Belief in Allah
The first article of faith: what a Muslim believes about who Allah is and the qualities that belong to Him alone.
The first thing every Muslim believes is about Allah Himself. Allah is one: one in who He is, one in His qualities, and one in what He does. He has no partner, and nothing is like Him.
What we believe about Allah
- No one made Allah. He has always been there, and He will always be there; He has no beginning and no end.
- All of Allah's names and good qualities have always belonged to Him and always will.
- Allah made everything else that exists. One day He will make everything die, and then bring it all back to life on the Day of Judgment.
- Allah gives food and everything needed to every living thing.
- Allah does not need anyone or anything. But everyone and everything needs Him.
- Allah is one of a kind. He has no mother or father, no wife, and no son or daughter.
- Allah does not have a body. He never eats, drinks, or sleeps.
- Allah is alive, but not with a shape like people or animals have.
- Allah sees everything, but not with eyes like ours. He hears everything, but not with ears like ours. He speaks, but not with a mouth like ours.
- Allah can do anything He wants. Everything that happens, happens because He allows it, and no one can stop what He decides.
- Allah knows everything, even what is hidden in someone's heart, or buried deep under the ground.
- Allah gives life and causes death. He can make someone sick, and He can cure them.
- Allah can give someone honor, and He can take it away.
- Everything Allah does is wise, even on the times we cannot see why.
- Allah is the King above every king, and He watches over and takes care of everyone.
- Allah has every good quality there is, and He has no fault or weakness at all.
- Only Allah deserves to be worshipped and loved above everything else.
Every Muslim must believe that Allah is one, with no partner and nothing like Him: no one made Him, He has always existed and always will, He made everything else and will bring it back to life, He gives everyone what they need and needs no one, He has no parents, wife or children, no body, and never eats, drinks or sleeps. He sees, hears and speaks, but not with eyes, ears or a mouth like ours, and He can do anything He wants.
123456789101112The first article of faith is belief in Allah Himself: Allah is one in His being, His qualities, and His actions, and He has no partner.
| Aspect | What is believed |
|---|---|
| Existence | Allah exists by Himself; no one created Him. He has always existed and will always exist. He is the First and the Last, the Most Obvious and the Most Hidden. |
| His names and qualities | All His names and qualities are eternal and belong to Him forever. |
| Creation and resurrection | Everything other than Allah is created by Him. He is the One who will cause everything to die and then bring it back to life on the Day of Judgment. |
| Provision | Allah provides for the whole of creation. He needs no one, while everyone needs Him. |
| Uniqueness | Allah is unique; nothing is like Him. He has no parents, no wife, and no son or daughter. |
| Freedom from bodily needs | He is free from a body or any bodily need: eating, drinking, or sleeping. |
| Life, sight, hearing, speech | He is alive, but not in a shape like ours. He sees, hears, and speaks, but not by means of eyes, ears, or a mouth like ours. |
| Power and will | He has power over everything and does whatever He wills; everything happens by His will, and nothing can stop what He decides. |
| Knowledge | He knows everything, whether hidden in a heart or buried under the earth. |
| Life and death, honour | He gives life and causes death, makes people sick and cures them, gives honour and can take it away. |
| Wisdom | Everything He does carries wisdom, even where it is not understood. |
| Sovereignty and care | He is the King of all kings and the Guardian of everyone. |
| Perfection | He possesses every excellent quality and is free of every fault and weakness. |
| Worship | He alone deserves worship and devotion. |
It is obligatory (fard) to believe that Allah is one in His being, His qualities and His actions, with no partner: He exists by Himself without beginning or end, His names and qualities are eternal, everything else is His creation, which He will cause to die and then resurrect, He provides for all and needs none, He has no parents, spouse or offspring, no body and no bodily need, and He is alive, seeing, hearing and speaking, though not by means like ours, and all-powerful.
123456789101112The first uṣūl of belief is tawḥīd: Allah is one (wāḥid) in His Being (dhāt), His attributes (ṣifāt), and His actions (afʿāl); He has no partner (sharīk) in any of these.
| Category | What is affirmed |
|---|---|
| Qiyām bi-nafsihi (self-subsistence) | Allah exists by Himself; nothing brought Him into being. |
| Azaliyyah and abadiyyah (eternity, past and future) | He has always existed and will always exist, without beginning or end: al-Awwal, al-Ākhir, aẓ-Ẓāhir, al-Bāṭin. |
| Qidam of the names and attributes | All His names and attributes are eternal, belonging to His essence forever, not acquired. |
| Khāliqiyyah and iʿādah (creation and re-creation) | Everything besides Allah is His creation. He alone brings about the death of all creation and its resurrection on the Day of Judgment. |
| Razzāqiyyah (provision) | He provides for the whole of creation; He is free of need (ghanī ʿan al-ʿālamīn) while all creation is dependent (muḥtāj) on Him. |
| Tanzīh (transcendence) | He is unique, lā mithla lahu, with no parent, spouse, or offspring, and no body or bodily need (eating, drinking, sleeping). |
| Ḥayāt, baṣar, samʿ, kalām (life, sight, hearing, speech) | He is living, seeing, hearing and speaking, but not through a shape, eyes, ears, or a mouth resembling those of creation, these are affirmed of Him without resemblance (bilā kayf). |
| Qudrah and irādah (power and will) | He has power over all things and does as He wills; nothing occurs but by His will, and nothing can avert what He decrees. |
| ʿIlm (knowledge) | His knowledge encompasses all things, hidden in a heart or beneath the earth alike. |
| Iḥyāʾ, imātah, ʿizz, dhull (life, death, honour, abasement) | He gives life and causes death, brings illness and cures it, grants honour and withdraws it. |
| Ḥikmah (wisdom) | Every one of His acts carries wisdom, whether or not it is grasped by created intellect. |
| Mulk and kifāyah (sovereignty and guardianship) | He is King over every king and Guardian (Ḥāfiẓ) of every creature. |
| Kamāl and tanzīh ʿan an-naqāʾiṣ (perfection, freedom from defect) | Every attribute of perfection belongs to Him, and every defect and weakness is negated of Him. |
| Ulūhiyyah (exclusive right to worship) | He alone is deserving of worship (ʿibādah) and devotion. |
Tawḥīd is obligatory (farḍ) to believe: Allah is one (wāḥid) in His dhāt, ṣifāt and afʿāl, without sharīk. Affirmed of Him are qiyām bi-nafsihi, azaliyyah and abadiyyah, the qidam of His names and attributes, khāliqiyyah and iʿādah, razzāqiyyah, tanzīh from parent, spouse, offspring, body and bodily need, and life, sight, hearing, speech, qudrah and irādah, none of them by means resembling those of creation.
123456789101112This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 293 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
(1)Faith in Allah
Allah is one in His being, qualities, and actions. He has no partner.
Allah exists by Himself; no one created Him.
He has always been there and will always be there.
All His names and qualities are eternal, and they are part of Him forever.
He has no beginning and no end. He is the First and the Last, the Most Obvious and the Most Hidden.
Everything else in the world is created by Him. He is the One who will make everything die and then bring it back to life on the Day of Judgment.
Allah provides for all of creation.
He doesn’t need anyone, but everyone needs Him.
Allah is unique; no one is like Him.
He has no parents, no wife, no son, or daughter.
He is free from a body or any bodily needs, like eating, drinking, or sleeping.
He is alive but has no shape like us.
He sees everything but doesn’t need eyes like ours.
He hears everything but doesn’t need ears like ours.
He speaks, but He doesn’t have a mouth like ours.
He has power over everything and can do whatever He wants.
Everything happens by His will, and no one can stop what He decides.
He knows everything, whether it’s in someone’s heart, under the earth, or anywhere.
He is the one who gives life and causes death. He makes people sick and cures them.
Allah is the one who gives honor and dignity, and He can also take it away.
Everything He does has wisdom, even if we don’t understand it.
He is the King of all kings and the Guardian of everyone.
Allah has all the best qualities and is free from any faults or weaknesses.
He alone deserves worship and devotion.
Terms on this page
Related
- Belief in the angels What a Muslim believes about the angels, their nature, and the four angels of the highest rank.
- Belief in destiny (Qadr) The sixth article of faith: that Allah has written all that happens, while people still choose and are answerable for their own actions.
- What faith means, and the words that carry it What faith (iman) is, its two parts, who a believer is, and the declarations of faith said with the tongue.
- Belief in the prophets, and the life of the Prophet ﷺ What a Muslim believes about the prophets and their miracles, and a brief account of the life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.