What does Amantu mean, what are the fundamentals of belief included in Amantu?

Amantu comprises of the fundamentals of belief that every Muslim must believe, accept and approve.

There are 6 fundamentals of belief in Amantu; they are as follows:

1. To believe in Allah, 2. To believe in His angels, 3. To believe in His books, 4. To believe in His prophets, 5. To believe the Day of Judgment (life after death), 6. To believe in destiny (qadar), that the good and the evil are from Allah.

The oral expression of Amantu is as follows:

Amantu billahi wa malaikatihi wa kutubihi wa rusulihi wal-yawmil-akhiri wa bil-qadari khayrihi wa sharrihi minallahi taala wal-ba’thu ba’dal-mawti haqqun ashhadu an la ilaha illallah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh.

Its meaning is as follows:

Amantu billahi: I believed in the existence and oneness of Allah, that He has no partners or counterparts, that He has all kinds of loftiness and that He is free of all kinds of deficiency.

Wa malaikatihi: I also believed in the angels of Allah.

Wa kutubihi: I also believed in the books of Allah.

Wa rusulihi: I also believed in the prophets of Allah.

Wal-yawmil-akhiri: I also believed in the Day of Judgment.

Wa bil-qadari khayrihi wa sharrihi minallahi taala: I also believed in the destiny, that everything that seems as good or evil to us take place through the knowledge, law and creation of Allah. 

Wal-ba’thu ba’dal-mawti haqqun: I also heartily believed in life after death (and resurrection). All of them are true and right.  

Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh: I witness that there is no god but Allah and I witness that Hazrat Muhammad is his slave and messenger.

The last sentence is called the word of Shahadah, that is, the sentence of witnessing.