There are six main tenets of Islam known as the 6 Pillars of Iman that make up the huge fabric of Islamic ideas. The Islamic religious system is based on these pillars, which act as its cornerstone. Every pillar stands for an essential component of a Muslim’s knowledge and religion. We shall examine the relevance, meanings, and ways in which the Six Pillars of Faith (Iman) of Islam influence the lives of Muslims worldwide in this article on Al Hafidz Academy.
The 6 Pillars of Iman
We must place a high priority on fostering our religion to ensure that it endures in our lives in the quickly changing world of today. Islam keeps us rooted in who we are by giving us a sense of purpose and serenity.
Acquiring knowledge and steadfast faith are essential components in our quest to become well-rounded Muslims.
Laying a foundation is the first step in building a house. A home is unstable without its foundational pillars. Similarly, a strong iman foundation is necessary for your ibadah.
The 6 Pillars of Faith, or Arkan al-Iman, are a hallmark of Islam. Holding these beliefs draws us nearer to Allah (SWT). Worship is how we make our religion known, and the Six Pillars of religion provide the cornerstone that keeps a believer firmly grounded in worship.
Faith in Allah (Tawhid)
Belief in Allah’s existence, Faith in Allah, His Names and attributes, His Lordship, and His exclusive right to worship are all part of this pillar of Eman. Thus, it has to do with the idea of Tawheed (Unity of Allah).
For someone to be able to satisfy this pillar of Faith, they must accept everything from Allah. The two main sources of information about Allah are the Quran and the Sunnah.
Islam’s scholars have written a great deal on this subject since it is the most crucial knowledge that a Muslim should have. The cornerstone of a Muslim’s faith is their belief in Allah.
It is the conviction that there is only one Creator, one King, and one Planner of the universe.
Muslims hold that humanity as a whole was meant to be devoted to worshiping Allah alone. Muslims hold that all other forms of worship, other than Him, are false forms of worship.
This is the belief in Allah and His attributes as they are explained in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, which are the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. A Muslim holds that some names and attributes are exclusive to Allah.
Belief in the Angels | Second of the 6 Pillars of Iman
The belief in angels, or Mala’ika, is the second pillar of Islam. Angels are seen as divine entities that Allah created to carry out His will and keep a record of human activities.
One of Allah’s creatures is the angels. They have many responsibilities and are obedient to Him.
For instance, each human has four angels assigned to them:
- Two angels who are recording:
- These Angels write every action we take, no matter how good or horrible. This aids in our knowledge of Allah, or Taqwa. We therefore give positive deeds priority.
- Our protection is allocated to two guardian angels. This acts as a continual reminder of Allah’s kindness to His people.
- The Archangels are a representation of Allah’s power. They are among the angels with the greatest rank, and they carry out Allah’s command:
Jibreel (AS): to give the Prophets revelation.
Mikhaeel (AS): to provide food (via the weather, for example).
To sound the trumpet to announce the beginning of the Day of Judgment is known as Israfeel (AS).
Death’s angel, Malak al-Mawt, is tasked with gathering souls at the moment of death.
Faith in His Books
Muslims know that books have been sent down by Allah. These are Zabur, Original Torah, Original Bible, and Quran. Allah sent such Books to certain Prophets’ adherents. After a while, the people tainted the Books, thus Allah revealed the Quran as the final revelation and human guidance.
To provide people with instruction and proof, Allah gave his messengers revelations in the form of books. The Quran, which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad, is one of these books. Allah has promised to keep the Quran free from corruption and distortion. The books that human have been sent and are aware of are:
- Ibrahim’s Scrolls (Suhof)
- The Prophet Dawud (David) sent the Psalms (Zaboor)
- The Prophet Musa (Moses) brought the Torah (Torah)
- The prophet Isa (Jesus) and the gospel (Injeel) were sent
- Prophet Muhammad was sent with the Quran
Muslims accept as true all of the scriptures that the messengers were given. But Muslims simply adhere to the Quran because it is the last word, and they try to conduct their lives by what God and the prophet Muhammad have commanded. This is the third of the 6 Pillars of Iman in Quran.
Confidence in Messengers
It is the responsibility of the Muslim to accept the veracity of each delivered message and this is the fourth of the 6 Pillars of Iman. There are messengers that we have been taught about, messengers that we recognize by name, and messengers that were left out of the list.
The Qur’an has 25 mentions of certain messengers by name.
Throughout human history, Allah has selected prophets and messengers to be sent to every nation.
Muslims hold that they were tasked with calling the populace to worship Allah alone, without connecting Him to any other gods. They were also told to bring good news about Paradise’s reward to those who believed and to warn the unbelievers of Hell’s punishment.
A greater rank than the rest has been bestowed upon a few prophets and messengers. The unique title of the Messengers of Strong Will was bestowed upon five messengers in particular.
They were the greatest messengers that Allah had ever sent into the past. They are Jesus, Muhammad, the greatest messenger of all, Abraham, Moses, Noah, and Abraham (peace be upon them all). Before him, each messenger was dispatched to a certain country.
Regarding Muhammad (peace be upon him), he was sent to humanity as the last Prophet.
Allah made the prophets and messengers the finest role models for their respective countries. They received honor, wisdom, insight, direction, miracles, and protection from sin from Allah.
Regarding Muhammad (peace be upon him), he received greater benefits than the messengers and prophets who preceded him. Being the last messenger to be sent to humanity and receiving the last text, the Qur’an, was the greatest blessing of all.
Faith in the Judgment Day
The fifth pillar of religion in Islam is the idea of the Day of Judgment or Qiyamah and the 6 pillars of iman. Muslims believe that everyone’s everlasting destiny will be decided on this day and they will all be held responsible for their actions.
Muslims are encouraged to live moral lives and to be aware of their acts because they believe in the Day of Judgment when they shall answer to Allah.
For believers, being aware of their acts is motivated by their belief in the Day of Judgment. Everyone will be held accountable, and what you do in this life will decide what happens to you in the hereafter.
Only Allah knows the exact time this Day will arrive. The fact that Allah guarantees everyone’s final reward on this Day provides comfort to the believers as well.
Faith in the Al-Qadar, the Divine Decree | the 6 pillars of iman (Last)
The belief in destiny constitutes the sixth pillar of Eman. All of our work has previously been documented. Another name for destiny is Al-Qadr. It implies that Allah is aware of what lies ahead.
Muslims thus hold that Allah is aware of future events. This implies that without a need for approval, He already knows our intentions and course of action. Al-Qadr is made up of both good and evil. Both positive and negative things will happen in the future.
A Muslim holds that Allah knows everything that will occur, both good and terrible.
It is unbelief to reject Qadr. That would imply that Allah does not know what lies ahead. However, nothing eludes Allah’s knowledge, as He is all-knowing.
Al-Qadar is what Allah predetermines for every creation, according to His wisdom and knowledge of the past. Holding to this pillar entails accepting that all events, whether favorable or unfavorable, occur solely as a result of Allah’s heavenly will.
Everything that occurs is a result of Allah’s will and determination. However, Muslims also recognize that people possess free will and the capacity to discriminate between right and wrong.
The following four concepts are included in the belief in divine predestination:
- All things were created by Allah.
- Allah is aware of all things, both past and present.
- Everything that has occurred and will happen is documented. Whatever Allah wills to happen, will happen.
- Anything that Allah will not do does not occur.
We must always have faith in Allah and His plan, regardless of how dire things may seem.
May Allah SWT fortify our faith in Him and constantly lead us in the right direction. Ameen.
