The 6 Kalimas of Islam: Names, Transliteration and English Meaning

The six Kalimas are short declarations that summarise some of the core beliefs of Islam: the oneness of Allah, the prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ, praise of Allah, seeking forgiveness and rejecting disbelief. In many Muslim homes, especially in South Asia, they are among the first things a child memorizes.

Below you will find each Kalima with its name, a transliteration you can read in English letters and its meaning. Transliteration is a helpful guide, but it cannot show every Arabic sound accurately, so it is best to learn the pronunciation from the Arabic text with a teacher.

Where do the six Kalimas come from?

The words of the Kalimas come from the Quran and authentic hadith. Grouping them into a numbered set of six is a teaching tradition that developed later to help children learn them in order. Learning them is not a condition of being Muslim, but they are an excellent and easy way to learn key beliefs and words of remembrance (dhikr).

1. First Kalima: Tayyab (Purity)

Transliteration: Lā ilāha illallāhu Muḥammadur rasūlullāh.

Meaning: There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

This is the most important sentence in Islam: the declaration of faith that every Muslim believes in.

2. Second Kalima: Shahadat (Testimony)

Transliteration: Ashhadu an lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lahū, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluh.

Meaning: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, He is One and has no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.

3. Third Kalima: Tamjeed (Glorification)

Transliteration: Subḥānallāhi wal-ḥamdu lillāhi wa lā ilāha illallāhu wallāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāhil-ʿaliyyil-ʿaẓīm.

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

4. Fourth Kalima: Tawheed (Oneness of Allah)

Transliteration: Lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lahū, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu, yuḥyī wa yumītu, wa huwa ḥayyun lā yamūtu abadan abadā, dhul-jalāli wal-ikrām, biyadihil-khayr, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr.

Meaning: There is no god but Allah, He is One and has no partner. His is the kingdom and His is all praise. He gives life and causes death, and He is Ever-Living and will never die. He is the Owner of majesty and honour. In His hand is all good, and He has power over all things.

5. Fifth Kalima: Istighfar (Seeking forgiveness)

Transliteration: Astaghfirullāha rabbī min kulli dhambin adhnabtuhū ʿamadan aw khaṭaʾan, sirran aw ʿalāniyatan, wa atūbu ilayhi minadh-dhambil-ladhī aʿlamu wa minadh-dhambil-ladhī lā aʿlamu, innaka anta ʿallāmul-ghuyūbi wa sattārul-ʿuyūbi wa ghaffārudh-dhunūbi, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāhil-ʿaliyyil-ʿaẓīm.

Meaning: I seek forgiveness from Allah, my Lord, for every sin I have committed, knowingly or unknowingly, secretly or openly, and I turn to Him in repentance from the sins I know and the sins I do not know. Indeed, You are the Knower of the unseen, the Concealer of faults and the Forgiver of sins. There is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great.

6. Sixth Kalima: Radd-e-Kufr (Rejecting disbelief)

Transliteration: Allāhumma innī aʿūdhu bika min an ushrika bika shayʾan wa ana aʿlamu bihī, wa astaghfiruka limā lā aʿlamu bihī, 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.

Meaning: O Allah, I seek Your protection from knowingly associating anything with You, and I ask Your forgiveness for what I do not know. I repent from it, and I free myself from disbelief, associating partners with You, lying, backbiting, innovation in religion, spreading tales, indecency, slander and all sins. I submit to You, and I say: there is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

How to memorize the six Kalimas

• One at a time. Do not move to the next Kalima until the current one is fluent and correctly pronounced.
• Break long Kalimas into phrases. The fourth, fifth and sixth are longer. Learn them one phrase a day, then join the phrases together.
• Learn the meaning alongside the words. Children remember far better when they know what they are saying.
• Repeat at fixed times. After Fajr or before bed works well. Short daily repetition beats long weekly sessions.
• Listen, then recite. Hearing correct pronunciation first prevents mistakes from settling in.
• Revise the earlier ones. Recite all the Kalimas learned so far before starting a new one.

How long does it take?

The first two Kalimas can usually be memorized within a few days. With short daily practice, most children learn all six in a few weeks, and adults are often quicker.

Learn them with a tutor

Our 6 Kalimas course teaches each Kalima from the Arabic text with correct pronunciation, explains its meaning in simple English or Urdu and tests memorization as you go. It is a short, one-time course and a gentle first step into Islamic learning for young children.