sunnah is built; whoever rejects any one of them has rejected Iman in its entirety. Iman, with us, consists of statement of the tongue, action of the limbs, and conviction of the heart — it increases with obedience and decreases with sin, contrary to the Murji''ah who restrict it to belief alone.

Shaykh Ibn Baz · Answer

The pillars of Iman are the essential articles of faith in Islam, which a Muslim must believe in. Shaykh Ibn Baz explained that these pillars are six, based on the famous hadith of Jibril, when the angel came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in the form of a man to ask about Islam, Iman, and Ihsan.

The six pillars are:

1.  **Belief in Allah:** This is the cornerstone of faith. It involves believing in His existence, His Lordship (that He is the sole Creator, Sustainer, and Commander), His sole right to worship (that no one should be worshipped but Him), and in His unique names and perfect attributes as described in the Qur'an and authentic Sunnah, without distortion, denial, resemblance, or questioning the 'how'.

2.  **Belief in His Angels:** To believe that Allah created angels from light, and they are honored servants who obey all of Allah's commands without fail. This includes belief in those whose names we know, like Jibril, Mika'il, and Israfil, and those we do not know.

3.  **Belief in His Books:** To believe that Allah revealed divine scriptures to His messengers as a guidance for mankind. This includes the Qur'an revealed to Muhammad, the Torah to Musa, the Gospel to 'Isa, and the Psalms to Dawud. We must believe the Qur'an is the final and preserved revelation, which abrogates the previous scriptures.

4.  **Belief in His Messengers:** To believe that Allah sent messengers to every nation to call them to worship Him alone and to reject false deities. This belief must be in all of them, from the first to the last, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), who is the seal of the prophets, sent to all of humanity.

5.  **Belief in the Last Day:** This includes believing in everything that the Prophet informed us will happen after death, such as the trial of the grave, the resurrection, the gathering, the accounting, the scales, the bridge (as-Sirat), and the final destination of Paradise or Hellfire.

6.  **Belief in Divine Decree (al-Qadr):** To believe that everything, good or bad, happens by the will and decree of Allah. This encompasses believing that Allah has known all things from eternity, has written them in the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz), that His will is inescapable, and that He is the Creator of all that exists.

Aqeedah & Belief

What are the six pillars of faith (Iman)?

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