The 6 Kalimas are six short declarations of faith commonly taught to Muslim children: 1) Kalima Tayyab (purity), 2) Kalima Shahadat (testimony), 3) Kalima Tamjeed (glorification), 4) Kalima Tauheed (oneness of Allah), 5) Kalima Astaghfar (seeking forgiveness) and 6) Kalima Radd-e-Kufr (rejecting disbelief).
What are the 6 Kalimas?
The six Kalimas are a set of short phrases that summarise core Islamic beliefs: the oneness of Allah, the prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ, praising Allah, seeking forgiveness and rejecting disbelief. Grouping them as “six Kalimas” is a teaching tradition from the Indian subcontinent, widely used in UK homes and mosques. Their words come from the Quran and Hadith.
The six Kalimas
1st Kalima — Tayyab (Purity)
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ
La ilaha illallahu Muhammadur Rasulullah
There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
2nd Kalima — Shahadat (Testimony)
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَّا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهٗ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهٗ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهٗ وَرَسُوْلُهٗ
Ashhadu an la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, without partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
3rd Kalima — Tamjeed (Glorification)
سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ وَلَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَاللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللّٰهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيْمِ
Subhanallahi wal-hamdu lillahi wa la ilaha illallahu wallahu akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil 'aliyyil 'azim
Glory be to Allah, all praise is for Allah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest, and there is no power or strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great.
4th Kalima — Tauheed (Oneness)
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهٗ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهٗ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ يُحْيِيْ وَيُمِيْتُ وَهُوَ حَيٌّ لَّا يَمُوْتُ أَبَدًا أَبَدًا ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ وَهُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ
La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, yuhyi wa yumitu wa huwa hayyul la yamutu abadan abada, dhul-jalali wal-ikram, biyadihil-khayr, wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir
There is no god but Allah, alone, without partner. His is the kingdom and His is the praise. He gives life and causes death, and He is Ever-Living and will never die. Owner of majesty and honour; in His hand is all good, and He has power over everything.
5th Kalima — Astaghfar (Seeking forgiveness)
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللّٰهَ رَبِّيْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ أَذْنَبْتُهٗ عَمَدًا 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 بِاللّٰهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيْمِ
Astaghfirullaha rabbi min kulli dhambin adhnabtuhu 'amadan aw khata'an sirran aw 'alaniyatan, wa atubu ilayhi minadh-dhambil-ladhi a'lamu wa minadh-dhambil-ladhi la a'lam, innaka anta 'allamul-ghuyubi wa sattarul-'uyubi wa ghaffarudh-dhunub, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil 'aliyyil 'azim
I seek forgiveness from Allah, my Lord, for every sin I committed knowingly or unknowingly, secretly or openly, and I turn to Him from the sins I know and the sins I do not know. You are the Knower of the unseen, the Concealer of faults and the Forgiver of sins. There is no power or strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great.
6th Kalima — Radd-e-Kufr (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 اللّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ
Allahumma inni a'udhu bika min an ushrika bika shay'an wa ana a'lamu bihi, wa astaghfiruka lima la a'lamu bihi, 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 illallahu Muhammadur Rasulullah
O Allah, I seek refuge in You from knowingly associating anything with You, and I seek Your forgiveness for what I do not know. I repent from it and 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.
How to teach the Kalimas to children
- Start with the first Kalima — it is short and the foundation of faith.
- Learn one line at a time, with its meaning.
- Repeat after Salah or at bedtime.
- Move to the next Kalima only when the previous one is confident.
- Our Nimaz & Deen course teaches the Kalimas with meaning.
References & sources
- Quran, Surah Muhammad 47:19
- Quran, Surah Al-Fath 48:29
- Sahih Muslim 2137
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6384
- Jami at-Tirmidhi 3428
Quran references link to Quran.com and hadith references to Sunnah.com, so you can check every source. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us and we will correct it.