What Muslims believe, and why.
Islam rests on simple, profound truths — five pillars of practice and six articles of faith. Together they form the foundation of a Muslim's life.
The Five Pillars of Islam
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Islam is built upon five.” These are the acts of worship that shape a Muslim's life.
Shahada
The testimony of faith: there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger. The entry into Islam itself.
Salah
The five daily prayers — Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha — that anchor a Muslim's day in remembrance of Allah.
Zakat
Annual obligatory charity — 2.5% of accumulated wealth — that purifies what we have and uplifts the poor.
Sawm
Fasting during the month of Ramadan from dawn to sunset — abstaining from food, drink, and sin to grow closer to Allah.
Hajj
The pilgrimage to Mecca, performed once in a lifetime if able — the largest annual gathering of human beings on earth.
The Six Articles of Faith
When the Angel Jibreel came to teach the companions, he asked the Prophet ﷺ about faith. The Prophet ﷺ answered with these six.
Belief in Allah
The One God — unique, eternal, without partner, without son, without equal. The Creator and Sustainer of all things.
Belief in the Angels
Beings made of light, who carry out Allah's commands. They guard, record, deliver revelation, and take souls.
Belief in the Books
The scriptures Allah revealed — including the Torah, Psalms, Gospel, and finally the Quran, preserved word-for-word.
Belief in the Prophets
From Adam to Muhammad ﷺ, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, peace be upon them all — sent to guide humanity.
Belief in the Last Day
The Day of Judgment, when every soul will be raised, every deed weighed, and the eternal home — Paradise or Hellfire — will be decided.
Belief in Qadar (Divine Decree)
That Allah knows all things, has written all things, wills all things, and creates all things — yet we are accountable for our choices.
The same God, sending the same message.
Muslims believe Allah sent prophets to every people. The Quran names twenty-five by name, but mentions that there were many more — “a messenger to every nation” (Quran 16:36).
Among those we know: Adam (the first human), Idris (Enoch), Nuh (Noah), Hud, Salih, Ibrahim (Abraham), Lut (Lot), Ismail (Ishmael), Ishaq (Isaac), Yaqub (Jacob), Yusuf (Joseph), Ayyub (Job), Shu'ayb, Musa (Moses), Harun (Aaron), Dhul-Kifl, Dawud (David), Sulaiman (Solomon), Ilyas (Elijah), Al-Yasa (Elisha), Yunus (Jonah), Zakariya (Zechariah), Yahya (John the Baptist), Isa (Jesus), and finally Muhammad ﷺ — the seal of the prophets.
“Say: We believe in Allah, and in what was revealed to us, and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes; and in what was given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted.”Read more on the Prophets →Quran 3:84