A Commentary on the Four Principles, A Comparison between Shirk Beliefs and Practices of the Past and Present

139 Pages·2.572 MB·English

by  Shaykh Abdur-Rahman Aal ash-Shaykh

A COMMENTARY ON
THE FOUR
PRINCIPLES

A COMMENTARY ON
THE FOUR
PRINCIPLES
A Comparison between Shirki Beliefs and
Practices of the Past and Present
Shaykh al-Islam
Muhammad bin Sulaymaan at-Tameemi
Commentary by
‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd al-Muhsin
ibn ‘Abd al-Lateef Aal ash-Shaykh
Translated by
Nasiruddin al-Khattab
© ???????????????????????, 2020
King Fahd National Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Salah bin Muhammad Al-Budair
???????????????./??????????????>>>Riyadh , 2017
500 p: 17cm X 24 cm
ISBN: 978-603-500-???-?
??????????????? I-Title
???.??? dc 14??/9???
L.D. no. 14??/????
ISBN: 978-603-500-???-?
Contents
Foreword by Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan
Foreword by Shaykh Saalih ibn ‘Abd al-Azeez ibn Muhammad Aal ash-
Shaykh
Commentator’s Foreword
Author’s Foreword
The first principle
The second principle
The third principle
The fourth principle
The Four Principles
Bibliography
A Commentary on The Four Principles
Foreword by
Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan
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A Commentary on The Four Principles
Foreword by His Excellency
Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
I have read through the books Sharh al-Qawaa‘id al-Arba‘ and Sharh Thalaat
al-Usool wa Adillatuha, which are commentaries on the books by Shaykh
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab (may Allah have mercy on him) with a
commentary by ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd al-Muhsin ibn ‘Abd al-Lateef
Aal ash-Shaykh, and I have found these two books to be very useful,
because of the ideas contained in them and their novel approach. May
Allah grant him the best of rewards and benefit others by means of his
knowledge.
Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan
Member of the Committee of Senior Scholars,
and Member of the Permanent Committee
1/5/1439 AH
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A Commentary on The Four Principles
Foreword by Shaykh Saalih ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez
ibn Muhammad Aal ash-Shaykh
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A Commentary on The Four Principles
Foreword by His Excellency the Minister
Shaykh Saalih ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez
ibn Muhammad Aal ash-Shaykh
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon
our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and companions. To
proceed:
I have read through these two beneficial books which were written by
Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd al-Muhsin Aal ash-Shaykh, namely
Sharh Thalaathat al-Usool and Sharh al-Qawaa‘id al-Arba‘. It seems that
the author – may Allah bless his work – put a great deal of effort into
explaining the phrases of these two great books, which were written
by the imam and mujaddid, Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-
Wahhaab (may Allah have mercy on him). He has done his utmost to
make his commentary readily understandable by ordinary readers, so
as to make accessible what these two texts, Thalaathat al-Usool and al-
Qawaa‘id al-Arba‘, contain of the meanings of Tawheed and important
Islamic concepts.
May Allah reward the author, Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd al-
Muhsin Aal ash-Shaykh, and increase him in knowledge, and make these
two books of benefit to the Muslims.
May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon his family and companions.
Minister for Islamic Affairs, Da‘wah and Irshaad
Saalih ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn
Muhammad Aal ash-Shaykh
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A Commentary on The Four Principles
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Introduction
All praise be to Allah, we praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness.
We seek refuge with Allah from the evils of our own selves and from our
bad deeds. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead astray, and whomever
He leaves astray, none can guide. I bear witness that none has the right to
be worshipped but Allah alone, with no partner or associate, and I bear
witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger, blessings and
peace be upon him and all his family and companions.
To proceed:
What we have before us is an important essay, namely al-Qawaa‘id al-
Arba‘ by the imam and mujaddid, Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab (may
Allah have mercy on him). This essay is important for many reasons,
including:
1. The fact that it is a brief text
Because the seeker of knowledge – at the beginning of his quest – must
start with short texts, then gradually move on to longer texts, so that
he will be able to decipher their phrases and learn the subtleties and
knowledge contained therein. We have many examples of this approach
among the righteous early generations. It was narrated that Yoonus
ibn Yazeed said: Ibn Shihaab said to me: O Yoonus, do not start with
difficult issues of knowledge, because knowledge has many valleys, and
whichever valley you choose to go through, you will be cut off before you
reach the end of it. Rather learn knowledge over time, and do not try to
learn everything all at once, for whoever tries to learn everything all at
once will lose everything altogether. Rather learn little by little, with the
passage of time.1
1 Jaami‘ Bayaan al-‘Ilm wa Fadlihi by al-Haafiz Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, 1/431.
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