The six kalimas in Arabic and English
The six kalimas are six short declarations of faith that many children in UK madrasas learn first: Tayyib, Shahadah, Tamjeed, Tawheed, Astaghfar and Radd-e-Kufr. Here they are in Arabic, with transliteration and English meaning, and an honest note on where they come from.
Last updated: 4 October 2026
First Kalimah: Tayyib (purity)
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
La ilaha illallahu Muhammadur-rasulullah.
“There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
Second Kalimah: Shahadah (testimony)
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Ashhadu an la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, 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.”
Third Kalimah: Tamjeed (glorification)
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ
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, and Allah is the Greatest. There is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great.”
Fourth Kalimah: Tawheed (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 illallahu 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 qadir.
“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 never dies, Owner of Majesty and Honour. In His hand is all good, and He has power over all things.”
Fifth Kalimah: Astaghfar (seeking forgiveness)
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-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, deliberately 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. 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.”
Sixth Kalimah: Radd-e-Kufr (rejecting 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 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 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.”
Learning the kalimas
Children usually learn one kalimah at a time, alongside the Noorani Qaida, starting with the first and third, which are short. Reading the Arabic, rather than only memorising by ear, helps them pronounce it correctly; see the Arabic alphabet. For the beliefs behind them, see the six articles of faith and 5 pillars of Islam. Our Islamic studies lessons teach the kalimas with their meanings.
Frequently asked questions
Are the six kalimas in a hadith?
Not as a set of six. They are a teaching compilation used in South Asian madrasas to help children learn core beliefs. Their wording draws on the Quran and hadith: for example, the second kalimah is the testimony after wudu in Sahih Muslim, and the first phrase of the fourth comes from authentic adhkar.
Do I need to know the six kalimas to be a Muslim?
No. Entering Islam requires the shahadah, the testimony of faith (the first and second kalimahs express it). The others are valuable dhikr and lessons in belief.
Why do UK madrasas teach the kalimas?
Many UK families have roots in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, where learning the six kalimas is a traditional first step in a child’s Islamic education, alongside the Qaida.
Teach your child the kalimas
Three free one-to-one lessons in UK time, with Urdu or Bengali explanation if you prefer.