Continuing from where we left of with the five Pillars of Islam, we will now discuss the Six Pillars of Faith:  

1. Allah-

As Muslims we believe that Allah is the only true god in existence. He is not the father nor the son of anyone or anything. There is nothing comparable to Him. He possesses complete control over life & death, and maintains the entire Universe by Himself. He has unlimited Knowledge, Vision, Hearing, Awareness, Greatness, Power, and Ability. Only Him do we worship.1 

2. The Angels-

Unlike the Humans, who possess the gift of Free-Will, the Angles only do and say what Allah tells them. They do not disobey Allah in any way. They were created to act as assistants to Allah, even though He does not need their assistance for anything. They are assigned to assist the Humans in our daily affairs, as well as record our good and evil deeds. The four main Angles the are described in detail in the Qur’an, as well as in the Tradition of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) are: Jibril (Gabriel), Mikhail (Michael), Israfil (the Trumpet-Blower), and Malak-ul-Mawt (the Angle of Death). Jibril is the chief Angle. He instructs all of the Angles of what their assignments are. He was also the Transmitter of Revelation to the Prophets & Messengers (Peace be upon them all-together). Mika’il is responsible for regulating the weather patterns, and movement of the clouds in the sky. Israfil is responsible for blowing the Trumpet, which will signify the Day of Standing, when every Human will stand before Allah, and be held accountable for whatever he held in his heart, said with his tongue, and did with his hands. Malak-ul-Mawt is responsible for taking the souls of the Humans, at the time of death (Peace be upon them all-together).2 

3. The Books-

The books that Allah revealed to Humanity, as a form of guidance are many. However all of them have been changed by evil individuals; those who kept certain parts of their books and discarded other parts. The only book that has remained unchanged is the Qur’an. The names of the previous books revealed to Humanity number only three, and they are: the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel.3  

4. The Messengers-

The Messengers are those from Humanity, whom were chosen by Allah, to be given His Books of Revelation. They were also chosen to establish the Oneness of Allah (Islamic-Monotheism: The complete worship of Allah alone, as one god), and to rid Humanity of the evil of Association (Polytheism: The exact opposite of Islamic-Monotheism). They were given commandments as well as prohibitions, within the books that were given to them. There are six Messengers that are known to us by name, and they are: Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad (Peace be upon them all-together).4 

5. The Last Day-

On this there will never be another day like it ever again. Also known as the Day of Standing, the Day of Gathering, and the Day of Accountability. On this day, every Human will stand before Allah and give account for his beliefs, statements, and actions. Based upon the merit of our record, we will then be sent to either the Paradise for infinite pleasure, or to the Fire for infinite punishment.5 

6. The Decree (Destiny)-

We believe that every single thing that has ever occurred, does occur, or will occur has been determined by Allah before it took place. The Decree must be accepted, no matter how good or how bad a situation may be.6

 

1. Al-..Aqidat-ul-Islamiyyah (Islamic Creed), Muhammad Jamil Zino; Fataw-al-

Ialamiyyah (Islamic Verdicts), Perminent Commitee of Islamic Jurists, Saudi

Arabia; Arkan-ul-Iman (Tenets of Faith), Muhammad Ibn-Salih al-..Uthaymin

2. Kitab-ul-Iman (The Book of Faith), Ahmad Ibn-Taymiyyah

3. Qasas-ul-Anbiya’ (Stories of the Prophets), Isma..il Ibn-Kathir ad-Dimashqy

4. Ibid.

5. Arkan-ul-Iman6. Al-..Aqidat-ul-Islamiyyah

Courtesy of G.M. Bryant

Distributed by D.a..wah Unlimited A.lliance