Table of Contents
Faith in Islam is built upon clear pillars. These pillars form the structure of Islamic belief, just as the pillars of a building hold up its roof. A Muslim’s heart, actions, and worldview are all shaped by these foundations. In this chapter we will look at the pillars of faith as a whole, without going into the detailed explanations that belong to their separate chapters.
The Pillars of Faith as Taught by the Prophet ﷺ
The most famous description of the pillars of faith comes from the Hadith of Jibril, when the Angel Jibril came in human form and asked the Prophet ﷺ about Islam, Iman, and Ihsan. When he asked about Iman (faith), the Prophet ﷺ answered:
“It is that you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and that you believe in Divine Decree, its good and its bad.”
[Muslim]
These six are called the pillars of Iman. Every sound Islamic belief returns to one or more of these foundations. Rejecting any of them is to step outside the true faith of Islam, while affirming them with the heart, tongue, and actions is the core of being a believer.
Allah mentions these pillars in different places in the Qur’an, sometimes gathering several of them in one verse. For example, about belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, Allah says:
“Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets...”
[Qur’an 2:177]
And regarding Divine Decree, Allah says:
“Indeed, all things We created with Qadar (predestination).”
[Qur’an 54:49]
These pillars are not dry ideas. They shape how a Muslim sees the world, makes choices, handles success and failure, and relates to the Creator and to creation.
The six pillars of faith are:
Belief in Allah, His angels, His revealed books, His messengers, the Last Day, and Divine Decree (Qadar), both its good and its bad.
Faith as a Structure, Not Just a Statement
Iman is not a single word or a momentary feeling. It is a living structure with foundations and branches. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Iman has over seventy branches, the highest of which is the statement ‘La ilaha illa Allah’ and the lowest of which is removing something harmful from the road, and modesty is a branch of Iman.”
[Bukhari, Muslim]
The pillars of faith are like the main supporting columns of this structure. The many branches of Iman, such as honesty, patience, and modesty, grow from those foundations. When a person’s understanding of these pillars is correct and firm, their character and actions find a correct direction.
Allah connects true faith to belief in Him and His Messenger and to obedience:
“The believers are only those who have believed in Allah and His Messenger and then doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives in the cause of Allah. It is those who are the truthful.”
[Qur’an 49:15]
Faith, then, is belief in the heart, words on the tongue, and actions on the limbs. The pillars of faith define what the heart must firmly believe.
The Unity of the Pillars
These six pillars are closely connected. They are not separate religions or competing ideas. They form one unified view of reality.
Belief in Allah is the root. From it follows belief that He created the angels, that He sent down books, that He chose messengers, that He will bring people back for the Last Day, and that everything occurs by His decree and wisdom. If a person truly believes in Allah as the only Lord, then it becomes natural and necessary to believe in the rest.
Allah joined these aspects together in one verse:
“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.’ And they say, ‘We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.’”
[Qur’an 2:285]
Here Allah describes the believers as affirming all these parts together. The believers do not pick and choose between these pillars.
Whoever truly believes in Allah must also believe in His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and His decree. Rejecting any pillar is a rejection of true Iman.
The Pillars of Faith and the Unseen
One of the most important features of these pillars is that they concern the Unseen, known in Arabic as al-ghayb. Human senses cannot see angels, touch the Hereafter, or measure Divine Decree. True faith accepts what Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have informed us about the Unseen, without demanding to see it with the eyes.
Allah praises the people of faith with this quality:
“This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the muttaqin (those conscious of Allah), who believe in the Unseen, establish the prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them.”
[Qur’an 2:2–3]
Belief in the Unseen is not blind imagination. It is trust in the truthfulness of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. The pillars of faith train the believer to see beyond the visible world and to live with a sense of a greater reality that surrounds and shapes this life.
The Pillars of Faith and the Pillars of Islam
Islam is sometimes described by its five pillars, such as the Shahadah, prayer, fasting, Zakah, and Hajj. Those pillars describe the main acts of submission. The pillars of faith describe the main beliefs that live within the heart. The Hadith of Jibril mentioned both sets in one conversation. Jibril first asked about Islam, then about Iman, then about Ihsan.
When the Prophet ﷺ described Islam, he focused on the outward actions. When he described Iman, he mentioned these six pillars of belief. Both are necessary. The actions of Islam without the belief of Iman are empty. The belief of Iman without the actions of Islam is incomplete and weak.
Allah constantly joins belief and action in the Qur’an:
“Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds, for them are the gardens of Paradise as a lodging.”
[Qur’an 18:107]
The pillars of faith give meaning to the pillars of Islam. A Muslim prays because they believe in Allah, in His angels who record deeds, and in the Last Day. A Muslim gives Zakah because they believe in reward and in the decree of Allah concerning wealth. The inner and outer pillars together form a complete religion.
The Role of Knowledge in Establishing Faith
These pillars are not meant to be repeated without understanding. Allah commands believers to have knowledge of what they worship and what they affirm:
“So know that there is no deity except Allah and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women.”
[Qur’an 47:19]
This knowledge begins with knowing what each pillar means and where it comes from in the Qur’an and Sunnah. The detailed meaning of each pillar will be explored in its specific chapters. Here, it is important to recognize that correct faith is based on revelation and understanding, not on mere habit or inherited customs.
Seeking knowledge of these pillars protects a Muslim from doubts and from misunderstandings. It also helps to keep faith alive and strong. When a believer learns how the angels behave, what the messengers taught, what awaits on the Last Day, and how Allah decrees matters with wisdom, the heart gains certainty and tranquility.
Faith, Certainty, and the Heart
The pillars of faith live in the heart. They are not only words that pass across the tongue. True belief settles in the heart with certainty, then appears in words and actions.
Allah commands believers not to fall into doubt after faith:
“The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts tremble, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith, and upon their Lord they rely.”
[Qur’an 8:2]
When a Muslim reflects upon these pillars, their heart trembles with awareness of Allah, feels hope in His mercy, and fears His justice. The belief in the Last Day softens the heart and pulls it away from injustice. Belief in the decree of Allah helps the heart remain calm during hardship and grateful during ease.
Genuine Iman is firm belief in the heart, spoken on the tongue, and proven by actions. The pillars of faith must be known, accepted with certainty, and allowed to shape behavior.
The Pillars of Faith and Personal Transformation
For a new or learning Muslim, the six pillars of faith are like a map that reorders life. Each pillar changes how a person thinks and behaves.
Belief in Allah changes the central focus of life. Belief in the angels reminds a person that their deeds are being recorded and that they are never alone. Belief in the revealed books supports trust in the Qur’an as guidance and law. Belief in the messengers teaches that human beings have always been guided and that Muhammad ﷺ is part of a long chain, not an isolated figure. Belief in the Last Day gives meaning to suffering and to sacrifice. Belief in Qadar trains the heart to rely upon Allah and to leave anxiety about what one cannot control.
Allah describes this deep transformation:
“Is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him a light by which to walk among the people like one who is in darkness, never to emerge from it?”
[Qur’an 6:122]
The life and light mentioned here include the life of Iman and the light of guidance. The pillars of faith are the core of that guidance.
The Universality of These Pillars
Although the laws and practices of earlier prophets may have differed in details, the core of faith has always been the same. Every prophet called to belief in one God, to belief in His angels, to acceptance of His messages, and to accountability in the Hereafter.
Allah says:
“He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Nuh and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Ibrahim, Musa, and Isa, to establish the religion and not be divided therein.”
[Qur’an 42:13]
The pillars of faith are therefore not limited to one nation or era. They represent the continuous message of all true revelation. A Muslim who affirms these pillars joins the same line of belief that began with the first prophet and will continue until the last Day.
Summary of the Pillars Before Detailed Study
In the chapters that follow, each pillar will be explored in its own place. For now, it is enough to recognize that:
Belief in Allah is to affirm His existence, His oneness, and His perfect Lordship and right to be worshiped.
Belief in the angels is to accept that they are noble servants of Allah, created from light, who do as He commands.
Belief in the revealed books is to affirm that Allah sent scriptures to guide humanity, with the Qur’an as the final and preserved revelation.
Belief in the messengers is to affirm that Allah chose human messengers to convey His message, from Adam to Muhammad ﷺ.
Belief in the Last Day is to accept resurrection, judgment, Paradise, and Hell as real and certain.
Belief in Qadar is to affirm that everything that occurs does so by the knowledge, writing, will, and creation of Allah, with His wisdom, while human beings remain responsible for their choices.
These are not separate topics for curiosity. They are the foundations upon which the entire life of a Muslim rests.
“Whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray.”
[Qur’an 4:136]
The six pillars of faith define the boundary of true belief. Within that boundary the heart finds life, meaning, and guidance. Outside of it lies misguidance and loss.
With this framework in place, we can now turn to each pillar in detail, beginning with belief in Allah.