Dear sir, I have found that Muslims in South Asia, especially Pakistan and Bangladesh but including India, all memorize two phrases called "al-iman al-mujmal" and "al-iman al-mufassal" as well as the "six kalimahs." The first Iman is: امَنْتُ بِاللهِ كَمَا هُوَ بِاَسْمَائِه وَصِفَاتِه وَقَبِلْتُ جَمِيْعَ اَحْكَامِه وَاَرْكَانِه the second is: امَنْتُ بِاللهِ وَمَلئِكَتِه وَكُتُبِه وَرَسُوْلِه وَالْيَوْمِ الْاخِرِ وَالْقَدْرِ خَيْرِه وَشَرِّه مِنَ اللهِ تَعَالى وَالْبَعْثِ بَعْدَالْمَوْتِ and the kalimahs are kalima-e tayyiba, kalima-e shahada, kalima-e radd kufr, kalima-e tamjid, kalima-e tawhid, and a sixth that I forget.

My question is: why are these popular in South Asia only? I know they are fundamental beliefs of Islam (belief in angels, the Prohpet (SAWS), tawhid, etc., but they occur together only in that geographical area. I am researching a book written in the 1500s based on these phrases, and I am wondering if there is a Sufi background for them since the Mughal empire was a time when Sufi groups flourished. Is there any textual evidence for the origin of these? Every Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslim I have asked has said that yes, they do memorize them, but that they do not know when that practice started.

Thank you wa jazak allah khayr.

Jahongir M