al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Uthaymin min al-Ulama al-Rabbaniyin
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al-Shaykh Muḥammad ibn ʿUthaymīn min al-ʿUlamāʾ al-Rabbāniyyīn ("Sheikh Muhammad ibn Uthaymin Among the Godly Scholars") is a biographical treatise by the Saudi scholar ʿAbd al-Muḥsin ibn Ḥamad al-ʿAbbād (b. 1353 AH / 1934 CE), devoted to documenting the life, scholarly career, virtues, and legacy of Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn (1347–1421 AH / 1929–2001 CE).
Context and Delivery
The text originated as a public lecture delivered by al-Abbad at the mosque of the Islamic University of Madinah on the night of Friday, 24 Shawwal 1421 AH, nine days after the death of Ibn Uthaymin. Al-Abbad opened by reflecting on the death of scholars as the greatest loss for the Muslim community after the demise of the Prophet ﷺ, citing the hadith that scholars are the inheritors of the prophets.
Structure and Content
The author organized his discourse into eight distinct sections:
- Lineage: Tracing Ibn Uthaymin's full ancestral line back to the Wahbah branch of Banu Tamim, noting that the family name derives from his ancestor Uthman, as verified by his cousin Abd al-Rahman ibn Sulayman ibn Uthaymin and Abd Allah al-Bassam's biographical dictionary Ulama Najd khilal sittat qurun.
- Birth and Upbringing: Highlighting his birth on 27 Ramadan 1347 AH in Unayzah, his memorization of the Quran under his maternal grandfather Abd al-Rahman ibn Sulayman Al Damigh, his study at the Riyadh Scientific Institute under the accelerated summer advancement system (nizam al-qafz), and his completion of studies at the College of Sharia through external affiliation while teaching at the Unayzah Scientific Institute from 1374 AH onward.
- Teachers and Students: Identifying his primary mentors as Abd al-Rahman ibn Nasir al-Sa'di in Unayzah, and both Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz and Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti at the Riyadh Scientific Institute. It notes his forty-five-year tenure as imam, preacher, and teacher at the Grand Mosque of Unayzah following al-Sa'di's death in 1376 AH, and his forty-seven-year academic teaching career between the scientific institute and the College of Sharia and Usul al-Din in al-Qassim. It also mentions the student dormitory and library complex built next to the Grand Mosque by King Khalid for students traveling from across Saudi Arabia and abroad.
- Teaching and Da'wah: Summarizing his varied instructional activities, including seasonal lessons at the Grand Mosque of Mecca during Ramadan and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah (where al-Abbad would pause his own classes so students could attend Ibn Uthaymin's), telephone lectures delivered to audiences in Europe and the Americas, participation in academic conferences and the Hajj guidance committee, fatwa sessions by phone and mail, and regular radio programs such as Nur 'ala al-Darb, Su'al 'ala al-Hatif, and Min Ahkam al-Qur'an al-Karim.
- Writings: Classifying Ibn Uthaymin's bibliography into direct authored texts—including al-Qawa'id al-Muthla fi Sifat Allah wa-Asma'ihi al-Husna, Aqidat Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah, Sharh Lum'at al-I'tiqad, Ahkam al-Udhiyyah wa-l-Dhakah, and Fath Rabb al-Bariyyah bi-Talkhis al-Hamawiyyah—and transcribed oral lectures, most notably al-Sharh al-Mumti' 'ala Zad al-Mustaqni'. The author references a bibliography by Walid al-Husayn in Majallat al-Hikmah recording fifty-five titles.
- Public Standing: Highlighting his widespread acceptance across the Muslim world, humility, and the visits paid to him at his home in al-Qassim by Saudi monarchs and princes, including King Khalid, King Fahd, Prince Abdullah, and Prince Sultan.
- Death and Offspring: Recounting Ibn Uthaymin's final illness, his sole journey abroad for medical treatment in the United States (during which he delivered a Friday sermon), his return to teach via microphone from his bed in Mecca during Ramadan, and his death in Jeddah on Wednesday evening, 15 Shawwal 1421 AH. It describes his funeral on Thursday afternoon at the Grand Mosque of Mecca and burial in al-Adl cemetery, followed by classical elegiac quotes and the names of his five sons (Abdullah, Abd al-Rahman, Ibrahim, Abd al-Aziz, and Abd al-Rahim) and three daughters.
- Counsels and Proposals: Offering recommendations to students of knowledge to study under living scholars and propose practical steps to catalog, transcribe, and publish Ibn Uthaymin's remaining recorded audio legacy.
Method and Assessment
Al-Abbad characterizes Ibn Uthaymin as a rigorous legal examiner who adhered strictly to textual evidence from the Quran and Sunnah, consensus, and reasoned deduction. While commending his depth of jurisprudence and broad utility, the author notes that Ibn Uthaymin, like any qualified jurist (mujtahid), was fallible and held minority opinions on select minor issues where other scholars disagreed with him, noting that a jurist is rewarded whether he arrives at the correct conclusion or errs.
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