The short answer
The six articles of faith (arkan al-iman) are belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the decree (qadar), its good and its bad. The five pillars of Islam (arkan al-Islam) are the shahadah, the five daily prayers, zakah, fasting Ramadan, and Hajj for those able. Both lists come from the hadith of Jibril in Sahih Muslim.
The hadith of Jibril
Umar ibn al-Khattab said that while they were sitting with the Prophet ﷺ, a man appeared with very white clothes and very black hair. No sign of travel was on him, and none of them knew him. He sat knee to knee with the Prophet ﷺ and asked him about Islam, then iman, then ihsan, then the Hour and its signs. Each time the Prophet ﷺ answered, the man said "You have spoken the truth", and they were surprised that he asked and then confirmed. After he left, the Prophet ﷺ said: "That was Jibril. He came to teach you your religion".1 Abu Hurayrah reported a similar account.2
الْإِسْلَامُ أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَتُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةَ، وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ، وَتَصُومَ رَمَضَانَ، وَتَحُجَّ الْبَيْتَ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا
Islam is that you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish the prayer, give the zakah, fast Ramadan, and make pilgrimage to the House if you are able to find a way to it.
Sahih Muslim 8 · Islam
أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ، وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ، وَكُتُبِهِ، وَرُسُلِهِ، وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ، وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ
[Iman is] that you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers and the Last Day, and that you believe in the decree, its good and its bad.
Sahih Muslim 8 · Iman
أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ
[Ihsan is] that you worship Allah as though you see Him, and though you do not see Him, He sees you.
Sahih Muslim 8 · Ihsan
Scholars call this hadith "the mother of the Sunnah", because it gathers the whole religion in three levels: Islam, the outward acts; iman, the inner beliefs; and ihsan, worshipping with full awareness of Allah. It is the second hadith in al-Nawawi's Forty Hadith.
The six articles of faith
The Quran names five of them together: "The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers" (2:285), and warns that whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers and the Last Day "has certainly gone far astray" (4:136).
ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍۢ مِّن رُّسُلِهِۦ ۚ وَقَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ ﴿٢٨٥﴾
Aamanar-Rasoolu bimaaa unzila ilaihi mir-Rabbihee walmu'minoon; kullun aamana billaahi wa Malaaa'ikathihee wa Kutubhihee wa Rusulih laa nufarriqu baina ahadim-mir-Rusulihee wa qaaloo sami'naa wa ata'naa ghufraanaka Rabbanaa wa ilaikal-maseer
The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any of His messengers." And they say, "We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination."
Quran 2:285 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Al-Baqarah
1. Belief in Allah
That Allah exists, that He alone is the Lord and Creator of everything, that He alone deserves worship, and that He has the most beautiful names and perfect attributes, with nothing like Him (42:11). This is tawheed. Surah Al-Ikhlas sums it up, and the 99 Names of Allah describe Him as He described Himself.
2. Belief in the angels
Angels are created from light,3 and "they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded" (66:6). We believe in those named, such as Jibril and Mikail, and in their roles: bringing revelation, recording deeds, taking souls and guarding people. See angels in Islam.
3. Belief in the books
Allah sent revealed books to His messengers: the scrolls (suhuf) of Ibrahim and Musa (87:18-19), the Tawrah given to Musa, the Zabur given to Dawud (4:163), the Injil given to Isa (5:46), and the Quran given to Muhammad ﷺ, which confirms what came before and is protected by Allah: "Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian" (15:9).
4. Belief in the messengers
"And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], 'Worship Allah and avoid Taghut'" (16:36), that is, false gods. Muslims believe in all of them without distinction, the 25 named in the Quran and those not named, and that Muhammad ﷺ is the last of them. Read the stories of all 25 prophets.
5. Belief in the Last Day
Belief in everything after death: the questioning in the grave and the life of barzakh, the resurrection, the reckoning, the scales, the bridge, and the final homes of Jannah and Jahannam. Before it come the signs of the Hour.
6. Belief in the decree (qadar)
"Indeed, all things We created with predestination" (54:49). The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah wrote the measures of all creation fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth.4 Scholars explain belief in qadar in four parts: Allah knows everything; He wrote it in the Preserved Tablet; nothing happens except by His will; and He is the Creator of all things. This does not remove our choice. Allah showed us both ways (76:3, 90:10), we choose, and we are accountable for our choices.
The five pillars of Islam
بُنِيَ الْإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ: شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَالْحَجِّ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ
Islam is built on five: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, giving the zakah, the pilgrimage, and fasting Ramadan.
Sahih al-Bukhari 8; Sahih Muslim 16 · from Ibn Umar
1. Shahadah, the testimony of faith
Saying and believing "Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah": I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. It is how a person enters Islam. Learn it word by word on the Shahada and six kalimas page.
2. Salah, the five daily prayers
Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha, at their times. It is the first deed a person will be asked about. See how to pray step by step and prayer times for your city.
3. Zakah, the obligatory charity
2.5% of qualifying wealth held for a lunar year above the nisab, paid to the eight groups named in 9:60. Work it out with the zakat calculator.
4. Sawm, fasting Ramadan
Fasting from dawn to sunset through the month of Ramadan (2:183-185). See the Ramadan 2027 calendar.
5. Hajj, the pilgrimage
Once in a lifetime for every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able (3:97). Umrah is the lesser pilgrimage; see the Umrah guide.
Is iman belief only, or belief and deeds?
All Sunni scholars agree that belief in the heart, the testimony of the tongue and good deeds are all required, and that a Muslim who sins does not leave Islam because of the sin. They differ in how they define the word iman.
Imam Abu Hanifa and the Hanafi creed texts, such as al-Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah, define iman as affirmation by the tongue and assent by the heart. Deeds are commanded and are the fruit of iman, but they are not part of its definition. So iman in its essence does not rise and fall, while its strength, light and reward do grow with obedience.
Other madhhabs
- Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali
- Iman is belief in the heart, statement by the tongue and action by the limbs. It increases with obedience and decreases with sin, citing verses such as "that they would increase in faith along with their [present] faith" (48:4).
- A note on the difference
- Many scholars, including Hanafi ones, said the difference is largely one of wording, since both sides agree that deeds are obligatory and that a sinner remains a Muslim.
Ihsan, the highest level
The third level in the hadith of Jibril is ihsan: "that you worship Allah as though you see Him, and though you do not see Him, He sees you". Islam is the body of the religion, iman is its heart, and ihsan is its excellence. It is reached by doing the pillars well, with sincerity and presence of heart, and by excellence toward people too.
Questions
What are the 6 articles of faith in Islam?
Belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the decree (qadar), its good and its bad (Muslim 8).
What are the 5 pillars of Islam?
The shahadah, the five daily prayers, zakah, fasting Ramadan, and Hajj for those able (Bukhari 8, Muslim 16).
What is the difference between iman and Islam?
In the hadith of Jibril, Islam is the outward acts of worship and iman is the inner beliefs. When the words are used apart, each one includes the other.
What is the hadith of Jibril?
The hadith in which Jibril came in the form of a man and asked the Prophet ﷺ about Islam, iman, ihsan and the Hour. It is in Sahih Muslim (8), narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab.
Are there six pillars of Islam?
No. Islam has five pillars. The six are the articles of faith (iman). People sometimes mix the two lists.
Sources
- Sahih Muslim 8, from Umar ibn al-Khattab.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 50; Sahih Muslim 9, from Abu Hurayrah.
- Sahih Muslim 2996.
- Sahih Muslim 2653.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 8; Sahih Muslim 16.
- Al-Tahawi, al-Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah; al-Fiqh al-Akbar, attributed to Imam Abu Hanifa.
- Ibn Rajab, Jami al-Ulum wa al-Hikam, commentary on hadith 2; al-Nawawi, al-Arbain, hadith 2.
- Quran translation: Sahih International.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.