Virtues of Belief in Allāh:

• • Belief in Allāh, His names, and His attributes instills in the individual the love and glorification of Allah that result in his performing Allah's instructions and avoiding His prohibitions. These are the means of achieving ultimate happiness in this life and the hereafter for both the individual and the society: [Allāh says] "Whoever, male or female, does righteous deed, while believing, We shall assuredly grant him a goodly life, and We shall reward them according to the best of their deeds" (16:97).

Virtues of Belief in the Angels:

• • Appreciating the dignity of Allāh, His might, and His sovereignty.

  • Gratitude toward Allāh because He puts some of the angels in charge of His servants, recording their deeds and other things that benefit them.

  • Love and admiration for the angels because of what they are doing, namely, worshipping Allāh in the best possible manner and praying for the believers.

Virtues of Belief in the Books:

• • Appreciating Allāh's mercy and care for His people in that He sent down a book to every nation for its guidance.

  • Appreciating Allāh's wisdom, for He revealed in these books to every nation that which suits them. The glorious Qur'ān is the final book and it is suitable to all people at all times until the Day of Judgment.

  • Showing gratitude for Allāh's mercy in revealing these books.

Virtues of Belief in the Messengers:

• • Appreciating Allāh's mercy and care for His people for sending them those great messengers to guide them to the straight path. Thanking Allāh for this great favor.

  • Loving and respecting the prophets and praising them in what they deserve, because they are Allāh's messengers and His choice among His people. They worshipped Allāh according to the best of their ability, conveyed His message to mankind, gave sincere advice to the people, and bore patiently whatever hurt they received.

Virtues of Belief in the Day of Judgment:

• • Endeavor to obey Allāh to get the reward of that day and to avoid any disobedience to him for fear of His punishment.

  • A consolation for the believer for whatever he misses of worldly enjoyment by what he hopes to gain of blessings and reward of the hereafter.

Virtues of Belief in Fate and the Divine Decree:

• • Dependence on Allāh when doing any action, because both the cause and effect are the result of Allāh's decree.

  • Ease of mind and comfort, because when the individual knows that everything is by Allāh's decree and that mishaps are going to take place anyway, his soul will be at ease and his heart will be satisfied with Allāh's decree. No one has a more comfortable life, worry-free soul, and stronger confidence than a believer in fate.

  • Freedom from arrogance when a goal is achieved, because this is a blessing from Allāh through what He decreed of the causes of good and success. The individual should thank Allāh for that and free himself from arrogance.

  • Freedom from worry and boredom in case of failure or mishap, because that is by Allāh's decree, the One who possesses the heavens and the Earth. Since that is going to happen anyway, the individual should be patient and hope for the reward from Allāh. Allāh points to the last two virtues in the following verse: "No misfortune can happen on earth or in yourselves but is recorded in a decree before We bring it into existence, that is really easy for Allāh; that you may not grieve for what escapes you, nor rejoice in what has come to you. Allāh does not love any vainglorious boaster" (57:22-3). We pray to Allāh, the Exalted, to reward us for this belief, to realize for us its fruits, to increase our blessings, to keep us on the right path to which He has guided us, and to bestow on us a blessing from Him. He is indeed the Giver. Praise and gratitude be to Allāh, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be on Prophet Muhammad, his family, his Companions, and those who rightly follow them.

[Source: taken from The Muslim's Belief by Muhammad Salih ibn Uthaymeen]