al-Tanbihat al-Mukhtasara Sharh al-Wajibat al-Mutahattimat al-Marifa
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al-Tanbihat al-Mukhtasara Sharh al-Wajibat al-Mutahattimat al-Marifa (Arabic: التنبيهات المختصرة شرح الواجبات المتحتمات المعرفة على كل مسلم ومسلمة, lit. 'The Concise Notifications: A Commentary on the Imperative Duties of Knowledge upon Every Muslim Male and Female') is an Arabic theological commentary on Islamic monotheism (tawhid) and creed by Ibrahim ibn Salih al-Khuraysi . It serves as an exposition of the primer al-Wajibat al-Mutahattimat al-Ma'rifa, a collection of essential creedal maxims compiled by his teacher, Abdullah ibn Ibrahim al-Qar'awi, drawn from the writings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and his scholarly descendants .
Composition and Purpose
The base text, al-Wajibat al-Mutahattimat al-Ma'rifa, was compiled by al-Qar'awi to serve as an accessible primer for beginners to memorize and a foundational reference for advanced students . Following its widespread dissemination and memorization by students within Saudi Arabia and abroad, al-Khuraysi recognized that the primer had not yet received a dedicated commentary . He proposed writing a concise explanation to help students understand its phrases, act upon its teachings, and instruct others in it .
Al-Khuraysi initially hesitated to begin writing, considering himself not among the foremost scholars of the discipline, but he commenced the project after consulting al-Qar'awi, who strongly encouraged and supported him . Al-Khuraysi completed the commentary on 26 Dhu al-Qa'da 1412 AH (28 May 1992 CE) .
Method and Structure
Al-Khuraysi initially considered arranging the work as a marginal gloss (hashiya), but opted instead for a continuous running commentary (sharh) to ensure greater ease and clarity for both the copyist and the reader . In the layout of the text, he placed the original passages of the primer between parentheses in a contrasting typeface preceded by a black circle to demarcate them from his commentary . Throughout the book, whenever he uses the term "the author" (al-mu'allif), he explicitly refers to al-Qar'awi as the compiler of the base text .
The commentary draws its material from the Quran, the prophetic Sunnah, and classical scholarly treatises . Its pedagogical focus is directed toward articulating theological truths with their textual evidence, dispelling theological doubts and misconceptions, and clarifying the underlying wisdom of foundational tenets of monotheism .
Reception
Upon the work's completion, al-Qar'awi reviewed the commentary and wrote an approving foreword (taqdim) for it . He praised the treatise as a valuable and highly beneficial work that clarifies truth through evidence, unravels doubts, and explicates legal and theological wisdoms, recommending that readers study it from beginning to end to understand the scriptural basis of monotheism .
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