1. Musallah at-Taqwa
Islamic College of Canberra
Saturday
March 28,
2009
‫ﺑﺴﻢ ﺍﷲ ﺍﻟﺮﲪﻦ ﺍﻟﺮﺣﻴﻢ‬
Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles
Class Notes – Term 1, Week 7
‫ﻭﻗﺎﻝ ﺍﻟﺒﺨﺎﺭ ﱡ ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﷲ: َﺑﺎ ٌ ﺍﻟﻌﻠﻢ ﻗﺒﻞ ﺍﻟﻘﻮﻝ ﻭﺍﻟﻌﻤﻞ، ﻭﺍﻟ ﱠِﻟﻴﻞ ﻗﻮﹸﻟﻪ َﺗﻌﺎﹶﻟﻰ : ﴿ ﻓﺎﻋﻠﻢ ﹶﺃﱠﻪ ﻵ‬
ُ ‫ﹶ ْﹶ ْ ﻧ‬
َ ُ ‫َ ﹶ ﹶ ُ َ ﹺﻱ َ ِ َ ُ ُ ﺏ ِ ﹾ ُ ﹶ ْ ﹶ ﹶ ْ ﹺ َ َ َ ﹺ َ ﺪ ﹸ ﹶ‬
.‫ﹺﺇﹶﻟﻪ ﹺﺇ ﱠ ﺍﷲ ﻭﺍﺳﺘﻐﻔﺮ ِﻟﺬْﻧﺒﻚ …﴾. ﻓﺒﺪﹶﺃ ﹺﺑﺎﹾﻟﻌﻠﻢ ﻗﺒﻞ ﺍﻟﻘﻮﻝ ﻭﺍﹾﻟﻌﻤَﻞ‬
َ َ ‫ﹶَ َ ِ ﹾ ﹺ ﹶ ْ ﹶ ﹶ ْ ﹺ‬
َ ‫َ ﻻ ُ َ َْ ْ ِ ْ ﹶ ﹺ‬
Al‐Bukharee, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Chapter: Knowledge precedes speech and
action”, and the proof is the saying of Allah, the Most High; “Know that none has the right to be
worshipped except Allah and ask forgiveness of your Lord for your sin [Muhammad; 47:19]”. So he
began by mentioning knowledge before speech or actions.
The statement of Imam Al‐Bukharee (ra)
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The Sheikh (ra) uses further evidence to demonstrate the obligation of knowing and acting upon the
previously mentioned four matters, and it is the statement of Imam Al‐Bukharee in his Sahih, in the
Book of Knowledge, where he dedicated a chapter entitled ”Knowledge precedes speech and action”.
Imam Al‐Bukharee (ra) uses the following verse as proof for the obligation of beginning with
knowledge before speech and actions, and it is a textual proof:
šÎ7/Ρs%Î! öÏøótGó™$#uρ ª!$# ωÎ) tμ≈s9Î) Iω …çμ¯Ρr& óΟn=÷æ$$sù
Know that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, and ask forgiveness of your Lord for your
sin. [Muhammad; 47:19]
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In this verse, Allah (swt) commands the Prophet (saw) with two things: He orders him with
knowledge first, then follows it with an order for action, i.e. seeking forgiveness.
How can a person seek forgiveness from Allah (swt) and they do not know that Allah (swt) is All‐
Forgiving yet also swift and harsh in retribution?
An intellectual proof to show that knowledge must precede sayings and actions is that sayings and
actions will not be accepted unless they conform with the Sharee’ah. A person can only be sure his
actions comply with the Sharee’ah through knowledge of the Sharee’ah.
There are things which a person can know through their fitrah (innate nature), such as that Allah
(swt) is a single God. It does not require a great deal of effort to teach this, but further more detailed
matters of the religion require learning and exertion.
Imam Ahmad (ra) was asked: “Who is the scholar?” He answered that knowledge is not the ability to
memorise and learn vast amounts of narrations (riwaya and diraya) , but it is the fear of Allah (swt)
and he quoted the following verse:

2. î‘θàxî ͕tã ©!$# χÎ) 3 (#àσ¯≈yϑn=ãèø9$# ÍνÏŠ$t6Ïã ô⎯ÏΒ ©!$# ©y´øƒs† $yϑ¯ΡÎ)
It is only those who have knowledge from amongst His slaves that fear Allah (swt). [Fatir; 35:28]
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Why does knowledge precede action? Allah (swt) preceded with knowledge before actions because the
knowledge corrects the intention which is an essential requirement for every speech and action.
This, Alhamdullilah, is the conclusion of the first part of the Sheikh’s concise and meaningful introduction. Please
revise the Arabic text and attempt to memorise it to the best of your ability. This will greatly assist you in better
understanding this beneficial treatise.
Part 2 of the Sheikh’s introduction
، ‫ﹺﺇﻋﻠﻢ ﺭﺣﻤﻚ ﺍﷲ ﹶﺃﱠﻪ َﻳﺠﺐ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻛ ﱢ ﻣﺴﻠﻢ ﻭﻣﺴﻠﻤﺔ َﺗﻌﻠﻢ ﹶﺛﻼﺙ ﻫﺬﻩ ﺍﳌﺴﺎِﺋﻞ ﻭﺍﻟﻌﻤﻞ ﹺﺑﻬ ﱠ‬
‫ْ ﹶ ْ َ ِ َ َ ُ ﻧ ُ ﹺ ُ َ ﹶ ﹸﻞ ُ ْ ِ ﹴ َ ُ ْ ِ َ ٍ َ ﱡ ُ ِ َ ِ ِ ﹶ َ ﹺ َ َ َ ﹸ ﹺﻦ‬
... ‫ﺍﻷﻭِﻟﻰ: ﹶﺃ ﱠ ﺍﷲ ﺧﻠﻘﻨﺎ ﻭﺭﺯﻗﻨﺎ‬
َ‫ﻥ َ َ ﹶ ﹶَ َ َ َ ﹶ‬
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Know, may Allah have mercy upon you, that it is obligatory on every Muslim, male and female, to
learn and act upon the following three matters: THE FIRST: That Allah created us and provided
sustenance for us ...
Allah (swt) is the Creator
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‫ – ﹶﺃ ﱠ ﺍﷲ ﺧﻠﻘﻨﺎ‬The first matter to know is that Allah (swt) is the Creator. The proofs for this in the
َ‫ﻥ َ َ ﹶ ﹶ‬
Quran (textual proofs) are many. Allah (swt) says:
öΝä3≈tΡö‘§θ|¹ §ΝèO öΝà6≈oΨø)n=yz ô‰s)s9uρ
And We created you and fashioned you. [Al‐A’raaf; 7:11]
∩⊄∉∪ 5βθãΖó¡¨Β :*uΗxq ô⎯ÏiΒ 9≅≈|Áù=|¹ ⎯ÏΒ z⎯≈|¡ΣM}$# $oΨø)n=yz ô‰s)s9uρ
And we created man (Aadam) from dry clay, from mud moulded into shape. [Al‐Hijr; 15:26]
∩∈∉∪ Èβρ߉ç7÷èu‹Ï9 ωÎ) }§ΡM}$#uρ £⎯Ågø:$# àMø)n=yz $tΒuρ
And I did not create jinn and mankind, except that they should worship me. [Adh‐Dhaariyaat; 51:56]
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Man did not create himself, since before coming into this life he did not exist, and that which does
not exist is nothing, and that which is nothing cannot create anything.
Using the above argument we can conclude that our mothers and fathers did not create us.
Nor did mankind randomly appear without a creator to bring him into existence, since for everything
which comes into existence there must be something which brings it into existence.
If you think and ponder at the amazing order and harmonious structure of the creation, then a
person of sound mind will conclude that is impossible that it all came about randomly.

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This produces with certain conclusion that Allah (swt) alone is the Creator of all things, and there is
no other creator beside him. He alone is capable of creating something from nothing.
As for the intellectual proofs that Allah created us, then it is indicated in the saying of Allah (swt):
÷Πr& ∩⊂∉∪ tβθãΖÏ%θムω ≅t/ 4 uÚö‘F{$#uρ ÏN≡uθ≈yϑ¡¡9$# (#θà)n=yz ÷Πr& ∩⊂∈∪ šχθà)Î=≈y‚ø9$# ãΝèδ ÷Πr& >™ó©x« Îöxî ô⎯ÏΒ (#θà)Î=äz ÷Πr&
∩⊂∠∪ tβρãÏÜø‹kÁßϑø9$# ãΝèδ ÷Πr& y7În/u‘ ß⎦É⎩!#t“yz öΝèδy‰ΖÏã
Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the
earth? Nay, they have no firm belief. Or are the treasures of your Lord with them, or are they the managers
of affairs? [At‐Toor; 52:35‐37]
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It was not known that any of the creation denied the Lordship of Allah (swt) except conceitedly or
through arrogance.
Allah (swt) revealed about the mushrikeen (polytheists) at the time of the Prophet (saw):
∩∇∠∪ tβθä3sù÷σム4’¯Τr'sù ( ª!$# £⎯ä9θà)u‹s9 öΝßγs)n=yz ô⎯¨Β ΝßγtFø9r'y™ ⎦È⌡s9uρ
And if you ask them, who created them, they will certainly say, Allah. How then are they deluded
away (from the truth)? [Az‐Zukhruf; 43:87]
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Thus the mushrikeen acknowledged that Allah (swt) was the creator, yet they did not devote the
worship alone to Him, but instead continued the worship of their idols falsely claiming that
worshipping them drew them closer to Allah (swt).
When Jubayr Ibn Mut’im, who was a mushrik at the time, heard the Prophet (saw) reciting the above
verses from Surat At‐Toor [35‐37] during Maghreb he said: ”My heart almost flew, and this was
when Iman first settled in my heart” [Bukhari: The Book of Commentary]. His heart was about to fly
when he realised the firmness of the argument contained within the verses!
Allah (swt) is the Sustainer
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‫ ‐ ﻭﺭﺯﻗﻨﺎ‬Allah (swt) is the creator as well as the sustainer.
َ‫َ َ َ ﹶ‬
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Many people believe that rizq is something material such as money or food. The meaning of rizq is
much more expansive than just material possession. Belief in Allah (swt) is a great rizq, knowledge
and forbearance are rizq, good manners and etiquette are rizq, a good wife is rizq as are pious,
obedient children.
The textual proofs in the Kitaab and Sunnah that Allah (swt) is Al‐Razaaq are many. Allah (swt) says:
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ª!$# È≅è% ( Ä⇓ö‘F{$#uρ ÏN≡uθ≈yϑ¡¡9$# š∅ÏiΒ Νä3è%ã—ötƒ ⎯tΒ ö≅è%
Say, O Muhammad: "Who gives you sustenance from the heavens and the earth?" say: "It is Allah.
[Saba; 43:87]
∩⊄⊄∪ tβρ߉tãθè? $tΒuρ ö/ä3è%ø—Í‘ Ï™!$uΚ¡¡9$# ’Îûuρ
And in the heaven is your sustenance, and also that which you are promised. [Adh‐Dhariyaat; 51:22]

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In the above verse, Allah (swt) says that our provision and sustenance is in the heaven, yet the
reality seems to suggest that our provision is on the earth. How do we reconcile this understanding?
On the earth are the asbaab (means of provision). The asbaab themselves do not give or prevent,
nor do they harm or benefit except with the permission and order of Allah (swt).
Thus Allah (swt) is drawing attention to the intelligent individuals with the sound fitrah, that the rizq
is indeed in the heavens, i.e. in the hands of Allah (swt), and he gives and holds back to whomever
he desires from His slaves.
At‐tawakkul is the sincere reliance upon Allah (swt) while implementing the asbaab. The Prophet (saw)
would fight in battles and seek medication and nourishment (the asbaab) knowing that the final decision
was with Allah (swt).
As for the evidence in the Sunnah (textual proof) that Allah (swt) is the sustainer, it is the saying of the
Prophet (saw) regarding the foetus, that an angel is sent down to write down four things about it: its life‐
span, its actions, its provision and whether it is blessed or wretched on the Day of Judgement [Bukhari;
Book of Al‐Qadar].
As for the intellectual proofs that Allah (swt) is the sustainer, then none of us can deny that without food
or drink then we would perish. We must then ask ourselves, who created the food and drink? Surely it is
Allah (swt).
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t
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Consider that which you cultivate. Is it you who causes it to grow, or are we the cause? If We wished, we
could crumble it to dry powder, and you would be left in a state of regret. Saying, We indeed have been
punished. We have been deprived of our harvest. Consider the water that you drink. Did you bring it down (in
rain) from the clouds or do We? If We wished, we could make it salty, so will you not give thanks to your
Lord? [Al‐Waqia; 56‐63‐70]
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This verse clearly demonstrates in a rational manner which addresses the human intellect that our
provision is indeed from Allah (swt).
Review questions
(i) Explain the verse which Imam Al‐Bukharee used as proof to demonstrate that knowledge precedes action.
(ii) What intellectual proof can be used to demonstrate that knowledge precedes action?
(iii) In your own words explain the reasoning behind why mankind did not create himself.
(iv) How did Jubayr Ibn Mut’im describe his feelings when he heard the Prophet (saw) reciting verses 35‐37 of
Surat at‐Toor? What message is being portrayed by Allah (swt) in these verses?
(v) Explain the meaning of verse 22 of Adh‐Dhariyaat in terms of rizq, asbaab and tawakkul.