Books Recommended for the Student of Knowledge

Question:
Your Eminence the Shaykh! What books do you advise us to read?

Answer:
The books of the people of the Sunnah, the two Sahihs, the Sunan, Tiyar al-Salihin, al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib, Bulugh al-Maram, and the book of creed, Kitab al-Tawhid, Fath al-Mujid, al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah, al-Hamawiyyah, al-Tadmuriyyah, the commentary by Ibn Abi al-'Izz, and the creed of al-Tahawi, among other books. There is also Kitab al-Tawhid by Ibn Khuzaymah, Kitab al-Sunnah by Abdullah ibn Ahmad, and the books of the people of the Sunnah. However, the beginner should stick to the abridged books until, if Allah wills, he grasps some of the matter, and then he expands his study. He starts with the abridged books as long as he is in the beginning of his seeking, until he is able, if Allah wills, to listen to the books of hadith in the two Sahihs, such as the tafsir of Ibn Kathir, the tafsir of al-Baghawi, the tafsir of Ibn Jarir, and the like.