Faith (Īmān) and its Articles

Islamic tradition summarises belief in a set of articles of faith — most familiarly six — that together define īmān.

At a glance

Where the Five Pillars describe what a Muslim does, the articles of faith describe what a Muslim believes. A widely cited prophetic report lists six: belief in God, in His angels, in His revealed books, in His prophets, in the Last Day, and in the divine decree, its good and its ill. Faith (īmān) in this sense is inward assent; islām is outward submission and practice; and iḥsān — “excellence” — is to worship God as though one sees Him.

The relationship between faith and works became an early theological question. The Khārijites held that grave sin without repentance nullified faith; the Murjiʾa deferred such judgment to God; and the mainstream settled on a moderate view in which sinful believers remain believers, subject to God's mercy and justice. These debates, abstract as they seem, shaped how the community defined its own membership.

Related in Chronicle

Curated reference on Islamic belief and thought. On matters where traditions differ, positions are attributed rather than adjudicated; verify points of doctrine with qualified scholars.