Muhammad ibn Salih ibn Muhammad (9 March 1929 – 10 January 2001), commonly known by the al-Uthaymin, was a Saudi Islamic scholar.

Biography

Muhammad ibn Salih was born on 9 March 1929, in Unayzah, Saudi Arabia. He is said to have memorized the Quran at an early age and pursued an education in hadith, tafsir, aqidah, Arabic and other Islamic studies, later graduating from the College of Sharia in Riyadh. He went on to become a member of the Saudi Commission of Senior Islamic Scholars, a professor at the College of Shari'a at Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University in Qassim and a member of its Academic Council and wrote treatises dealing with different aspects of the Islamic doctrine. His most important books are his 15-volume book on fiqh and 10-volume book on the interpretation of the Qur'an. He also used to teach at the Holy Mosque in Mecca during Ramadan.

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

Uthaymeen'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.

Publications

Death

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