Birth:
He was the Shaykh, the faqeeh, the scholar
of Najd, Abu Abdullah, Muhammad ibn Saalih ibn
Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymeen at-Tamimi an-Najdi. Shaykh
Uthaymeen, as he was most known, was born in the
city of Unayzah, in the Qaseem Region of Saudi
Arabia on 27th Ramadhan 1347
AH (After the
Hijrah of the Prophet Muhammad). 1347
AH corresponds to 1925 in the Gregorian
calendar.
Education:He received
his education from a number of well known scholars
such as:
Shaykh Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Naasir as-Saa'di
(1307H - 1376H), Shaykh Muhammad Ameen ash-Shanqeeti
(1325H - 1393H), and
Shaykh Abd al-Azeez ibn Baaz (1330H - 1420H),
along with many more.
Career:When he entered
into teaching, a great number of students from
inside and outside Saudi Arabia benefited from him.
He was known for his own unique style of
interpretation and explanation of religious points.
He is from among those scholars who served Islam
without any type of religious prejudice and kept
themselves away from the limitations of
blind-following. He is distinguished in his great
exertion of effort in religious matters and
analogical deductions which clearly prove the
religious understanding he possessed, and the
correct usage of the principles of religion he
adopted.
In giving religious verdicts, Shaykh Uthaymeen's
Fataawa (i.e, rulings/verdicts) are based on the
Manhaj (methodology) of
Salafi Method which is evidenced from
Qur'an and
Sunnah. He has about fifty compilations to his
credit. Recently, before his death, he was teaching
religious Fundamentals at the Sharee'ah Faculty of
Imam Muhammad ibn Sa'ud Islamic University, Qaseem
Branch. He was also a member of the Senior Scholars
Committee of the Kingdom, and was the Imaam and
Khateeb of the big
Mosque of Unayzah city.
Along with Shaykh
Muhammad Nassir ad-Deen al-Albani (d. 1420H) and
Shaykh
Abdul 'Azeez ibn Abdullaah ibn Baaz (d. 1420H),
Shaykh Muhammad was one of the greatest scholars of
Salafi Method in the early part of the 15th
century in the Hijri calendar.
Shaykh Uthaymeen was awarded the King Faisal
International Award in the service to Islam on
February 8th 1994.
Character and Death:Shaykh Uthaymeen was
famous for his simplicity, modesty, along with
exceptional mannerisms towards all those he
encountered, as well as his exceptional manners in
approach to topics free of dogmatic arguments.The
Shaykh had many students from many countries who
benefited greatly from him over the years. Many
students from all over the world still continue to
benefit from his books and tapes.
He is among the pre-eminent scholars of the era
after 1400H. Shaykh Uthaymeen died on Wednesday 15
Shawwal, 1421 AH (10 January 2001 C.E.) at the age
of 74. He was buried in Makkah along with his peers
among the scholars
