I request clarification of the correct methodology for the beginner student of knowledge, and likewise clarification of the books in which the student of knowledge begins.

The questioner : The honorable Shaykh says, "I request clarification of the correct methodology for the beginner student of knowledge, and likewise clarification of the books in which the student of knowledge begins. May Allah reward you with good."

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the Pious, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. The correct methodology for the student of knowledge, whether he is a beginner, an intermediate, or an advanced one, is to proceed in his creed, his words, his actions, and his character according to what he has learned from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). This is because the fruit of knowledge is acting upon it. If knowledge is not acted upon by the one to whom Allah has granted it, it becomes a burden upon him. This is because the argument is established against him by the knowledge, and the right path becomes clear to him. If he then rebels and opposes it, his knowledge becomes an argument against him and a burden upon him. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
The beginner, intermediate, and advanced student of knowledge must manifest the effect of his knowledge upon him through dignity, good bearing, and beautiful character, so that he is respected among people and honored in their eyes. For a word from a respected and honored person weighs as much as a thousand words from one who is disregarded, if the word is accepted from the disregarded one.
The beginner, intermediate, and advanced student of knowledge must convey what he has learned of the Shari'ah of Allah, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . The scholars are the heirs of the Prophets, and the heir must be upon the guidance of the one from whom he inherits, because the heir takes the place of the deceased in what he left behind. Just as wealth, when its owner dies, the wealth itself passes to his heirs, so too, when the Prophets (peace and blessings be upon them) died, their inheritance, which is knowledge, passed to those after them. Whoever takes it up takes a great share. He must follow the path of the Messengers (peace and blessings be upon them) in guiding creation and calling them to the truth. Thus, the beginner, intermediate, and advanced student of knowledge has a responsibility to spread his knowledge and call creation to the truth.
The beginner, intermediate, and advanced student of knowledge must not allow envy to take root in his heart for anyone. For envy is among the characteristics of the Jews, and it is a vile trait. The first to be harmed by it is its owner, because whenever he sees the blessing of Allah upon someone, his heart burns and his soul constricts, and he does not see the blessing of Allah upon himself in anything. Indeed, envy may gradually lead him to feel that Allah has wronged him by giving so-and-so what He did not give him. Allah has condemned this in those envious ones in His saying: .
Let the envious one among the students of knowledge, students of wealth, and students of children know that his envy cannot prevent the favor of Allah upon the one he envies. Let him take guidance from what Allah has guided to in His saying: . If he sees someone who surpasses him in knowledge, religion, children, or wealth, let him know that this is from the favor of Allah. Let him ask Allah of His favor, which He gave to that person, to give it to you. As for your envying him and hating what Allah has bestowed upon him, this is an error in perception, folly in intellect, and misguidance in religion.
As for the books I advise the student of knowledge to start with, the first is the Book of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, to which falsehood does not come from before it or from behind it, a revelation from the Wise, the Praiseworthy. Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has affirmed that He has made it easy for remembrance. Allah, the Exalted, said: . So let the student of knowledge direct himself to the Noble Qur'an for memorization, recitation, reflection, understanding, and acting upon what it indicates, so that he may attain thereby the happiness of this world and the Hereafter. Let him strive to review the books of reliable exegetes in their knowledge and trustworthiness, because the approaches of exegetes to the Noble Qur'an differ. Some of them are misguidance, and one who has such an approach tries to distort the texts of the Qur'an to what he believes.
An example of this is that Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said in the Noble Qur'an: . And Allah, the Exalted, mentioned His rising above His Throne in seven places in the Noble Qur'an, all using the phrase "istawa 'ala al-'Arsh" (He rose above the Throne). . The meaning of "istawa" (rising above) upon something is known in the Arabic language in which the Noble Qur'an was revealed, as He, the Exalted, said: . And He, the Exalted, said: . And He, the Exalted, said: . And He, the Exalted, said: . And the Arabic language, when "istawa" is followed by "ala" (upon), means rising above something, as He, the Exalted, said: . So the rising of Allah above His Throne is His being above it in a manner that befits Him and is worthy of Him, (Exalted and Majestic is He). But we do not know its modality, because Allah, the Exalted, informed us that He rose above His Throne, but He did not inform us how He rose. For this reason, when a man asked Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), saying, "O Abu 'Abd Allah, how did He rise?" Malik lowered his head until he was sweating profusely from the severity of what this question brought upon him. Then he said: "The rising is not unknown, the modality is not conceivable, belief in it is obligatory, and asking about it is an innovation". And he said: "I do not see you as anything but an innovator". Then he ordered that he be taken out of the Prophet's Mosque, because he asked about something for which silence is the only appropriate response. For the Companions did not ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about it, and they were more eager than we are to know the attributes of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, and more reverent of Allah, and more loving of knowledge. And they had the one whom, if they asked, was more deserving of answering than we are, and that was the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and they did not ask.
There are some exegetes who interpret to mean "he took possession of it and ruled it and subdued it by the power of authority and control." There is no doubt that this meaning is false and contradicts what the indication of the Noble Qur'an requires, and what the righteous Salaf and the Imams of the Muslims were upon. So a person must be cautious of such an interpretation and not be deceived by it, because this interpretation may be crafted in a rhetorical style that seizes a person's feelings until he believes it, believing in it while it is a distortion of the Book of Allah.
The examples of this are many. Some try to divert the noble verses to their belief, and some try to divert them to their school of jurisprudence, and some try to divert them to their school of grammar, saying this is anomalous and this is not based on analogy, and the like of that.
In summary, I say that the most important book for the student of knowledge to attend to is the Book of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic. But let his reception of the meanings of the Book of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, be from the reliable books of exegesis written by scholars who are reliable in their knowledge, their religion, and their trustworthiness. Then, after that, what is authentic of the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He should start with the abridgments of them, such as the book "Umdat al-Ahkam" by al-Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi, then "Bulugh al-Maram" by al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, then "Al-Muntakha min Akhbar al-Mustafa" by al-Majd ibn Taymiyyah, the grandfather of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. After these abridgments, the abridgments of jurisprudence, such as "Zad al-Mustaqni'" in Hanbali jurisprudence, and similar abridgments of jurisprudence in the other schools. But let him not make these books of jurisprudence, which were written by scholars, a proof to be argued with, because the words of the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them), no matter how high they reached in knowledge, need to be supported by proof and are not a proof to be argued with. The statements of scholars are supported by proof, but they are not themselves proof. However, they are undoubtedly something to be referred to and cited. If a person masters these books of jurisprudence and Allah makes it easy for him to have a Shaykh who explains their meanings to him and clarifies the stronger position from the weaker one, he will attain much good. And I urge the students of knowledge to attend to the principles and rules, because they are knowledge in reality. As for the individual issues, although they are knowledge, they do not give a person the skill to know the stronger from the weaker, and the authentic from the weak. And I ask Allah, the Exalted, to increase in our universities people like this questioner.

The questioner : Amen, amen. May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.