Muhammad ibn al Uthaymeen

Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin (; 9 March 192910 January 2001), commonly known by his Ibn al-Uthaymin (), was a Saudi Islamic scholar.

Family Background and Birth

Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih Al-Uthaymin Al-Wuhaybi Al-Tamimi was born during the 27th Night of ''Ramadan'' in the year of 1347 Hijri, the 27th Night of Ramadan is believed by Muslims to be a potential night for the occurrence of '' Laytul Qadr'', ''The Night of Decree'' upon which the ''Qur'an'' was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammadﷺ, and is seen as a significant night in successive years. The 27th of Ramadan in 1347 Hijri is otherwise known as in the Gregorian Calendar as the 9th of March 1929. Shaykh Muhammad was born to Salih bin Muhammad Al-Uthaymin in the town of Unayzah of the Qaseem Region of the Najd Province. His family belonged to the well-known '' Banu Tamim'' tribe, Al-'Uthaymin's lineage is known as being; Muhammad bin Salih bin Muhammad bin Sulayman bin Abdurrahman bin Uthman bin Abdullah bin Abdurrahmaan bin Ahmad bin Muqbil. His ancestor Ahmad bin Muqbil Al-Tamimi was from the ''Wahabah'' sub-tribe of the ''Banu Tamim''. His surname Al-Uthaymin is derived from his great-great-great-grandfather Uthman bin Abdullah who was known by the nickname ''Uthaymin'', meaning little Uthman. The Al-Uthaymin family was famous in the area for its scholarship in religious affairs. His upbringing and early life is described as being righteous and aligned with Islamic morals.

Sheikh Muhammad's son Abdullah had said that once his great-grandfather Muhammad bin Sulayman had a dream in which he met the renowned ''Hanbali'' scholar Ibn Taymiyyah in a market near an area of assembly of the people of Unayzah. In this interaction Ibn Taymiyyah had handed over to him a lamp. Muhammad bin Sulayman thus went on to enquire about the meaning of this dream from scholars who were skilled in the realm of dream interpretation, these scholars then told him that he would have a child who would be ''salih'', meaning pious and would have an elevated position when it comes to the knowledge of the religion. Thus Muhammad named his next born son Salih, now Salih was known to be pious but not a student of knowledge, but Salih's son Muhammad bin Salih Al-Uthaymin was a scholar of Islam.

Education

After completing his memorization of the Qur'an and foundational studies, he began his full-time religious studies under Sheikhs Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Mutawwa' and Ali al-Salihi in Unayzah, the two teachers that sheikh 'Abd al-Rahman al-Sa'di had appointed to instruct beginning students. After one year of studying under those two teachers, al-Uthaymeen began studying under sheikh ' Abd al-Rahman al-Sa'di in 1945 and continued to be his student until al-Sa'di's death. The year 1952, al-Salihi advised al-Uthaymeen to enroll in the newly opened ''Ma'had al-'Ilmi'' in Riyadh, which he did after seeking permission from al-Sa'di. While there, he studied under Ibn Baz, among others. He studied there for two years before returning to Unayzah, where began teaching and continued his studies under al-Sa'di.

The four levels of spiritual response to a calamity

Uthaymin's theory on the four levels of spiritual response to a calamity is outlined below. This theory could be contrasted with a Western model, developed much later, that was probably influenced by him: the Kübler-Ross model of the five stages of grief.
* Level One: Discontentment
* Level Two: Patience
* Level Three: Acceptance
* Level Four: Gratitude

Publications

* ''The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah: The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah.''
* ''The Creed of the Ahlus-Sunnah Wal Jama'ah, Translated by Abu Nasir Ibrahim Abdur-Rauf.''
* ''How to Perform the Rituals of Hajj, Umrah and Visiting the Prophet’s Masjid.''
* ''Guidance For Fasting Muslims.''
* ''Fatawa Arkan-ul-Islam.''
* ''Explanation of Summary of Hamaweyyah Creed.''
* ''What You Must Believe about Your Creator.''
* ''Rights and Duties in Islam.''
* ''A Study on Ablution, Bathing, Dry Ablution (Tayammum) and Prayer.''
* ''How Do We Believe in the Last Day?''
* ''The Ruling on Abandoning The Prayer''

Death

Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin died on 10 January 2001, aged 71.

References

External links

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Biodata at MuslimScholars.info

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uthaymeen, Muhammad Ibn Al
1929 births
2001 deaths
20th-century Saudi Arabian people
Saudi Arabian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam
Saudi Arabian imams
20th-century imams
Critics of Shia Islam
Saudi Arabian Salafis
Salafi Quietists
People from Unaizah
Sunni fiqh scholars
Muslim critics of atheism
Saudi Arabian critics of Christianity
Deaths from colorectal cancer
Umm al-Qura University alumni