Question :
would it be possible to tell me where the kalimas are derived from? you know the 7 kalimas that we are taught from young? I guess they are derived from the quraan and the hadith but what I’d like to know is who compiled them in that form and called them the kalimas? I mean why do we have 7 and not 8? is there any virtue in reciting for example the 5th kalima? I totally accept them and read them with conviction. I’m just curious to know how they came about in a systematic formation. your brother in islam.
Answer
These “kalimahs” (sentences/statements) were extracted from the Quran & hadith by our senior ‘Ulama in the sub-continent. The purpose was to create ease for the masses in learning the basics of belief. Some of these are exact wordings of the hadith, and others seem to be derived therefrom.
By reading and believing in these “sentences” one’s ‘Aqidah (belief) is protected. It is therefore taught at elementary level in the Madrasahs. The translations should be memorized too.
In other parts of the world too, the scholars formulated other such statements/sentences/kalimahs so the ‘Aqidah of their masses be cemented.
Why are they called kalimahs?
“Kalimah” can be translated as: “a word” and even as: “a beneficial sentence”. This second meaning was probably considered when they were termed as such.
And Allah Ta’ala Knows best,
Answered by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar
Checked by: Moulana Haroon Abasoomar