Articles of Faith

Pillars of Islam

From the beginning, Islam set out to build a society. What Islam has always understood is that people
are united by common beliefs, practices and ideals. Islam has functioned socially by harmonizing
people’s activities. At the first level, people were asked to accept the unseen in the form of Six Articles
of Faith; and to perform the Five Pillars of Islam as well as the other activities set down in the revealed
guidance. Following Hadith from “Sahih Muslim, the Book of Faith” not only discusses artciles of faith
and pillars of Islam but also presents an entire picture of Islam. This hadith of Gabriel provides us a
picture of Islam which is the religion of the followers of Muhammad (peace be upon him). The first three
questions and their answers suggest that in the Islamic view, religion comprises three main elements.
We will refer to these elements as dimensions and among them, one dimension is faith and its articles.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

“One day the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) appeared before the public that a man came to
him and said: Prophet of Allah, (tell me) what is Iman. Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you
affirm your faith in Allah, His angels, His Books, His meeting, His Messengers and that you affirm your
faith in the Resurrection hereafter. He (again) said: Messenger of Allah, (tell me) what does Islam signify.
He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Islam signifies that you worship Allah and do not associate anything with
Him and you establish obligatory prayer and you pay the obligatory poor-rate (Zakat) and you observe
the fast of Ramadan. He (the inquirer) again said: Messenger of Allah, what does Ihsan imply? He (the
Holy Prophet) replied: That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, and in case you fail to see Him,
then observe prayer (with this idea in your mind) that (at least) He is seeing you. He (the inquirer) again
said: Messenger of Allah, when would there be the hour (of Doom)? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: The
one who is asked about it is no better informed than the inquirer. I, however, narrate some of its signs
(and these are): when the slave-girl will give birth to he master, when the naked, barefooted would
become the chiefs of the people - these are some of the signs of (Doom). (Moreover) when the
shepherds of the black (camels) would exult themselves in buildings, this is one of the signs of (Doom).
(Doom) is one of the five (happenings wrapped in the unseen) which no one knows but Allah. Then he
(the Messenger of Allah) recited (the verse):" Verily Allah! with Him alone is the knowledge of the hour
and He it is Who sends (down the rain) and knows that which is in the wombs and no person knows
whatsoever he shall earn tomorrow, and a person knows not in whatsoever land he shall die. Verily
Allah is Knowing, Aware. He (the narrator, Abu Hurairah may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then the
person turned back and went away. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Bring that man
back to me. They (the Companions of the Prophet present there) went to bring him back, but they saw
nothing there. Upon this the Messenger of Allah remarked: he was Gabriel, who came to teach the
people their religion”.

Articles of Faith (Aqa’id-e-Islam):

Linguistic Meaing of Faith (Aqeedah):

In Arabic, faith is known as “aqeedah” which is derived from the word a-q-d and it means “to tie
something”. So “faith (aqeedah) means to believe and affirm something in the heart”.

Technical Definition of Faith (Aqeedah) in Shari’ah:

Technically, faith means “to believe in Allah, His angels, His revealed books, His messengers, the
hereafter and destiny (whether good or bad)”.

Faith is certain belief with no room of doubt. In the dictionary al-Maujam al-Waseet written by egyptian
scholars, faith is described as “such belief in which the one who possesses this belief does not entertain
any doubt”.

Allah Almighty said in the Holy Qur’an, Surah al-Hujuraat, vrse 15:

‫ِإَّنَم ا اْلُمْؤ ِم ُنوَن اَّلِذيَن َآَم ُنوا ِباِهَّلل َو َر ُسوِلِه ُثَّم َلْم َي ْر َت اُبوا َو َج اَه ُدوا ِبَأْم َو اِلِه ْم َو َأْنُفِس ِه ْم ِفي َس ِبيِل ِهَّللا ُأوَلِئَك ُه ُم الَّصاِد ُقوَن‬
“Only those are the believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and afterward do not
doubt but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. They are the truthful.”

Six Articles of Faith:

There are six fundamental articles of faith in Islam. They are as follows:

1.Belief in Allah:

The demand of belief in Allah is, to have faith in all of His attributes and jobs, His existence and oneness
and to accept Him as Creator of the universe, Master and Sustainer of everything, Alpha and Omega,
deserving to be wroshiped alone, flawless and ornamented with all good characteristics. Belief in Allah
creates the sense of responsibility in a person that he / she is accountable for every action before Allah.
It also helps a person to be patient and optimistic during sufferings and bad times. So this belief has
psychological effects in human life. Belief in Allah is demonstrated through Kalma-e-Tayyabah:

‫آل ِاَلَه ِااّل ُهّللا ُم َح َّم ٌد َر ُسُو ل ِهّللا‬

“There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”.

2.Belief in Angels:

Angels are made of light. They are the supernatural heavenly beings who act under the direction of
Allah. They are not humans, men or women. They are innocent from any sin. They accomplish the tasks
commanded by Allah. A Muslim must have to believe in the existence of angels. Qur’anic evidence
related to the angels is found in Surah al-Qadr, verse 4:

‫َتَنَّز ُل اْلَم اَل ِئَك ُة َو الُّر وُح ِفيَه ا ِبِإْذ ِن َر ِّبِه ْم ِمْن ُك ِّل َأْم ٍر‬
“Therein descend the angels and the Ruh by their Lord’s permission with every matter”.

And also in Surah al-Infitaar, verse 11-12:

‫ َي ْع َلُموَن َم ا َت ْف َع ُلوَن‬. ‫ِكَر اًما َك اِتِبيَن‬

“Noble guardian angels to write down, they know all that you do”.

Famous Angels Mentioned in the Holy Qur’an And Ahadeeth:

1.HazratGabriel:
Hazrat Gabriel is one of the four greatest angels. He was appointed to convey revelations to the
Prophets by Allah. In 3 places of the Qur’an, his name is Jibril. Besides, he is mentioned in Qur’anic
verses as the spirit, Ruh al-Amin and Ruh al-Qudus”.

2.Hazrat Israfeel:

The angel that will blow the trumpet, is called Israfeel. His name is mentioned among the four great
angels in the Ahadeeth. Hazrat Israfeel will blow two times, in the first one, the Doomsday will occur and
in the second blowing, the resurrection will occur.

3.Hazrat Izraeel:

His duty is to grasp the souls of people whose death times have come. He is called as “Malak-ul Mawt”,
that is, the angel of death.

4.Hazrat Mikaeel:

He is one of the greatest angels of four and he is responsible for the pouring of rain, the blowing of the
wind, controlling natural events such as the ordering of seasons and the management of supplications of
the created beings with the power of Allah and His order. He is only mentioned in one place of the
Qur’an.

5.Kiraman Katibeen:

It is the names of the angels who are attendant on the right and left of humans. The angel on the right is
responsible for recording the good deeds while the angel on the left is responsible for recording the bad
deeds.

6.Munkar and Nakeer:

They are the angels who will question man about Allah, Prophet (peace be upon him) and religion and
treat him accordingly in the grave after he dies. The words of “Munkar” and “Nakeer” means unknown,
unrecognized and unaccustomed. They are called by this way because they come to the dead in a way
that he/she has not seen before.

7.Hazrat Maalik:

This angel is the guardian of Jahannum (Hell-fire), an unwelcome sight, for the unfortunate and
wretched dwellers of the eternal fire.

8.Hazrat Ridwaan:

This angel is the guardian of Jannat (Paradise), who will welcome the righteous people who have been
blessed by Allah.

3.Belief in Revelaed Books:

The third article of faith in Islam is to believe in Divine Books which were revealed to the Messengers.
Some of them are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and some are not however, we have to believe in all of
them as Muslims. The 4 Revealed Books are as follows:
1.Zabur: This Divine Scripture was given to Hazrat Dawood (peace be upon him) to guide the people of
Isra’eel. Regarding Zabur, Allah said in the Holy Qur’an, Surah al-Isra’, verse 55:

‫َو َآَت ْي َن ا َد اُو وَد َز ُبوًر ا‬

“And to Dawud We gave the Zabur”.

2.Torah: This Divine Scripture was given to Hazrat Moosa (peace be upon him) to guide the people of
Isra’eel. Regarding Torah, Allah said in the Holy Qur’an, Surah al-Ma’idah, verse 44:

‫ِإَّن ا َأْن َز ْلَن ا الَّت ْو َر اَة ِفيَه ا ُه ًد ى َو ُنوٌر َي ْح ُك ُم ِبَه ا الَّن ِبُّيوَن اَّلِذيَن َأْس َلُموا ِلَّلِذيَن َه اُدوا‬

“Verily, We did send down the Torah, therein was guidance and light, by which the Prophets who
submitted themselves to Allah’s will, judged for the Jews”.

3.Injeel: This Divine Scripture was given to Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him) to deliver the message of
Allah. Regarding Injeel, Allah said in the Holy Qur’an, Surah al-Ma’idah, verse 46:

‫َو َقَّفْي َن ا َع َلى َآَث اِر ِه ْم ِبِعيَس ى اْب ِن َم ْر َي َم ُم َص ِّد ًق ا ِلَم ا َب ْي َن َي َد ْيِه ِمَن الَّت ْو َر اِة َو َآَت ْي َن اُه اِإْلْن ِج يَل ِفيِه ُه ًد ى َو ُنوٌر َو ُم َص ِّد ًق ا ِلَم ا َب ْي َن َي َد ْيِه ِمَن الَّت ْو َر اِة َو ُه ًد ى‬
‫َو َم ْو ِع َظًة ِلْلُم َّت ِقيَن‬
“And in their footsteps, We sent Isa, son of Maryam, confirming the Tawrah that had come before him,
and We gave him the Injil, in which was guidance and light and confirmation of the Torah that had come
before it, a guidance and an admonition for those who have Taqwa”.

4.Al-Qur’an: This Divine Scripture was given to the Noble Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to
guide the people of entire world till the day of judgment. Allah said in the Holy Qur’an, Surah al-Ma’idah,
verse 48 regarding al-Qur’an:

‫َو َأْن َز ْلَن ا ِإَلْي َك اْلِك َت اَب ِباْلَح ِّق ُم َص ِّد ًق ا ِلَم ا َب ْي َن َي َد ْيِه ِمَن اْلِك َت اِب َو ُمَهْيِم ًن ا َع َلْيِه‬
“And We have sent down to you the Book (this Qur’an) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came
before it and guardian over it (old Scriptures)”.

4.Belief in the Messengers:

First of all, the concept of prophethood in Islam will be discussed.

In Arabic, prophethood is known as “Nubuwwah”.

Technically, “A Prophet is a man to whom, Allah has sent down revelation. While if a man is commanded
by Allah to address people and deliver the revealed message to them, then he is called a Prophet as well
as a Messenger.”

It is essential for every Believer to have faith in prophethood as said by Allah Almighty in Holy Qur’an,
Surah Yunus, verse 47:
‫َو ِلُك ِّل ُأَّمٍة َر ُسوٌل‬

“And for every Ummah there is a Messenger”.

Characteristics of Prophethood in the Light of Islam:

i. Prophethood is the selection of Allah only.

ii. A Prophet is perfect both physically and spiritually like he has the qualities of truthfulness,
trustworthiness and intelligence.

iii. A Prophet always comes from noble family.

iv. He was sent according to the conditions of society.

v. Prophethood always has been given to men.

vi. Prophethood has never been given to disbelievr.

Messengers Mentioned in the Holy Qur’an:

Total number of Prophets and Messengers is 124000. Out of them 25 are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.
Four Messengers to whome Reveled Books were sent down are Hazrat Dawood, Isa, Moosa and
Muhammad peace be upon them. Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the last Prophet and
Messenger of Allah.

5.Belief in the Hereafter:

Belief in Hereafter means to ensure ourselves whatever Allah and His prophet has informed in the
Qur’an and Sunnah, for instance, questioning and. A Believer must have the faith that this world is not
eternal and will come to an end and every living or non-living being will be perished.

Evidence of the Hereafter in the Qur’an is As Under:

Allah Almighty mentioned in His Book, Surah al-Baqarah, verse 62:

‫َم ْن َآَمَن ِباِهَّلل َو اْلَي ْو ِم اَآْلِخ ِر َو َعِمَل َص اِلًح ا َف َلُهْم َأْج ُرُه ْم ِع ْن َد َر ِّبِه ْم َو اَل َخ ْو ٌف َع َلْي ِه ْم َو اَل ُه ْم َي ْح َز ُنوَن‬
“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does righteous good deeds shall have their reward with
their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve”.

6.Belief in Destiny (Whether Good or Bad):

It means that Allah has constituted a perfect fixed system as general law for His creature and one must
have faith in this system. Being Muslims, we have to believe in destiny organized by Allah, good or bad,
lucky or unlucky and that all events and happenings in life have a purpose and there are no random
occurrences. This belief helps people to accept stressful events like disease, death and loss of beloved
ones or dear things in this world and to be patient and hopeful for the reward from Allah in the
hereafter. Allah described the purpose of creating this universe and predestination in His Book in Surah
Saad, verse 27:
‫َو َم ا َخ َلْق َن ا الَّسَم اَء َو اَأْلْر َض َو َم ا َب ْي َن ُهَم ا َباِط اًل‬

“It was not without purpose that We created the heavens and the earth and everything in between”.

And also in Surah al-Qadar, verse 49:

‫ِإَّن ا ُك َّل َش ْي ٍء َخ َلْق َن اُه ِبَقَد ٍر‬

“Verily, We have created all things with divine predestination”.
Pillars of Islam (Arkaan-e-Islam):

The structure of Islam, like any other structure is based on pillars which are certain practices in Islam.
Just as the strength and stability of a structure is based upon its pillars, so does the strength and stability
of Islam. Therefore, Muslims should make them duty-bound with the nature of the pillars of Islam. The
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has declared that Islam is founded on 5 fundamental
principles, which are called pillars of Islam and they are as under:

1.Iman:

The first pillar of Islam is the fundamental act upon which all Islamic activities depend. It is to
acknowledge verbally and affirm the principle that “There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the
Apostle of Allah”. By proclaiming this kalma-e-tayyabah, one implicitely believes in the six fundamental
articles of faith including existence of Allah, angels, messengers, revealed books, hereafter and destiny.
Basically, pronouncing kalma-e-tayyabah is absolutely necessary for entering the fold of Islam. However,
Islam is not genuine and sincere if it remains simply verbal. By reciting kalma-e-tayyabah, one makes the
remaining four pillars incumbent upon oneself, and if a person does not observe them, his / her Islam is
incomplete and unacceptable.

2.To Establish Prayer:

The prayer is the second important pillar of Islam. Due to its vital importance, it has been placed right
after the articles of faith.

Definition:

The Qur’anic term for prayer is “Salat” which stands for “supplication, attending to, praying to, or
seeking nearness to Allah”.

The Qur’an has given commandment about Salat in Surah al-Baqarah, verse 43:

‫َو اْر َك ُعوا َمَع الَّر اِكِعيَن‬

“And bow with those who bow [in worship and obedience]”.

And in Surah al-Nisa, verse 103:

‫َف َأِقيُموا الَّص اَل َة ِإَّن الَّص اَل َة َك اَنْت َع َلى اْلُمْؤ ِمِنيَن ِك َت اًبا َم ْو ُقوًت ا‬

“Establish [regular] prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified
times”.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has taught us practically the way of Salat (prayer), its
essentials, recitals, times and rak’ahs and its full procedure. Following is the Hadith from Sahih Bukhari,
The Book of Adhaan:

‫َو َص ُّلوا َك َم ا َر َأْي ُتُموِني ُأَص ِّلي‬

“And Pray as you have seen me praying”.

Salat (prayer) is a duty which has no condition except faith (iman). It is obligatory on adult and sane
Muslim whether man or woman, rich or poor, healthy or sick, in journey or at home without any excuse.
It is the essence of all Islamic practices and deeds. That’s why, Islam has stressed over and over again
the importance of prayer and emphasized it as basic principle of Islam. The Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) called salat the “centerpole” of Islam, presenting the image of a tent with a single pole
holding it up in the middle and with other poles as secondary supports.

The Obligatory Prayers: There are 5 prayers which are obligatory to be performed by the believers, they
are as follows:

i. The Fajr (morning prayer)

ii. The Zuhr (early afternoon prayer)

iii. The Asr (late afternoon prayer)

iv. The Maghrib (evening prayer)

v. The Isha (night prayer)

3.To Pay Zakat:

Islam enjoins 2 kinds of obligations on man; obligations due to Allah and obligations due to fellow-men.
Salat (prayer) prepares a man to fulfill the obligations due to Allah while zakat inculcates an urge to fulfill
his obligations to people. This is the third most important pillar which is placed just after salat and is
obligatory on an adult and sane Muslim who has possession of nisab. This is a sort of financial devotion.
Zakat has an obvious social relevance. Purification of an individual’s possessions takes place through
helping others. Every Muslim who has a particular amount of wealth, should give an amount of money
after passing a whole year as prescribed by Shari’ah to those who are entitled to receive zakat.

Definition:

Literally, zakat means, “to purify and to develop”. Technically, “it is an act of monetary worship,
according to which, every Muslim who possesses property equal to or exceeding a fixed nisab, has to
give away, at the prescribed rate, a portion of it to the deserving poor and needy people”.

Regarding payment of zakat, a Qur’anic injunction has been mentioned here from Surah al-Baqarah,
verse 43:
‫َو َأِقيُموا الَّص اَل َة َو َآُتوا الَّز َكاَة‬

“And establish prayer and give zakah”.

Following is a Tradition regarding payment of zakat from Sahih Bukhari, the Book of Zakat.

. ‫ َو الُّن ْص ِح ِلُك ِّل ُمْس ِلٍم‬،‫ َو ِإيَت اِء الَّز َك اِة‬،‫َق اَل َج ِر يُر ْبُن َع ْبِد ِهَّللا َب اَي ْع ُت الَّن ِبَّي صلى هللا عليه وسلم َع َلى ِإَقاِم الَّص َالِة‬

“Hazrat Jarir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that I gave the pledge of allegiance
to the Prophet (peace be upon him) for offering prayer perfectly, giving Zakat, and giving good advice to
every Muslim”.

Heads of Expenditure of Zakat: According to the Holy Qur’an, there are following 8 heads of expenditure
of zakat:
i. The needy

ii. The indigent

iii. The collectors of zakat

iv. Winning over of hearts to Islam

v. Ransoming of slaves

vi. Helping the debtors

vii. The way of Allah

viii. Hospitality of the way-farers

4.To Fast the Month of Ramadan:

Fasting of the month of Ramadan (that is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar) is the fourth most
significant pillar of Islam.

Definition:

In Arabic, fast is known as Saum. Literally, it means “to abstain from something and to give it up”. As the
term of Shari’ah, “Saum (fast) implies abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking and gratifying sex-desire
etc”. The fast begins with sehri meal which is taken a little while before the dim beginning of dawn and it
is commendable to break the fast just after the sunset.

The Qur’an has enjoined it and provided necessary instructions concerning it and also described the
merits and blessings of Ramadan. In Surah al-Baqarah, verse 183, Allah Almighty said:

‫َي ا َأُّيَه ا اَّلِذيَن َآَم ُنوا ُك ِتَب َع َلْي ُك ُم الِّص َي اُم َك َم ا ُك ِتَب َع َلى اَّلِذيَن ِمْن َق ْبِلُك ْم َلَع َّلُك ْم َت َّتُقوَن‬
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that
you may become righteous”.

In Sahih Bukhari, The Book of Fasting, narrated Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him):

. ‫ َف ِإْن ُغ َّم َع َلْي ُك ْم َف اْق ُدُروا َلُه‬،‫ َو ِإَذ ا َر َأْي ُتُموُه َف َأْف ِط ُروا‬،‫ِإَذ ا َر َأْي ُتُموُه َف ُصوُموا‬

I heard Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) saying, “When you see the crescent (of the month of
Ramadan), start fasting and when you see the crescent (of the month of Shawwal), stop fasting; and if
the sky is overcast (and you can’t see it) then regard the month of Ramadan as of 30 days”.

Fasting in Ramadan is obligatory upon every mature, sound-minded and healthy Muslim who is not in
journey. Missed fasts need to be made up at another time, as suitable according to the circumstances of
the person. The one who denies this pillar of Islam, falls outside the circle of Islam and the one, who
does not observe it without a genuine reason, becomes a grave sinner.

5.To Perform Hajj:

Hajj is the fifth significant pillar of Islam whose rituals are performed from 8th to 13th day in the last
month of Islamic calendar, Dhul-Hijjah. Worship in Islam is of 2 kinds; one is physical like the prayer and
fasting while the other is monetary like zakat and giving charity. Hajj combines both of these worships.

Definition:

In English, it is called pilgrimage. Literally, Hajj is “to have the intention of going on pilgrimage”. As a
term of Shari’ah, “it implies that all embracing worship in which a Muslim visits the holy Ka’abah at
Makkah and performs prescribed practices”. The commandment given by the Holy Qur’an about
performing Hajj is found in Surah Aal-e-Imran, verse 97:
‫َو ِهَّلِل َع َلى الَّن اِس ِحُّج اْلَبْيِت َم ِن اْس َت َط اَع ِإَلْيِه َس ِبياًل‬

“And [due] to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House for whoever is able to find thereto a
way”.

Related to the obligation of Hajj, in Sahih Bukhari, the Book of Pilgrimage, Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may
Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

. ‫َم ْن َح َّج ِهَّلِل َف َلْم َي ْر ُفْث َو َلْم َي ْف ُس ْق َر َج َع َك َي ْو ِم َو َلَد ْت ُه ُأُّمُه‬

“Whoever performs Hajj for Allah’s pleasure and does not have sexual relations with his wife, and does
not do evil or sins then he will return (after Hajj free from all sins) as if he were born anew”.

Hajj is obligatory on every mature, sane, healthy, free Muslim once in lifetimes who can afford expenses
of the journey of Hajj.

References:

• Health and Well-Being in Islamic Societies: Background, Research, and Applications by Harold G.
Koenig, Saad Al Shohaib, http://www.springer.com/in/book/9783319058726.13/2/2017

• The Vision Of Islam by Sachiko Murata and William. C. Chittick

• Deen-e-Mustafa by Allamah Sayyad Mehmood Ahmad Rizwi.

• Seerat-un-Nabi by Allamah Shibli Naumani

• Towards Understanding of Islam by Abul Ala’ Maudoodi