لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ
Two halves
| Part | Meaning | Child-friendly version |
|---|---|---|
| La ilaha | No god | Nothing else deserves our worship |
| illallah | except Allah | Only Allah does |
The full Shahadah
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ
“I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” It is the first of the five pillars of Islam.
The Prophet ﷺ said the best dhikr is “La ilaha illallah” (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi 3383).
Explaining it by age
- 4–6: “Allah made everything, so we pray only to Allah.”
- 7–10: “People sometimes worship idols, money or fame. We put Allah first.”
- 11+: Talk about what it means to put Allah first in daily choices.
Teacher’s tip: Your child hears the Shahadah in every adhan. Point it out next time: “Did you hear it? Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah.”
Related: the five pillars for children.
