Sharh Thalathat al-Usul li-Khalid al-Muslih
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- Sharh Thalathat al-Usul li-Khalid al-Muslih
Sharh Thalathat al-Usul (Arabic: شرح ثلاثة الأصول, lit. 'Commentary on the Three Fundamentals') is an explanatory work by the Saudi scholar Khalid al-Muslih (b. 1385 AH / 1965 CE) on the creedal treatise Thalathat al-Usul (also known as al-Usul al-Thalathah) authored by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.
Background and Purpose
The base text, Thalathat al-Usul, was composed to outline the essential creedal obligations required of every Muslim regarding knowledge of God, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and the religion of Islam, substantiated throughout with textual proofs from the Quran and the Sunnah. In his commentary, al-Muslih elucidates the text's concise phrasing, explains its underlying legal and theological principles, and highlights the pedagogical methods employed by the author in conveying foundational Islamic tenets.
Structure and Content
The work follows the structural sequence of the original treatise, opening with introductory preliminaries before expounding the three core fundamentals:
- The Preliminaries: Al-Muslih explains the opening invocation of the Basmalah as an adherence to the practice of the Quran, the prophetic Sunnah, and the early Muslim scholars. He examines the author's introductory sections, which detail the four mandatory matters incumbent upon the believer: acquiring knowledge, acting upon it, propagating it, and exercising patience in the face of adversity. He notes the author's citation of Surah al-Asr, al-Shafi'i's remark that this surah would have sufficed as proof for humanity had no other been revealed, and al-Bukhari's chapter heading on prioritizing knowledge before speech and action. The commentary also discusses the ultimate purpose of human creation, which is the singular worship of God.
- The First Fundamental (Knowledge of the Lord): Al-Muslih addresses the obligation of recognizing God (maʿrifat al-ʿabd rabbah), an innate disposition in human hearts, through His revealed verses and cosmic creations such as the heavens, the earth, the sun, and the moon. He explains that because God is the sole Creator and Provider, He alone is entitled to all forms of worship, citing الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ("All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds" [al-Fatihah: 2]).
- The Second Fundamental (Knowledge of the Religion of Islam): The commentary defines the religion of Islam through its demonstrable evidences, covering its fundamental pillars—the two testimonies of faith, prayer, zakat, fasting, and the pilgrimage—and clarifying that while general duties are universally binding, specific legal details (such as the particulars of the pilgrimage) become obligatory based on capability and circumstance.
- The Third Fundamental (Knowledge of the Prophet): Al-Muslih elaborates on the necessity of knowing the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as God's messenger to all humanity, a realization attained by studying his Sunnah and the proofs affirming the truth of his message.
Methodology
Al-Muslih's commentary distinguishes between individually obligatory religious knowledge (fard ʿayn)—defined as knowledge essential for the correct practice of creed, speech, and action—and communally obligatory knowledge (fard kifayah). He also observes the pedagogical tone of the original treatise, such as the author's gentle address and supplication for the student ( اعلم رحمك الله , "Know, may God have mercy on you") as an essential quality of compassionate teaching, and the use of an interrogative format to stimulate the reader's attention.
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