6 Kalimas with Meaning
The Six Kalimas are foundational statements in Islamic teaching, widely taught to children and new Muslims alike. Each one builds on a core belief or declaration in Islam. Practicing them out loud and understanding their meaning is often one of the first steps in learning, alongside Quran reading itself.
Kalima 1: Tayyibah (The Pure Statement)
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
Transliteration: Lā ilāha illallāhu Muḥammadur Rasūlullāh
Meaning: There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah.
Kalima 2: Shahadat (The Testimony)
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Transliteration: Ashhadu al lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ‘abduhu wa rasūluh
Meaning: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.
Kalima 3: Tamjeed (The Glorification)
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ
Transliteration: Subḥānallāhi walḥamdu lillāhi wa lā ilāha illallāhu wallāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāhil ‘aliyyil ‘aẓīm
Meaning: Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great.
Kalima 4: Tawheed (The Oneness of Allah)
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
Transliteration: Lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu, lahul mulku wa lahul ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumītu wa huwa ḥayyun lā yamūtu abadan abadā, dhul jalāli wal ikrām, biyadihil khayru, wa huwa ‘alā kulli shay’in qadīr
Meaning: There is no god but Allah, alone, without partner. His is the dominion and His is all praise. He gives life and causes death, and He is living, He does not die, ever, ever. He is full of majesty and honor. In His hand is all good, and He has power over all things.
Kalima 5: 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
Transliteration: Astaghfirullāha rabbī min kulli dhanbin adhnabtuhu ‘amadan aw khaṭa’an sirran aw ‘alāniyatan wa atūbu ilayhi minadh-dhanbil ladhī a’lamu wa minadh-dhanbil ladhī lā a’lam, innaka anta ‘allāmul ghuyūbi wa sattārul ‘uyūbi wa ghaffārudh-dhunūb, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāhil ‘aliyyil ‘aẓīm
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 sin that I know and the sin that I do not know. Indeed You are the 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.
Kalima 6: 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 وَالْكَذِبِ وَالْغِيبَةِ وَالْبِدْعَةِ وَالنَّمِيمَةِ وَالْفَوَاحِشِ وَالْبُهْتَانِ وَالْمَعَاصِي كُلِّهَا وَأَسْلَمْتُ وَأَقُولُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
Transliteration: Allāhumma innī a’ūdhu bika min an ushrika bika shay’an wa ana a’lamu bihi, wa astaghfiruka limā lā a’lamu bihi, tubtu ‘anhu wa tabarra’tu minal-kufri wash-shirki wal-kadhibi wal-ghībati wal-bid’ati wan-namīmati wal-fawāḥishi wal-buhtāni wal-ma’āṣī kullihā, wa aslamtu wa aqūlu lā ilāha illallāhu Muḥammadur Rasūlullāh
Meaning: O Allah, I seek refuge in You from associating anything with You knowingly, and I seek Your forgiveness for what I do not know of it. I repent from it, and I disown disbelief, associating partners with Allah, lying, backbiting, innovation, tale-carrying, indecencies, slander, and all disobedience, and I submit, and I say there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
A Note on Accuracy
All six Kalimas are now included above. Please verify every word of the Arabic text and translation carefully before this page is published, since accuracy matters most here. Audio pronunciation guidance may be added later. This same care for getting the Arabic exactly right is how it is taught in class, letter by letter, corrected in real time.
Do I need to memorize all six Kalimas before starting Quran classes?
No. Many students learn the Kalimas alongside starting Quran reading, not as a requirement before it. If you are a new Muslim, this is often one of the very first things covered in class.
Learn These With Correct Pronunciation
Reading a transliteration is a starting point, but hearing the correct pronunciation from a teacher and being corrected in real time is how it is actually learned properly.