Iman is the first of the five pillars of Islam. It consists of the belief in:
(a) Allah (The Arabic name of God), and Prophet Muhammad (saw) as His Messenger,
(b) All the Angels who are the spiritual beings of God,
(c) All the Prophets and Messengers of God,
(d) All the Scriptures revealed by God for the guidance of mankind,
(e) The Hereafter: The Day of Resurrection and Judgement.
Also the Islamic doctrine: that God is all wise, all-powerful. And all human beings are accountable for their own actions. Qur'an states:
“The Prophet believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the men of faith. They all believe in God, His angels, His scriptures and His messengers, making no distinction among His messengers…” (2: 285)
Prophet Muhammad (saw) (saw) was asked: “What is Iman” He replied:
“To believe in God, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day.”
(a) The belief in God and Muhammad (saw) as His Messenger:
Muslims should know how to declare the Shahadah, the Declaration of Faith, which is the first article of Iman. It is the testimony that there is no deity except God and that Muhammad (saw) is His Messenger. This first act of worship is to believe with the heart and declare with the tongue that there is nothing worthy of worship but Allah, the source of all creation, and Muhammad (saw) is His Messenger.
Without the declaration of the Shahadah, none of the other pillars of the Islamic Faith are counted. People cannot call themselves Muslims unless they make this Declaration of Faith.
(b) The belief in all the Angels who are the spiritual beings of God:
God, who created the human beings, is able to create any kinds of creatures. Human beings are not the only intelligent beings God created. Another kind of beings is angels, who serve God in many ways. Unlike human beings, angels were not created with free will. They are absolutely obedient to God's commands, carrying out their duties of obeying, serving and worshipping Him.
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