What Are the Pillars of Faith?
ما هي أركان الإيمان؟
Faith has six pillars, as stated in the hadith of Jibril (AS) when he came to the Prophet (PBUH):
Believing in Allah
And His angels
His Books
His Messengers
The Last Day
Believing in Allah's Destiny and Predestination, its good and its bad.
All these pillars should be believed in because Iman is not valid if one believes in some of them and disbelieves in others. Needless to say, man is not considered a believer unless he believes in all these pillars.
(Righteousness is not in turning your faces towards the east or the west. Rather, the righteous are those who believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Books, and the prophets) [Al-Baqara 2:177]
للإيمان ستة أركان كما ورد في حديث جبريل عليه السلام لما قدم على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بأن:
الإيمان بالله
وملائكته
وكتبه
ورسله
واليوم الآخر
والإيمان بالقدر خيره وشره.
ويجب التصديق بجميع هذه الأركان، فلا يصح إيمان العبد بجزء منها أو ترك بعضها، لا يطلق على العبد مؤمنا ما لم يقر ويصدق بهذه الأركان جميعها.
(لَّيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ) [البقرة 2: 177]
1. The Six Pillars in the Hadith of Jibril | أن تؤمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله
Umar ibn al-Khattab reported that Jibril asked the Prophet: Tell me about faith, and he answered: That you believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers and the Last Day, and that you believe in destiny, its good and its bad; and Jibril said: You have spoken the truth (Sahih Muslim 8). Four of the pillars come together in one verse: The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. They all believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers (2:285). The Books are explained in the divine books revealed to the messengers, and the messengers in who the prophets and the messengers are.
آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ (سورة البقرة: 285)
عن عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه أن جبريل عليه السلام قال للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: فأخبرني عن الإيمان، قال: "أن تؤمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الآخر، وتؤمن بالقدر خيره وشره"، قال: صدقت (صحيح مسلم 8)، وجمع الله تعالى أربعة من هذه الأركان في قوله: (آمن الرسول بما أنزل إليه من ربه والمؤمنون كل آمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله) (البقرة 2: 285).
2. All the Kinds of Righteousness | ولكن البر من آمن بالله
In the verse of the answer, Allah names five of the pillars: Righteousness is not in turning your faces towards the east or the west. Rather, the righteous are those who believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Books, and the prophets (2:177). Ibn Kathir reports from Sufyan ath-Thawri: these are all the kinds of righteousness, and adds that whoever has the qualities of this verse has entered all the bonds of Islam and taken hold of all good: belief in Allah, that there is no god but He; belief in the angels, the envoys between Allah and His messengers; the Book, a general term for the books sent down to the prophets until they were sealed with the noblest of them, the Quran; and belief in all the prophets of Allah from the first of them to the last, Muhammad. The Last Day is explained in what the Last Day is.
لَّيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ (سورة البقرة: 177)
وذكر الله تعالى خمسة من الأركان في الآية التي ساقها الجواب، فقال: (ليس البر أن تولوا وجوهكم قبل المشرق والمغرب ولكن البر من آمن بالله واليوم الآخر والملائكة والكتاب والنبيين) (البقرة 2: 177)، قال ابن كثير: وقال الثوري: هذه أنواع البر كلها، وصدق رحمه الله، فإن من اتصف بهذه الآية فقد دخل في عرى الإسلام كلها، وأخذ بمجامع الخير كله، وهو الإيمان بالله، وهو أنه لا إله إلا هو، وصدق بوجود الملائكة الذين هم سَفَرَة بين الله ورسله، (والكتاب) وهو اسم جنس يشمل الكتب المنزلة من السماء على الأنبياء حتى ختمت بأشرفها وهو القرآن ... وآمن بأنبياء الله كلهم من أولهم إلى خاتمهم محمد صلوات الله وسلامه عليه وعليهم أجمعين.
3. All of Them, or None | ومن يكفر بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله
The scholar says that faith is not valid if one believes in some pillars and rejects others. Allah says: Indeed, whoever denies Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, and the Last Day has clearly gone far astray (4:136). Ibn Kathir explains that Allah commands the believers to enter into all the laws, branches and pillars of faith, and on 2:136 he warns against being like those Allah describes: those who wish to make a distinction between Allah and His messengers, saying, We believe in some and disbelieve in others, desiring to forge a compromise, they are indeed the true disbelievers (4:150-151).
وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا (سورة النساء: 136)
قرر الجواب أنه لا يصح إيمان من آمن ببعض الأركان وترك بعضها، وقد قال تعالى: (ومن يكفر بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الآخر فقد ضل ضلالا بعيدا) (النساء 4: 136)، قال ابن كثير: يأمر الله تعالى عباده المؤمنين بالدخول في جميع شرائع الإيمان وشعبه وأركانه ودعائمه، وقال عند الآية 136 من سورة البقرة، في نهي المؤمنين عن التفريق بين الرسل: ولا يكونوا كمن قال الله فيهم: (ويريدون أن يفرقوا بين الله ورسله ويقولون نؤمن ببعض ونكفر ببعض ويريدون أن يتخذوا بين ذلك سبيلا أولئك هم الكافرون حقا) (النساء 4: 150-151).
4. Destiny, Its Good and Its Bad | إنا كل شيء خلقناه بقدر
The sixth pillar rests on: Indeed, We have created everything, perfectly preordained (54:49). Ibn Kathir explains that the imams of the Sunnah use this verse to affirm that Allah decreed all things before He created them: His knowledge of things before they exist and His writing of them before He brings them into being. Abdullah ibn Amr reported that the Messenger of Allah said: Allah wrote the measures of all creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was upon the water (Sahih Muslim 2653). The meaning of destiny is explained in the meaning of fate and destiny.
إِنَّا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَاهُ بِقَدَرٍ (سورة القمر: 49)
ويقوم الركن السادس على قوله تعالى: (إنا كل شيء خلقناه بقدر) (القمر 54: 49)، قال ابن كثير: ولهذا يستدل بهذه الآية الكريمة أئمة السنة على إثبات قدر الله السابق لخلقه، وهو علمه الأشياء قبل كونها، وكتابته لها قبل بَرْئِها. وعن عبد الله بن عمرو رضي الله عنهما قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: "كتب الله مقادير الخلائق قبل أن يخلق السماوات والأرض بخمسين ألف سنة، قال: وعرشه على الماء" (صحيح مسلم 2653).
Scholarly Insight: The scholar lists the six pillars of the hadith of Jibril (Sahih Muslim 8) and says that faith is not valid without all of them; Ibn Kathir explains that in 4:136 Allah commands entering into all the pillars of faith, and that those who believe in some of the messengers and deny others are the true disbelievers (4:150-151). Read more in the tafsir of Surah An-Nisa.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What are the six pillars of faith?
Belief in Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, the Last Day, and destiny, its good and its bad (Sahih Muslim 8).
Can someone believe in some pillars and not others?
No. Faith is not valid with only some of them; whoever denies Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, and the Last Day has clearly gone far astray (4:136).
In which verse does Allah name five pillars of faith?
Al-Baqarah 2:177: the righteous are those who believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Books, and the prophets.
When did Allah decree the measures of creation?
The Prophet said: Allah wrote the measures of all creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth (Sahih Muslim 2653).
Prepared by Eng. Ghada Homad, founder of IslamFAQ, researched and written in consultation with qualified scholars, reviewed by Professor Khaled Jassem Al-Houli, Associate Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence and Islamic Politics, Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, University of Kuwait. Read more about the authors and this project →