First Book: The Rights of the Prophet’s Household

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

The shaykh, the imām, the practicing scholar, unrivaled in his age, the jurisconsult of the sects, Shaykh al-Islām Taqī al-Dīn Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad, son of the shaykh, the imām, the scholar Shihāb al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm, son of the shaykh, the imām, the erudite scholar Majd al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Salām Ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah be pleased with him and raise his rank—said:

This treatise is addressed to whichever of the believing brethren it may reach—those who ally themselves with Allah, His Messenger, and the believers; those who establish the prayer, give the prescribed alms while bowing in humility. Whoever takes Allah, His Messenger, and the believers as his allies, then the party of Allah—they are the victors. Such people love Allah and His Messenger, for loving and obeying Allah necessarily includes loving and obeying His Messenger, and loving and obeying the Messenger necessarily includes loving those whom the Messenger loved and obeying those whom he commanded should be obeyed.

Allah the Exalted says: “O you who believe, obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those vested with authority among you. If you differ about anything, refer it back to Allah and the Messenger if you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day; that is better and yields the best result.” 1.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever obeys me has obeyed Allah; whoever obeys my commander has obeyed me. Whoever disobeys me has disobeyed Allah; and whoever disobeys my commander has disobeyed me.” 2.

He ﷺ also said—in the narration reported by the Commander of the Believers ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, may Allah be pleased with him—“Indeed…"