The Five Kalimas
The five declarations of faith every Muslim learns, in Arabic, transliteration and translation, with what each one means.
Muslims learn five short Arabic sayings by heart, called the Five Kalimas. Each one says something important about believing in Allah.
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللهِ
Lā ilāha illa'llāhu Muḥammadur-Rasūlullāh
There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.
أَشْهَدُ أَن لَّا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهٗ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهٗ وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهٗ وَرَسُولُهٗ
Ashhadu an lā ilāha illa'llāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluh
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, who has no partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ وَلَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَ اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللّٰهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ
Subḥāna'llāhi wa'l-ḥamdu lillāhi wa lā ilāha illa'llāhu wa'llāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā bi'llāhi'l-ʿaliyyi'l-ʿaẓīm
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.
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهٗ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهٗ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ يُحْيِي وَ يُمِيتُ وَ هُوَ حَيٌّ لَّا يَمُوتُ بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ وَ هُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْء قَدِيرٌ
Lā ilāha illa'llāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, lahu'l-mulku wa lahu'l-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumīt, wa huwa ḥayyul-lā yamūt, bi-yadihi'l-khayru wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr
There is no god but Allah, who has no partners. All authority and praise belong to Him. He gives life and causes death, and He is alive and does not die. All good is in His hands, and He has power over everything.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ أَنْ أُشْرِكَ بِكَ شَيْئًا وَ أَنَا أَعْلَمُ بِهِ وَ اَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِمَا لَا أَعْلَمُ بِهٖ تُبْتُ عَنْهُ وَ تَبَرَّاْتُ مِنَ الْكُفْرِ وَ الشِّرْكِ وَ الْمَعَاصِي كُلِّهَا وَأَسْلَمْتُ وَ اٰمَنتُ وَ أَقُولُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللّٰهِ
Allāhumma innī aʿūdhu bika min an ushrika bika shayʾan wa anā aʿlamu bihī, wa astaghfiruka limā lā aʿlamu bih, tubtu ʿanhu wa tabarraʾtu mina'l-kufri wa'sh-shirki wa'l-maʿāṣī kullihā, wa aslamtu wa āmantu wa aqūlu lā ilāha illa'llāhu Muḥammadur-Rasūlullāh
O Allah, I seek refuge with You from associating anything with You knowingly, and I ask for Your forgiveness for what I do not know. I turn to You in repentance, and I reject all disbelief, polytheism, and sins. I embrace Islam and believe, saying there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.
The Five Kalimas are five short declarations that every Muslim learns by heart, each affirming a different facet of belief in Allah's oneness and Muhammad's ﷺ messengership.
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللهِ
Lā ilāha illa'llāhu Muḥammadur-Rasūlullāh
There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.
أَشْهَدُ أَن لَّا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهٗ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهٗ وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهٗ وَرَسُولُهٗ
Ashhadu an lā ilāha illa'llāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluh
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, who has no partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ وَلَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَ اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللّٰهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ
Subḥāna'llāhi wa'l-ḥamdu lillāhi wa lā ilāha illa'llāhu wa'llāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā bi'llāhi'l-ʿaliyyi'l-ʿaẓīm
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.
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهٗ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهٗ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ يُحْيِي وَ يُمِيتُ وَ هُوَ حَيٌّ لَّا يَمُوتُ بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ وَ هُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْء قَدِيرٌ
Lā ilāha illa'llāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, lahu'l-mulku wa lahu'l-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumīt, wa huwa ḥayyul-lā yamūt, bi-yadihi'l-khayru wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr
There is no god but Allah, who has no partners. All authority and praise belong to Him. He gives life and causes death, and He is alive and does not die. All good is in His hands, and He has power over everything.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ أَنْ أُشْرِكَ بِكَ شَيْئًا وَ أَنَا أَعْلَمُ بِهِ وَ اَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِمَا لَا أَعْلَمُ بِهٖ تُبْتُ عَنْهُ وَ تَبَرَّاْتُ مِنَ الْكُفْرِ وَ الشِّرْكِ وَ الْمَعَاصِي كُلِّهَا وَأَسْلَمْتُ وَ اٰمَنتُ وَ أَقُولُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللّٰهِ
Allāhumma innī aʿūdhu bika min an ushrika bika shayʾan wa anā aʿlamu bihī, wa astaghfiruka limā lā aʿlamu bih, tubtu ʿanhu wa tabarraʾtu mina'l-kufri wa'sh-shirki wa'l-maʿāṣī kullihā, wa aslamtu wa āmantu wa aqūlu lā ilāha illa'llāhu Muḥammadur-Rasūlullāh
O Allah, I seek refuge with You from associating anything with You knowingly, and I ask for Your forgiveness for what I do not know. I turn to You in repentance, and I reject all disbelief, polytheism, and sins. I embrace Islam and believe, saying there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.
The five kalimāt are memorised declarations, each affirming a distinct facet of tawḥīd and of the shahādah, in ascending detail from the simplest confession to a formal disavowal of kufr and shirk.
| # | Name | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kalimah Ṭayyibah | The basic confession of tawḥīd and risālah. |
| 2 | Kalimah Shahādah | A formal bearing of witness to the same two truths. |
| 3 | Kalimah Tamjīd | Glorification and magnification (tasbīḥ, taḥmīd, takbīr) of Allah. |
| 4 | Kalimah Tawḥīd | Allah's exclusive sovereignty, life, and power over all things. |
| 5 | Kalimah Radd-e-Kufr | A disavowal of shirk, kufr, and sin, and a renewal of Islam. |
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللهِ
Lā ilāha illa'llāhu Muḥammadur-Rasūlullāh
There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.
أَشْهَدُ أَن لَّا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهٗ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهٗ وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهٗ وَرَسُولُهٗ
Ashhadu an lā ilāha illa'llāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluh
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, who has no partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ وَلَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَ اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللّٰهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ
Subḥāna'llāhi wa'l-ḥamdu lillāhi wa lā ilāha illa'llāhu wa'llāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā bi'llāhi'l-ʿaliyyi'l-ʿaẓīm
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.
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهٗ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهٗ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ يُحْيِي وَ يُمِيتُ وَ هُوَ حَيٌّ لَّا يَمُوتُ بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ وَ هُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْء قَدِيرٌ
Lā ilāha illa'llāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, lahu'l-mulku wa lahu'l-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumīt, wa huwa ḥayyul-lā yamūt, bi-yadihi'l-khayru wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr
There is no god but Allah, who has no partners. All authority and praise belong to Him. He gives life and causes death, and He is alive and does not die. All good is in His hands, and He has power over everything.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ أَنْ أُشْرِكَ بِكَ شَيْئًا وَ أَنَا أَعْلَمُ بِهِ وَ اَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِمَا لَا أَعْلَمُ بِهٖ تُبْتُ عَنْهُ وَ تَبَرَّاْتُ مِنَ الْكُفْرِ وَ الشِّرْكِ وَ الْمَعَاصِي كُلِّهَا وَأَسْلَمْتُ وَ اٰمَنتُ وَ أَقُولُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللّٰهِ
Allāhumma innī aʿūdhu bika min an ushrika bika shayʾan wa anā aʿlamu bihī, wa astaghfiruka limā lā aʿlamu bih, tubtu ʿanhu wa tabarraʾtu mina'l-kufri wa'sh-shirki wa'l-maʿāṣī kullihā, wa aslamtu wa āmantu wa aqūlu lā ilāha illa'llāhu Muḥammadur-Rasūlullāh
O Allah, I seek refuge with You from associating anything with You knowingly, and I ask for Your forgiveness for what I do not know. I turn to You in repentance, and I reject all disbelief, polytheism, and sins. I embrace Islam and believe, saying there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.
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