Fourth Kalima Tauheed: Meaning and Evidence

Learn the Fourth Kalima Tauheed with complete Arabic, clear meaning, pronunciation guidance and an honest explanation of its Quran and Hadith evidence.

The Fourth Kalima is commonly called Kalima Tauheed because it centres on the oneness, sovereignty, praise, life-giving power and complete ability of Allah. Its words teach that Allah alone deserves worship, owns all dominion and controls every created matter.

Complete Arabic

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

La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, yuhyi wa yumitu, wa huwa hayyun la yamutu abadan abada, dhul-jalali wal-ikram, biyadihil-khayru, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir.

Meaning

There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah. He is alone and has no partner. To Him belongs all dominion and to Him belongs all praise. He gives life and causes death. He is Ever-Living and never dies, forever and ever. He is the Possessor of Majesty and Honour. In His Hand is all good, and He has power over everything.

The Authentic Core Of This Dhikr

Sahih al-Bukhari 6403 records this firmly established wording:

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

The Prophet ﷺ taught that whoever says it one hundred times in a day receives immense rewards: the reward equivalent to freeing ten slaves, one hundred good deeds, the removal of one hundred sins and protection from Satan for that day. Sahih Muslim 2691 contains the same central teaching.

Sahih Muslim 593a also records the core wording as remembrance recited after an obligatory prayer. These narrations provide strong evidence for the declaration that Allah is One without partner, all dominion and praise belong to Him, and He is powerful over everything.

Evidence And The Longer Teaching Form

The familiar South Asian Fourth Kalima includes additional phrases about Allah giving life and death, never dying, possessing Majesty and Honour, and holding all good.

A similar marketplace narration appears in Jami at-Tirmidhi 3428. Its text includes يحيي ويميت وهو حي لا يموت بيده الخير وهو على كل شيء قدير. However, Tirmidhi called the report Gharib, and the grading displayed for this narration is Da‘if. Therefore, this lesson does not confidently attribute its enormous marketplace reward to the Prophet ﷺ as an established Sahih promise.

The meanings of these added phrases are nevertheless supported individually by the Quran. Quran 25:58 commands reliance upon the Ever-Living One who never dies. Quran 3:26 says that all good is in Allah’s Hand and that He is powerful over everything. Quran 55:27 describes Allah as the Possessor of Majesty and Honour.

This careful distinction protects two things at once: students may learn the familiar classroom wording, while the strength and source of each statement remain clear.

La Ilaha Illallah

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ means that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah. The first part rejects every false object of worship; the second affirms worship for Allah alone.

Tauheed is not merely the belief that a Creator exists. It requires directing prayer, supplication, reliance, sacrifice, ultimate fear and hope to Allah. A learner should connect the words with sincere worship rather than memorising sounds without understanding.

Pronounce the doubled ل in إِلَّا clearly. The word Allah should remain distinct, and the final sound should connect naturally into the next phrase without being swallowed.

Wahdahu La Sharika Lahu

وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ means “He is alone; He has no partner.” It removes every imagined partner from Allah’s divinity, ownership and right to worship.

Wahdahu strengthens the affirmation of Allah alone. La sharika lahu clearly denies any partner. No prophet, angel, saint, ruler or created power shares Allah’s divine rights.

Read sharika with a clear ش sound and a short kasrah after ر. Do not stretch short vowels into long vowels. Meaning and correct recitation should be learned together.

Lahul-Mulku Wa Lahul-Hamd

لَهُ الْمُلْكُ means that all dominion and sovereignty belong to Allah. Human ownership is temporary and limited. Allah creates, owns and governs everything without dependence upon anyone.

وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ means that all complete praise belongs to Him. Allah is praised for His perfect names and attributes, His wisdom, mercy, justice and countless blessings.

Repeating lahu before both al-mulk and al-hamd gives each declaration its own emphasis: the dominion is His, and the praise is His.

Yuhyi Wa Yumit

يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ means “He gives life and causes death.” Life is not independent of Allah, and death is not outside His command. Every birth, lifespan and appointed death occurs by His decree.

The two ي sounds in يُحْيِي require patience. A learner should listen to a qualified teacher rather than guessing from English spelling. In يُمِيتُ, the ي represents a clear long “ee” sound.

Reflecting on this phrase encourages humility and preparation for the Hereafter. Life is a trust, time is limited, and every person returns to Allah.

Wa Huwa Hayyun La Yamut

وَهُوَ حَيٌّ لَا يَمُوتُ means “He is Ever-Living and does not die.” Every created living being depends upon Allah and eventually dies. Allah’s perfect life has no beginning, weakness or end.

Quran 25:58 says to place trust in the Ever-Living One who never dies. This is why reliance upon Allah is secure: the One upon whom believers depend is never overtaken by death, sleep, weakness or absence.

In حَيٌّ, the ي carries Shaddah and Tanween. It must not be reduced to a loose single consonant. The ح should come gently from the throat and should not become ه.

Dhul-Jalali Wal-Ikram

ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ means “Possessor of Majesty and Honour.” Jalal conveys greatness and majesty. Ikram conveys honour, generosity and the giving of noble favour.

This Quranic description appears in Quran 55:27. It teaches a balanced understanding: Allah possesses overwhelming majesty and perfect generosity. Believers approach Him with reverence, love and hope.

The letter ذ in dhu should be pronounced with the tongue lightly touching the edges of the upper front teeth. It should not become a ز or د sound.

Biyadihil-Khayr

بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ means “In His Hand is all good.” Quran 3:26 declares بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ and immediately affirms that Allah is powerful over everything.

The expression teaches believers to seek lawful provision, guidance, honour and success from Allah. It does not remove personal responsibility. Muslims work, plan and use lawful means while recognising that every real good reaches them by Allah’s will.

WA HUWA ALA KULLI SHAY’IN QADIR

وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ means “He has power over everything.” Allah’s ability is complete and nothing in creation can frustrate His decree.

This declaration gives courage without encouraging carelessness. A believer makes effort, asks Allah for help and accepts that the final outcome belongs to Him.

Pronounce شَيْءٍ carefully. It contains a Hamzah near the end. In قَدِيرٌ, the ق is a deep letter from the back of the tongue, not the lighter ك sound.

How The Fourth Kalima Builds Tauheed

The lesson develops one connected message:

1. Only Allah deserves worship.
2. Allah has no partner.
3. All sovereignty belongs to Him.
4. All complete praise belongs to Him.
5. He gives life and causes death.
6. He is Ever-Living and never dies.
7. He possesses Majesty and Honour.
8. All good is in His Hand.
9. He is powerful over everything.

These meanings reshape daily life. Success should produce gratitude rather than pride. Difficulty should lead to patient effort and reliance rather than despair. Worship should be sincere rather than directed toward created beings.

Pronunciation In Short Sections

Learn the Kalima in manageable parts:

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ
La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu

لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ
Lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu

يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ
Yuhyi wa yumitu

وَهُوَ حَيٌّ لَا يَمُوتُ أَبَدًا أَبَدًا
Wa huwa hayyun la yamutu abadan abada

ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
Dhul-jalali wal-ikram

بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ
Biyadihil-khayru

وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir

Read one section after the teacher, repeat it three times and explain its meaning. Join two sections only when both are accurate. Complete memorisation should never be rushed.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

Do not omit wahdahu la sharika lahu; it is central to the declaration of Allah’s exclusive oneness.

Do not change lahul-mulku into lahul-maliku. Mulk means dominion, while Malik is a related but different word.

Keep the long vowels in yuhyi, yumitu and yamutu at their correct length. English transliteration is only a guide and cannot replace listening.

Do not pronounce the ض sound in abadan; the word begins with Hamzah and contains د. Read أَبَدًا clearly.

Do not advertise the million-reward marketplace narration as unquestionably authentic. Its displayed grading in Jami at-Tirmidhi 3428 is Da‘if. The Sahih daily Dhikr and post-prayer versions provide stronger evidence for practice.

A Seven-Day Study Plan

Day 1: Learn La ilaha illallah and its meaning.

Day 2: Add wahdahu la sharika lahu.

Day 3: Add lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu.

Day 4: Learn yuhyi wa yumitu and wa huwa hayyun la yamut.

Day 5: Learn dhul-jalali wal-ikram and biyadihil-khayr.

Day 6: Add wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir and review Quran 3:26.

Day 7: Recite the complete teaching form, translate each section and ask a qualified Quran teacher to correct articulation.

The Six Kalimas Teaching Framework

The title “Fourth Kalima Tauheed” is part of a widely used South Asian learning arrangement. Quran and Hadith do not present all six Kalimas together as one numbered collection in this order.

The framework can help beginners memorise important beliefs, but teachers should identify the actual sources accurately. The core Fourth Kalima Dhikr is Sahih. Some longer phrases are Quranic, while the similar marketplace report and its special reward require a clear note about its weak grading.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the core Fourth Kalima authentic?

Yes. The core wording—La ilaha illallah, wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir—is authentically recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 6403 and related narrations.

What reward is established for saying the Sahih wording one hundred times?

Sahih al-Bukhari 6403 mentions the reward equivalent to freeing ten slaves, one hundred good deeds, removal of one hundred sins and protection from Satan for that day.

Is the marketplace million-reward narration Sahih?

The displayed grading for Jami at-Tirmidhi 3428 is Da‘if. It should not be presented to students as an unquestionably authentic Sahih promise.

Are the longer statements meaningless because that narration is weak?

No. Several meanings are directly supported by the Quran, including Allah being Ever-Living and never dying in Quran 25:58, all good being in His Hand in Quran 3:26, and His possessing Majesty and Honour in Quran 55:27.

Should children memorise the meaning too?

Yes. Understanding turns memorisation into a lesson about worship, gratitude, reliance and accountability.

References

Authentic daily Dhikr and its reward: Sahih al-Bukhari 6403; Sahih Muslim 2691.

Authentic remembrance after prayer: Sahih Muslim 593a.

Similar longer marketplace wording with displayed Da‘if grading: Jami at-Tirmidhi 3428.

All good is in Allah’s Hand and He is powerful over everything: Quran 3:26.

The Ever-Living One who never dies: Quran 25:58.

Possessor of Majesty and Honour: Quran 55:27.