6 Kalimas of Islam: Arabic, Transliteration, Meaning & Hadith Sources

The 6 Kalimas are six short Islamic declarations that summarise the core of Muslim belief: the Oneness of Allah, the prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ, glorification, repentance, and rejection of disbelief. Although the six are taught together as a set in South Asian Islamic schools, each Kalima is rooted in authentic hadith and the language of the Quran. This guide gives you the Arabic, accurate transliteration, English meaning, the source behind each Kalima, and a simple plan to memorise all six.

You will find the six Kalimas in order — Tayyibah, Shahadat, Tamjeed, Tawheed, Astaghfar, and Radd-e-Kufr — followed by their virtues, common questions, and a memorisation plan you can finish in under two weeks.

What Are the 6 Kalimas in Islam?

The word Kalima (كَلِمَة) literally means “word” or “phrase”. In Islamic usage it refers to a short statement that captures a complete belief. The six Kalimas are not listed together in a single hadith or single verse of the Quran — rather, they are a teaching framework developed by scholars (especially in the Indian subcontinent) to introduce children and new Muslims to the most important phrases of the faith in a structured order.

Each individual Kalima, however, is grounded in authentic Sunnah:

• Kalima 1 (Tayyibah) is the testimony of faith — the Prophet ﷺ said it is the price of Paradise (Sahih Muslim 26).
• Kalima 2 (Shahadat) is the formal witness statement, included in the daily tashahhud (Sahih al-Bukhari 831).
• Kalima 3 (Tamjeed) combines four praise-formulas the Prophet ﷺ called “the most beloved words to Allah” (Sahih Muslim 2137).
• Kalima 4 (Tawheed) is rooted in the dhikr that erases sins like sea-foam (Sahih al-Bukhari 6403, Sahih Muslim 2691).
• Kalima 5 (Astaghfar) is a comprehensive form of istighfar drawing on the Prophet’s daily seeking of forgiveness (Sahih al-Bukhari 6307).
• Kalima 6 (Radd-e-Kufr) renews the covenant of faith and disowns shirk, lying, backbiting, and innovation.

Together, the six form a ladder: you affirm faith, witness it, glorify Allah, declare His Oneness, repent for sins, and reject everything that contradicts that faith.

1st Kalima — Tayyibah (The Word of Purity)

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ

La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur Rasul Allah

“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”

The First Kalima is the foundation of Islam. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever’s last words are La ilaha illa Allah will enter Paradise” (Sunan Abi Dawud 3116). It is also the door through which a person enters Islam — the Prophet ﷺ instructed Mu’adh ibn Jabal to begin calling the people of Yemen to “testify that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1395).

2nd Kalima — Shahadat (The Testimony)

أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah, wahdahu la sharika lah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluh

“I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.”

The Second Kalima upgrades the First from a statement into a sworn witness. The Prophet ﷺ taught it as part of the tashahhud recited in every prayer: “When one of you sits during the prayer, let him say at-tahiyyatu lillah… until I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger” (Sahih al-Bukhari 831). It is also recited at the end of wudu — and the Prophet ﷺ said the eight gates of Paradise are opened for whoever says it after ablution (Sahih Muslim 234).

3rd Kalima — Tamjeed (The Glorification)

سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ

Subhan-Allah, wal-hamdu lillah, wa la ilaha illa Allah, wallahu akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil-‘aliyyil-‘azeem

“Glory be to Allah; all praise is for Allah; there is no god but Allah; Allah is the Greatest; and there is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great.”

The Third Kalima stitches together the four phrases the Prophet ﷺ called “the most beloved speech to Allah” — Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar (Sahih Muslim 2137) — and seals them with la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, which the Prophet ﷺ described as “a treasure from the treasures of Paradise” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6384). Reciting Tamjeed daily plants those four phrases firmly on the tongue.

4th Kalima — Tawheed (The Oneness)

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ، وَهُوَ حَيٌّ لَا يَمُوتُ أَبَدًا أَبَدًا، ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ، بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ، وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

La ilaha illa Allah, wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, yuhyi wa yumit, wa huwa hayyun la yamutu abadan abada, dhul-jalali wal-ikram, biyadihil-khayr, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer

“There is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. To Him belongs all dominion and all praise. He gives life and causes death; He is ever-living and never dies. The Owner of Majesty and Honour. In His hand is all good, and He has power over everything.”

The opening of the Fourth Kalima is one of the most rewarded supplications in Islam. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever says La ilaha illa Allah, wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer a hundred times in a day will have a reward equal to freeing ten slaves; a hundred good deeds will be written for him; a hundred sins will be wiped away; and he will be protected from Shaytan that day until evening” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6403, Sahih Muslim 2691). The Tawheed Kalima extends that core phrase with attributes drawn from the language of the Quran — including verses of Surah Ar-Rahman (“dhul-jalali wal-ikram”, 55:27) and Surah Al-Baqarah (2:255, Ayat al-Kursi).

5th Kalima — Astaghfar (The Repentance)

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ رَبِّي مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ أَذْنَبْتُهُ عَمْدًا أَوْ خَطَأً، سِرًّا أَوْ عَلَانِيَةً، وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الذَّنْبِ الَّذِي أَعْلَمُ وَمِنَ الذَّنْبِ الَّذِي لَا أَعْلَمُ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ، وَسَتَّارُ الْعُيُوبِ، وَغَفَّارُ الذُّنُوبِ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ

Astaghfirullaha rabbi min kulli dhambin adhnabtuhu ‘amdan aw khata’an, sirran aw ‘alaniyatan, wa atubu ilayhi minadh-dhambil-ladhi a’lamu wa minadh-dhambil-ladhi la a’lam, innaka anta ‘allamul-ghuyub, wa sattarul-‘uyub, wa ghaffarudh-dhunub, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil-‘aliyyil-‘azeem

“I seek the forgiveness of Allah, my Lord, from every sin I committed knowingly or unknowingly, secretly or openly. I turn to Him in repentance from the sins I am aware of and the sins I am not aware of. Truly, You are the All-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.”

The Fifth Kalima is a complete formula of istighfar. The Prophet ﷺ said about himself: “By Allah, I seek forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6307). This Kalima covers four overlapping categories — sins committed deliberately, by mistake, in secret, and in public — and ends with the same hawla-quwwata phrase that closes Tamjeed, anchoring the believer in Allah’s strength rather than their own.

6th Kalima — Radd-e-Kufr (Rejection of Disbelief)

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ أَنْ أُشْرِكَ بِكَ شَيْئًا وَأَنَا أَعْلَمُ بِهِ، وَأَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِمَا لَا أَعْلَمُ بِهِ، تُبْتُ عَنْهُ وَتَبَرَّأْتُ مِنَ الْكُفْرِ وَالشِّرْكِ وَالْكِذْبِ وَالْغِيبَةِ وَالْبِدْعَةِ وَالنَّمِيمَةِ وَالْفَوَاحِشِ وَالْبُهْتَانِ وَالْمَعَاصِي كُلِّهَا، وَأَسْلَمْتُ وَأَقُولُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

Allahumma inni a’udhu bika min an ushrika bika shay’an wa ana a’lamu bih, wa astaghfiruka lima la a’lamu bih, tubtu ‘anhu wa tabarra’tu minal-kufri wash-shirki wal-kidhbi wal-ghibati wal-bid’ati wan-namimati wal-fawahishi wal-buhtani wal-ma’asi kulliha, wa aslamtu wa aqulu la ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur Rasul Allah

“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from associating any partner with You knowingly, and I seek Your forgiveness for what I do not know. I repent and disown disbelief, polytheism, lying, backbiting, innovation, tale-bearing, indecency, slander, and all sins. I submit, and I say: there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”

The Sixth Kalima is the strongest renewal of faith in the set. It draws from the Prophet’s teaching: “Shirk in this Ummah is more hidden than the crawling of an ant on a black stone in the dark of night” (reported with a similar wording by Imam Ahmad). The remedy he ﷺ taught is to say: “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from knowingly associating anything with You, and I seek Your forgiveness for what I do unknowingly“. Radd-e-Kufr expands that prayer with an explicit list of major sins to disown, then closes with the First Kalima — bringing the whole sequence full circle.

Benefits and Virtues of Reciting the 6 Kalimas

• They renew faith daily. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Renew your faith.” When asked how, he ﷺ said: “Say La ilaha illa Allah often” (reported by Imam Ahmad).
• They wipe away sins. The Tawheed phrase, recited 100 times, erases sins and equals freeing ten slaves (Sahih al-Bukhari 6403).
• They open Paradise. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger — Allah forbids the Fire to him” (Sahih Muslim 29).
• They are the Prophet’s daily dhikr. The phrases inside Kalima 3 are the four most beloved phrases to Allah (Sahih Muslim 2137).
• They train the tongue and the heart. Memorising the Kalimas is a structured introduction to tawheed, dhikr, istighfar, and the rejection of shirk — the four hinges of a believer’s day.

How to Memorise the 6 Kalimas in 14 Days

If you start from zero and want to know all six by heart, this two-week plan works for most learners:

1. Days 1–2: Memorise the First Kalima (Tayyibah). Recite it 21 times after every prayer.
2. Days 3–4: Add the Second Kalima (Shahadat). Recite both after Fajr and Maghrib.
3. Days 5–7: Add the Third Kalima (Tamjeed). It is longer — break it into the four praise phrases first, then add the la-hawla ending.
4. Days 8–10: Add the Fourth Kalima (Tawheed). Recite the Bukhari/Muslim short form 100 times daily — that habit alone is a gold-mine.
5. Days 11–12: Add the Fifth Kalima (Astaghfar). Practice it during quiet moments and before sleep.
6. Days 13–14: Add the Sixth Kalima (Radd-e-Kufr) and review all six in order, twice a day.

Pair the recitation with audio of a reciter you trust, and write the transliteration on a small card you keep in your pocket or stick on your mirror until the words feel automatic.

Memorise these six Kalimas, repeat them with understanding, and let them shape the rhythm of your day — they are the shortest possible summary of what every Muslim is meant to live by.