Advice for Students of Sacred Knowledge and the Books Recommended

Question:
What is your advice for one who wants to seek sacred knowledge, but most of his family and friends tell him that a scientific career is better for him? And what are the books you recommend?

Answer:
How is a scientific career better for him than what? What is a scientific career? Seeking knowledge is undoubtedly of two types. The first is an individual obligation, a duty upon every Muslim to learn the matters of his religion. This is obligatory upon every Muslim. As for the second type, which includes transactions, marriages, sales, and inheritance, this is a collective obligation. If there are enough Muslims who have learned it, they suffice, and learning it becomes a recommended practice for the rest. As for the books, there are many. The teacher you study with, or the Shaykh you sit with, is the one who directs you to the books he teaches you and explains to you. Yes.