Muslims believe and recognize Allah as the one and only God. He is the creator and sustainer of everything in existence and he has determined Islam to be the religion for all of humanity.
At the very core of the religion of Islam, Allah ﷻ has decreed the fundamental beliefs, the articles his creation need to believe in to be true and proper Muslims.
These are mentioned to us by the great Angel Jibreel (a.s) in a conversation he had with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
قَالَ فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الإِيمَانِ . قَالَ ” أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلاَئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ ” . قَالَ صَدَقْتَ
He (the Angel Jibreel) said: Inform me about Iman (faith). He (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil. He (the Angel Jibreel) said: You have told the truth. (Muslim)
From this hadith, we derive the 6 beliefs of Muslims and the religion of Islam:
1. Belief in Allah
2. Belief in His Angels
3. Belief in His Books
4. Belief in His Prophets
5. Belief in the Day of Judgement & Life After Death
6. Belief in Divine Decree (Predestination)
Let us summarize each of these articles of faith before doing a deep dive into each one of them individually inshaAllah.
1. Belief in Allah
The central and most essential belief of every Muslim, the belief without which a person simply can’t be considered a Muslim is the belief in Allah ﷻ and the oneness of Allah.
Allah is our creator, the creator of everything that exists, the creator of all things we know and those we don’t know. He is the creator of all things seen and unseen. He is the absolute. There is none like Him and He is One and alone.
Allah is our sustainer, the One who sustains all creation. Without Him we would have nothing. He is the owner of all that exists and He is the owner of all treasures, with regards to which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ tells us in a Hadith Qudsi that Allah ﷻ says:
وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَحَيَّكُمْ وَمَيِّتَكُمْ وَرَطْبَكُمْ وَيَابِسَكُمُ اجْتَمَعُوا عَلَى أَشْقَى قَلْبِ عَبْدٍ مِنْ عِبَادِي مَا نَقَصَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ مُلْكِي جَنَاحَ بَعُوضَةٍ وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَوَّلَكُمْ وَآخِرَكُمْ وَحَيَّكُمْ وَمَيِّتَكُمْ وَرَطْبَكُمْ وَيَابِسَكُمُ اجْتَمَعُوا فِي صَعِيدٍ وَاحِدٍ فَسَأَلَ كُلُّ إِنْسَانٍ مِنْكُمْ مَا بَلَغَتْ أُمْنِيَّتُهُ فَأَعْطَيْتُ كُلَّ سَائِلٍ مِنْكُمْ مَا سَأَلَ مَا نَقَصَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ مُلْكِي إِلاَّ كَمَا لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ مَرَّ بِالْبَحْرِ فَغَمَسَ فِيهِ إِبْرَةً ثُمَّ رَفَعَهَا إِلَيْهِ ذَلِكَ بِأَنِّي جَوَادٌ مَاجِدٌ أَفْعَلُ مَا أُرِيدُ
If the first of you and the last of you, the living among you and the dead among you, the fresh among you and the dry among you were to gather together upon one plateau, and each person among them were to ask for his utmost desire, and I were to give each what he asked for, that would not diminish from My sovereignty, except as if one of you were to pass by an ocean and dip a needle into it and then remove it. That is because I am the Most Generous, the Most Glorious, doing as I will.
2. Belief in His Angels
As Muslims, we believe that Allah has created Angels alongside human beings, jinn, and all of his other creation.
Angels are part of the unseen, the things that exist but we never see them until we die.
Angels are created from Noor (light) and they are completely sinless. They do not have the ability to sin nor to disobey Allah. They do only what Allah orders them to do.
Angels have many responsibilities, such as: bringing the revelation from Allah to the Prophets, taking care of the world; its weather, seas and mountains among other things.
Many Angels have been created just to worship Allah and they spend their lives in his worship.
3. Belief in His Books
Over the course of humans living on earth, Allah ﷻ sent revelation to us through his specially chosen Prophets and Messengers. They would receive this revelation and they would convey it to their followers.
Some of the Prophets received the revelation in a book form whereas some would receive it in small booklets. Many prophets did not receive revelation in book form and they continued the practice of the previous prophets before them.
The Qur’an is the final book revealed by Allah after which revelation has come to an end. The Qur’an will remain as the book of Allah to be followed by all Muslims until the end of time.
4. Belief in His Prophets
Allah ﷻ chose a handful of special people from all of his creation who would come to us and guide us towards the right path. Their job was to show us how to be good human beings and to help us connect with Allah, our creator.
The Prophets and Messengers of Allah were kind hearted human beings and they had the best of character. Amongst all human beings, they are the closest and most beloved to Allah.
Allah chose them to guide us and they were guided only by Allah.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the greatest of all Prophets and he was the last and final Messenger of Allah.
5. Belief in the Day of Judgement & Life After Death
As Muslims, we believe that this life we are living is a limited life in which we are tested by Allah. How we perform in this test will determine our eternal abode in the afterlife.
There will be a Day of Judgement in which Allah ﷻ will question us and ask us how we used our time he gave us in the world.
Many people will pass the test of this world and they will be entered into Jannah (heaven). On the other hand, many people will fail the test of this world and they will have to endure the punishment of Jahannam (hell).
6. Belief in Divine Decree (Predestination)
Everything that has happened and everything that will happen is already in the knowledge of our creator, Allah. He is the one who wrote the fate and destiny of all his creation.
Anything that is meant for us will never miss us and anything that wasn’t meant for us, we will never receive or achieve.
Allah is the only one with the knowledge of Qadr (divine decree). No one is aware of the future except Allah.
The fate and destiny of all creation was determined by Allah before we were even created and nothing can be changed except if he wills.
Conclusion
The belief in the oneness of Allah and the authenticity of Islam is what motivates Muslims to lead a virtuous life that is centered on these beliefs. It inspires Muslims to seek knowledge, worship Allah with sincerity, and live in harmony with others, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or social status.
Moreover, these beliefs also instills in Muslims a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives, as they strive to fulfill their obligations towards Allah and serve their fellow human beings with compassion and empathy. Therefore, Muslims view their religion not only as a set of practices and rituals but as a complete way of life that promotes peace, justice, and human dignity.
