What are the books you recommend for a beginner student of knowledge in hadith, fiqh, 'aqidah, and tafsir?

The Shaykh : There is no way to achieve this immediately; this comes with time, and time that is far off and very far off. They cannot know the truth and the correct opinion from what people have differed on in every issue, whether large or small, immediately. This is a matter of time. But what can they do, and what is obligatory for them? They should choose the books closest to the correct opinion. So, "Balagh al-Maram" is one of the closest books written on the hadiths of rulings. The fact that it contains some weak hadiths does no harm, especially since al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar clarifies their weakness. This is knowledge that a person acquires. I advise, regarding concise books of hadiths and for students of knowledge regarding the hadiths of rulings, that this is first: "Balagh al-Maram". Second, I believe it is purer than the first, but perhaps the book is not very famous. However, it was printed for us in Damascus, and its name is "Al-Ilmam bi-Ahadith al-Ahkam". This is purer than the first, but this is not prescribed. Then there is another book that is still in the realm of manuscripts, and perhaps some young people are striving to bring it into print, and it is "Al-Ahkam al-Sughra" by 'Abd al-Haqq al-Isbili. These are the books regarding the hadiths of rulings. Then we advise, regarding the hadiths of morals and conduct, "Riyad al-Salihin" by Imam al-Nawawi, and the book "Al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib" by al-Mundhiri. Then I advise, from the fiqh of the Sunnah, two books: one is the famous "Fiqh al-Sunnah" by al-Sayyid Sabiq, with the assistance of "Tamam al-Manna" by al-Ta'ib al-Siddiq Hasan Khan, and the other is "Al-Rawdat al-Nadiyyah Sharh al-Durar al-Bahiyyah". This is a concise version of "Al-Durar al-Bahiyyah" as a text, and this commentary brings the evidence for every issue the author addresses. The author is al-Shawkani. If the student of knowledge progresses through these books, his fiqh and knowledge will be as purified as possible. As for being one hundred percent, that is impossible.

The questioner : Books of 'aqidah, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh :"Al-'Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah", and one should begin with the 'aqidah itself, and there are some annotations by me on it. Then afterwards, if a strong student of knowledge or a virtuous scholar is provided for them, they move on to the commentary by Ibn Abi al-'Izz al-Hanafi. This is a Salafi commentary. And the books of Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, generally in 'aqidah, are the purified honey.

The questioner : In tafsir, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : As for books of tafsir, we have only the tafsir of al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir and the book of al-Shawkani, "Fath al-Qadir". And there was "Fath al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an" by al-Siddiq Hasan Khan, which was printed in the margin of the tafsir "Ruh al-Ma'ani" by al-Alusi. And now it is being printed in Riyadh, I think, separately as "Fath al-Bayan by al-Siddiq" Hasan Khan. And his approach is also Salafi. So these are the books we recommend regarding the science of tafsir.