Three Fundamental Principles for Kids (Usool ath-Thalaathah)

When my eldest was six, I sat her down with a thin little book that scholars have taught to children for over two hundred years: Thalathat al-Usul, “The Three Fundamental Principles,” by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abdil-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him). It answers three questions: Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is your Prophet?

These are the three questions every one of us will be asked in the grave. The Prophet (ﷺ) told us that two angels will come to the dead person, sit him up and ask: “Who is your Lord?” “What is your religion?” “Who is your Prophet?” (Abu Dawud 4753, graded sahih by al-Albani). The book teaches the answers, with a proof for each one from the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

Below is how I teach Usool ath-Thalaathah to my children, simplified for little ones but faithful to the order and proofs of the original text. Start at about age five with the three answers, and add the proofs and details as your child grows.

Why this little book?

The Shaykh wrote it for beginners, in short sentences that are easy to memorise. The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, which prints it, describes these treatises as “suitable for teaching those who are young, and indispensable for those who are old.” It has long been one of the first aqeedah texts that students of knowledge memorise.

For us as parents, it gives a clear, ready-made order. We do not have to invent an aqeedah curriculum. We just walk through it slowly.

Before the three principles: four things we must learn

The book opens by saying that we must learn four matters:

Knowledge of Allah, of His Prophet, and of the religion of Islam, with the proofs.
Acting on that knowledge.
Calling others to it.
Patience with any hardship that comes with it.

The proof is Surat al-‘Asr:

وَالْعَصْرِ ۝ إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ ۝ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ

“By time, indeed mankind is in loss, except those who believe, do righteous deeds, and advise one another to the truth and advise one another to patience.” (al-‘Asr 103:1-3)

For kids: most children already know al-‘Asr. Hold up four fingers: learn it, do it, share it, be patient. That is the whole first page.

Three things every Muslim should know

Next the Shaykh mentions three matters. For young children I teach the first two:

1. Allah created us and did not leave us without guidance. He sent us a Messenger. Whoever obeys him enters Jannah, and whoever disobeys him enters the Fire. Proof: إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ رَسُولًا شَاهِدًا عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ رَسُولًا “Indeed, We have sent to you a Messenger as a witness over you, just as We sent a messenger to Pharaoh.” (al-Muzzammil 73:15)

2. Allah is not pleased for anyone to be worshipped with Him, not an angel and not a prophet. Proof: وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًا “The places of prostration are for Allah, so do not call upon anyone along with Allah.” (al-Jinn 72:18)

The third matter, about loyalty to Allah and His Messenger (al-Mujadilah 58:22), I save for older children who can understand it properly with a teacher.

Then the Shaykh explains that Allah created us to worship Him alone: وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ (adh-Dhariyat 51:56). The greatest command is tawheed, and the greatest sin is shirk.

The First Principle: Who is your Lord?

The answer: My Lord is Allah, who has taken care of me and of all the worlds with His blessings. He is the One I worship, and I worship nothing besides Him.

The proof: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ “All praise is for Allah, Lord of all the worlds.” (al-Fatihah 1:2)

How do you know your Lord? By His signs and His creation. Among His signs are the night and the day, the sun and the moon.

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ ۚ لَا تَسْجُدُوا لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ وَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُنَّ

“Among His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate to the sun or to the moon, but prostrate to Allah who created them.” (Fussilat 41:37)

For kids: this one lives outdoors. At sunset, stop and ask, “Who made the sun go down?” At night, point to the moon: “Do we bow to the moon?” “No! We bow to Allah who made it.”

Kinds of worship. The book lists acts of worship that belong only to Allah: dua, fear, hope, trust, seeking help, seeking refuge, sacrifice, vows and more. For children, I pick four they can feel: dua, trust, seeking help and seeking refuge. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Dua is worship.” (Abu Dawud 1479, graded sahih by al-Albani). And he taught the young Ibn ‘Abbas: “When you ask, ask Allah, and when you seek help, seek help from Allah.” (at-Tirmidhi 2516, graded sahih by al-Albani)

The Second Principle: What is your religion?

The answer: My religion is Islam. Islam means submitting to Allah with tawheed, obeying Him, and staying far away from shirk.

The book teaches that the religion has three levels: Islam, Iman and Ihsan. These come straight from the hadith of Jibril, when he came to the Prophet (ﷺ) in the form of a man to teach the Companions their religion (Muslim 8).

Level 1: Islam, with five pillars. The shahadah, salah, zakah, fasting Ramadan and Hajj. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Islam is built on five.” (al-Bukhari 8; Muslim 16)

Level 2: Iman, with six pillars. To believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the divine decree, its good and its bad (Muslim 8). We go through each one in The 6 Pillars of Iman for Kids.

Level 3: Ihsan, with one pillar. “To worship Allah as though you see Him, and if you do not see Him, He sees you.” (Muslim 8)

For kids: draw three steps going up. Write Islam (5) on the bottom step, Iman (6) on the middle, Ihsan (1) on the top. Five, six, one. My children remember the numbers long before the details, and that is fine.

The Third Principle: Who is your Prophet?

The answer: My Prophet is Muhammad (ﷺ), the son of ‘Abdullah, the son of ‘Abdul-Muttalib, the son of Hashim. Hashim was from Quraysh, Quraysh are Arabs, and the Arabs are from the descendants of Isma’il, the son of Ibrahim (peace be upon them).

The book then gives these facts, which children can learn as a little list:

He lived 63 years: 40 before he became a prophet, and 23 as a Prophet and Messenger. (Ibn ‘Abbas said revelation came to him at forty, he stayed in Makkah thirteen years and in Madinah ten: al-Bukhari 3851.)
He became a prophet with the revelation of “Iqra’”: اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ “Read in the name of your Lord who created.” (al-‘Alaq 96:1)
He became a messenger with Surat al-Muddaththir (“O you wrapped up, arise and warn”).
His city was Makkah, and he migrated to Madinah.
He was sent to warn against shirk and call to tawheed.
Allah completed the religion through him: الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ “This day I have perfected your religion for you.” (al-Ma’idah 5:3)

The book also teaches that the first messenger was Nuh (peace be upon him) and the last was Muhammad (ﷺ), and that every messenger called to the same thing: أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ “Worship Allah and avoid false gods.” (an-Nahl 16:36)

For kids: this is the perfect moment to bring out a timeline. Our Seerah Timeline for Kids walks through his life in key events, from his birth to his death at 63.

A teaching plan by age

Ages 4 to 6: the three answers

Who is your Lord? Allah.
What is your religion? Islam.
Who is your Prophet? Muhammad (ﷺ).

Ask them every night at bedtime. Add the first proof (al-Fatihah 1:2) once the answers are automatic.

Ages 7 to 9: answers plus one proof each

First principle: al-Fatihah 1:2 and Fussilat 41:37.
Second principle: the five pillars of Islam and six pillars of iman.
Third principle: his name and lineage, 63 years (40 + 23), Makkah to Madinah.

Work through one section a week. Our aqeedah questions for kids make good warm-up quizzes.

Ages 10 to 12: the full text with a simple explanation

Read the original text a paragraph at a time with a trustworthy explanation, such as Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin’s Sharh Thalathat al-Usul. Let them memorise the Arabic text if they can. Many children finish it in a school year.

Tips from our homeschool

Little and often. Five minutes a day beats an hour on Saturday.
Same words every time. Memorisation needs a fixed text. Choose one translation and stick to it.
Tie it to tawheed in daily life. When your child is scared, remind them who to seek refuge with. Our guide to teaching tawheed to children has lots of these everyday moments.
Use vocabulary cards. Write Rabb, Islam, Iman, Ihsan, Tawheed, Shirk on cards. Our free Islamic Terms Flashcards cover many of these.
Never make it scary. We mention the grave calmly: “Allah wants you to know the answers now, so it is easy for you, in sha’ Allah.”

Frequently asked questions

What age should children start Usool ath-Thalaathah? The three short answers can start from about four. The proofs from around seven. The full text with explanation from about ten, or whenever your child reads well.

Who wrote the Three Fundamental Principles? Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdil-Wahhab ibn Sulayman at-Tamimi (d. 1206 AH), may Allah have mercy on him. He wrote it as a beginner’s text on the foundations of Islam.

Is it okay to simplify the text for children? Yes, as long as we do not change the meaning. Keep the order, keep the answers, keep the proofs, and leave the harder sections for when they are older.

What should come after it? Many teachers move on to al-Qawa’id al-Arba’ (The Four Principles) and then Kitab at-Tawheed, ideally with a teacher of the Sunnah.

May Allah make our children among those who answer, “My Lord is Allah, my religion is Islam, and my Prophet is Muhammad (ﷺ).” Ameen.

The Three Fundamental Principles for Kids: Teaching Usool ath-Thalaathah at Home