What faith means, and the words that carry it
What iman is, its two parts, who a believer is, and the declarations of faith said with the tongue.
Allah made the whole universe. There is no one else like Him. His name is Allah, the Almighty.
Believing, called iman, means believing in Allah, in His Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, and in everything Allah sent us through him. You believe it in your heart, and you say it with your words.
Iman has two parts
- Believing it in your heart.
- Saying it with your words.
لَآ إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللهِ
Lā ilāha illa'llāhu Muḥammadur-Rasūlullāh
There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
اٰمَنتُ بِاللّٰهِ كَمَا هُوَ بِأَسْمَائِهٖ وَ صِفَاتِهٖ وَ قَبِلْتُ جَمِيعَ أَحْكَامِهٖ
Āmantu billāhi kamā huwa bi-asmāʾihī wa ṣifātihī wa qabiltu jamīʿa aḥkāmih
I believe in Allah as He is, with all His names and attributes, and I accept all His commands.
اٰمَنْتُ بِاللّٰهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهٖ وَكُتُبِهٖ وَرُسُلِهٖ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَ الْبَعْثِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرِهٖ وَ شَرِّهٖ مِنَ اللهِ تَعَالٰى
Āmantu billāhi wa malāʾikatihī wa kutubihī wa rusulihī wa'l-yawmi'l-ākhiri wa'l-baʿthi baʿda'l-mawti wa'l-qadri khayrihī wa sharrihī mina'llāhi taʿālā
I believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Day of Judgment, destiny (whether good or bad) as from Allah Almighty, and resurrection after death.
Allah is the Creator of the entire universe. He is unique, with no one like Him in His being and His qualities; His name is Allah Almighty.
Faith (iman) means to believe in Allah, in His Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, and in everything Allah has sent through His Messenger, believed in the heart and affirmed with the tongue.
The two parts of iman
- Believing it in the heart.
- Affirming it with the words of the tongue.
لَآ إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللهِ
Lā ilāha illa'llāhu Muḥammadur-Rasūlullāh
There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Alongside the Kalima Tayyibah, two further declarations state belief in condensed and in itemised form: Iman-e-Mujmal (concise faith) and Iman-e-Mufassal (detailed faith).
اٰمَنتُ بِاللّٰهِ كَمَا هُوَ بِأَسْمَائِهٖ وَ صِفَاتِهٖ وَ قَبِلْتُ جَمِيعَ أَحْكَامِهٖ
Āmantu billāhi kamā huwa bi-asmāʾihī wa ṣifātihī wa qabiltu jamīʿa aḥkāmih
I believe in Allah as He is, with all His names and attributes, and I accept all His commands.
اٰمَنْتُ بِاللّٰهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهٖ وَكُتُبِهٖ وَرُسُلِهٖ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَ الْبَعْثِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرِهٖ وَ شَرِّهٖ مِنَ اللهِ تَعَالٰى
Āmantu billāhi wa malāʾikatihī wa kutubihī wa rusulihī wa'l-yawmi'l-ākhiri wa'l-baʿthi baʿda'l-mawti wa'l-qadri khayrihī wa sharrihī mina'llāhi taʿālā
I believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Day of Judgment, destiny (whether good or bad) as from Allah Almighty, and resurrection after death.
Allah is the Creator of the entire universe, unique in His Being and His attributes, with nothing resembling Him; His name is Allah Almighty.
Īmān is to believe in Allah, in His Messenger, and in everything Allah has conveyed through His Messenger, together in heart and in speech.
The two constituent parts of īmān
- Taṣdīq bi'l-qalb: affirmation in the heart.
- Iqrār bi'l-lisān: declaration with the tongue.
لَآ إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللهِ
Lā ilāha illa'llāhu Muḥammadur-Rasūlullāh
There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Two further formulae state the same belief at different levels of resolution: Īmān-e-Mujmal, a concise affirmation, and Īmān-e-Mufassal, which itemises the six matters of belief individually.
اٰمَنتُ بِاللّٰهِ كَمَا هُوَ بِأَسْمَائِهٖ وَ صِفَاتِهٖ وَ قَبِلْتُ جَمِيعَ أَحْكَامِهٖ
Āmantu billāhi kamā huwa bi-asmāʾihī wa ṣifātihī wa qabiltu jamīʿa aḥkāmih
I believe in Allah as He is, with all His names and attributes, and I accept all His commands.
اٰمَنْتُ بِاللّٰهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهٖ وَكُتُبِهٖ وَرُسُلِهٖ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَ الْبَعْثِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرِهٖ وَ شَرِّهٖ مِنَ اللهِ تَعَالٰى
Āmantu billāhi wa malāʾikatihī wa kutubihī wa rusulihī wa'l-yawmi'l-ākhiri wa'l-baʿthi baʿda'l-mawti wa'l-qadri khayrihī wa sharrihī mina'llāhi taʿālā
I believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Day of Judgment, destiny (whether good or bad) as from Allah Almighty, and resurrection after death.
Terms on this page
Related
- 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.
- The Five Kalimas The five declarations of faith every Muslim learns, in Arabic, transliteration and translation, with what each one means.
- Belief in Allah The first article of faith: what a Muslim believes about who Allah is and the qualities that belong to Him alone.
- Belief in Allah's books The scriptures Allah revealed to His prophets, the four best known among them, and why only the Quran's rulings stand today.