Guide for new Muslims · 01 · 5 min
Your faith
Faith is the heart of Islam. Before the actions comes conviction: who God is, and how we relate to Him. Here is what matters most, explained simply.
Belief in one God (tawhid)
At the core of Islam is that there is one God, Allah, who created everything and to whom nothing can be compared. He has no partner, no son and no equal.
Believing in one God also means turning to Him alone — in prayer, hope and awe — with no intermediary. You need no priest or saint to reach God; you can turn to Him directly, at any time.
The six pillars of faith
A Muslim believes in six things that together form the foundation of faith:
- Allah — the one God
- His angels
- The holy books, including the Quran
- The prophets, from Adam to Muhammad ﷺ
- The Day of Judgement and the life to come
- God’s decree — that all things happen with His knowledge
Why faith comes first
When faith is in place, everything else — prayer, fasting, the way we treat people — takes on meaning. It is no longer rules for their own sake, but a response of love and gratitude to God.
You do not need to understand it all at once. Faith grows with knowledge and time, just like a friendship.