Foundations of Islamic Belief
Work through the core doctrines of Islam in a logical sequence, from the oneness of God to the sources of law and the acts of worship built upon them.
Start LearningBegins with Tawheed (Islamic Monotheism)
Learning Sequence
Articles are ordered so each builds on the one before. You can also read them in any order that suits you.
- Tawheed (Islamic Monotheism)theologyFoundational BeliefsTawheed is the fundamental doctrine of Islamic monotheism, asserting the absolute oneness and uniqueness of Allah. It encompasses three categories: Oneness of Lordship, O…
- AllahtheologyFoundational BeliefsAllah is the Arabic name for the One God in Islam: the eternal, unique Creator and Sustainer of all that exists. Belief in Him is the foundation of Islamic faith, express…
- The Quran (Al-Qur'an)textFoundational BeliefsThe Quran is the scripture of Islam, held by Muslims to be the speech of Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad over some twenty-three years. It comprises 114 surahs and, in …
- Hadith - The Prophetic TraditionstextFoundational BeliefsHadith are the recorded sayings, actions, and approvals of Prophet Muhammad, serving as the second primary source of Islamic guidance after the Quran. These prophetic tra…
- Sunnah - The Prophetic WaytextFoundational BeliefsThe Sunnah represents the teachings, practices, and sayings of Prophet Muhammad, serving as the second primary source of Islamic guidance after the Quran. It provides pra…
- Angels in IslamtheologyFoundational BeliefsAngels (mala'ikah) are beings created from light who hold a central place in Islamic theology. Belief in them is one of the six articles of faith; the Quran describes the…
- Predestination (Qadar) in IslamtheologyFoundational BeliefsPredestination (Qadar) is the sixth article of Islamic faith, encompassing divine foreknowledge, the divine decree, and the relationship between God's sovereignty and hum…
- Day of Judgment (Yawm al-Din)theologyFoundational BeliefsThe Day of Judgment (Yawm al-Din) is a fundamental article of Islamic faith — the final day when humanity is resurrected and held accountable before God. The doctrine sha…
- Al-Lawh al-Mahfuz: The Preserved Tablet in Islamic TheologytheologyFoundational BeliefsThe Preserved Tablet, in Islamic theology the divine record in which Allah's knowledge and decrees are inscribed. Named in the Qur'an and elaborated in the hadith literat…
- Sidrat al-Muntaha: The Lote Tree of the Utmost BoundarytheologyFoundational BeliefsThe Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, named in the Qur'an and described in the hadith as standing in the highest heaven, at the limit beyond which no created being passes…
- Sharia - Islamic Law and GuidancetheologyFoundational BeliefsSharia is the comprehensive legal and moral framework of Islam, derived from the Quran and Sunnah. It encompasses ethics, spirituality, and social justice, aiming to prom…
- Five Pillars of Islam (Arkan al-Islam)practiceFoundational BeliefsThe Five Pillars of Islam are the five obligatory acts of Muslim practice: the shahada, the five daily prayers, the zakat, the fast of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecc…
- Islamic Schools of Jurisprudence: The MadhabstheologyAbbasid CaliphateThe madhabs, the schools of Islamic law that developed methods for deriving rulings from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Four Sunni schools and the Shi'a traditions have guide…
- The Islamic Calendar - Hijri Calendar SystempracticeFoundational BeliefsThe Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar of twelve months, four of them sacred, instituted as an era by the caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab and counted from the Hijra of 622 CE.…