…so that this framework will be sound and faultless, drawn from the Book of Allah and the sunnah of His Messenger, especially regarding these two momentous matters—tawhid (pure monotheism) and shirk (associating partners with Allah). Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab did not lay down these principles from his own imagination, as many confused writers do; rather, he derived them from the Book of Allah and the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah. Once you have learned and understood these principles, it becomes easy for you to recognize the tawhid with which Allah sent His messengers and revealed His books, and to recognize the shirk against which Allah has warned, clarifying its danger and harm in both this world and the hereafter. This subject is extremely important—more obligatory upon you than learning the rulings of prayer, zakat, and the other acts of worship—because it is the primary and foundational matter. Prayer, zakat, hajj, and every other act of devotion are invalid unless they rest on the basis of correct belief, namely exclusive tawhid of Allah. Before presenting the four principles, the shaykh introduced them with a magnificent preface containing a supplication for the students of knowledge and an alert to what he would set forth, saying: “I ask Allah, the Most Majestic, Lord of the Glorious Throne, to care for you in this world and the next, to make you blessed wherever you may be, and to make you among those who, when given, are grateful; when tried, are patient; and when they sin, seek forgiveness—for these three qualities are the hallmark of felicity.” This is a splendid introduction, containing a prayer from the shaykh for every seeker of knowledge who studies his creed seeking the truth and striving to avoid misguidance and shirk; such a person is surely worthy that Allah protect him in this world and the hereafter.