--- title: "What Every Muslim Believes | Islam Is Mercy" description: "The shared core of Islam in plain words — the beliefs and practices that Muslims everywhere agree on, whatever their school or background." lang: en url: https://islamismercy.com/en/core/what-every-muslim-believes/ --- 1. [Home](https://islamismercy.com/en/) 2. [What Muslims Agree On](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/) 3. What Every Muslim Believes # What Every Muslim Believes Written by **Islam Is Mercy Editorial Team**· 4 min readAwaiting scholar review ## The short answer Every Muslim believes that there is only one God, that Muhammad ﷺ is His final messenger, and that the Qur'an is His preserved word. Muslims also share belief in the angels, the earlier prophets and scriptures, the Day of Judgment and God's decree, and the same basic acts of worship. ## On this page 1. One God, and nothing like Him 2. The six articles of faith 3. Muhammad ﷺ and the Qur’an 4. The five pillars of practice 5. What this core does not include 6. A starting point, not the whole story If you visit a mosque in Jakarta, Istanbul, Lagos or London, you will hear the call to prayer in the same Arabic words, see people praying in the same rows, and hear the same [Qur’an](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/quran/) recited. Behind that shared practice lies a shared set of beliefs. This page sets out that common core in plain words — the things that every Muslim, of every school and background, holds to be true. This website is built around that core. We try to present what Muslims agree on, and when scholars genuinely differ on a detail, we say so openly. ## One God, and nothing like Him The heart of Islam is *[tawhid](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/tawhid/)* — the oneness of God. Muslims believe that there is one God, the Creator of everything, who has no partner, no son, no rival and no equal. He alone deserves to be worshipped. The Arabic word for God is *Allah*, the same word Arabic-speaking Christians use in their Bibles. Muslims believe God is near, all-hearing and all-merciful, yet unlike anything in His creation. We explore this in [God Is One: No Partner, No Son, No Equal](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/god-is-one/). ## The six articles of faith When the angel Gabriel came to the Prophet ﷺ in human form and asked him what faith is, the Prophet ﷺ answered with a short list that Muslims have memorised ever since: > …That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil.… [Sahih Muslim 93](https://sunnah.com/muslim/1#:~:text=right%20and%20the%20other%20stood)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih Muslim) The Qur’an describes the believers in very similar terms: > ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍۢ مِّن رُّسُلِهِۦ ۚ وَقَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ ﴿٢٨٥﴾ > The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and \[so have\] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, \[saying\], "We make no distinction between any of His messengers." And they say, "We hear and we obey. \[We seek\] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the \[final\] destination." [Qur'an, Al-Baqara 2:285](https://quran.com/2?startingVerse=285&translations=20)Saheeh International In plain words, every Muslim believes in: 1. **God** — one, unique and merciful. 2. **His angels** — created beings who carry out His commands, including Gabriel, who brought revelation to the prophets. 3. **His books** — the scriptures He revealed, including the Torah given to Moses, the Psalms given to David, the Gospel given to Jesus, and finally the Qur’an. 4. **His messengers** — from Adam and Noah to Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them), ending with Muhammad ﷺ. 5. **The Last Day** — that every person will be raised and fairly judged. 6. **God’s decree** — that nothing happens outside God’s knowledge and will, while people remain responsible for their choices. Notice that the verse describes believers as making no distinction between God’s messengers. A Muslim is required to believe in all of the prophets, not only Muhammad ﷺ. You can read more in [All Prophets Brought the Same Message](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/one-message-all-prophets/) and [The Six Articles of Faith](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/six-articles-of-faith/). ## Muhammad ﷺ and the Qur’an Muslims believe that Muhammad ﷺ, born in Mecca in the sixth century, was the last prophet God will send — a human being, not divine, chosen to deliver God’s final message to all of humanity. See [Muhammad ﷺ Is the Final Messenger](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/muhammad-final-messenger/). That message is the Qur’an, which Muslims believe is the word of God itself, revealed in Arabic and preserved without change from the Prophet’s time until today. See [The Qur’an Is God’s Word, Preserved Unchanged](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/quran-preserved/). ## The five pillars of practice Belief is meant to shape a life. The Prophet ﷺ summed up the basic practice of Islam in five pillars: > Narrated Ibn 'Umar: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Islam is based on (the following) five (principles): 1. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). 2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly. 3. To pay Zakat (i.e. obligatory charity) . 4. To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca) 5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan [Sahih al-Bukhari 8](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/2#:~:text=To%20testify%20that%20none%20has)Grade: Sahih (in Sahih al-Bukhari) These five — the declaration of faith (*shahada*), the five daily prayers (*[salah](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/salah/)*), the yearly charity for those in need (*[zakat](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/zakat/)*), fasting in the month of [Ramadan](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/ramadan/) (*[sawm](https://islamismercy.com/en/glossary/sawm/)*), and the pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime for those able (*hajj*) — are shared by Muslims everywhere. Muslims also agree on the great moral commands: justice, honesty, kindness to parents and neighbours, keeping promises, and the clear prohibitions on things like murder, theft, adultery, alcohol and lying. You can read more in [The Five Pillars](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/five-pillars-of-islam/). ## What this core does not include The core above is deliberately short. It does not settle every question of law, every detail of how to pray, or every point of history. On many of those details, faithful scholars have reached different conclusions for over a thousand years, and Muslims generally see this as a natural part of a living tradition rather than a threat to it. What matters is that the foundations are not in dispute: one God, His prophets, His books, His angels, the Last Day and His decree, and the five pillars. Whatever their school, Muslims recognise each other as Muslims on this basis. We explain how these differences work in [Where Muslims Differ, and Why It’s Okay](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/where-muslims-differ/). ## A starting point, not the whole story This page is a map rather than the whole territory. Each part of it opens onto a larger subject, and the links above will take you deeper into each one. If you are simply curious, we hope it helps you understand your Muslim neighbours, colleagues and friends a little better. And if you find yourself drawn to these beliefs, [How to Become Muslim](https://islamismercy.com/en/become-muslim/how-to-become-muslim/) explains, gently and simply, what that step involves. ![What Every Muslim Believes](https://islamismercy.com/_astro/five-pillars-of-islam-info.D-9Tl4j5_olcPR.jpg) ## Key takeaways - Muslims around the world share one creed, whatever their language, culture or school of thought. - The core is short — one God, His prophets, His books, His angels, the Last Day and His decree. - The same five pillars of practice are shared by Muslims everywhere. - Differences between Muslims are real but mostly concern details, not the foundations. ## Share this article [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/?text=What%20Every%20Muslim%20Believes%20https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fcore%2Fwhat-every-muslim-believes%2F)[Telegram](https://t.me/share/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fcore%2Fwhat-every-muslim-believes%2F&text=What%20Every%20Muslim%20Believes)[X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=What%20Every%20Muslim%20Believes&url=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fcore%2Fwhat-every-muslim-believes%2F)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fislamismercy.com%2Fen%2Fcore%2Fwhat-every-muslim-believes%2F) ## Sources - [Qur'an, Al-Baqara 2:285](https://quran.com/2?startingVerse=285&translations=20) - [Sahih Muslim 93](https://sunnah.com/muslim/1#:~:text=right%20and%20the%20other%20stood) - [Sahih al-Bukhari 8](https://sunnah.com/bukhari/2#:~:text=To%20testify%20that%20none%20has) ## Talk to a Muslim Have a question that isn't answered here? Ask a real person — no pressure, no judgement. [Ask your question](https://islamismercy.com/en/talk/) ## Keep reading [What Muslims Agree On ### God Is One: No Partner, No Son, No Equal The oneness of God (tawhid) is the foundation of Islam. Here is what Muslims mean by it, in plain words, with the Qur'an's own description of God. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/god-is-one/)[What Muslims Agree On ### Muhammad ﷺ Is the Final Messenger Muslims believe Muhammad ﷺ was the last prophet God sent to humanity — a human messenger for all people. Here is what that belief means and why it matters. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/muhammad-final-messenger/)[What Muslims Agree On ### Where Muslims Differ, and Why It's Okay Muslims agree on the foundations of Islam but differ on many details. Here is what is fixed, what scholars legitimately debate, and why that is normal. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/core/where-muslims-differ/)[Start Here ### The Six Articles of Faith in Islam What do Muslims believe? The six articles of faith — God, angels, scriptures, prophets, the Last Day and divine decree — explained simply. Read article](https://islamismercy.com/en/start/six-articles-of-faith/)