(56) His words, “The third foundation,” mean the third of the three foundations, for the shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—stated at the beginning of the treatise that every Muslim, male and female, must know these three foundations: knowledge of Allah, knowledge of the religion of Islam, and knowledge of His Prophet Muhammad, supported by proofs. The first and second foundations have already been explained with their evidences. The third foundation is knowledge of the Prophet ﷺ. Because the Prophet is the intermediary between Allah and His creation in conveying His religion and message, knowing him is obligatory: how can you follow someone you do not know? You must therefore know his name, the town in which he was born and raised, the town to which he emigrated, and the length of his life. You should also know the stages of his life and the periods he spent in this world, both before prophethood and afterwards, and even before…