قُلْ آمَنْتُ بِاللَّهِ ثُمَّ اسْتَقِمْ
Say, “I believe in Allah,” then remain steadfast.
Source: مسلم
قُلْ means “say.” آمَنْتُ is first-person singular past tense: “I believed.” بِاللَّهِ means “in Allah,” and ثُمَّ links what follows in sequence. اسْتَقِمْ is a singular imperative: “remain upright and steadfast.”
Faith is confessed, then borne out through ongoing conduct. A person may still struggle, but strives to remain consistent in truthfulness, prayer, trustworthiness, and obligations rather than treating belief as a declaration without consequences.