Bismillaah
Sharh-ul-Usool-ith-Thalaathah : Lesson 29
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzan | Dawud Burbank [Audio|English]
Imaam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhaab (rahimahullaah) said:
And the Proof for the testification that ‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah’ is His saying:

لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

There has indeed come to you a Messenger from Allaah from amongst yourselves; it grieves him that you undergo suffering. He is eager and anxious for your guidance and he is full of compassion and mercy for the believers. [9:128] 37
[37] : Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzan’s Explanation:
The first pillar of the pillars of Islaam is composed of two matters:
  1. The first: The testification Laa ilaaha illaAllaah (none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah).
  2. The second: The testification ‘Muhammadan rasoolullaah‘ (Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah).
So these two are a single pillar. The first part means making ones worship purely and sincerely. And the second part means following the Messenger sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
The proof for the testification that ‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah’ is His saying:  

لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

There has indeed come to you a Messenger from Allaah from amongst yourselves; it grieves him that you undergo suffering. He is eager and anxious for your guidance and he is full of compassion and mercy for the believers. [9:128]
And the proofs for the testification that ‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah’ are many in the Book and the Sunnah, as well as the amazing miracles which prove his sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam‘s Messenger-ship.
And from the Book is this aayah:

لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

There has indeed come to you a Messenger from Allaah from amongst yourselves; it grieves him that you undergo suffering. He is eager and anxious for your guidance and he is full of compassion and mercy for the believers. [9:128]
So this is a witness from Allaah for this Messenger sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, for his Messenger-ship and it is an description of his characteristics.
His saying, He the Most High:

لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ

There has indeed come to you. [9:128]
The ‘Laam’ is a Laam to indicate an oath. So therefore, it carries along with it an oath which is understood (in the meaning) and is taken to be wallaahi (by Allaah) ‘there has certainly come to you.’

قَدْ

is a particle for confirmation and emphasis.

جَاءَكُمْ

He has come to you. [9:128]
O Mankind! This is an address to the whole of mankind, because his sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam‘s Messenger-ship was general to all of the thaqalayn (two species), mankind and jinn.

رَسُولٌ

A Messenger. [9:128]
He was one who had a revealed law sent to him by revelation and he was commanded to convey it. He was called a Messenger because he was mursal (sent) with a Message by Allaah the Perfect and Most High.

مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ

From your own selves. [9:128]
From your own species and your own type, from human-kind. He was not an angel from the angels. And this was the Way of Allaah the Perfect and Most High – that He would send to mankind, Messengers from them, in order to make their affair clear and in order for them to speak with them and because they would know them. If He had sent, as a Messenger to them, an angel, they would have not been able to speak with him because he would have not been from their type of being. Also, they would have not be able to see the angel, because he would have not been from their type of being. So from His Mercy, He the Perfect and Most High, is that He sent as a Messenger to mankind a Messenger from their own type. Indeed he was from the Arabs, and from the most noble of the houses of the Arabs in lineage, from the tribe of Baanee Haashim, who are the most honorable in lineage of Quraysh, and Quraysh are the most honorable of the Arabs in lineage.
So, he was the specially chosen from the best of people. They knew him and they knew of his personality, his lineage, tribe, and his town. If they had not known him, then how could they attest to his truthfulness? And if he came with other than their language, then how could they understand his speech?

عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ

It grieves him greatly that you should suffer. [9:128]
His saying:

عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ

Meaning: It troubled him sallallaahu‘alaihiwasallam.

مَا عَنِتُّمْ

Meaning: Whatever troubles you.
Meaning: Inconvenience and hardship. The Messenger sallallaahu‘alaihiwasallamwas troubled by whatever caused trouble to his nation. He had not used to want hardship for them. Rather, he wanted ease and easiness. And therefore, his revealed law sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam came as something easy and easy-going.
He, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said:

بعثت بالحنيفية السمحة

I was sent with the Straight and true religion; the religion of ease.[1] [2]
[1] Ahmad (5/266). [2] Reported by Ahmad 23/623 (22291) from the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah Al-Baahilee, radiallaahu ‘anhu. [Shaikh Al-Albaanee declared this hadeeth as strong in As-Saheehah no. 2924]
He the Most High said:

وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ

And He did not place upon you any hardship in the religion. [22:78]
And He said:

مَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ حَرَجٍ

Allaah does not wish to place any hardship upon you. [5:6]
So His revealed Way is easy, it goes along with the capability of the people and with what those given duties, are able to do, and it does not burden them with things they are not capable of. Therefore, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam used to love to make things easy for them. He was never given a choice between two matters except that he chose the easiest one of the two as long as it was not sinful. He used to love to perform an action but he would leave it out of compassion for his Nation. He would leave the action even though he loved it, from the righteous deeds in order that he should not put difficulty upon his nation. These were from his characteristics, that whatever caused difficulty for his nation was a difficulty he felt himself, and he would become pleased with whatever was pleasing to them, and he would be joyful with whatever caused them to be joyful.
Whoever has these as his characteristics, then there is no doubt that he will not bring except that which is khayr (good) and Rahmah (mercy), sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. 

حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم

He is eager and anxious for you. [9:128]
Meaning: For your guidance and that you are taken out from the darkness into the light. Therefore, he himself bore difficulty in calling the people, seeking that they should be guided, and seeking to take them out from darkness into light to such an extent that Allaah said to him:

لَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ أَلَّا يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ

Perhaps you will destroy yourself with grief that they are not believing. [26:3]
Meaning: Perhaps you would bring about your own destruction that they do not believe, because of grief. So do not grieve for them. And this was from the completeness of his sincerity, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. 
He was compassionate and merciful towards the believers. [9:128]
Meaning: ra’oof is from ra’fah (compassion), and it means tenderness and kindness.
Meaning: He described him with Rahmah (mercy), so he was not harsh. 

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ

So by mercy from Allaah you were gentle with them, and if you had been severe and hard-hearted, they would have dispersed from around you. [3:159]
He  sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam was humble and gentle with the believers, he would lower his wing in gentleness, and he would meet them with a smiling face, and love, affection, and fine treatment. These were from his  sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam characteristics.
Allaah mentioned five attributes for this Messenger  sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam:
  1. First: He was from amongst you.
  2. Second: He was troubled by whatever troubled you.
  3. Third: He was eager and anxious for you.
  4. Fourth: He was compassionate towards the believers.
  5. Fifth: He was merciful.
Five characteristics from the characteristics of this Prophet  sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. And compassion and mercy were mentioned specifically for the believers since he  sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam was stern upon the people of shirk and the obstinate and willful rejecters of the truth.
He would become angry for that which angered Allaah the Perfect and Most High, just as He the Most High said:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ جَاهِدِ الْكُفَّارَ وَالْمُنَافِقِينَ وَاغْلُظْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ وَمَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

O Prophet! Strive against the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern against them. And their dwelling place will be the Hell-Fire, what an evil destination! [9:73]
The mercy and compassion was specific for the believers. Likewise the believers are to be the same with each other.

مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah and those who are with him are stern against the unbelievers, merciful amongst themselves. [48:29]
These were his sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam characteristics.
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