The ascent of the maqam to the Iraqi Millennium 1/3

To the noble Sheikh Abdul Karim Al-Khudair The word "Maqam" (status) of the Sunnah Foundation's word Praise be to Allah, who elevated the people of knowledge with knowledge and chose them, and inherited them the knowledge of the Book, and may Allah's peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions, whom He selected from the beginning, to the end, and upon the followers and those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows, it is no secret to anyone the high status of scholars and their noble position, for they are the heirs of the prophets, the stars of the sky, the adornment of the world, and the pillars of religion. Abu al-Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say: "Whoever takes a path seeking knowledge, Allah will ease for him a path to Paradise. The angels lower their wings in pleasure for the seeker of knowledge. The seeker of knowledge is seeking forgiveness from all in the heavens and the earth, even the fish in the water. The virtue of the scholar over the worshiper is like the moon over the other planets. The scholars are the heirs of the prophets. The prophets did not leave dinars or dirhams as inheritance, but they inherited knowledge. Whoever takes it has taken a share in abundance." The scholars who dedicated their time to teaching and spreading knowledge are the noble Sheikh, the scholar Abdul Karim bin Abdullah Al-Khudair — may Allah preserve him and benefit us through him — whom the people of knowledge and students recognize for his mastery, broadness, good investigation, and extensive knowledge. Allah granted the Sheikh long ago the ability to explain the books of the scholars in various sciences and to comment on them, providing beneficial explanations enriched by his wide knowledge and understanding of the depths of the books — especially the lengthy ones — and their different editions, which made these explanations popular among students of knowledge of varying levels. Allah also enabled the Maqām Al-Sunnah Foundation to serve and spread the knowledge of the Sheikh since its establishment in 1433 AH, through various available means. And now — by Allah’s grace — it announces to students and lovers of knowledge the printing of: "Rising the Ranks to the Millennium of Al-Iraqi." It is worth noting that this book is not authored by the Sheikh himself; rather, it is a recorded audio explanation that was transcribed, organized, and served as a scientific effort with the Sheikh’s permission. Due to the extreme difficulty of converting audio recordings into printed books and out of the responsibility felt by the foundation, seeking precision without pretense, the foundation devised a renewed plan — approved by the Sheikh — to produce high-quality books that satisfy, God willing, students and lovers of knowledge. The work stages were as follows: First: Matching the transcribed explanation with the audio. Second: Arranging the explanation to suit the book, without altering the Sheikh’s words. When any problematic issues arise, they are presented to his preservation. Third: Authenticating the hadiths and sayings, attributing opinions and schools to their owners, and providing scholarly service to the book. Fourth: Linguistic review of the book, ensuring grammatical and spelling accuracy that may occur during work. Fifth: Reviewing the book by a specialist in the subject of the explanation to ensure the scientific material’s correctness after it has been worked on by researchers. Sixth: Approving the book for printing by the Foundation’s scholarly advisors. And in this joyful occasion of printing this book, we thank the Sheikh — may Allah preserve him.