What are the six articles of faith (arkān al-īmān)?
The Ḥadīth of Jibrīl lists the six: belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree — good and bitter. The classical scholars built the whole of ʿaqīdah on these six.
10 passages from 8 books in the library
The six articles of faith (arkān al-īmān), listed in the Ḥadīth of Jibrīl, are belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree — both its good and its bitter. The classical scholars built the whole of ʿaqīdah on these six. Imam al-Ghazali dwells especially on the last: "the secret of divine decree" is not fully unveiled to us, for were it revealed it would overwhelm the heart. Faith therefore includes trusting Allah's decree even where its wisdom remains hidden.
- Belief in Allah
- Belief in His angels
- Belief in His books
- Belief in His messengers
- Belief in the Last Day
- Belief in divine decree (qadar) — its good and its bitter
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 8 books by Ibn Battuta and Imam al-Ghazali — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
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"This was a fateful decision, part of the divine decree to afflict the people of the East with hardship and misery."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
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"The Hadith about the Prophet willingly experiencing hunger was narrated by Al-Bayhaqi and Shu'ab al-Iman"
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"The hadith, the best of affairs are their middles, was narrated by al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
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"most listeners, though they do not harm the Prophets and the truthful. The secret of divine decree,"
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"such thoughts. Likewise, if the secret of divine decree were revealed, it would imply impotence to"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
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"al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman, though its chain is weak. On one occasion, upon hearing of a man's"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"halted narrations and was cited by al-Bayhaqi in his Shu'ab al-Iman. As he says, did you not see"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
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"been mentioned before, and Bayhaqi narrated it in Shu'ab al-Iman with this wording. The hadith"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
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"is narrated by al-Tabarani and al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman from Ibn Masud with a weak chain."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"by al-Tabarani and al-Sagir and Ibn Abi Dunya in the manner of al-Baihaqi and Shu'ab al-Iman"
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