The Ruling on Reading Philosophy Books and the Book of Animals
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
This questioner, Khalid, says: What is your opinion on reading philosophy books, and also the book I am currently reading, the Book of Animals?
Answer:
A Muslim reads in books that benefit him in his creed, his religion, and Islamic knowledge. There is no good in philosophy; rather, it is a distraction and a source of doubt. Allah the Exalted has made us self-sufficient with the correct religious books in creed, jurisprudence, morals, and etiquette: books of hadith, books of tafsir, books of jurisprudence, and books of correct creed. They are numerous, they occupy one’s time, and they are sufficient for the Muslim who wants to learn and research. Philosophy may lead one to evil, and no one has read in philosophy without being affected, either severely or to a lesser degree. Imam al-Ghazali was a jurist and a scholar in the Shafi'i school, but he was afflicted by reading in philosophy, and it affected him; it affected him.
His student, Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi (may Allah have mercy on him), said: "Our Shaykh entered into the depths of philosophy and was unable to get out of it." Another said: "He swallowed the philosophy and was unable to vomit it up." So the Muslim should avoid these matters that he has no need for, or that pose a danger to the religion and creed. As for his reading in al-Jahiz's Book of Animals, al-Jahiz's Book of Animals, this falls under the category of literature; it is not philosophy. It is a book of Arabic language and literature that has some benefit, but there are books of knowledge, religion, and creed that are more important than it. If he reads it to strengthen his literature and language, that is good.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
This questioner, Khalid, says: What is your opinion on reading philosophy books, and also the book I am currently reading, the Book of Animals?
Answer:
A Muslim reads in books that benefit him in his creed, his religion, and Islamic knowledge. There is no good in philosophy; rather, it is a distraction and a source of doubt. Allah the Exalted has made us self-sufficient with the correct religious books in creed, jurisprudence, morals, and etiquette: books of hadith, books of tafsir, books of jurisprudence, and books of correct creed. They are numerous, they occupy one’s time, and they are sufficient for the Muslim who wants to learn and research. Philosophy may lead one to evil, and no one has read in philosophy without being affected, either severely or to a lesser degree. Imam al-Ghazali was a jurist and a scholar in the Shafi'i school, but he was afflicted by reading in philosophy, and it affected him; it affected him.
His student, Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi (may Allah have mercy on him), said: "Our Shaykh entered into the depths of philosophy and was unable to get out of it." Another said: "He swallowed the philosophy and was unable to vomit it up." So the Muslim should avoid these matters that he has no need for, or that pose a danger to the religion and creed. As for his reading in al-Jahiz's Book of Animals, al-Jahiz's Book of Animals, this falls under the category of literature; it is not philosophy. It is a book of Arabic language and literature that has some benefit, but there are books of knowledge, religion, and creed that are more important than it. If he reads it to strengthen his literature and language, that is good.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/232 — archive.org (6:28)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.