The core beliefs in Islam, known as the articles of faith, are six fundamental principles: belief in Allah, His angels, His revealed books, His messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree (Qadar), encompassing both its good and bad aspects . These articles are the pillars upon which a Muslim's faith is built, and rejecting any one of them renders one outside the fold of belief .
Central to these beliefs is the concept of Tawhid, which means affirming the absolute oneness of Allah and His uniqueness in all aspects . Tawhid is the fundamental principle of Islam and the essence of the message brought by all prophets and messengers . It entails acknowledging Allah as the sole Creator, Sustainer, and Sovereign of everything, the only one deserving of worship, and the possessor of the most beautiful names and perfect attributes . This comprehensive understanding of Tawhid is divided into three categories: Tawhid al-Rububiyyah (Oneness of Lordship), Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (Oneness of Worship), and Tawhid al-Asma wa al-Sifat (Oneness of Names and Attributes) .
Scholarly Analysis
The Core Beliefs and Articles of Faith in Islam
The foundation of Islamic faith rests upon a set of core beliefs, known as the articles of faith. These principles are essential for a Muslim's belief and are explicitly mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah. Rejecting any of these articles invalidates one's faith .
The Six Articles of Faith
The articles of faith are six fundamental principles:
Belief in Allah: This encompasses affirming His absolute oneness, His unique Lordship, His sole right to be worshipped, and His perfect names and attributes .
Belief in His Angels: Muslims believe in the existence of angels as unseen beings created by Allah to carry out His commands .
Belief in His Revealed Books: This includes believing in all divine scriptures sent by Allah to His prophets, such as the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran, with the Quran being the final and preserved revelation .
Belief in His Messengers: It is obligatory to believe in all prophets and messengers sent by Allah, from the first to the last, acknowledging that they conveyed Allah's message to humanity. Disbelieving in even one prophet is considered disbelief in all of them .
Belief in the Last Day: This entails believing in everything Allah and His Messenger have informed about after death, including the trials of the grave, the major resurrection, the gathering, reckoning, the scales, and ultimately, Paradise and Hellfire . The Quran provides extensive details about the Last Day, emphasizing the resurrection of bodies, which disbelievers have denied throughout history .
Belief in Divine Decree (Qadar): This means believing that all good and bad, sweet and bitter, originates from Allah, and that everything occurs according to His knowledge and will . Allah created for Paradise those destined for it while they were still in their fathers' loins, and similarly for Hellfire .
These six principles are the pillars and foundations of faith. While faith (Iman) has many branches, with the highest being the declaration of "La ilaha illa Allah" (there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah) and the lowest being removing harm from the road, these six are the core tenets .
Tawhid: The Oneness of Allah
Tawhid is the fundamental principle of Islam, signifying the absolute oneness and uniqueness of Allah. It is the essence of the religion of all messengers, from Noah to Muhammad (peace be upon them all), and the primary purpose for which Allah created jinn and mankind . Tawhid is generally categorized into three types: Tawhid al-Rububiyyah, Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah, and Tawhid al-Asma wa al-Sifat .
Types of Tawhid
1. Tawhid al-Rububiyyah (Oneness of Lordship)
This type of Tawhid involves affirming Allah as the sole Creator, Sustainer, and Sovereign of all things . It means believing that:
Allah alone is the Creator of all beings, as stated in the Quran: "Allah is the Creator of all things" (Quran 39:62) .
He is the Provider for all creatures, including humans and animals: "And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision" (Quran 11:6) .
He is the sole Owner of sovereignty and the Administrator of all affairs in the universe, granting power, humbling, exalting, and causing life and death .
Allah has no partner in His dominion, creation, or provision .
All creation is naturally inclined to acknowledge Allah's Lordship. Even the polytheists who associated partners with Allah in worship affirmed His uniqueness in Lordship . The Quran frequently challenges polytheists with questions about creation and sustenance, to which they invariably respond that Allah is the doer of these things . For instance, Allah says: "Say, 'Who provides for you from the heaven and the earth, or who owns hearing and sight and who brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living and who arranges [every] matter?' They will say, 'Allah.' So, will you not then fear Him?'" (Quran 10:31) . This acknowledgment of Allah's Lordship, however, did not make them Muslims or monotheists because they failed to uphold Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah .
2. Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (Oneness of Worship)
This is the most crucial type of Tawhid and the primary focus of the prophetic missions . It means dedicating all acts of worship exclusively to Allah alone, without associating any partners with Him . Worship (`Ibadah) encompasses all inward and outward acts of devotion, such as love, fear, hope, reliance, supplication (du'a), vows, sacrifices, prayer, and seeking help .
The meaning of "Ilah" (deity/god) is the one who is worshipped and intended for these acts of devotion . The early polytheists understood "La ilaha illa Allah" to mean abandoning the worship of anything other than Allah, which is why they resisted this declaration . They knew that saying "La ilaha illa Allah" meant that the religion of their forefathers was false and necessitated disbelief in all that was worshipped besides Allah .
The Quran explicitly commands exclusive worship of Allah: "Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him" (Quran 4:36) . All prophets, including Noah, Hud, Salih, and Shu'ayb, called their people to worship Allah alone . The polytheists, despite acknowledging Allah's Lordship, would worship intermediaries such as angels, prophets, or righteous individuals, claiming these intermediaries would bring them closer to Allah or intercede for them . Allah refuted these claims, stating that intercession belongs entirely to Him .
The practice of seeking help or intercession from the dead or absent, or making vows and sacrifices to them, is considered major Shirk (associating partners with Allah) . This is because such acts are forms of worship that belong solely to Allah. Even in times of distress, polytheists would often turn to Allah alone, recognizing His exclusive power to relieve hardship, only to revert to Shirk once safe .
3. Tawhid al-Asma wa al-Sifat (Oneness of Names and Attributes)
This involves affirming the beautiful names and sublime attributes of Allah as mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah, without distortion (tahreef), denial (ta'teel), resemblance (tashbeeh), or asking "how" (takyeef) . It means believing that Allah has no likeness in His essence, attributes, or actions .
The Meaning of "La ilaha illa Allah"
The phrase "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah) is the Kalimat al-Tawhid (word of monotheism) because its essence is the affirmation of Allah's exclusive right to divinity and worship . This declaration is not merely a verbal utterance but requires heartfelt conviction and the practical dedication of all worship to Allah alone, coupled with disbelief in and disavowal of all false deities .
The early disbelievers understood this profound meaning, which is why they rejected it, saying: "Has he made the gods [only] one God? Indeed, this is a curious thing" (Quran 38:5) . This demonstrates their awareness that "La ilaha illa Allah" necessitates abandoning the worship of their idols and intermediaries .
Shirk (Polytheism)
Shirk is the opposite of Tawhid and is the gravest sin in Islam, as it negates the very purpose of creation . It involves associating partners with Allah in His Lordship, Worship, or Names and Attributes . The Quran condemns Shirk as a great injustice .
Shirk is broadly categorized into two types:
Major Shirk (Shirk al-Akbar): This involves dedicating any act of worship to other than Allah. Examples include supplicating to the dead, seeking help from absent individuals, making vows or sacrifices to idols or graves, or believing that anyone other than Allah can bring benefit or harm independently . Major Shirk nullifies all good deeds and leads to eternal Hellfire if one dies upon it without repentance .
Minor Shirk (Shirk al-Asghar): This includes acts that lead to major Shirk or diminish Tawhid, such as showing off in good deeds (riya'), swearing by other than Allah, or saying "what Allah and so-and-so willed" . While a grave sin, minor Shirk does not necessarily take one out of the fold of Islam unless one deems it permissible .
The prophets and messengers were sent to call people to Tawhid and warn them against Shirk. The Quran emphasizes that Allah does not forgive Shirk, but He may forgive lesser sins for whomever He wills .
Conclusion
The core beliefs of Islam are encapsulated in the six articles of faith, which form the bedrock of a Muslim's creed. Central to these articles is the concept of Tawhid, the absolute oneness of Allah, which is elaborated through Tawhid al-Rububiyyah, Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah, and Tawhid al-Asma wa al-Sifat. The true understanding and implementation of Tawhid, particularly Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah, was the primary message of all prophets and messengers, distinguishing true monotheism from polytheism. Shirk, in its major and minor forms, stands as the antithesis of Tawhid, representing the gravest sin due to its direct contradiction of Allah's exclusive right to worship and sovereignty. Thus, affirming Tawhid and avoiding Shirk are fundamental to Islamic faith and practice.
Understand the core beliefs of Islam including Tawhid (monotheism), the six articles of faith, and what Muslims believe about God, angels, and the afterlife.
