The Reality of the Six Kalimas: What You Need to Know

Understanding the Six Kalimas: Teaching Children the True Kalima of Islam

Question: What is the reality of the six Kalimas? Are they prayers, and how should they be taught to children—as Kalimas or as prayers?

Answer: The six Kalimas have no basis in Islam because Allah and His Messenger have given us only one Kalima. Therefore, we have only one Kalima, and we should teach our children only this one Kalima, which is found in the Quran and Hadith. You will find numerous Hadiths mentioning only one Kalima, and all the companions who entered Islam did so by reciting this one Kalima. For example, in Sahih Bukhari (4372), there is an incident of Thumama (may Allah be pleased with him) accepting Islam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told his companions to release Thumama. He went to a nearby garden, performed ghusl (ritual purification), returned to the Prophet’s Mosque, and recited: “أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله، وأشهد أن محمدا رسول الله” (I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) (Bukhari).

This Hadith mentions the one and only Kalima of Islam. The concept of six Kalimas does not exist in Islam, and the people where the Quran was revealed had never heard of six Kalimas.

As for the claim that these six Kalimas include prayers, our stance is that prayers should remain as prayers. Do not alter them or present them as Kalimas. Moreover, who gave you the authority to create six Kalimas when the religion was completed during the time of Muhammad (peace be upon him)?

Therefore, teach your children the one Kalima and cancel any book related to the six Kalimas. Instead, use authentic books on prayers to teach your children.

✍ Answer by: Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi, Jeddah Dawah Center, Saudi Arabia