Fatwa #1273320 September 2004United Kingdom
How many Kalimahs are there (five or six)?
Question
How many kalimahs are there? Talimul Haq contains five kalimahs. Some people say five while others say six. Those who believe in six insert another Kalimah (Istighfar) as the penultimate Kalimah, with the fifth Kalimah moving to the sixth position. Also I have seen two variations of the fourth Kalimah. The difference tends to be an extra couple of words before 'biyadi hil khair'. What is the correct version of the fourth Kalimah.
Answer
At the outset, you should understand that the Kalimahs known nowadays as first Kalimah, etc. are not stipulated by Rasulullah [Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam].
The scholars have enumerated them for reasons of easiness. Therefore, the number could vary from place to place. The fourth Kalimah, as known by us, does not contain the extra words before ?biyadihil khayr?. The extra words are mentioned in the Du?aa which is recited in the market place and Bazaars.
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
The scholars have enumerated them for reasons of easiness. Therefore, the number could vary from place to place. The fourth Kalimah, as known by us, does not contain the extra words before ?biyadihil khayr?. The extra words are mentioned in the Du?aa which is recited in the market place and Bazaars.
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai