Six pillars of imaan

What are the six pillars of imaan?

In Islam, there are six pillars of imaan that Muslims believe in. The term imaan refers to faith. These beliefs are taken from the Quran, specifically the following ayah:

“O you who believe! Keep faith in Allah and His Messenger and the Book which He revealed to His Messenger, and the Book which He revealed before. Whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His Messengers and the Last Day, he has certainly gone far astray.” (Quran, 4:136)

There are also multiple hadith references which outline the main beliefs.

Muslims believe in the following 6 articles of faith:

• Allah
• Angels
• Books
• Messengers
• Belief in the last day (judgment day and the hereafter)
• Belief in Destiny

To be a Muslim, one must believe in the 6 pillars wholly. The six pillars of imaan are referred to by different names such as: six beliefs of islam, six articles of faith etc but all refer to the six main beliefs. The beliefs are not to be confused with the 5 main pillars of Islam which are: Shahadah, salah, zakah, sawm and Hajj. See our five pillars post for further details.

Six pillars of imaan – a closer look

Belief in Allah

The first and foremost belief is to believe that Allah is the one true god and that he has no partners. In Islam, Muslims believe that Allah has no family and is independent of anyone but all are dependent on him. Surah Ikhlaas sums up the characteristics of our creator in the best way:

‘Say he is Allah the one. Allah is absolute. He did not give birth nor was he begotten. And there is none like him.’

True belief in Allah can be gained by reading the Quran and praying regularly. Improving our recitation and our salah is the next step to gaining closeness to Allah, our Lord and sustainer.

Belief in Angels

Believing in Angels is to believe that they exist. Angels are made out of light and are mostly invisible to humans (unless Allah chooses to reveal them). They do not possess free will like Jinn and humans. They are varying in size and are neither male or female. There are billions of them and they are assigned different jobs. The prophet told us the names of certain angels. 

We know for example that Jibrail is the angel who brought down the Quran from Allah. Kiramun Kaatibeen are angels who write down our good and bad deeds. Malikul mawt is the angel who is tasked with taking our souls etc.

Believing in his books

Allah has revealed books across thousands of years to guide humanity. These books offer wisdom, guidance, self reflection and are amongst the most popular and most read books of all time. The list of books are as follows:

1. Quran: revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
2. Injil: otherwise known as the bible. This was revealed to Prophet Isa (as)
3. Tawrah: otherwise known as the torah. This was revealed to Prophet Musa (as)
4. Zabur: this was revealed to Prophet Dawud (as)
5. Scrolls: revealed to Prophet Ibrahim. These are believed to have been currently lost

The Quran is the only book that has not been changed from when it was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) over 1400 years ago. Being a Muslim means to believe that the Quran is the word of God.

Believing in all his prophets

In Islam, there have been hundreds of prophets across time. Allah always picks people who are amongst the best from their communities in terms of character, modesty, piety and so much more. Only 25 prophets from amongst many have been mentioned in the Quran. Their lives are meant to serve as an example to this nation until the end of time. 

Believing in the last day

As Muslims we believe in the last day or the day of judgment. All of mankind will be judged after they have been raised again to face Allah and those they might have oppressed. Allah is Just and Fair and judgment day will be the ultimate trial.

After we have been judged, we will be sent to our final abode. Those who did more good than bad will be allowed entry into Jannah where they will live forever without worry.

Believing in Qadr (destiny)

Allah knows what we are going to do before we do it. As humans, we have been given free choice to do what we like but we should remember that every action has a consequence. The only thing that can change our destiny (what is written) is our duas, so we should try our best to make Dua after every prayer.

Six pillars of imaan for kids

Are you teaching your students or kids about the six pillars of imaan? Check out this free downloadable activity for kids. 

I have done this activity with my class. They made a poster out of the downloadable sheets by cutting out the shape, colouring it in, then sticking it on to coloured paper. I also uploaded this to seesaw and they researched pictures online (safely) or drew the pictures. 

When I introduced the 6 beliefs of imaan to my class, I talked through each belief briefly (using the members only sheets) as the kids had lots of questions. I have included notes and discussion prompts within this member only download.

Six beliefs of imaan presentation and activity booklet

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