The Three Fundamental Principles of Islaam By Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhaab (Rahimahu Allah) In the name of Allaah, the Most Merciful the Bestower of Mercy. Know, may Allaah have mercy upon you, that it is obligatory upon you to have knowledge of the four matters: (1) Knowledge (al – ‘ilm), which is knowledge and awareness of Allaah, and knowledge of His Prophet, and knowledge of the deen of Islaam with the proofs. (2) Action upon that. (3) Calling to that. (4) Patiently persevering and bearing any harm encountered upon that way. The proof is the saying of Allaah, the Most High: “By time, mankind is in loss,except for those who truly believe and worship Allaah alone, and do righteous deeds, performing that which is obligatory upon them and avoiding that which they are forbidden and enjoin one another with patient perseverance upon obedience to Allaah and in facing harm and trials.”[Soorat Al ‘Asr] Ash Shaafi’ee, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: “If Allaah had sent down to His creation no other proof besides this Soorat, it would have been sufficient for them.” Al Bukhaaree, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: “Chapter Knowledge precedes speech and action’ and the proof is the saying of Allaah, the Most High, “Know that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, and ask forgiveness of your Lord for your sins.” [Soorat Muhammad: 19]. So He began by mentioning knowledge before speech or action.’ Know, may Allaah have mercy upon you, that it is obligatory upon every Muslim,male and female, to learn and act upon the following three matters: THE FIRST: That Allaah created us and provided sustenance for us, and He did not leave us without a purpose rather He sent Messengers to us. So whoever obeys him will enter Paradise, and whoever rejects and disobeys him will enter the Fire, and the proof is the Saying of the Most High: “We sent a Messenger to you, o people, as a witness in favor of you or against you on the Day of Resurrection, just as We sent a Messenger to the Pharaoh. But the Pharaoh denied and rejected the Messenger, so We seized him with a severe punishment.” [Soorat al Muzzammil: 16] THE SECOND: Allaah is not pleased that anyone should be made a sharer in worship along with Him, neither any angel brought near, nor any prophet sent as a messenger, and the proof is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, “And the places of worship are for Allaah alone, so do not invoke anyone along with Allaah.”[Soorat al Jinn: 18] THE THIRD: That whoever is obedient to the Messenger and singles out Allaah with all worship, upon Tawheed, then it is not permissible for him to have friendship and alliance with those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger, even if they are those most closely related to him, and the proof is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High: “You will not find a people who believe in Allaah and the Last Day loving those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger, even if they are their fathers,or their sons, or their brothers, or their kinsfolk. Rather Allaah has decreed true Belief for their hearts, and strengthened them with proof, light and guidance from Him; and He will enter them into the gardens of Paradise beneath whose trees rivers will flow, and they will dwell therein forever. Allaah is pleased with them and they with Him. They are the party of Allaah. Indeed the party of Allaah are the successful.” [Soorat al Mujaadilah: 22] Know, may Allaah direct you to obedience to Him, that the true and straight Deen, the way of Ibraaheem is that you worship Allaah alone making the Deen purely and sincerely for Him. This is what Allaah commanded all of the people with, and it was for this that He created them. Allaah, the Most High, says: “I did not create jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me.” [Soorat adh Dhaariyaat:56] and the meaning of worship, ‘ibaadah, here is to single Allaah out with all worship, Tawheed. And the greatest of all that Allaah has commanded is Tawheed which is to single out Allaah with all worship. The most serious thing that He forbade is shirk, which is to invoke others besides Him, along with Him. The proof is His Saying, the Most High: “Worship Allaah alone, making all worship purely for Him, and do not associate anything in worship along with Him.” [Soorat an Nisaa: 36] So if it said to you: What are the three principles which a person must know? Then say the servants knowledge of His Lord and His Deen and his Messenger Muhammad. THE FIRST PRINCIPLE: So if it is said to you: ‘Who is your Lord?’ Then say: ‘My Lord is Allaah, who has nurtured me and all of creation with His favors and blessings. He is the one whom I worship, and there is no other whom I worship besides Him.’ The proof is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High: “All praise is for Allaah, the Lord of all creation.”[Soorat al Faatihah: 1]. Everything besides Allaah is a created being and I am one of the creation. So if it is said to you: ‘How did you arrive at this knowledge of your Lord?’ Then say: ‘Through His signs and those things which He has created; and from his signs are the night and the day, the sun and the moon; and from that which He has created are the seven heavens, and the seven earths, and all those within them, and whatever is between them.’ The proof is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High: “And from His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate to the sun, nor the moon, but prostrate to Allaah who created them, if you truly worship Him.” [Soorat Fussilat: 37] and His, the Most High’s Saying: “Your Lord is Allaah who created the heavens and the earth to six days, then ascended upon the Throne. He causes the night to cover the day which it follows with haste; and the sun, the moon and the stars are subservient and subject to His command. Certainly creation and commandment are His alone. Exalted is Allaah the Lord of all creation.”[Soorat al A’raaf; 54] The Lord is the one who is worshipped, and the proof is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, “O mankind! Worship your Lord, Who created you and those who were before you so that you may be of those who seek to avoid Allaah’s anger and punishment. Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allaah (in worship) while you know.” [Soorat al Baqarah: 21-22] Ibn Katheer, raheemullaah, said: “The creator of these things is the One who deserves to be worshipped.” All the types of worship which Allaah commanded like Islaam (submission and obedience to Allaah), Eemaan (true Belief comprising the belief of the heat, speech of the tongue and action of the limbs), and Ihsaan (perfection of worship), and from that is invocation/supplication (du’aa), reverential fear (khawf), hope and longing (rajaa), trust and reliance (tawakkul), fervent desire (raghbah), dread (rahbah), reverence and humility (khushoo’), awe (khashyah), turning repentantly (inaabah), appealing for aid and assistance (isti’aanah), seeking refuge (isti’aadhah), seeking deliverance and rescue (istighaathah), sacrificing (dhabh), vows (nadhr) and the rest of the types of worship commanded but proof for this is the Saying of Him, the Most High: “And the places of Prayer are for Allaah alone, so do not invoke anyone along with Allaah.” [Soorat al Jinn: 18]. Anyone who directs any part of that to anything besides Allaah, then he is a mushrik (pagan/polytheist), an unbeliever (kaafir), and the proof is the Saying of Him: “And whoever worships along with Allaah any other object of worship has no proof for that; his reckoning will be with his Lord. Indeed the unbelievers will never prosper.” [Soorat al Mu’minoon: 117]. In the hadeeth there occurs:“Invocation is the core of worship.” And the evidence for this is the Saying of Allaah: “And your Lord said: Invoke Me, I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship, they will surely enter Hell in humiliation! [Soorat Ghaafir: 60] The evidence for reverential fear (khawf) is the Saying of Allaah: “So do not fear them, but fear Me and beware of disobeying Me, if you are truly Believers.” [Soorat al ‘Imraan: 175]. The evidence for hope and longing (ar raja) is the Saying of Allaah: “So whoever hopes to see His Lord and be rewarded by Him, then let him make his worship correct and make it purely and sincerely for Him; and let him not make any share of it for anyone other than Him”[Soorat al Kahf :110] The evidence for trust and reliance (at tawakkul) is the Saying of Allaah: “And place your reliance and trust in Allaah if you are true Believers [Soorat al Maa’idah: 23] and He said: “And whoever places his reliance and trust in Allaah then He will suffice him” [Soorat at Talaaq: 3]. The evidence for the fervent desire (ar raghbah), dread (ar rahbah) and reverence and humility (al khushoo’) is the Saying of Allaah: “They used to hasten to acts of devotion and obedience to Allaah, and they used to worship Allaah upon love and desire, and upon fear, and were reverent and humble before Allaah.” [Soorat al Ambiyaa: 90] The evidence for aw/dread (al khashyah) is the Saying of Allaah: “So do not have awe of them, but have awe of Me” [Soorat al Maa’idah: 3] The evidence for turning repentantly (al inaabah) is the Saying of Allaah: “So turn,O you people, repentantly and obediently to your Lord, and submit obediently to Him” [Soorat az Zumar: 54] The evidence for appealing for aid and assistance (al isti’aanah) is the Saying of Allaah: “O Allaah You alone we worship, and to You alone we appeal for aid” [Soorat al Faatihah: 5] and in the hadeeth there occurs: “If you seek help, then seek the help of Allaah.” [Reported by at Tirmidhee and declared Saheeh by Shaykh al Albaanee in al Mishkaat # 5302] The evidence for seeking refuge (al isti’aadhah) is the Saying of Allaah: “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of dawn” [Soorat al Falaq: 1] and “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind” [Soorat an Naas: 1] The evidence for seeking deliverance and rescue (al istighaathah) is the Saying of Allaah: “When you sought aid and deliverance of your Lord and He responded to you” [Soorat al Anfaal: 9] The evidence for sacrificing (adh dhabh) is the Saying of Allaah: “Say: Indeed my prayers, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are all purely and solely of Allaah, Lord of all creation. There is no share of any of that for other than him” [Soorat al An’aam: 162-163]. Also the Prophet said “Allaah has cursed anyone who sacrifices for other than Allaah.”[Reported by Muslim] The evidence for vows (an nadhr) is the Saying of Allaah: “They fulfill their vows and they fear a day whose evil is widespread” [Soorat al Insaan: 7]. THE SECOND PRINCIPLE: Knowledge of the Deen of Islaam with the proofs. It is to submit to Allaah with Tawheed, and so yield obediently to Him, and to free and disassociate oneself from shirk and its people. And it is of three levels: Islaam – submission and obedience to Allaah, Eemaan – true belief comprising belief of the heart, speech of the tongue and action of the limbs, and ihsaan – perfection of worship. Each level has its pillars. [The first level] The pillars of Islaam are five: The testification that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Al; to establish the Prayer; to pay the zakaat; to fast Ramadhaan; and to make hajj to the sacred House of Allaah. So the proof for the testification (shahaadah) is the Saying of Allaah “Allaah bears a witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Him; and likewise the angels and the people of knowledge beat witness: He who maintains justice, none has the right to be worshipped but Him, the All Might, the All Wise.” [Soorat Aal “Imraan: 18]. Its meaning is that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah: “Laa Ilallaah” except Allaah, affirms worship for Allaah alone, and that there is to be no one given any share of His Dominion and Sovereignty. The explanation which will make it clear is the Saying of Allaah: “And (remember) when Ibraheem said to his father and his people: Verily, I am innocent of what you worship, Except Him (I worship none but Allaah Alone) Who did create me, and verily, He will guide me. And he made it a Word lasting among his offspring, that they may turn back (to repent to Allaah or receive admonition). [Soorat az Zukhruf: 26-28]. And His Saying “Say: O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allaah, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allaah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we are Muslims. [Soorat Aal ‘Imraan: 64]. The proof for the testification that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, is the Saying of Allaah: “There has indeed come to you Allaah’s Messenger, from amongst yourselves and known to you. It grieves him that you should suffer. He is eager and anxious for the guidance of those of you who are astray, and that they should repent and return to the truth, and he is full of compassion and mercy for the Believers” [Soorat at Tawbah: 128]. The meaning of the testification that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah is: to obey him in whatever he commands; to believe and testify to the truth of everything he informs of; to avoid whatever he forbade and prohibit; and that you worship Allaah only with that which he prescribed. The evidence for the Prayer (as salaam) and the zakaat, and the explanation of Tawheed is the Saying of Allaah: “And they were not commanded except that they should worship Allaah alone, making their worship and obedience purely for Him, upon the true Deen and free from shirk; and that they should establish the prayer and pay the zakaat, and that is the straight and true Deen” [Soorat al Bayyinah: 5] The evidence for Fasting (siyaam) is the Saying of Allaah: “O you who believe Fasting is prescribed as an obligation for you as it was prescribed as an obligation for those who came before you, so that you may attain taqwaa, obedience to Allaah and avoidance of whatever He has forbidden.” [Soorat al Baqarah: 183]. The evidence for hajj is the Saying of Allaah: “And hajj to Allaah’s sacred House is an obligation upon those able to perform it; and whoever refuses and rejects the obligation of hajj to Allaah’s House, then Allaah has no need of him or of any of the creation” [Soorat Aal ‘Imraan: 97]. [The second level] Eemaan, and it has seventy and odd branches, the highest of them is the saying that ‘none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah’ (laa ilaaha Ilallaah), the lowest of them is ‘removal of that which is harmful from the path, and a sense of shame (al hayaa) is a branch of Eemaan.’ Its pillars are six: to truly believe in Allaah; His angels; His Books; His Messengers; The Last Day; and that you truly believe in pre-decree (al qadr) its good and its evil. The proof for these six pillars is the Saying of Allaah: “It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the east or the west, but rather righteousness is the righteousness of those who truly believe in Allaah, and the Last Day, and the Angels and the Books and the Prophets.” [Soorat al Baqarah: 177] The proof for pre-decree is the Saying of Allaah: “We have created all things in accordance with a pre-decreed measure.” [Soorat al Qamar: 49] The third level is ihsaan of which the first pillar is to worship Allaah as if you see Him and if you do not see him, then He sees you And the proof is His saying: Truly, Allaah is with those who fear Him and those who are Muhsinoon (good-doers). (16:128) And His saying: And put your trust in the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful, who sees you when you stand up and your movements among those who fall prostrate. Verily! He, only He, is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. (26:217- 220) And His saying: Whatever you may be doing, and whatever portion you may be reciting from the Qur’aan, - and whatever deed you, We are Witness thereof, when you are doing it. (10:61) And the proof from the Sunnah is the famous hadeeth of Jibreel narrated by Umar as he said: One day when we wre sitting with the Messenger of Allaah, there came before us a man with extremely white clothing and extremely black hair. There were no signs of travel on him and none of us knew him. He (came and) sat next to the Prophet and put his hands on his thighs. He said, O Muhammad, tell me about Islaam. The Messenger of Allaah said, Islaam is to testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, to establish the prayers, to pay the zakaat (charity), to fast (the month of) Ramadhaan, and to have the pilgrimage to the House if you have the means to do so. He said “You have spoken truthfully (or correctly). We were amazed that he asks the question and then he says that he had spoken truthfully. He said, Tell me about eemaan (faith). He (the Messenger of Allaah responded, It is to believe in Allaah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day and to believe in the divine decree, (both) the good and the evil thereof. He said You have spoken truthfully. He said Tell me about al-Ihsaan (goodness). He (the Prophet ) answered, It is that you worship Allaah as if you see Him. And even though you do not see Him (you know) He sees you. He said, Tell me about (the time of) the Hour. He (the Prophet answered, The one being asked does not know more than the one asking. He said, Tell me about its signs. He answered, The slave-girl shall give birth to her master; and you will see the barefooted, scantily clothed, destitute shepherds competing in constructing lofty buildings. Then he went away. I stayed for a long time. Then he (the Prophet said, O Umar, do you know who the questioner was? I said,Allaah and His Messenger know best. He said, It was (the Angel) Jibreel who came to teach you your religion. [Related in Saheeh Muslim (1/1-3). For a proper explanation of this hadeeth, refer to Majmooul Fataawaa war Rasaa`il (3/143) of Shaykh al-Uthaymeen] THE THIRD PRINCIPLE: It is knowing your Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him)who is Muhammad son of Abdullaah, son of Abdul-Muttalib son of Haashim son of Quraysh who are from the Arabs. The Arabs are from the progeny of Ismaaeel the son of Ibraaheem, may the peace and blessings be on him and our prophet. He (The Prophet lived 63 years, from them are forty before prophethood and twenty three as a messenger and prophet . He was a prophet by Iqraa and a messenger by al-Muddathir (names of chapters in the Qur`aan.) His city is Makkah and he migrated to Madeenah. Allaah sent him to warn against shirk and to call to tawheed (monotheism) and the proof is His saying O you (Muhammad ) enveloped (in garments)! Arise and warn! And your Lord (Allaah) magnify! And your garments purify! And keep away from ar- Rujz (the idols)! And give not a thing in order to have more (or consider not your deeds of Allaahs obedience as a favour to Allaah). And be patient for the sake of your Lord (i.e. perform your duty to Allaah)!). (74:1-7) And the meaning of (arise and warn) is to warn about shirk and call to tawheed (and your lord magnify) meaning, magnify him with tawheed (and your garments purify) meaning, purify your deeds from shirk (and keep away from ar-rujz) Ar-rujz are the idols and keeping away from them is leaving them, being free of them and of whoever is associated with them. He spent ten years calling to tawheed like in this way. After ten years he was ascended to the sky and the five daily prayers where ordained upon him and he prayed in Makkah for three years. He was later ordered to migrate to Madeenah. Hijrah is migrating from the land of shirk to the land of Islaam. Hijrah is compulsory on this Ummah (the Muslims as a whole) from the land of shirk to the land of Islaam and it is continuously valid until the last hour comes ( the last day) and the proof: Verily! As for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves (as they stayed among the disbelievers even though emigration was obligatory for them), they (angels) say (to them): In what (condition) were you? They reply: We were weak and oppressed on earth. They (angels) say: Was not the earth of Allaah spacious enough for you to emigrate therein? Such men will find their abode in Hell - What an evil destination! Except the weak ones among men, women and children who cannot devise a plan, nor are they able to direct their way. For these there is hope that Allaah will forgive them, and Allaah is Ever Oft Pardoning, Oft- Forgiving.(3:97-99) And His saying: O My slaves who believe! Certainly, spacious is My earth. Therefore worship Me (Alone). (29:56) Al-Baghawee (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The reason this statement was revealed is because of the Muslims in Makkah that have not migrated. Allaah has called them believers. [According to Shaykh al-Uthaymeen, this quote from Imaam al-Baghawee exists only and meaning and can be found in his Tafseer]. And the proof from the sunnah his saying (saws) Hijrah shall not be cut off until tawbah is cut off and tawbah shall not be cut off until the sun rises from the west. [Related by Ahmad (4/99) and Abu Daawood (3/7) and ad-Daarimee (2/239). It was declared authentic by Shaykh al Albaanee in Saheehul Jaamius Sagheer (no. 7346)] When he settled in Madeenah he ordained the rest of the rules of Islaam like obligatory charity (zakaat), fasting, pilgrimage, jihaad, the call to prayer, ordering good and forbidding evil, and other rules of Islaam. He took ten years to establish this and after that he died. His religion is lasting and this is his religion. He didnt leave any good except he led the Ummah to it, and he left no evil except he warned it (the ummah) from. The good that he has led it to is Tawheed and all that Allaah loves and is pleased with. The evil he has warned about is Shirk and all that Allaah hates and is not pleased with. Allaah sent him to all mankind and has made it compulsory to follow him for all of the Thaqalayn, (two worlds) Jinn and Mankind and the proof: Say: O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allaah.(7:158) And Allaah has completed religion through him and the proof is His saying: This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion. (5:3) And the proof about his death is the statement of Allaah the Exalted: Verily, you will die and verily, they (too) will die. Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord. (39:30) And when people die they are resurrected and the proof is His saying: From it we have created you and in it we are going to return you and from it you are going to come out another time. (50:22) And the statement of Allaah the Exalted: And Allaah has brought you forth from the (dust of) earth. Afterwards He will return you into it (the earth), and bring you forth. (71: 17-18) And after resurrection they are going to be asked and are going to be responsible for their deeds. The proof is the statement of Allaah the Exalted: And to Allaah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done (punish them in Hell), and reward those who do good, with what is best (Paradise). (53:31) And he who disbelieves in resurrection, has disbelieved (in general) and the proof is His saying: The disbelievers pretend that they will never be resurrected. Say Yes! By my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, then you will be informed of (and recompensed for) what you did, and that is easy for Allaah. (64:7) And Allaah has sent all messengers as givers of glad tidings and warners and the proof is His saying: Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allaah after the Messengers. (4:165) And the first of them was Nooh (alayhis salaam) and the last of them was Muhammad and the proof that the first amongst them was Nooh (alayhis salaam) Verily, We have inspired you as We inspired Nooh (Noah) and the Prophets after him. (4:163) And Allaah has sent a messenger to all nations from Nooh to Muhammad, ordering them to worship Allaah alone and forbidding them from worshipping false deities and the proof is the statement of Allaah the Exalted: And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): Worship Allaah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taaghoot (all false deities, etc. i.e. do not worship Taaghoot besides Allaah). (16:36) And Allaah has made it compulsory on All his slaves that they reject the Taaghoot and worship Allaah. Ibnul-Qayyim may Allaah have mercy on him said: A Taaghoot is what a slave exceeds his boundary with whether it be one worshipped or followed or obeyed and there are many Taaghoots. [Aalaamul Muwaqieen (1/53)] Their heads are five, Iblees may Allaahs curse be on him, he who is worshipped awhile agreeing to it, he who calls people to worship him, he who claims that he knows something from the future, and he who rules by that which Allaah has not revealed and the proof is the statement of Allaah the Exalted: There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taaghoot and believes in Allaah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allaah is All-Hearer, All-Knower. (2:156) And this is the meaning of Laa ilaaha illallaah and in the Hadeeth: The head of the matter is Islaam, its pillar is Prayer and the top of its hump is Jihaad in the way of Allaah [Related by at-Tirmidthee (7/281) and Ibn Maajah (2/1314). It was authenticated by Shaykh al-Albaanee in Saheeh Sunan at-Tirmidthee (no. 2110)]. Allaah knows best and may Allaah send his blessings on Muhammad and his family and companions.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 03:29:43 +0000
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