The short answer
The six articles of faith are belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the decree, its good and its bad. Sahih Muslim 8, graded sahih (sound), gives all six in one answer, and Quran verses speak to each one.
What are the six articles of faith?
The six articles are the beliefs of iman, which means faith. We call this list "the six articles of faith". It is also searched as "6 articles of faith" and "6 articles of faith in Islam". The hadith itself does not give a number; it names the six in one answer, and the table keeps its order.
| Article | In the hadith | In English | Quran |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allah | أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ | that you believe in Allah | 2:285, 4:136 |
| The angels | وَمَلاَئِكَتِهِ | and His angels | 2:285, 4:136 |
| The books | وَكُتُبِهِ | and His books | 2:285, 4:136 |
| The messengers | وَرُسُلِهِ | and His messengers | 2:285, 4:136 |
| The Last Day | وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ | and the Last Day | 4:136 |
| The decree | وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ | and that you believe in the decree, its good and its bad | 54:49 |
The order is the hadith's order, and this page does not rank the six. Al-Baqarah 2:285 names the first four in the same order.
Where do the six articles come from?
The hadith of Jibril (the angel Gabriel) is the narration this page uses, in Sahih Muslim 8, graded sahih. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that a man none of us knew came and sat with the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The man asked about Islam, then about iman (faith), then about ihsan (worshipping Allah as if you can see Him).
Asked about Islam, the Prophet named five things: the testimony of faith, prayer, zakat (the charity on wealth), fasting in Ramadan, and Hajj (the pilgrimage to Makkah) for whoever is able to find a way to it. The five pillars of Islam cover those. Asked about iman, he named the six articles. This is that answer in Arabic:
Sahih Muslim 8
أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلاَئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ
an tu'mina billāhi wa malā'ikatihi wa kutubihi wa rusulihi wal-yawmi l-ākhiri wa tu'mina bil-qadari khayrihi wa sharrihi
That you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and in the decree, its good and its bad.
1AuthenticSahih Muslim 8
At the end, the Prophet told 'Umar that the man was Jibril, who had come to teach you your religion.
What do the verses add?
The Quran teaches these beliefs in several places. Al-Baqarah 2:285 describes the Messenger and the believers, who believe in Allah, His angels, His scriptures and His messengers, and make no distinction between any of the messengers.
ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِۦ ۚ وَقَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
An-Nisa 4:136 tells those who believe to believe in Allah, His Messenger and the scriptures, and it names the angels, the scriptures, the messengers and the Last Day. It says that whoever disbelieves in them has wandered far astray.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَٱلْكِتَـٰبِ ٱلَّذِى نَزَّلَ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَٱلْكِتَـٰبِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَـٰلًۢا بَعِيدًا
Al-Qamar 54:49 says that Allah created everything by measure. The Arabic word is qadar, which has the same root as the word the hadith uses for the decree.
إِنَّا كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقْنَـٰهُ بِقَدَرٍ
Five questions, explained
What is the difference between iman and Islam?
The hadith answers three questions in one narration: about Islam, iman and ihsan. The five pillars answer the question about Islam. The six articles answer the question about iman, which the hadith describes as belief. The five pillars page covers the first list in detail.
Why does the list begin with belief in Allah?
Al-Baqarah 2:285 and An-Nisa 4:136 both name Allah first, and then the angels, the scriptures and the messengers. The hadith gives the same order. None of these sources gives a reason for the order, so this page does not give one.
What do the verses say about the angels and the messengers?
Al-Baqarah 2:285 says the believers make no distinction between any of Allah's messengers. An-Nisa 4:136 names the angels and the scriptures in its warning about disbelief, not as things believers are told to believe in. The sources name these articles and say no more about them here, so this page does not describe the angels or the messengers beyond the verses.
What do the verses say about the Last Day and the decree?
An-Nisa 4:136 and the hadith both name the Last Day. Neither describes it, so this page does not describe it. The hadith names belief in the decree, its good and its bad, and Al-Qamar 54:49 says that everything is created by measure. Neither source says how the decree fits with human choice, so this page takes no position on that question. For your own question about it, ask a scholar you trust.
How do you learn the six?
Start with the table. Say the Arabic of each row, then its English, in the hadith's order. Each row has one Arabic phrase and one English meaning, and the last column shows which verses teach it.
The six appear together in one hadith, in an order the hadith gives. The page keeps that order, and it does not rank the six.
Try it: five questions
Five quick questions. Pick an answer; each one explains itself.
1In the hadith of Jibril, what does the answer to "What is iman?" name?
Answer: The six articles of faith. The answer about iman is the six articles. The answer about Islam is the five pillars. Source 1
2Which verse says that Allah created everything by measure?
Answer: Al-Qamar 54:49. Al-Qamar 54:49. Its word qadar, measure, has the same root as the decree in the hadith.
3Which verse names the Last Day among the articles?
Answer: An-Nisa 4:136. An-Nisa 4:136 names the Last Day. Al-Baqarah 2:285 names four articles without it.
4How does the hadith describe belief in the decree?
Answer: Belief in its good and its bad. The hadith names belief in the decree, its good and its bad. Source 1
5Does the list rank the six articles?
Answer: No. The hadith gives them in one order and does not rank them. The table follows the hadith's order. Belief in Allah comes first in the hadith's order. That order is not a ranking, and no source gives a reason for it.
Questions people ask
Are the six articles of faith the same as the five pillars?
No. In the hadith of Jibril (Sahih Muslim 8, graded sahih), the five pillars answer the question about Islam, and the six articles answer the question about iman (faith). The two lists come from the same narration but are different lists.
Do the six articles of faith appear in the Quran?
Yes. Al-Baqarah 2:285 names four of them, An-Nisa 4:136 adds the Last Day, and Al-Qamar 54:49 uses qadar, meaning measure, for creation.
Sources
Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.
- 1
In the hadith of Jibril, a man asked the Prophet about Islam, and he answered: to testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish the prayer, give zakat, fast Ramadan and make Hajj to the House if you are able to find a way to it; asked about iman (faith), he answered: to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the decree, its good and its bad.
Sahih Muslim 8 Book 1, Hadith 1
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- Q
Quran Arabic and English for Al-Baqarah 2:285, An-Nisa 4:136 and Al-Qamar 54:49, from the Tanzil text and the adapted Pickthall translation. The words of the six in the table are from the Sahih Muslim 8 record, read through its stored Arabic.
Tanzil Project Uthmani text, CC BY 3.0. English: adapted from Marmaduke Pickthall's translation (1930), modernised and checked against modern translations.
Next
- The five pillars of Islam explainedExplainer
- Shahada: meaning and contextMeaning and context
- What is Islam?Start at Alif
- How to perform wudu: illustrated stepsPractical guide
- Start at AlifThe hub
For your own situation, ask a scholar you trust.
Join the email list
New guides by email, now and then. No spam, and you can leave at any time.
Ilmwell is free and kept going by readers. See how to support it.