Sources of the Correct Creed and Beneficial Books

Question:
The second question says: Honorable Shaykh, many young people have turned away from reading the books of the righteous Salaf and correcting their creed based on them, such as *Al-Sunnah* by Ibn Abi 'Asim, *Al-Ibanah* by Ibn Battah, and other books of the righteous Salaf that clarify the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community, their position regarding the Sunnah and its people, and regarding religious innovations (bid'ah) and their people. Instead, they have occupied themselves with reading the books of those they call thinkers and preachers, which contain what negates what is in the books of the Salaf and establishes the opposite of it. So what do you advise these young people to do, and what are the Salafi books you recommend they read to build and correct their creed?

Answer:
This question branches off from the previous one. Since we have established that it is obligatory to care for the creed, to learn the creed, and to learn what is required of a person regarding this creed, the question arises: What are the sources from which this creed is taken? And from whom is this creed received? The sources from which the creed of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and the creed of faith are taken are the Book and the Sunnah, following the methodology of the righteous Salaf. The Qur'an has explained the creed comprehensively, and it has explained what contradicts it, opposes it, and undermines it.
It has identified all the diseases that undermine the creed. Likewise, the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), his biography, his calling, and his hadiths (peace and blessings be upon him) are all centered on correcting the creed and correcting actions, and clarifying what is required of the Muslim and what the Muslim should be. The righteous Salaf, the Companions, the Tabi'un (the generation after the Companions), and their followers, as well as the blessed generations, have taken care of interpreting the Qur'an and interpreting the Sunnah, and they have taken the correct creed from them and clarified it for people. So, after the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), one should refer to the words of the righteous Salaf, which are recorded and preserved in books of tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis) and commentaries on hadith, and are also recorded specifically in books of creed.
As for those from whom the knowledge of creed is received, they are the people of tawhid, the scholars of tawhid, who have studied this creed with awareness and have gained understanding in it. They are available, praise be to Allah, especially in this land, our land, the land of tawhid, the land of calling to tawhid. The scholars of this land and the upright scholars of the Muslims, in general, have a concern for the creed of tawhid; they study it, understand it, clarify it for people, and call to it. Referring to the people of tawhid and the scholars of tawhid whose creed is sound and pure is from whom the creed of tawhid is taken through learning, asking, and understanding from them. As for turning away from the books of creed to books of general culture and imported ideas from here and there, this does not benefit anything. As the saying goes, "It is like the flesh of a lean camel on top of a difficult mountain." These are books where ignorance of them does no harm and knowledge of them does no good. However, if someone who is well-versed in the sciences of tawhid, the sciences of creed, and the Islamic legal sciences wants to look at them from the perspective of knowing the favor of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) upon him, and how Allah taught him the correct creed and forbade those who occupied themselves with hearsay and filled books and newspapers with words that have no benefit and whose evil is greater than their good, it is not permissible for a student of knowledge, especially a beginner, to occupy himself with these books because they do not satisfy hunger or provide sustenance; rather, they take up time, scatter the mind, and waste a person's time. It is obligatory for a person to choose beneficial and useful books, and books that rely on the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Knowledge is what Allah said and what His Messenger said. Imam Ibn al-Qayyim said: "Knowledge is: Allah said, His Messenger said, the Companions said. They are the people of true knowledge. What is knowledge? It is not a position of disagreement, nor foolishness between the texts and the opinion of so-and-so. This is the correct creed, these are its sources, and these are its men."