What are the Islamic legal sciences that you advise a student of knowledge to begin with?

Al-Halabi : He saysThe questioner : In connection with the discussion on knowledge and learning, what are the Islamic legal sciences that you advise a student of knowledge to start with? Is it hadith, or language, or tafsir, or the principles of jurisprudence, and so on?

The Shaykh : This naturally varies from one student to another. If we assume, for example, a student who has just graduated from elementary school, then he must study fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) so that he can correct his acts of worship that are obligatory upon him, such as prayer, fasting, and similar rulings. If he is told to study what we mentioned earlier, namely the principles of fiqh, the principles of hadith, and the biographies of hadith narrators, and so on, this first takes many years, and second, the benefit of this knowledge in terms of understanding what is forbidden and what is permissible will be delayed for years. He will live in ignorance, not knowing how to perform wudu (ablution) or how to pray or how to fast, while remaining ignorant of the rulings of the religion. Therefore, the first thing a student of knowledge should study is the science of fiqh, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . However, on this occasion, I must remind you that a student of knowledge must study fiqh under a scholar, and if possible, under a man who is well-versed in the matter. Returning to the previous discussion, such a scholar should be well-versed in the evidence from the Book and the Sunnah, meaning he knows what is called today comparative fiqh. He knows the schools of thought and their opinions on the issues in which scholars have disagreed. This scholar will present to his student or students the pure truth from these differences because he is knowledgeable of the Book and the Sunnah, and because he is able to return to applying the statement of Allah the Exalted: . This is a great condition, and its meaning is: if you do not believe in Allah and the Last Day, you will not return to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, the Muslim should remember this condition: , meaning the consequence. If he is able to find such a scholar, he has struck a precious treasure. If not, he must then study the fiqh of a specific school. He should choose a scholar who is well-versed in one of the four schools of jurisprudence and study under him. If Allah wills, with his continued pursuit of knowledge and his study of the means we mentioned earlier, such as the principles of fiqh, the principles of hadith, and the biographies of men, and so on, the truth will become clear to him regarding the matters in which people have differed. The first method is the best method, but I know that it may not be available to every student of knowledge. This does not justify him remaining ignorant; rather, he must study the fiqh of the scholars. However, he must not mix or patch together different schools of thought to follow his desires, for following desires is a misguidance beyond which there is no greater misguidance. Yes.