Sharh-ul-Usool-ith-Thalaathah : Lesson 01 : Part A
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzan | Dawud Burbank [Audio|English]
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The Introduction to the Explanation (Sharh-ul-Usool-ith-Thalaathah)
In the Name of Allaah the Extremely Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.
All Praise is for Allaah the Lord of the whole of creation and may Allaah extol and grant peace and security to our prophet Muhammad and to his true followers and to his companions, all of them.
And to Proceed:
So before us is this treatise – the treatise “The Three Fundamental Principles” – and it is a tremendous treatise which is brief, supported by evidences from the Book of Allaah and the sunnah of his Messenger sallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
And this small treatise is about a tremendous fundamental matter from the fundamentals of Islaam and it is al-‘aqeedah – creed and belief. And the scholars give importance to these brief works, authoring them and exerting themselves to shorten them and refine them, then they would encourage their students to memorize them so that they should remain fundamental assets for them and a store of provision for them which they can derive benefit from, and bring benefit to others by means of them.
And beginning with these shorter works is the foundation for the students of knowledge, so the student of knowledge should begin by learning little by little, taking from the initial points of knowledge and its fundamentals and then proceed in stages through it.
So these brief works are the path leading on to the longer works. So it is not possible for the longer works to be understood except after the brief works have been understood and then the person has proceeded on from them in stages. And therefore they said about the meaning of His saying, He the Most High:
وَلَٰكِن كُونُوا رَبَّانِيِّينَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تُعَلِّمُونَ الْكِتَابَ وَبِمَا كُنتُمْ تَدْرُسُونَ
But rather be rabbaaniyyoon (wise scholars who cultivate the people) by your teaching them the Book and your studying it [3:79]
The word rabbaaniyoon – they are those who begin with the small matters of knowledge before the greater ones. They cultivate themselves and their students beginning with the smaller matters and moving on to the larger matters, and this is something natural, because all things begin from their roots and their foundations and then they grow bigger and larger after that.
As for the person who pounces upon knowledge from its top, then this person will just tire himself out and will not attain anything. Whereas the one who begins with the fundamentals and proceeds in stages, this is the person, who by the permission of Allaah will be proceeding in the correct way and with sound direction.
He, the Most High, said:
يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ ۖ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ ۗ وَلَيْسَ الْبِرُّ بِأَن تَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِن ظُهُورِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنِ اتَّقَىٰ ۗ وَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا
They ask you about the crescent moons. Say: they are signs to mark periods of time for mankind and for the hajj. And righteousness in not that you enter the houses from their backs, but rather righteousness is the quality of the person who has taqwaa (who fears and is dutiful to Allaah). And enter houses through their proper doors. [2:189]
Those people asked a question about the crescent moons: why does the crescent moon begin as something small and then grow larger until it becomes full, then it grows smaller until it is again a crescent? So Allaah rebukes them, and directed them towards asking about that which will benefit them, and that they should come to the houses of knowledge from their correct doors.
As for asking about the crescent moon and it conditions and its smallness and its largeness, then this has no benefit in it for them, rather benefit is that they ask about what they are in need of and that is awareness of the benefits of the crescent moon, and therefore He said:
قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ
Say: they are signs to mark periods of time for mankind [2:189]
So He explained their benefits and that is that Allaah makes them signs marking periods of time for mankind by means of which they can become aware of acts of worship and dealings and time spans and other than that.
So He directed them to the benefits of the crescent moons and He did not respond to their question about the reality of the crescent moons, because there was no benefit for them in that, and so that He should direct them towards what is befitting for them to ask about and it is the doors to knowledge, not the back-doors of knowledge and the superfluous unnecessary matters which they have no need of. And if they do have some need of them, then it is only a slight need.
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Sharh-ul-Usool-ith-Thalaathah. Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles of Imaam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdil-Wahhaab by Shaykh Saalih ibn Fowzaan al-Fowzaan hafizahullaah. Translated by Daawood Burbank, rahimahullaah
Posted with kind permission from Dawud Burbank rahimahullaah
Listen to the Full Audio Series:
Sharh Usool-ith-Thalaathah – Shaykh Fawzan | Dawud Burbank
Book Study Resources – Three Fundamental Principles
Related Links:
AbdurRahman.Org 
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