Is it permissible to read supplications and dhikr from books of supplications?
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The questioner : The questioner says: Is it permissible to read supplications and dhikr from books of supplications?
The Shaykh : If these books contain only what is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or good, then there is nothing wrong with a person taking one of these books and remembering Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with the dhikr contained in them, because many of the dhikr cannot be memorized by heart. So if he memorizes them from a book or from a sheet he copied from an authentic or good book, there is no blame on him for reciting these dhikr from that book. By the way, I would like to point out what some of those who perform tawaf or sa'y during Hajj or 'Umrah carry. You will find each of them carrying a booklet containing the supplication for the first lap, the supplication for the second lap, the supplication for the third lap, and so on. This is a religious innovation, as the scholars have explicitly stated. It is not befitting for a person to carry these booklets, because if the dhikr contained in them are authentic, they are not prescribed for this specific place but for another place, and specifying them for this place is considered a religious innovation. And if they are not authentic, they are even further removed from the Sunnah. Therefore, we advise our brothers who are performing 'Umrah, Hajj, or voluntary tawaf not to rely on these booklets, but rather to rely on what is in their own hearts, supplicating to Allah the Exalted with whatever good of this world and the Hereafter they wish. Even if they repeat, "O Allah, forgive me, O Allah, forgive me, O Allah, have mercy on me, O Allah, provide for me," or repeat, "There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, He is the Sovereign, and to Him belongs all praise, and He is over all things competent," or read whatever they wish from the Qur'an.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and...
The Shaykh : If these books contain only what is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or good, then there is nothing wrong with a person taking one of these books and remembering Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with the dhikr contained in them, because many of the dhikr cannot be memorized by heart. So if he memorizes them from a book or from a sheet he copied from an authentic or good book, there is no blame on him for reciting these dhikr from that book. By the way, I would like to point out what some of those who perform tawaf or sa'y during Hajj or 'Umrah carry. You will find each of them carrying a booklet containing the supplication for the first lap, the supplication for the second lap, the supplication for the third lap, and so on. This is a religious innovation, as the scholars have explicitly stated. It is not befitting for a person to carry these booklets, because if the dhikr contained in them are authentic, they are not prescribed for this specific place but for another place, and specifying them for this place is considered a religious innovation. And if they are not authentic, they are even further removed from the Sunnah. Therefore, we advise our brothers who are performing 'Umrah, Hajj, or voluntary tawaf not to rely on these booklets, but rather to rely on what is in their own hearts, supplicating to Allah the Exalted with whatever good of this world and the Hereafter they wish. Even if they repeat, "O Allah, forgive me, O Allah, forgive me, O Allah, have mercy on me, O Allah, provide for me," or repeat, "There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, He is the Sovereign, and to Him belongs all praise, and He is over all things competent," or read whatever they wish from the Qur'an.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and...