Facilitating access to Ibn Saadi's message in fundamentals

The sign of Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sa'di explains it Sheikh Abdullah Al-Fawzan Introduction In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate All praise be to Allah, we praise Him, seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of ourselves and from the evil of our deeds. Whomever Allah guides, there is no misleader for him; and whomever He misguides, there is no guide for him. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah send blessings and peace upon him, his family, companions, and followers, and grant them abundant peace. As for what follows: The science of the roots of jurisprudence is a noble science, abundant in benefit and of great importance because it is the foundation of Islamic sciences. No interpreter, narrator, or jurist can do without it, nor is the culture of the Muslim learner complete without it, because it is the aid—by Allah’s success—to understanding texts and deriving rulings. Ibn Taymiyyah said: “The purpose of the roots of jurisprudence is to understand the intent of Allah and His Messenger through the Book and the Sunnah” (1). Therefore, scholars exerted their efforts and dedicated their time to establishing its principles, deriving its branches, and many books with different methodologies and various qualities were written about it. However, it is noticeable that most books on the roots of jurisprudence have difficult expressions, which makes the student of the roots suffer in understanding issues and clarifying their phrases. Some scholars—especially contemporary ones—have turned to simplifying the roots, removing what is of no benefit, and writing in a clear style, with clarity and moderation in explaining issues and providing sufficient examples for the rule, because this is the purpose of the science of the roots. This message, which we have with us, was written by the scholar of Al-Qassim, Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Nasser Al-Sa'di, who died in the year 1376 AH. It appears to be characterized by the following: 1. Its simplicity of words and clarity of meanings, which is evident in all of Sheikh’s writings such as “Tafsir,” “Explanation of ‘Umdat Al-Ahkam,’” “Al-Mukhtarat Al-Jaliyyah,” “Bahjat Qulub Al-Abrar,” “Tawdih Al-Kafi Al-Shafi,” and other works. 2. His care for rules and principles. The message from beginning to end deals with issues of roots and jurisprudential rules, a methodology Sheikh followed in several of his writings such as “Jurisprudential Rules,” “Universal Rules and Principles,” and others. 3. It is a concise yet comprehensive message that meets the needs of beginners and is also useful for advanced students. That is why he dedicated it with clear evidence and examples. 4. It contains issues that may not be found in most books on the roots of jurisprudence, perhaps because he benefited from the rules of Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Ibn Al-Qayyim—may Allah have mercy on them—found in their books. Sheikh Al-Sa'di paid clear attention to the books of Sheikh Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Al-Qayyim, which is evident to anyone who reflects or reads his writings. I chose this message to teach in some summer scientific courses, including the second scientific course for the righteous caliph Ali bin Abi Talib, held at the Masjid of Taybeen Al-Nasr in the Suburb of Sabah Al-Salem in the State of Kuwait—may Allah protect it. Because of its ease, brevity, and benefit, I explained it in a style suitable for it—neither too long and boring nor too short and inadequate, with sufficient examples. A number of brothers—including those responsible for the mentioned course—requested to print its explanation for the benefit of beginner students. I wrote it and added some benefits and examples. This message resembles the gentle message written by Sheikh in the roots of jurisprudence. It contains important issues that were absent from the first message, including: 1. Nine issues related to the rules of words. 2. The issue of the permissible being mistaken for the forbidden. 3. The issue of the narrator contradicting his narration. 4. Conditions for acting upon the concept of contradiction. 5. The issue that an inferior act may become excellent for certain reasons. I have summarized the hadiths I mentioned in the explanation, adhering to brevity, and did not emphasize many issues to avoid burdening the book with footnotes that may be unnecessary. Sheikh had relied on the separated chapters between topics, so I added side headings before the issues of roots to facilitate understanding and comprehension. In conclusion, I hope the dear reader, if he sees any mistake or misunderstanding in what I have written, will kindly and rewardingly write to me so I can correct it in the future. The ears are attentive, and the chest is open. What a person writes is subject to criticism, correction, and correction. Shortcomings are possible, and mistakes exist. I ask Allah to make my work sincere and purely for His face, to benefit from it as He benefited from its origin, and to grant us beneficial knowledge and accepted deeds. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon His servant and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, his family, companions, and followers, with goodness until the Day of Judgment. Written by Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Fawzan Al-Qassim—Buraidah P.O. Box 12370 Postal Code 81999