The 6 Kalimas: Arabic, Transliteration, Meaning and Sources

Last checked: 23 October 2026. The Arabic texts below follow the wording taught in South Asian primers, which varies slightly between books; where a phrase comes directly from a hadith, we quote that hadith from our self-hosted copy of the major collections, with its grading. Quran verses link to quran.com.

What are the 6 kalimas, and what are they not?

Kalima (كلمة) is Arabic for "word" or "statement". The six kalimas (also written kalmas or kalimahs) are six statements of faith and remembrance that have been taught to children for generations in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and in South Asian communities around the world. If you grew up there, you probably recited them in a madrasa or at home before you could read the Quran fluently.

Here is the honest picture of where they come from, because it is often blurred online:

• Every kalima is built from the Quran and the Sunnah. The first two are the testimony of faith itself. The third and fourth are forms of dhikr taught by the Prophet ﷺ in authentic hadith. The fifth and sixth gather phrases of repentance and refuge that echo the Quran and hadith.
• The numbered list of "six kalimas" is not from the Prophet ﷺ. No hadith lists six kalimas in this order with these names. It is a teaching arrangement, a children's curriculum, that grew up in South Asia. Wikipedia's entry on the Six Kalmas describes them in exactly these terms: derived from hadith and used to help children memorise key beliefs, taught mainly in South Asian madrasas.
• Learning them is good; believing they are a pillar of Islam is not correct. Islam is built on five pillars, the first being the testimony of faith (Sahih al-Bukhari 8; Sahih Muslim 16). You do not need to know the fifth or sixth kalima to be a Muslim. You do need to believe and declare the first two.

With that clear, the kalimas are an excellent way to learn the core of tawhid, dhikr and repentance in a small, memorable package. Here they are.

First Kalima: Tayyib (the word of purity)

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُوْلُ اللهِ Lā ilāha illallāhu Muḥammadur rasūlullāh "There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

What it means. The first half denies that anything is worthy of worship and then affirms Allah alone: lā ilāha (no god) illallāh (except Allah). The second half affirms that Muhammad ﷺ is His Messenger, which means accepting what he brought. Together they are the whole message of Islam in two clauses.

Where it comes from. Both halves are in the Quran, word for word, in different places: "So know that there is no deity except Allah" (fa-ʿlam annahū lā ilāha illallāh, Quran 47:19); the people who rejected the prophets are described as those who, "when it was said to them, 'There is no deity but Allah', were arrogant" (37:35); and "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" (Muḥammadur rasūlullāh, 48:29). When the Prophet ﷺ sent Muʿādh to Yemen, the first thing he told him to call people to was to testify that there is no god but Allah and that he is the Messenger of Allah (Sahih al-Bukhari 1395).

Its virtue. "Whoever dies knowing that there is no god but Allah will enter Paradise" (Sahih Muslim 26). "Whoever's last words are lā ilāha illallāh will enter Paradise" (Sunan Abi Dawud 3116, graded sahih by al-Albani). And "the best remembrance is lā ilāha illallāh" (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3383, graded hasan).

Word by word.

Notice the structure of the first half: a complete denial (no god) followed by a single exception (except Allah). Scholars call these two parts nafy (negation) and ithbāt (affirmation). You first clear away everything else that people worship, then affirm the One who deserves it.

Why it is called "tayyib". The Quran describes "a good word" (kalimatan ṭayyibatan) as "like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed and whose branches are high in the sky" (Quran 14:24). Many commentators explain the good word as the testimony of tawhid, which is where the name Kalima Tayyib comes from. For a deeper explanation of the phrase, see our guide to la ilaha illallah.

Second Kalima: Shahadat (the word of testimony)

أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَّا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ Ashhadu an lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lahū, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluh "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger."

What it adds. The first kalima states the truth; the second makes it personal testimony: ashhadu, "I bear witness". It also adds two important phrases. "Waḥdahū lā sharīka lah", alone without partner, closes every door to associating anything with Allah. And "ʿabduhū wa rasūluh", His servant and His Messenger, holds two truths about the Prophet ﷺ together: he is a messenger to be followed, and he is a servant of Allah, not divine.

Where it comes from. This exact wording is the dua the Prophet ﷺ taught for after wudu. ʿUqba ibn ʿĀmir reported him saying that whoever performs wudu well and then says "Ashhadu an lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluh", the eight gates of Paradise are opened for him and he may enter by whichever he wishes (Sahih Muslim 234). The same testimony is in the tashahhud of every prayer. Allah Himself bears witness to His oneness in the Quran: "Allah witnesses that there is no deity except Him, and so do the angels and those of knowledge" (3:18).

Our second kalima guide and shahada meaning guide go into more detail.

Third Kalima: Tamjeed (the word of glorification)

سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ وَلَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيْمِ Subḥānallāhi wal-ḥamdu lillāhi wa lā ilāha illallāhu wallāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāhil-ʿaliyyil-ʿaẓīm "Glory be to Allah, and all praise is for Allah, and there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest. And there is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great."

What it means. It packs five of the most loved forms of dhikr into one sentence: tasbih (subḥānallāh, declaring Allah free of every imperfection), tahmid (al-ḥamdu lillāh, praise), tahlil (lā ilāha illallāh), takbir (Allāhu akbar), and the hawqala (lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh), admitting that you have no power to do anything except through Allah.

Where it comes from. This is one of the best-sourced kalimas:

The ending "al-ʿaliyyil-ʿaẓīm" (the Most High, the Most Great) is commonly added in the kalima as taught; it is not in the Abu Dawud wording, but al-ʿAliyy and al-ʿAẓīm are names of Allah from the Quran, for example at the end of Ayat al-Kursi (2:255). See also our guides to tasbih and la hawla wala quwwata illa billah.

Fourth Kalima: Tawheed (the word of oneness)

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، يُحْيِيْ وَيُمِيْتُ، وَهُوَ حَيٌّ لَّا يَمُوْتُ أَبَدًا أَبَدًا، ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ، بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ، وَهُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ Lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lahū, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu, yuḥyī wa yumītu, wa huwa ḥayyul-lā yamūtu abadan abadā, dhul-jalāli wal-ikrām, biyadihil-khayr, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr "There is no god but Allah, alone, without partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise. He gives life and causes death, and He is Ever-Living and will never, ever die. Possessor of majesty and honour. In His hand is all good, and He has power over all things."

Where it comes from. The core of this kalima is a famous dhikr from the two Sahihs: "Whoever says lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr one hundred times" receives the reward of freeing ten slaves, has a hundred good deeds written and a hundred sins removed, and is protected from Satan that day (Sahih al-Bukhari 6403; Sahih Muslim 2691).

A longer form with "yuḥyī wa yumīt, wa huwa ḥayyun lā yamūt, biyadihil-khayr" is the dua for entering the marketplace in Jami at-Tirmidhi 3428. Its grading differs: al-Albani, Ahmad Shakir and Bashar Awad Maarouf graded it hasan, while Zubair Ali Zai graded it weak.

The remaining phrases, "abadan abadā" (for ever and ever) and "dhul-jalāli wal-ikrām" (possessor of majesty and honour), are additions in the kalima as taught. Their meanings are straight from the Quran: "rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die" (25:58); "there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honour" (55:27); "in Your hand is all good" (3:26); "He gives life and causes death, and He is over all things competent" (57:2).

What it teaches. If the first kalima says that Allah alone is god, the fourth explains why: sovereignty, praise, life and death, permanence, majesty and power all belong to Him alone.

Fifth Kalima: Astaghfar (the word of seeking forgiveness)

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ رَبِّيْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ أَذْنَبْتُهُ عَمْدًا أَوْ خَطَأً سِرًّا أَوْ عَلَانِيَةً وَّأَتُوْبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الذَّنْبِ الَّذِيْ أَعْلَمُ وَمِنَ الذَّنْبِ الَّذِيْ لَا أَعْلَمُ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوْبِ وَسَتَّارُ الْعُيُوْبِ وَغَفَّارُ الذُّنُوْبِ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيْمِ Astaghfirullāha rabbī min kulli dhambin adhnabtuhū ʿamdan aw khaṭaʾan, sirran aw ʿalāniyatan, wa atūbu ilayhi minadh-dhambil-ladhī aʿlamu wa minadh-dhambil-ladhī lā aʿlam. Innaka anta ʿallāmul-ghuyūbi wa sattārul-ʿuyūbi wa ghaffārudh-dhunūb. Wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāhil-ʿaliyyil-ʿaẓīm "I seek forgiveness from Allah, my Lord, for every sin I have committed, knowingly or by mistake, secretly or openly, and I turn to Him in repentance from the sin I know and the sin I do not know. Indeed You are the Knower of the unseen, the Concealer of faults and the Forgiver of sins. And there is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great."

Where it comes from. This kalima is a composed dua: we know of no single hadith with this exact wording, and you should not attribute it to the Prophet ﷺ as a whole. Its parts, though, are deeply rooted:

• Seeking forgiveness constantly. The Prophet ﷺ said: "By Allah, I seek Allah's forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6307). The Quran praises those who, "when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves, remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins, and who can forgive sins except Allah?" (3:135), and Nuh tells his people: "Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver" (71:10).
• "Knower of the unseen" (ʿallāmul-ghuyūb) is a Quranic description of Allah (5:109).
• Known and unknown sins echo the sixth kalima's hadith below.

If you want the single best dua of forgiveness from the Sunnah, it is Sayyid al-Istighfar, which the Prophet ﷺ called "the most superior way of asking for forgiveness" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306). It is worth learning alongside this kalima. Our guide to istighfar has it in full.

Sixth Kalima: Radd-e-Kufr (the word of rejecting disbelief)

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ أَنْ أُشْرِكَ بِكَ شَيْئًا وَّأَنَا أَعْلَمُ بِهٖ، وَأَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِمَا لَا أَعْلَمُ بِهٖ، تُبْتُ عَنْهُ وَتَبَرَّأْتُ مِنَ الْكُفْرِ وَالشِّرْكِ وَالْكِذْبِ وَالْغِيْبَةِ وَالْبِدْعَةِ وَالنَّمِيْمَةِ وَالْفَوَاحِشِ وَالْبُهْتَانِ وَالْمَعَاصِيْ كُلِّهَا، وَأَسْلَمْتُ وَأَقُوْلُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُوْلُ اللهِ Allāhumma innī aʿūdhu bika min an ushrika bika shayʾan wa ana aʿlamu bih, wa astaghfiruka limā lā aʿlamu bih. Tubtu ʿanhu wa tabarraʾtu minal-kufri wash-shirki wal-kidhbi wal-ghībati wal-bidʿati wan-namīmati wal-fawāḥishi wal-buhtāni wal-maʿāṣī kullihā, wa aslamtu wa aqūlu lā ilāha illallāhu Muḥammadur rasūlullāh "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from associating anything with You knowingly, and I seek Your forgiveness for what I do not know. I repent from it, and I free myself from disbelief, associating partners, lying, backbiting, innovation, tale-carrying, indecency, slander and all sins. I submit, and I say: there is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

Where it comes from. The opening is a dua from the Sunnah. Maʿqil ibn Yasār reported that the Prophet ﷺ told Abu Bakr that shirk can creep in more quietly than the movement of an ant, and taught him to say: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from associating anything with You while I know, and I seek Your forgiveness for what I do not know." It is recorded by al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (716, numbered 715 in some editions) and graded sahih by al-Albani.

The list of sins that follows is a teaching summary. Each item is named in the Quran or Sunnah as something a believer must leave: shirk (4:48), backbiting (49:12), tale-carrying, the namīma of the one "going about with malicious gossip" (68:11), and slander, buhtān (24:16, 33:58). The kalima then closes by returning to the first kalima. That circle is the point: whatever you have done, the way back is the same testimony you started with.

The 6 kalimas side by side

How to memorise the 6 kalimas

Most people learn them as children, but adults and new Muslims learn them too. A method that works:

1. Start with meaning, not sound. Read the English of one kalima first so you know what you are saying.
2. Learn the first two before anything else. They are the testimony of faith. Everything else is dhikr and dua built on them.
3. One kalima a week. Split the long ones (4, 5 and 6) into their natural phrases, the same way they are split by commas above, and add one phrase a day.
4. Say it aloud, slowly, then at speed. Recite it after a prayer each day so it attaches to a routine you already have.
5. Listen to a correct recitation. Arabic letters such as ح, ع and ق are easy to get wrong from transliteration alone. Ask a teacher to listen once.
6. Test yourself from the English. Read the English line and recite the Arabic. When you can do that for all six, you know them properly, not just as sounds.

For children, the third kalima is usually the easiest after the first two, because its phrases are the same subḥānallāh, alḥamdulillāh and Allāhu akbar they already hear every day.

The kalimas in Urdu and Hindi

Because the six kalimas are mostly taught in South Asia, many people know them by their Urdu or Hindi names rather than the Arabic ones. They are the same texts:

"Kalma" is the Urdu pronunciation of the Arabic "kalima". Whatever language you learn them in, the Arabic text is the same, and it is worth learning the meaning in the language you think in.

Teaching the kalimas to children

Parents ask us how to teach the kalimas without turning them into a chore. A few things that help, from families who have done it:

• Attach each kalima to a moment. The first kalima when they wake up, the second after wudu (where the Sunnah already places it), the third after each prayer, the fifth before sleep. A phrase that lives in a routine is hard to forget.
• Explain one idea per kalima. Children remember "the first kalima says only Allah deserves worship" far better than a long lecture on tawhid. Give one sentence of meaning per kalima, then build on it as they grow.
• Do not make them perform under pressure. Reciting for guests is a common tradition, but a child who freezes in front of relatives can start to dread the words. Praise effort in private first.
• Correct pronunciation gently and early. It is far easier to learn ح (ḥ) and ع (ʿ) correctly at seven than to unlearn a habit at twenty.
• Show the evidence when they are old enough. A teenager who learns that the second kalima is the exact dua the Prophet ﷺ taught after wudu (Sahih Muslim 234), and what it promises, gains a reason to keep saying it.

The kalimas for new Muslims

If you are new to Islam, you may have been handed a list of six kalimas and told to memorise them. Take a breath. What made you Muslim is the shahada, the meaning of the first and second kalimas, said with belief. That is it.

Our advice for the first months: learn the shahada with its meaning, learn al-Fatiha for your prayer, and learn the short dhikr of the third kalima, which you will use after every prayer. The fourth, fifth and sixth can wait until you are comfortable; they are beautiful duas, not entry requirements. Our guide for starting to pray as a revert walks through those first steps in order.

Pronouncing the hard letters in the kalimas

Transliteration can only take you so far, because several Arabic letters in the kalimas have no English equivalent. These are the ones learners most often get wrong:

Two habits make the biggest difference. Lengthen the long vowels (ā, ī, ū), because "Allāh" with a long second a and "ilāha" with a long middle a are part of the correct sound. And do not swap ح for an English h in "al-ḥamdu": the soft English h turns ḥamd (praise) into a different-sounding word. If you can, recite once to a teacher or an imam; five minutes of correction will save you years of repeating a mistake.

Common mistakes and myths about the kalimas

"You have to know all six kalimas to be a Muslim." No. A person becomes Muslim by sincerely believing and declaring the shahada, the content of the first and second kalimas. The others are excellent remembrance, not conditions of faith.

"The six kalimas are in a hadith." No hadith lists them as a set of six with these names. Each one has roots in the Quran and Sunnah, as shown above, which is why they are worth learning, but the set itself is a teaching tradition.

"Each kalima has a specific number of times to recite." You will see posters assigning rewards or counts to each kalima. Apart from the authentic virtues quoted above (for example the hundred recitations in Bukhari 6403), we found no sound evidence for such numbers, so we do not repeat them.

"The wording must be exactly as in my book." Primers differ slightly, especially in kalimas 4 to 6, for example in whether "abadan abadā" is included. Where a phrase comes from a hadith, the hadith wording is the safest. Small differences in the taught additions do not change their meaning.