Basic Teachings of Islam

The Six Kalimahs of Islam

First Kalimah:

The word of purity or the kalima-e-tayyabah.

• Lā ilāha illā-llāh, Muḥammadur Rasūlu-llāh
• There is no god except Allah, Muhammad (s) is His Messenger
  

Hadrat Zaid bin ‘Arqam (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ( ) said: “Whoever says La ilaaha illal-laahu… sincerely will enter the Paradise.” It was said: And what is the [sign of] sincerity? He said: “That this kalimah stops him from those things which Allah has forbidden.”

(Tabaraani in Awsat-ul-Kabeer)

“Do you not see how Allah puts forth the likeness of a good word (kalimah tayyibah)? It is like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed and whose branches reach to the sky. It brings forth its fruit in all seasons by the command of its Lord. And Allah sets forth parables for men, so that they may take heed. And the likeness of an evil word (kalimah khabeetha- a word of shirk) is like an evil tree, which is uprooted from the face of the earth, and has no stability.” (Quran XIV: 24-26)

Second Kalimah:

The word of testification or the kalima-e-shahaadat

AÅ¡hadu an-lā ilāha illā-llāhu, waḥdahu lā Å¡harīka lahu, wa aÅ¡hadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhu wa rasūluhu.

Third Kalimah:

The word of glorification or the kalima-e-tamjeed

Subhāna-llāhi, wa-l-hamdu li-llāhi, wa lā ilāha illā-llāhu, wa-llāhu akbar. Wa lā hawla wa lā quwwata illā bi-llāhi-l-ʿaliyyi-l-ʿazīm

Glory be to Allah. And praise be to Allah.  And there is no god except Allah.  And Allah is the Greatest.  And there is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, Most Great.

Ibn Mas’ood (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ( ) said: “When I met Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) in the night of Mi’raaj he asked me to convey his Salaam to my Ummah and to tell them that the Paradise has a fertile soil and sweet water, and is like a vast field. And its plants are [the words above].” Another version says: “Whoever recites the words above, a tree in Paradise is planted for him for each word he says.” (Virtues of Dhikr; Tirmidhi)

Fourth Kalimah:

The word of Oneness of Allah or the kalima-e-tawhid

Lā ilāha illā-llāhu waḥdahu lā Å¡arīka lahu lahu-l-mulku wa lahu-l-ḥamdu yuḥyi wa yumītu wa huwa ḥayyu-llā yamūtu abadan abada, ḏū-l-jalāli wa-l-ikrām, biyadihi-l-khayr, wa huwa ʿalā kulli Å¡hayʾin qadīr.

There is no god except Allah, Who is Alone and has no partners. For Him is the Dominion and for Him is all praise. He gives life and causes death. And He is Living and will never ever die.  Owner of Majesty and Honor: In His Hands is all goodness. And He has power over all things.

Abu Hurairah (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah ( ) said: “A person who recites: Laa ilaaha illal-laahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘alaa kulli shay-in qadeer, a hundred times daily will have reward equal to that of freeing ten slaves and one hundred good deeds will be written for him, and one hundred of his sins will be lifted from him, and for the whole day, he will remain immune from the Shaytaan until the evening, and on the Day of Judgment, no one will exceed him in merit except one who has done [these phrases] more.” (Agreed upon)

Fifth Kalimah:

The word of repentance or the kalima-e-astaghfar

Astaġfiru-llāha rabbī min kulli ḏhambin aḏhnabtuhu ʿamadan aw kẖaṭāʾan sirran aw ʿalāniyyataw wa atūbu ilayhi mina-ḏhḏhambi-llaḏhī aʿlamu wa mina-ḏhdhambī lā aʿlamu innaka anta ʿallāmu-l-ġuyūbi wa sattāru-l-ʿuyūbi wa ġaffāru-ḏhḏhunūbi wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā bi-llāhi-l-ʿaliyyi-l-ʿaẓīm.

I seek forgiveness of my Lord for every sin that I have sinned- intentionally or accidentally, in secret or in open- and I repent to Him for the sins that I am aware of, and for the sins that I am not aware of. Truly You (Oh Allah!) are the Knower of the Unseen, and the Coverer of Faults, and the Forgiver of Sins. And there is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, Most Great.

Agharr ibn Yasaar (Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah ( ) said: “O you people! Repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness. Truly I myself offer repentance one hundred times each day.” (Muslim)

Sixth Kalimah:

The word of rejection of disbelief or kalima-e-rud-e-kuffer

Allāhumma innī aʿūḏhu bika min an uÅ¡hrika bika Å¡hayʾaw wa-anā aʿlamu bihi wa-astaġfiruka limā lā aʿlamu bihi tubtu ʿanhu wa tabarrātu mina-l-kufri wa-Å¡hÅ¡hirki wa-l-kiḏhbi wa-l-ġhībati wa-l-bidʿati wa-nnamīmati wa-l-fawāḥiÅ¡hi wa-l-buhtāni wa-l-maʿāṣī kullihā wa aslamtu wa aqūlu lā ilāha illā-llāhu muḥammadur-rasūlu-llāh.

Oh Allah! Truly I seek refuge in You from holding any partners with You knowingly. And I see forgiveness of You for that which I am not aware of. I repent of such deeds and I clear myself from any actions of disbelief and idolatry and lying and backbiting and innovation and slander and lewdness and abomination and every type of sin. And I submit to You and I say:

There is no god except Allah;
Muhammad is His Messenger.